If you are walking down the street in the midst of a beautiful snow fall, you are likely not thinking of the potential accumulation of ice on buildings. Removing ice from buildings is essential to keep the public safe when travelling in Ontario, especially areas surrounded by high-rise structures.
Municipalities enjoy legal protections that other parties do not. Take the 10-day notice period as a prime example.
The Municipal Act, 2001 states that no legal action shall be brought for the recovery of damages unless the municipality is notified of the claim and injury within 10 days of its occurrence. When municipal property is in a state of disrepair or covered in ice and snow, with no reasonable attempts at maintenance, resulting injuries warrant recovery of damages from the responsible municipality.
The injured person has only 10 days to let the municipality know that they were injured on city property, or risk being unable to recover damages.
