Reminder: Winter Snow Clearing and Salting

Many of you have written to me with questions about sidewalk clearing. There are many streets where Transportation Services cannot physically clear the sidewalks: crews cannot plough sidewalks if they’re narrow, have obstructions or on-street parking.

On streets where the city provides sidewalk snow ploughing services, staff generally deploy clearing operations once five centimetres of snow has accumulated in January-February, and eight centimetres from March to April. Depending on the severity of the snowfall, staff sometimes complete two rounds of ploughing and de-icing. In between ploughing and salting operations, staff ask that property owners help out by ensuring the sidewalk in front of their home is safe for pedestrians. 

Icy sidewalks are a safety hazard for all pedestrians; however, they’re particularly dangerous and challenging for our older neighbours and those with accessibility issues. This winter I received calls from parents concerned about their children walking to school, seniors, residents with visual impairments and others that use wheelchairs. In short, please be nice and help to clear your ice!

Please don’t hesitate to contact my office if you have any questions or concerns about sidewalk clearing in your neighbourhood.