City of Toronto unveils its $109M snow-clearing, winter weather plan

Toronto already got its first taste of snow earlier this week, but on Thursday city officials outlined the equipment and tools they will be using as part of their $109-million plan to battle the wintry months ahead.

The ‘winter weather readiness’ strategy includes a plan for clearing roads, sidewalks and bicycle lanes, and responding to watermain breaks.

The City said its snow and ice response plan prioritizes safety and mobility for residents, as well as emergency and transit vehicles.

When the weather changes, more than 1,400 snow plows, salters and other equipment will be quickly sent out with salting being the first line of defence when the snow starts to fall.

The City has 200 salt trucks and typically uses 130,000–150,000 tonnes of salt each year.

Plowing will start when the snowfall reaches five centimetres on expressways, five centimetres on major roadways and transit routes, and eight centimetres on residential streets.

Residents can also track the salt trucks and snow plows in their area using PlowTO, which the City said is currently being upgraded and will be launched in December.

“We have enhanced GPS power to track equipment, which will also enhance some updates to our PlowTO web browser, which a lot of people will use and rely on to check and see the status of equipment — where it is in their neighbourhood,” said Barbara Gray, general manager of Transportation Services, at the Winter Services Yard on Wellington Street on Thursday.

Click here for more details on the City’s winter preparedness plan.

City staff will also be monitoring watermains, as rapid temperature swings can lead to an increase in breaks. Officials said staff will be ready to deal with service calls 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

“Winter can have a dramatic effect on our city but we are ready to take on the snow and colder temperatures. I want people to know our crews are ready to tackle the tough parts of winter and keep people moving safely around the city. Crews are on standby 24/7 and are ready to respond quickly to weather changes and watermain breaks caused by freeze thaw cycles,” Mayor John Tory said in a release.

The City also reminded residents to winter-ready the pipes in their homes and on their property by wrapping foam pipe insulation around pipes that are prone to freezing, especially near outside walls and in crawl spaces, attics and garages, seal air leaks around windows and doors, and to disconnect hoses and drain and shut the outdoor water supply. Click here for more tips.

The City’s snow-clearing equipment was already tested when the first ‘significant’ snowfall of the season hit Toronto on Tuesday and Wednesday.

On Wednesday, the area around Pearson International Airport received five centimetres of snow but it didn’t break the record of 5.8 centimetres that was set on that date (Nov. 16) in 2002. Over the two-day period, Pearson recorded 9.2 centimetres.

Back on Jan. 17, around 55 centimetres of snow fell in Toronto over a 15-hour span — one of the top 10 snow accumulation amounts ever recorded in the city. It cost the City more than $17 million to clear 180,000 tonnes of snow.