M E M O / N O T E D E S E R V I C E

To / Destinataire	Mayor and Members of Council/ Maire et les membres du Conseil	File/N° de fichier: ACS2009-COS-PWS-0011
From / Expéditeur	Steve Kanellakos Deputy City Manager/ Directeur municipal adjoint City Operations / Opérations municipales	Contact / Personne-Ressource: John Manconi, General Manager, Public Works / Directeur Général, Travaux publics 613-580-2424 ext 21110 John.Manconi@ottawa.ca
Subject / Objet	Annual update on Snow Go and Snow Go Assist Programs / Mise à jour annuelle sur le programme Snow-Go et le programme d’aide Snow-Go	June 17, 2009 / le 17 juin 2009

The purpose of this memo is to provide an update on the Snow Go Program and the Snow Go Assist Pilot Program for the 2008-2009 program season.

Background

At it’s meeting on March 8, 2006, Council approved the implementation of a program to assist seniors and people with disabilities with snow clearing operations. The City of Ottawa’s new Snow Go Program and Snow Go Assist Pilot Program were launched on October 1, 2007. The Programs were developed in consultation with the Senior Citizens Council of Ottawa-Carleton, and with the co-operation of 10 community support agencies that are responsible for program implementation.

The Snow Go Program assists seniors and people with disabilities to find reliable individuals or contractors to economically clear snow and ice from private driveways and/or walkways. Residents who participate in this program are responsible for paying the individual or contractor removing snow and ice. Annual funding in the amount of $60,000 is provided to the Senior Citizen’s Council and Home Support Agencies to administer the program.

The Snow Go Assist Pilot Program is a three-year pilot program that provides a total of $60,000 per year in financial assistance to eligible low-income seniors and people with disabilities to pay for a portion of their snow and ice removal costs on private walkways and driveways. Approved participants may be reimbursed 50 per cent of the cost of snow and ice clearing per event and up to a seasonal maximum of $250.

Summary of 2008-2009 Season Outcomes

In the second year of the pilot project, the following program amendments were implemented to the satisfaction of the stakeholders.

· Program Launch date. To ensure adequate time for awareness and administration of the program, the Agencies began the Program promotion in August. The City assisted with promotion of both the Snow Go and Snow Go Assist Programs through design and printing of the posters, buckslips and programs’ fact sheets as well as participation at community events to promote the programs to the targeted audience.

· Inquiries. The City’s call centre and client service centre staff were trained on the objectives and eligibility requirements of the program in an effort to ensure that Snow Go and Snow Go Assist related inquiries are appropriately directed to the appropriate home support agencies according to the caller’s address.

· Snow Removal workers. The City assisted the home support agencies in identifying reliable workers by providing them with the list of the City’s licensed snow removal workers.

· Program Administration. Staff consulted with the Senior Citizen’s Council and the home support agencies to refine the process for determining eligibility under the Snow Go Assist Program in an effort to reduce the amount of time required to process applications, while continuing to ensure accountability and transparency.

· Financial assistance for extreme financial circumstances. The home support agencies approved funding up to 75% to Snow Go Assist applicants able to prove extreme financial circumstances, which prevented them from paying their matching contribution. To define the ‘extreme circumstances’ eligibility and to ensure accountability, the home support agencies consulted with the Senior Citizen’s Council on every application under the extreme financial circumstances.

Based on the stakeholder consultations, there is strong support and need for both the Snow Go and Snow Go Assist Pilot Programs. An increase in the number of vulnerable clients (seniors and people with disabilities) served by these programs during the last winter season is reflected in the Programs’ statistics.

Snow Go Program – Statistics

The Community Support Agencies received almost 4,000 inquiries for the Snow Go Program, and served over 990 individuals during the 2008/2009-winter season. This resulted in over $273,000 of snow removal services being completed by individuals and contractors and paid by the residents who participated in the Snow Go Program. Table 1 provides details on the Snow Go Program statistics.

Table 1: Snow Go Program Statistics (October 2007 – April 2008 and September 2008 – April 2009)

Snow Go Program	Program Period Total
	2007/2008	2008/2009
Telephone Calls	3,893	3,977
Individual Clients Served	816	994
Estimated Worker Income	$253,054	$273,634

Snow Go Assist Pilot Program – Statistics

Community interest in the Snow Go Assist Program was stronger than in the first year due to increased promotion of the program. Over 1,750 inquiries were received for the Snow Go Assist Program, and the Agencies served 180 clients, for a total grant contribution to participants of over $32,424. This represents a 51% increase compared to the first year. Approximately 10% of inquires (190 people) pursued the application process and were determined to be ineligible for funding for various reasons. Table 2 provides details on the Snow Go Assist Program’s statistics.

Table 2: Snow Go Assist Pilot Program Statistics (October 2007 – April 2008 and September 2008 – April 2009)

Snow Go Assist Pilot Program	Program Period Total
	2007/2008	2008/2009
Telephone Calls	1,301	1,789
Individual Clients Served	112	180
Applicants Not Served (determined to not be eligible)	203	190
Participation in both the Snow Go and Snow Go Assist Programs	39	239

Programs Expenses

In the second year of operation, the Snow Go Program expenses totaled $ 64,870, and the Snow Go Assist Program provided $32,424 in grants to assist with snow and ice removal. Table 3 provides the comparison of the Snow Go and Snow Go Assist Pilot Programs’ budget expenditures for the first two years of the programs.

Table 3: Snow Go Program and Snow Go Assist Pilot Program Budget Expenditures

(September 2007 – April 2008 and September 2008 – April 2009)

	Snow Go		Snow Go Assist Pilot
	2007/2008	2008/2009	2007/2008	2008/2009
Total Annual Funding	$60,000	$60,000	$60,000	$60,000
Program Coordination, Advertising, Communication and Recognition	$54,668	$64,870	$4,650	$4,450
Grants provided to program participants	N/A	N/A	$16,775	$32,424
Total Funds Allocated	$54,668	$60,000	$21,425	$36,874
Funds Returned to the City	$5,332	$0	$38,575	$23,126
In-kind support provided by the Agencies	N/A	$4,870

Due to an earlier launch date, an increase in the programs’ promotion, and the agencies enhanced knowledge and familiarity with the programs, the second year of the Snow Go Assist Pilot Program was much stronger than the first year with a 51% increase in the total funds dispersed to seniors and people with disabilities.

2009/2010 Program

Based on stakeholder feedback, the recruiting of the snow removal workers continues to be a challenge for these programs. The Home Support Agencies and the City will work together to recruit workers through methods such as newspaper advertisements, targeted mailing, and Public Service Announcements.

The 2009-2010 season is the 3^rd of the three-year pilot program. A report on the three-year pilot program, including recommendations for the future of the program, will be presented to Committee and Council in summer 2010.

Should you have any questions or comments, please do not hesitate to contact John Manconi at ext. 21110.

Original Signed By

Steve Kanellakos

c.c. General Manager, Public Works Department

Chief Public Affairs

Public Works Department Management Team

Senior Citizen’s Council of Ottawa-Carleton

Seniors Advisory Committee

Accessibility Advisory Committee
Coordinator, Transportation Committee