TORONTO

Councillor Mary-Margaret McMahon wants the city to look at cracking down on people who don't clear their sidewalks after a snowfall.

The public works committee voted Thursday to approve McMahon's request to have staff look at ways to ramp up the city's enforcement efforts on sidewalk snow removal. Council still has to OK the review next month.

"This is one of the single biggest complaints I get in my office about people who do not shovel their snow," McMahon told the committee.

"I always encourage my residents to speak to their neighbour directly ... it doesn't always happen, there are repeat offenders."

In her letter to the committee, McMahon said Toronto residents are risking their safety navigating snow and ice-covered sidewalks.

"Compliance with the municipal code, which mandates sidewalks be cleared by property owners, is not sufficient to ensure public safety," McMahon argued in her letter. "Fewer than 70 tickets were issued this winter for un-cleared sidewalks despite thousands of reports to Councillors and 311.

"Clearly, the City of Toronto needs to investigate new models of enforcement and education to increase compliance with existing bylaws governing snow clearing."

McMahon wants the city to track repeated snow clearing problems on properties, look at snow clearing enforcement practices in other cities and whether the city could clear the sidewalk immediately upon inspection rather than issuing warnings.