Winter Maintenance

Winter road maintenance is completed in accordance with the Ontario Minimum Maintenance Standards for Ontario Highways to ensure Town streets and sidewalks remain safe and passable for motorists and pedestrians.

Under the Minimum Maintenance Standards (Reg. 366/18), the Town has anywhere between 12 and 24 hours to clear roads that are classified under various categories, for example, primary roads are required to be plowed within a 12-hour period once there is 6 cm or more snow. 

We have set plow routes that are laid out to address streets in an efficient manner.  All Public Work’s vehicles and equipment have GPS to ensure all areas are attended and not missed.  

Winter control maintenance is performed under a priority system.  Primary roads such as Greenwood Street, Fiddle Park Lane, Simon Street and Victoria Street will be cleared first, followed by local residential streets, crescents and courts.

When plowing operations begin, operators are following routes that have been designed to minimize duplication and maximize efficiency. The length of time to complete a route varies however, it may take approximately 6 to 8 hours to complete.

We do our best to clear snow and ice quickly from the roadways. But winter control can be a challenging task and there are a number of factors that can impact snow clearing operations, including:

• the severity of snow and ice accumulation
• temperature or forecasts
• precipitation
• time of day
• available resources
• motorists trying to pass or following too closely behind snow plows
• vehicles parked on the street or blocking sidewalks

The Town contracts a company to remove snow banks once they start blocking the view of the road.  Snow removal is not based on the height of the snowbank but if the snow bank is blocking the view of the intersection, called sight lines.

Downtown business areas have priority for removing snowbanks and then crews will move onto the residential neighbourhoods. 

Review our Snow Removal Frequently Asked Questions.

• You may be able to get assistance from a family member, a friend or neighbour, and there are also private snow clearing businesses in the area that provide this service. Please check the Yellow Pages or an online search engine for listings.
• Lend a hand to those who may not be able to shovel their own snow. Take enough breaks and don't push yourself too hard. 

Remind children not to climb, play, dig forts or tunnels near roads or in snow banks as cars and snowplows can come by at any moment. 

Pile all snow from your driveway and sidewalks on your property, not on the road.

Section 181 of the Highway Traffic Act prohibits the depositing of snow and ice on a roadway without written permission from the Ministry or other road authority. Failure to comply with the Highway Traffic Act may result in a fine being issued to the property owner or contractor.

• When clearing snow from your driveway, pile the snow on the right side of the driveway (looking towards the street from driveway). This will reduce the amount of snow pushed back into your driveway when the street is plowed. Property owners are responsible for keeping snow banks low at the end of their driveways.
• We understand your frustration when you clear your driveway and then a snowplow comes by and leaves a pile of snow - a windrow. The priority of our work crews is clearing the travelled portion of the road. The only place to move the snow is onto the boulevard, which includes driveways. As a result, snow left at the bottom of driveways is unavoidable. Unfortunately, it is impossible to clear snow from the roads without leaving one.

• When approaching a snow plow, keep your headlights on and stay to the right.
• For more information on status of roads in the area, please visit the following websites:

Municipal511

Ministry of Transportation - Winter Road Conditions

Country 105

• If your property abuts a fire hydrant, please help to keep your community safe by clearing a path to and around the hydrant as part of your routine snow management activity.
• If you are unable to keep the fire hydrant clear or have any questions about hydrant maintenance, 

  please contact the Water and Sewer Department at 519-925-2600 ext 231, email or report online by completing the Report a Compliment or Concern form

Heavy snow accumulation, icy roads and/or poor visibility during winter maintenance activities can make it difficult for snow plow operations to avoid waste and recycling collection items placed alongside the roadway or sidewalk. To help make collection as easy and efficient as possible during the winter months, residents are reminded of the following:

Container Placement on Driveway

Place your collectible materials on the right side of the driveway approximately 1.5 metres (5 feet) from the curbside. The "right" side is the right side of your driveway when you stand at the curb facing the road. Avoid placing your waste and recycling containers on roadways, boulevards and sidewalks, as they will:

• block oncoming traffic;
• prevent snow plows from properly clearing the roadway and sidewalk;
• create a hazard as they could get hit by vehicles or taken away by snow plows; and
• prevent waste materials from being knocked over or buried during snow clearing operations.

Also avoid placing your waste and recycling containers behind or on top of snowbanks to eliminate the potential risk of a dangerous slip or fall onto the pavement for you or the waste collectors.

Early Morning Container Placement

Waste collection items are best put out early in the morning otherwise waste containers could get buried during a snowfall and as a result may not be collected. Retrieve your waste containers soon after collection. Empty containers are vulnerable to winds and ongoing snow plow operations creating a hazard if knocked into the sidewalk or roadway. Write your address on your containers so if found, they can be easily returned to you. Download your custom collection schedule and receive access to updates and notifications by downloading the County of Dufferin Waste app.

Mailboxes

Canada Post is responsible for clearing the snow and ice around Community Mailboxes. If your mailbox is blocked by snow, please contact Canada Post at (519) 925-3615.

• Please assist snow plow operators by making sure your rural mailbox is in a good state of repair and not an obstruction. Review Canada Post guidelines for proper placement and maintenance of rural mailboxes that meet specifications and road safety criteria before installation.
• Mailboxes damaged by snow load from the snow plow equipment will not be replaced by the municipality.
• As a courtesy the municipality will replace a damaged mailbox if the damage is deemed to result from a direct hit by snow plow equipment. Please contact the Public Works Department at 519-925-2600 ext. 261, email or report online by completing the Report a Compliment or Concern form and an inspection and assessment will be made by the Public Works department.

• Park your car within your driveway so your vehicle does not extend onto the street or sidewalk as this may obstruct snow clearing operations.
• Vehicles obstructing snow clearing operations may be subject to a fine and may be towed at the owner's expense. 
• Please be advised that parking on all municipal streets and parking lots any day from November 15 through April 15 between the hours of 12:00 a.m. - 8:00 a.m. is prohibited to facilitate snow clearing or removal. For more information on winter parking, read our town by-laws.
• For further information about parking restrictions, please contact the By-Law Enforcement department.  

As a courtesy, the Town will have a sidewalk plow make a pass on all sidewalks in areas to assist these property owners with snow removal. Please do no park over sidewalks, it is a violation, and you may receive a ticket.

The Towns service level for winter maintenance on sidewalks is to maintain them to a snow packed condition. Snow packed is defined as a hard-packed snow surface. Sidewalk plows/blowers are not capable of clearing snow and ice from sidewalks to the extent that bare concrete is exposed in all conditions. The amount of scraping and sand/salt required to achieve a bare concrete service level would be damaging to the pavement, equipment, and the environment.

Winter weather can cause safety issues for residents. Town Staff make every effort to clear sidewalks as quickly and effectively as possible. Please help protect yourself by allowing for extra time and caution when walking in any winter conditions

Snow and ice often bonds to the concrete during extreme temperatures, and ice can also form on snow packed sidewalks during thaw/freeze cycles. Other factors, such as overgrown turf on the edge of the sidewalk or a buildup of residual ice and snow under wheel tracks, can cause the edge of the plow or blower to ride above the surface of the sidewalk. All affected areas are treated with sand for traction.