City report on Know Your Zone expansion given 90-day extension

A Winnipeg council committee granted city bureaucrats a 90-day extension today for a report looking at the idea of expanding the Know Your Zone system beyond snow plowing toinclude mosquito fogging and spring street cleaning.

The infrastructure renewal and public works committee asked city officials this summer to study the idea of implementing a Know Your Zone type of system for services such as street clearing, insect control and emergency management, as well as look at what's done in other jurisdictions.

The officials were expected to report back to the committee when it meton Tuesday morning.

The Know Your Zone system was introduced in November 2011 to notify the public on when snow-clearing crews will come to their neighbourhoods.

The alphabetical zoning system splits Winnipeg into letter categories. The city alerts the public on which letter areas will be plowed and placed under 12-hour parking bans.

But every winter even as recently as this past Februarymany driversand residents have said they don't know what zone they're in.

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The city uses a numeric zoning system for its mosquito fogging and cankerworm control programs, dividing the city into 51 insect management areas.

Meanwhile, the city does not have a distinct zone-based schedule for cleaning streets in the spring.

"Having a different zone or area for residential snow clearing and insect management, or no zone or area for the Street Cleaning Program, often leads to confusion for residents and businesses and leads to increased calls to 311, city departments and electedofficials," the committee's motion from June 23 reads in part.

The committee also noted that having a "distinct designated zone" could be used if the city needs to reach a certain part of the city in emergencies.

When asked about the possibility of expanding the Know Your Zone system, Mayor Brian Bowman told CBC's Information Radio he had not seen the city's report yet.

"We're taking steps to really improve our communication efforts at city hall," he told host Marcy MarkusaearlyTuesday morning.

"But that one particular issue, I haven't seen that report, and so it's premature for me to provide comment on it until I have a chance to see it."