Risk Analysis:

There are 3 major risk areas to take into consideration with this program;

Risk to Residents

Although each volunteer is required to obtain a valid Vulnerable Sector Police Clearance, these clearances are only current up to the day they are completed. They also only account for the known history of the volunteer.

This risk is mitigated by the program discouraging contact between homeowners and volunteers, however this cannot be guaranteed as the volunteers complete the service when they are available following a snowfall. The lack of a set time makes it more likely for chance encounters between the residents and volunteer.

The Corporation has taken steps to mitigate the risk to residents enrolled in the program. However, the possible outcomes, should an incident occur between the volunteer and the resident, make this a moderate risk factor going forward.

Although By-Law #8544 places the onus of the responsibility on the resident in these matters, if a resident were to be registered and matched with a volunteer and the volunteer fails to provide services in a timely fashion, the Corporation may face scrutiny if the resident is charged with a violation of the by-law.

This risk could be mitigated through ensuring that residents are aware that; although they do have a volunteer, they are ultimately responsible for by-law compliance. Due to this potential scrutiny, while taking into account the absence of these type of reports thus far, this may be seen a low risk factor moving forward.

Risk to Volunteers

While volunteers are required to obtain police clearances, the residents registering for the program are not. This risk is partially mitigated through the ‘no contact’ clause in the ‘Volunteer Agreement’ signed and dated by the volunteer. However, there is no way to guarantee that this clause is being followed as the volunteers complete the service as they are able following a snowfall and may run the risk of encountering the homeowner. The possible outcomes, should an incident occur between the volunteer and the resident, make this moderate risk factor moving forward.