Winter Season Guidelines and Operations

Winter Season Guidelines and Operations

Winter maintenance is completed in accordance with the Ontario Minimum Maintenance Standards to ensure Town streets and sidewalks remain safe and passable for motorists and pedestrians. Roads and sidewalks that haven’t been cleared may be slippery, please take extra time and caution when travelling.

The Town would like to remind residents and visitors of the following Winter Season guidelines:

Driveways

It is your responsibility to clear your driveway and driveway entrance.

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.

Please do not shovel, plow or blow snow on roads or sidewalks. Depositing snow or ice on the road is not only a safety hazard, it is also against the law. Residents must pile snow on the boulevard, their property and should use their front yard for storing snow.

Snow left at the bottom of driveways after a snowplow has gone by is called a windrow. The priority of snow removal is to clear the travelled portion of the road. The only place to move the snow is onto the boulevard, which includes driveways.

If you have cleared your driveway, but Snowplows have not cleared your street, be prepared for a windrow at the bottom of your driveway.

Overnight Parking Restrictions

Overnight parking restrictions are in effect from November 15, 2023 – April 15, 2024.

As per the Traffic Bylaw (Bylaw 08-1983), no vehicles are to be parked on any roadways between 12:00am – 8:00am every day and is not dependent on snowfall or other weather conditions.

Parking contraventions result in the issuance of a $40.00 fine.

Vehicles cannot be parked on or over sidewalks or boulevards any time of year.

Dufferin Waste Garbage and Recycle

Be wastewise this winter!

Make sure your waste is at the curb by 7:00am on your collection day. Routes often change in the winter to give snow plows enough time to clear the road.

Do not place your waste bins on snow banks, icy surfaces, or on the road. Instead shovel a part of the curb area when possible to make room for waste bins, or place waste bins at the end of your driveway.

Any waste buried in snow or blocked by snowbanks will not be collected.

Don’t overfill your blue box. Keep material below the rim to prevent the wind from catching it and blowing it out of the bin. Place heavier items such as magazine or glass bottles on top of the lighter items in you Blue Box so it doesn’t end up as litter on our streets and yards.

Use Certified Compostable bags to help prevent materials and food scraps from freezing to the bottom of your Green Bin.

Contact: Dufferin Waste 519-941-2816 ext. 2620, dufferincounty.ca/waste, dufferinwaste@dufferincounty.ca

Fire Hydrants

If there is a fire hydrant in front or adjacent to your property, do not deposit snow, ice or slush in a way that blocks or covers the hydrant.

Please help keep yourself and your community safe by clearing snow away from fire hydrants during the winter season. 

In an emergency, every second counts. It is important to clear snow away from fire hydrants, so they are visible and accessible to emergency services personnel.

Storm Water Management Ponds

Stay safe and stay off Storm Water Management Ponds, they are not for recreation.

The ponds may look safe and appeal to skaters and other recreational activities, but they are unsafe. It’s what's below the surface that makes storm water ponds different from regular ponds, this combined with melting snow and contaminants such as de-icing salts, result in water flow and levels which can change quickly without warning, and prevent the formation of reliable, safe ice. Extreme caution should always be taken when around stormwater management ponds. 

Damaged Grass

Grass near the sidewalk can become damaged during winter maintenance. When the ground is frozen damage is minimal, but during milder weather and freeze thaw cycles grass lifts away more easily or can become damaged.

Operations Staff will inspect and repair damaged grass in the Spring.

To report damaged grass, please submit an Online Report A Concern Form, email jkaske@shelburne.ca or call 519-925-2600 ext. 261

Did You Know?

• The Town maintains approximately 39.3km of roadways and 39.0km of sidewalks and walkways during the winter months.
• The Town applies a sand / salt mixture to treat the roads and sidewalks.
• The Town does not conduct winter maintenance on the Connecting Link (Main Street and Owen Sound Street) or County Roads.
• Should you have a Connecting Link Roadway Snow Concern, please contact, please contact IMOS by phone: 1-888-222-2640.
• Should you have a County Roadway Snow Concern, please contact Dufferin County Public Works, email: publicworks@dufferincounty.ca / phone: 519-941-2816 ext. 2600
• If you have an afterhours roads emergency, please contact the Town of Shelburne Operations On-Call Emergency Line, phone 519-939-1342

Report A Concern

Contact the Town’s Operations Team for issues regarding snow clearing, grass damage or any other maintenance concerns. Report A Concern online, call 519-925-2600 ext. 261, or email jkaske@shelburne.ca.

Staff make every effort to clear roads and sidewalks as quickly and effectively as possible. Please allow 24 hours after a snowstorm to make any clearing requests.

More information can be found on the Town’s Winter Maintenance webpage.