The East York-Riverdale Mirror

Titled The Community and the Citizen, it was written by social scientist and educator Arthur William Dunn, who by the early 1920s was in charge of setting the standards for civic education for the entire U.S.

Dunn's main thesis was based upon the blending of social science with the wisdom of democracy, which saw each person, be they rich or poor, young or old, as being a member of equal standing in any American community.

More importantly, Dunn believed that rather than sitting back and letting "experts" manage community affairs for them, each individual needed to be directly involved in the operation of his own neighbourhood.

One method that Dunn gave to his readers for measuring such involvement was to observe how a community coped with a snowfall, as this was a good illustration of how individuals co-operated with their neighbours to solve a common problem.

A neighbourhood where sidewalks were consistently kept clear of snow by a large numbers of people demonstrated how a high degree of civic co-operation made walking easier and safer after a snow storm.

Those neighbourhoods where snow clearing was inconsistent demonstrated how the lack of civic co-operation by some people contributed directly to unsafe sidewalks.

I was thinking about that simple social science experiment this past week during our own recent set of snow storms where I was able to observe the current levels of civic co-operation found in East York.

Not surprisingly, the citizens of the former borough continue to exhibit the civic qualities that make our community one of the best to live in within Toronto.

Currently city bylaws state that the owners of any building, be it occupied or not, that has a sidewalk situated beside a roadway located somewhere beside it, must clear that sidewalk 12 hours after a snowfall ends.

Frankly, many East Yorker's were out clearing their sidewalks while the snow was falling in order to make sure that their neighbours would have a safe passage.

However, while many people are clearing off their sidewalks promptly, and their driveways as well, there is one trend that I am seeing that should be stopped by next snowfall.

That is the practice of shoveling snow out onto the roadway, be it from a sidewalk or a private driveway.

Not only is this practice illegal, it makes road snow removal difficult for city work crews and can create a serious safety hazard for all vehicles using that section of the roadway.

Under Toronto bylaw 719-5, a person convicted of shoveling snow onto city streets is covered under Section 61 of the Provincial Offenses Act and is liable for a fine of not more than $5,000.

So the next time the snow falls, be a responsible citizen and clear it properly by doing it legally.