Strata snow removal in BC: what councils must plan for

Lower Mainland snow is unpredictable and that is exactly the problem. A season can pass with two usable snowfalls, or a single week can drop enough to shut a parkade ramp. Councils that book snow service in December are bidding against every other council that waited, during the week it is actually snowing.

The planning worth doing now is less about snow and more about liability and definitions.

The liability question comes first

Under the Strata Property Act, a strata corporation is responsible for maintaining and repairing common property — and walkways, entries, stairs, ramps and parking areas are common property. A slip-and-fall claim turns on whether the corporation acted reasonably, and "reasonably" is judged against what was documented at the time.

That is why the single most valuable thing a snow contract produces is not cleared pavement. It is the record: what time the crew attended, what they cleared, what they applied, and what conditions they found. A council that can produce a timestamped log is in a completely different position from one relying on somebody's memory.

Define the trigger, not just the service

Most disputes between a strata and a snow contractor come from a vague trigger. A workable contract specifies:

• The snowfall depth that triggers attendance — commonly 2cm or 5cm. Below the trigger, nothing happens unless somebody calls.
• Whether ice alone triggers attendance. In this climate, freezing rain and overnight freeze-thaw cause more falls than accumulation does, and a depth-only trigger misses them entirely.
• Response time from the trigger, and whether that clock runs overnight.
• What gets cleared, in what order — main entry first, then secondary entries, walkways, ramps, parking areas.
• Where the snow goes. On tight sites this is a real constraint; piling it over a catch basin creates a flood when it thaws.
• What de-icer is used, and whether it is safe for the surfaces involved.

Salt damages things — budget for that too

De-icing salt is hard on concrete, aluminium, landscaping and interior flooring once it is tracked in on boots. Buildings that salt heavily and clean rarely end up paying for the consequences in spring. Pairing winter response with entry-mat management and common-area cleaning is not an upsell; it is how the salt bill stays a salt bill.

Elevation changes the answer

A contract written for a flat site in Richmond or Ladner will be wrong for a plateau property in Coquitlam or a hillside complex in Maple Ridge or New Westminster. Higher-elevation and north-facing sites get more events, hold ice longer, and have access roads where clearing is a safety item rather than a convenience. If your property sits on grade, say so when you ask for a quote — it changes the scope.

Why October is the month to sort it

Three practical reasons. Contractors have capacity now and are scarce mid-event. A crew that has walked your site in daylight knows where the catch basins, ramps and problem corners are before they arrive at 4am in the dark. And the council has time to actually read the scope rather than approving whatever is available.

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