Ottawa residents remain frustrated over snow-clogged streets

Nearly a week after Ottawa's first major snow storm of the season, complaints continue thatmanyside streets are still reduced to one lane and many sidewalks remainclogged with snow and ice.

Staff at theCentretown Community Health Centre said clients, including seniors and people with physical disabilities, are forced to take a risky route into the buildingon Cooper Street just west ofBank Street.

A three-foot snowbank at the ParaTranspostop in front of the building has turned to ice despite calls to the city, said health centre executive directorSimoneThibault.

"If you're in a wheelchair, you can't get in,"Thibault said. "It feels very frustrating to staff, and frustrating for our clients. It's cold. It's hard enough for people to get here with mobility issues."

Catherine McKenney, the councillor for the Somerset ward where the health centre is located, said she has been inundated with complaints.

"I've never seen anything like it, in terms of lack of sidewalk plowing," she said.

Ottawa was hit with more than 25 centimetres of snow last Tuesday.