Snow Angels lend a hand after Vancouver hit by winter storm

The Lower Mainland was covered in snow during this week’s massive winter storm. While the weather made a mess of roads, it also covered sidewalks and walkways, making them difficult to navigate.

Homeowners in Vancouver are required to clear their sidewalks by 10 a.m. the day after a snowfall.

While that may just be a sort of workout for some, it can be nearly impossible for others. That’s where Vancouver Snow Angels come in.

“[Whether they have] a disability, a mobility challenge, elderly, maybe they’re ill, they need some help clearing their sidewalks in front of their homes, and they don’t have friends, family and neighbours that they can rely on to help them with that,” explained DJ Lawrence, a volunteer Snow Angel, of the people he and others help.

Lawrence has been a volunteer in Vancouver since 2017. Over the last week, he says he has helped shovel and clear more than 20 sidewalks.

“I was already doing it for people in my own neighbourhood who are in that position. My parents are fortunate enough that they don’t have to rely on help … and I couldn’t imagine if people did. I saw the program and just wanted to help people that could use it,” he told CityNews.

All you need to become a Snow Angel is a shovel and good health.

The city currently has around 400 volunteers.

“We’re a little short on volunteers in the Champlain and Marpole areas, but we can use volunteers across the city,” Lawrence said.

He admits, he gets more from helping out than he gives.

“It feels really good. People wouldn’t be asking for it if they didn’t need it, or I hope they wouldn’t be. For myself, I get some exercise, which is great. It pushes me to get out on some days where I’d be working from home and in the house all day,” he added.

What to know before you shovel snow

Lawrence says there are some tips and tricks when it comes to shovelling snow. For one, he says you should be dressed warm with proper footwear.

You should also push, don’t lift, remember to use your legs and not your back, and don’t try to shovel everything at once — take a break every 15 or so minutes.

“Don’t have a big meal, don’t have a lot of caffeine, pace yourself, don’t for big loads, don’t try to speed it up, maintain your good footing,” Lawrence added.

“When it’s really icy, it’s a fine line between breaking it off to get down to the pavement or just leave the snow because it’s safer.”

Meanwhile, Dr. Saul Isserow, director of the Centre for Cardiovascular Health at Vancouver General Hospital, has some recommendations of his own.

He says those with heart conditions should take extra care when shovelling snow.

“Shoveling snow is quite physically demanding — the heart rate goes up in order to profuse the muscles, it’s sometimes quite quite cold outside, so that’s an added risk. And shovelling snow can definitely be a real stressor for a person who’s got underlying predisposition,” Isserow said.