By John Woodhouse
The 2020 Snow Mole Campaign has just begun and is active until the end of March. Snow Moles are Ottawa pedestrians who volunteer to gather information and report problems about winter walking in their neighbourhood. The Campaign encourages safe winter walking in Ottawa and advocates for better snow and ice clearance on our sidewalks, pathways and roads where there are no sidewalks.
The Council on Aging of Ottawa is collecting Snow Mole information from a short questionnaire available electronically, and can also be downloaded and printed if you want a paper copy. Anyone can be a snow mole, and seniors and children are especially encouraged to participate, as well as people who use mobility devices (e.g. canes, walkers and wheelchairs). To find out what to do , and to access the questionnaire, go to www.coaottawa.ca/snow moles .
Snow Moles can do a winter-walk audit on their own or with a neighbourhood group. On your own–on any day and with a specific destination (bus stop, pharmacy, library etc)–fill out the audit questionnaire online or on paper. The Council on Aging will add your questionnaire to their analysis. With a neighbourhood group, contact a team leader in your neighbourhood and join the group for a organized walk audit lasting about 20 minutes. Contact names for team leaders can also be found at www.coaottawa.ca/snow moles
In the successful 2019 Campaign, 225 Snow Moles completed the questionnaire. Almost 81% said their sidewalks were unsafe, icy and not well ploughed, sanded or salted. Many people reported falls on their walks and some went to hospital. Other reported that a “fear of falling kept them from going outside”. Most older residents needed to use ice grips on their boots, and/or walking poles as mobility aids. The Snow Mole Report 2019 – Winter Walking in Ottawa is available online at https://coaottawa.ca/transportation/