The City of Steinbach will look into the possibility of building sidewalks along Albert Street. The matter was brought to city council's attention in a letter from residents Tracy and Andrew McDonald. They say all the development in the Stonebridge Crossing area has made Albert Street very busy, to the point it is not safe for pedestrians.

Councillor Jac Siemens says council has asked the administration to check it out.

"We don't know exactly how much additional traffic there is but the letter from the neighbourhood says there is additional traffic. We need to take a serious look at that so that people can get to Maplewood or Loewen Boulevard so that they can access the other streets and sidewalks in Steinbach."

Councillor Michael Zwaagstra notes, in established areas like Albert Street, sidewalks are built on a cost-sharing basis.

"For a long time, the city has had a policy in place that, in an established neighbourhood, especially when requested by members of the public, that it's a 50-50 funding model. That means that half of the funding would come from the residents of that area and the other half would come from taxpayers in general. So, there would be a financial cost to the people in that area. That is something we would also need to gauge in regards to the question of public support."

In new areas of the city, sidewalks are built with money from Capital Development Fees that are charged to developers up front to pay for such amenities.