Here's a full transcript of the episode.
Rob Carnie: With Heritage Insurance, Greg Marcyniuk at Heritage Insurance in Moose Jaw. Winter is here. It has settled in, and we've had lots of snow. And Greg, I think most people living within cities or towns see it as a part of their civic duty to keep the sidewalks clear for pedestrians. But there's actually laws and bylaws that come into play. And liability comes into play as well.
You're here to talk about that today.
Greg Marcyniuk: That's right. And a lot of people that are not sure whether or not it's important as far as getting liability insurance and whether slips and falls on icy sidewalks are covered by home insurance. So, first and foremost, what is liability insurance? Liability is really an important part of your home insurance, and it covers the cost associated to injuries sustained by others that are on your property.
But it will not cover you, the homeowner, if you incur any injury on your property. And are you liable if someone is injured on your icy walkway or on your property? Well, when you're determining liability in slip-and-fall cases, it's usually very black and white. And there's a lot of factors there, whether or not you shoveled your sidewalk within the bylaws within your own municipality and other circumstances, like water flowing over the property, freezing on the sidewalk can make you liable.
So, even though your home liability could end up covering a slip-and-fall, it's always best to take the time to clear your walkway from snow and ice to prevent an accident in happening in the first place. Now, as far as the laws about shoveling the snow, each municipality is different. Typically, after a heavy snowfall, the removal has to be done between 24 and 48 hours.
In Moose Jaw here, it is... it has to be removed 48 hours. If you're a tenant, are you responsible for snow removal? Now, it depends whether or not you've got a contract with your landlord and you have to remove that snow. But, bottom line, it always ends up landing back to the landlord, and it's their responsibility even if you did have a contract in place.
So, just as far as tips for keeping your sidewalks clean, you know, shovel as quickly as possible. If there's any ice you can't remove, put some deicer on to help soften the ice, and then try again. After you've cleared the sidewalk as much as you can, just have a sprinkle of gravel or deicer on there. And when you are using the deicer, make sure you use it sparingly, that it's environmentally friendly, and as well, pet safe.
And what do you do if someone does actually slip on your sidewalk? Well, first and foremost, make sure you seek medical treatment for the person. Take photos of where the accident happened, including photos of the foot where the person was using if possible. Record the time and date, and if there is a witness, contact information, what happened.
And, of course, report it to your broker, providing what steps you did in preventing it. And first, you know, do not admit any liability at all, and let the insurer take care of communicating with the insured person. So, if you want to give us a call, talk to us about any extra liability insurance, please feel free to do so.
Rob Carnie: How do we get in touch?
Greg Marcyniuk: Heritageinsurance.ca or here at the corner of Fairford and 1st Northwest.
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