CALGARY – City of Calgary crews will be departing for Manitoba Friday to assist the ongoing cleanup effort in Winnipeg following last week's snowstorm.
The Oct. 11 storm downed trees, caused power outages and prompted transportation closures, leaving thousands without power.
"We are dispatching eight aerial truck operators," said Calgary Parks spokesperson Todd Reichardt. "Six of them will be on three aerial trucks with 35-foot booms. They're going to be looking after all the high risk branches for the next two weeks."
The Province of Manitoba has declared a state of emergency and the City of Winnipeg activated its emergency operations centre.
Winnipeg's autumn storm was reminiscent of a similar late summer storm, since dubbed Snowtember, that blasted Calgary five years ago, damaging more than a million trees.
Ward 5 councillor George Chahal believes it's Calgary's time to pay it forward, recalling "The impact it had on our city and our residents and the amount of help that was required to get back with things moving together.
"In 2014 we were very grateful for the assistance from other cities," added Todd Reichardt, City of Calgary's urban forestry manager in a statement released Thursday. "We know firsthand how an event of this magnitude can impact the lives of citizens, and we're privileged to be in a position where we can provide support and share our learnings to help Winnipeg optimize their response and recovery."
City officials say crews will be well prepared upon their arrival in Winnipeg on Friday.
"This is their third major snow event (of the fall)," said Reichart. "A number of them were with us in 2014 and then a couple years later, we went and helped our friends in Red Deer that had a similar kind of event."
According to City of Calgary officials, all of the costs associated with sending city staff and equipment to Winnipeg will be covered by the City of Winnipeg.
