TERRACE BAY— Seniors in Terrace Bay will pay a bit more for a snow removal program this winter.
At their meeting on Tuesday night, Terrace Bay council agreed to increase the costs of providing subsidized snow removal services to seniors by 42 per cent. The program is available for seniors who are unable to clear snow from their driveways.
The fee for seniors will increase to $17 for each snowclearing occurrence, up from the $12 that had been charged since 2017.
“It is unfortunate that the rate has to be increased," Mayor Jody Davis said in an interview with CFNO's Al Cresswell. "But the cost of snow removal for this winter has gone up because the cost for the contractors bidding for the job clear driveways has increased to $37 per occurrence per driveway."
Davis said the contractor has identified broader price increases as the reason for the hike.
“Hopefully the seniors can understand why we have had to raise it," Davids said. "Not all towns provide this service for seniors. We want to keep on providing this service for seniors but unfortunately because of the increased costs of the insurance and gas, and labour etc., that we have now had to increase it.”
To participate, seniors apply for the program through the municipality.
With files from Al Cresswell, CFNO
