After snow-removal company's abrupt closure, West Island volunteers pick up their shovels
New online groups connect volunteers with people who can't clear their driveways and sidewalks
Many people in Montreal's West Island are heading into 2020 with a renewed sense of community and goodwill, helping neighbours after the sudden shuttering of a local snow removal company that had served the area for 30 years.
Bo-Pelouse ceased operations Monday, leaving thousands of customers in Dorval and Pointe-Claire snowed in.
Some 21 centimetres of snow was expected to have fallen by the end of the day Tuesday, and with neighbours worried about seniors, people with disabilities and single parents for whom shovelling out is a challenge, Vicky Jones decided to act.
The Dorval resident created two Facebook pages where people needing help could find volunteers — one for Dorval and one for Pointe-Claire.
Jones said in some cases, the response has been overwhelming.
Help in less than an hour
Dorval resident Anna Campagna said she heard about the Facebook group through Jones's interview on Daybreak.
Campagna, 69, is retired and on a fixed income. She posted a call for help Tuesday morning.
"I had a yearly contract with Bo-Pelouse for snow removal [at $1,036] and in November paid them an additional $450 for clearing a pathway," she wrote.
She paid extra because she needs a path cleared for the company that delivers her oil, or it won't make the delivery.
"I would appreciate the help of some volunteers today as I try to find a permanent solution," she wrote.
Within an hour of posting to the group, help arrived.
Campagna said she was expecting a group of men, but instead, a woman showed up in a small car and took out a shovel.
The woman cleared the walkway and a path for the oil delivery company, but Campagna stopped her before she could shovel the driveway.
She said she felt bad because the woman had already done so much, and the driveway was less essential.
"It's so nice to learn that I live in a caring community," Campagna said.
Jones said she hasn't thought about what she'll do with the two groups after former Bo-Pelouse customers have figured out what to do for the rest of the season.
She's considering converting the groups into general calls for volunteers within the community.
With files from Verity Stevenson and CBC Montreal's Daybreak