Walking in Waterloo Region

[ookpik]

That would normally be a tenant responsibility, but it is something that needs to be agreed between landlord and tenant, otherwise the landlord faces the possibility of a fine.

Ultimately it's the landlord's responsibility(*). If you're renting a house and are the sole tenant then yes it would be logical for the landlord to transfer the responsibility to the tenant and yes this needs to be negotiated up front. 

The issue gets murkier if the house has multiple tenants. But again it's the landlord's responsibility and he has to resolve this, not simply assume that one or more of the tenants will look after it. 

And of course there's no doubt that in an apartment building it's the landlord's responsibility. Who else?

(*) Consider if the property is unoccupied. Do you think the landlord could use that as an excuse when the city demands that he keep his sidewalks cleared?   A similar situation exists with vacant lots. The property owner is responsible for snow clearing. This is another of my pet peeves. Usually when a property has been razed to make way for new construction and the lot is empty over a winter (or even under construction) the sidewalk remains uncleared. This situation should be unacceptable. I realize this responsibility is a pain for the owner/developer. They should have incorporated the cost of clearing into their financial planning for the project, not expect pedestrians to fend for themselves.