So, Katie calls me today. Said the guy I am subletting from was called by the landlord and I’m told that I have to clear the sidewalks as a result of By-Law 82-12.

This was a surprise to me, because when I signed the sublet agreement and the guy showed me the rental agreement he adhered to, this was a duty that is covered by the landlord. However, it turns out that the landlord manages this property from Toronto (which seems like bullshit…how can you manage a property from a different city…if anything, you make money exploiting people from a property that you do jack shit on to maintain).

Anyway, as the only occupant of the house possessing a penis, it appears that the duty of sidewalk clearing falls to me. The thing is, I’ve received these instructions and there isn’t any real ice on the sidewalk. There is some dirt that is on the sidewalk, which makes it look like the snowfall is higher than it is.

Also, I have a ridiculously small shovel and another small shovel (very thin, rectangular shovel component). That is all they’ve provided me with. It doesn’t look like there is any salt for the ice, etc.

What pisses me off the most is that I have to be out shovelling usually before some plows go by, which means that I’ll go out and shovel my sidewalk and driveway, go inside and get dressed, go to the car, and be stuck in my driveway because the plow has blocked it up again.

How is that fair? I mean…the city wants me to take care of their property (the sidewalk) and yet they kick me in the face when it comes to maintenance of my own property. Thanks Waterloo.

I mean, if the sidewalk was my property, then I could understand clearing it. Of course, I would also restrict access to other pedestrians so that I didn’t have to put up with this shit. But it is the property of the City of Waterloo, and I have to clear it. It really sucks, and assumes that my time is less valuable (apparently) then the people that they pay and hire to plow streets. Furthermore, my roommates assume that my time is less valuable then theirs, so I’m getting kicked around plenty.

And I get that this is mostly to assist the mobility of pedestrians, specifically those who are disabled. But what happens if the occupant of a house is disabled? How do they know that I don’t have crutches or something? The whole by-law just seems wonky, and the fact that the duty falls to me alone really sucks balls.

And this is going to go on from January through to April.