Chainsaw used for snow removal after Nova Scotia storm

The snow ought to be running scared in Phil Bates's driveway.

Bates, who lives in Lawrencetown on Highway 207 in Nova Scotia, used a chainsaw to cut through the packed snow and ice in his driveway on Tuesday. His son, Aaron, is further subduing it with an ice chopper, then shovelling it away.

The snowbank left by a plow clearing Highway 207 isn't that deep, but Phil Bates isn't willing to take his Jeep over it for fear of damaging the bottom.

He said the snowbank is as hard as cement and even a neighbour with a snowblower had difficulty digging in.

So, Bates thought, 'Why not use a chainsaw?' He had an old blade he was willing to sacrifice. And he's done this before.

Bates told Mainstreet's Alex Mason that he has a camp in Middle Musquodoboit and he often had difficulty getting into the driveway there in the winter.

That's when he began thinking more creatively about snow removal.

And, if a chainsaw doesn't seem like the right approach for you, Bates also sees potential for a Rototiller in this kind of weather.