Landscapers struggle under weight of all this snow
A long winter and a delayed spring mean some Calgary landscapers are nervously watching their bottom line.
Bruce Theunissen, the general manager of Signature Landscape Maintenance and Construction, says he normally does about 35 sidewalk snow removals per customer and that's what he charges for.
This winter it was more than 60.
"I've had times where I've had 12 to 16 extra staff on top of my normal 24, so if I break even this year, I'll be happy," he said.
More to come
The snow isn't letting up any time soon, either, with snowfall warnings in place for some regions of Alberta and a 60 per cent chance of snow for Calgary on Monday.
That would just add more depth to a remarkable late winter — more than 80 centimetres of snow fell in Calgary in February and March, compared to the usual 37 centimetres.
It's not just all the extra work clearing snow, it's also the fact spring just refuses to show up.
"We'll be at least a month behind for sure, and somehow I'm gonna have to be cutting grass and be doing spring cleanups all at the same time," said Theunissen.
"It's gonna cost me money again because I'm gonna have to have more workforce again."
Patios, too
Wayne Van Meter, who owns Yard Busters Landscaping, says there will also be delays for yard construction projects like patios, decks and fences.
"With the ground being so soft and mushy, and there being so much snow out, ultimately we would make a bigger mess than we would be able to do construction for," he said.
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