Snow and Ice Program Review

We're reviewing our Snow and Ice Control Program, and we want to hear from you!

Over the winter of 2021/2022 we saw over 265 cm of snow, compared to the average of 143 cm. While the volume of snowfall has significantly increased every year since 2018, our Snow and Ice Control Policy has not been updated, and there haven’t been any major additions to fleet capacity. We’re now reviewing the existing Snow and Ice Control Policy to identify changes that may be required to better meet current needs.

We've identified key themes for improvement of the Policy:

1. Modernizing operations through a combination of means including increasing the size of the fleet, utilizing contracted services in extreme weather events, and utilizing innovative methods for snow removal (budget 2023-2026);
2. Improving public communication including increased public education, enforced parking bans, increased fines and back charging of snow clearing costs;
3. Increasing snow site permit fees to better offset the costs of maintaining the site;
4. Prioritizing active transportation (increasing equitable access to transportation networks); and
5. Updating planning and design requirements for new and infill developments to consider heavy snowfall events.

What we're asking now:

We asked for your input on our snow and ice control program.

How to get involved:

Feedback was collected through an online survey from July 20 to August 19, 2022.

Our promise to you:

We will keep you informed, and provide feedback on how public input influenced the program.