Winter Walking and Cycling

[SammyOES]

The problem is, there are many many different ways in which these fines manifest. How high does the fine need to be to convince a numbered corporation to maintain their derelict building which already owes half a million in back taxes? Vs. How likely does one need to be caught for a homeowner who's on vacation for 5 days and hopes there is no snowfall vs., a homeowner who clears one shovel width of snow from the walk and believes they've done a good job clearing.

I definitely agree that there are some properties where fines won't cut it. I suspect that's the minority or problems though? It's sort of built into everything that the city supports these properties and then relies on other means to be made whole [or attempt to be made whole].

I think an initial warning + steadily increasing fines cover the poor clearing job situations fairly well. Over time there will be feedback mechanisms that bring these people up to standard (or they'll be paying the city enough that the city won't care).

The vacation thing is never really going to be solved well by the by-law approach, imo. But I think you can charge enough that the people you do catch and fine can cover the costs of dealing with all of the people that you never catch and fine. You don't even need a large amount of by-law enforcement for this. The city does however need enough sidewalk clearing equipment that they can respond to all complaints quickly. So after a storm you won't be able to fine (and collect) everybody that isn't in compliance - but you can fine enough of them to pay for the city to just go around and clear any problem areas.