'Time to part ways' Levack woman says after ongoing city snow removal problems

A woman who lives in the Greater Sudbury community of Levack says it is time to part ways with the city's snow removal services after years of ongoing issues.

Chantelle Gorham lives in downtown Levack with commercial space on the main floor and residential on the top.

She has outlined some of her grievances with the city in two videos posted online.

"The relationship our town has with the City of Greater Sudbury simply isn't working," Gorham said in a video posted Jan. 18, which has more than 1,600 views on YouTube.

In the video, she said nearly 75 per cent of the community was not plowed two days after a winter storm hit on Dec. 15, which is outside the city's response time guidelines of 24 hours.

The snowy streets affected the community's annual Santa vs. the Grinch parade on Dec. 17, Gorham said.

• Download our app to get local alerts on your device
• Get the latest local updates right to your inbox

A city spokesperson told CTV News in an email, snow removal was completed in Levack on Dec. 17.

"City crews work hard to ensure that the entire 3,600-kilometre municipal road network is clear and passable within 24 hours following the end of a winter storm. We also work to keep over 440 km of sidewalks and approximately 500 bus stops clear," the city said.

More recently, Gorham captured video of a city sidewalk plow knocking over a community box that serves as a food pantry and lending library on Tuesday morning and dragging it down the road before leaving it.

Chantelle Gorham captured video of a city sidewalk plow knocking over a community box in Levack that serves as a food pantry and lending library on Tuesday morning and dragging it down the road before leaving it. (Photo from video)

That video, above, has more than 5,300 views in 18 hours of being posted.

"While we cannot speak to matters pertaining to specific employees due to privacy reasons, we will continue to look into this matter and move forward with appropriate actions," a city spokesperson told CTV News in an email.

Chantelle Gorham captured video of a city sidewalk plow knocking over a community box in Levack that serves as a food pantry and lending library on Tuesday morning and dragging it down the road before leaving it. (Photo from video)

Residents are gathering at a community meeting at 6 p.m. Wednesday at the Golden Age Club in Onaping to discuss these ongoing issues.

"We continue to speak with community members in Levack regarding their snow removal needs on an ongoing basis," the city told CTV News.

"They are currently moving through the process to organize an official Community Action Network and once completed, the city welcomes an invitation to speak to their group regarding city services."

CTV News video journalist Amanda Hicks will be at the meeting and will have an update.