Due to the postal strike, delivery and receipt of mailed documents, payments, and notices may be delayed. For updates, visit the newsroom. Use our online or in-person options where available.

Snow clearing

When 5 cm or more of snow falls, we clear City-owned roads, sidewalks, trails, bus stops, bike lanes, and crossings to make them safe to use. For less than 5 cm of snow, roads, sidewalks, bus stops and trails are salted, but not plowed.

Track the progress of our snow plow and salting operations.

Track snow plows

Preparing for snow clearing

The City’s standard snow clearing service now includes driveway windrow clearing. After the snow plow passes, we clear the portion of snow at the end of your driveway so it stays accessible. Snow along the curb is not cleared.

Additionally, all sidewalks are now treated as part of our snow clearing service.

To ensure our crews can clear these areas:

  • Don’t park on the street, sidewalk, or at the end of your driveway
  • Move garbage and recycling bins away from the curb
  • Remove sports equipment, yard decorations and other items from around your driveway entrance and sidewalk

Driveways and sidewalks blocked by parked cars, garbage and recycling bins, sports equipment or other obstacles will not be cleared.

On-street parking

On days with heavy snowfall, rules around street parking and temporary parking permits change. Read more about seasonal parking rules and fines to avoid getting plowed in, fined or towed.

Snow clearing timelines and services

Our crews follow a priority route system, which means some roads and sidewalks are cleared before others. If heavy snowfall resumes during clearing operations, crews will restart the entire process from the beginning.

Priority roads are main roads used by emergency vehicles, buses and most cars. They’re one of the first to be plowed and salted as they get the most pedestrian and vehicle traffic. Some residential streets are also considered priority roads.

Timeline

Snow clearing starts when the snow starts, but the timeline for finishing each operation only begins once the snowfall ends.

  • Less than 5 cm: Salted within 12 hours
  • 5 to 15 cm: Plowed and salted within 12 hours
  • 15 to 30 cm: Plowed and salted within 24 hours
  • More than 30 cm or back-to-back storms: Plowed and salted after more than 24 hours

What to expect

These surfaces will be cleared to bare pavement.

Priority sidewalks are on major roads and bus routes and outside of hospitals, schools and long-term care homes. They’re the first to be plowed and salted as they get significant pedestrian traffic.

Timeline

Snow clearing starts when the snow starts, but the timeline for finishing each operation only begins once the snowfall ends.

  • Less than 5 cm: Salted within 12 hours
  • 5 to 15 cm: Plowed and salted within 12 hours
  • 15 to 30 cm: Plowed and salted within 24 hours
  • More than 30 cm or back-to-back storms: Plowed and salted after more than 24 hours

What to expect

These surfaces are not cleared to bare pavement and may have some packed snow left on them.

Snow pushed aside near the sidewalk by snow plows will not be cleared.

Secondary roads and sidewalks, which include most residential properties, are plowed and salted after priority roads and sidewalks are cleared.

Timeline

Snow clearing starts during the storm. This timeline tells you when each operation will be finished, counting from when snow stops falling.

  • Less than 5 cm: Salted within 24 hours
  • 5 to 15 cm: Plowed and salted within 24 hours
  • 15 to 30 cm or back-to-back storms: Plowed and salted within 36 hours
  • More than 30 cm: Plowed and salted after more than 36 hours

What to expect

These surfaces are not cleared to bare pavement and may have some packed snow left on them.

Snow pushed aside near the sidewalk by snow plows will not be cleared.

Peel Region clears snow on regional roads, including:

  • Airport Road
  • Britannia Road West/Hurontario Street to west City limit
  • Derry Road East and West
  • Dixie Road
  • Erin Mills Parkway/North Sheridan Way to Mississauga Road/Turner Valley Road
  • Mississauga Road/Turner Valley Road to northern limit of the City

In support of Peel Region, the City helps to clear some Regional Roads, including Queensway, Cawthra and Winston Churchill south of Dundas.

For more information about snow removal on regional roads, visit peelregion.ca.

A windrow is the snow pile that gets pushed across the bottom of your driveway by snow plows.

For residential homes, the City clears a part of the windrow at the end of single, double and shared driveways. The City doesn’t clear windrows for condominiums, commercial properties and homes on private roads.

Residential driveway windrows are only cleared after roads are plowed.

Timeline

Windrow clearing schedule only starts after we finish plowing your street for the final time.

  • Less than 5 cm: Service not required
  • 5 to 15 cm: Space cleared within 4 hours
  • 15 to 30 cm: Space cleared within 6 hours
  • More than 30 cm or back-to-back storms: Space cleared after more than 6 hours after final round of plowing

What to expect

Driveway openings will always be made at least 3 metres wide after windrow snow is pushed aside. These openings are not cleared down to bare pavement and are not treated with salt.

Rock salt or sodium chloride

  • Used for main roads, residential streets, sidewalks and bus stops.

Brine (water saturated with salt)

  • May be used to treat priority roads ahead of a major storm.
  • Makes it harder for ice to form, making it easier to plow the roads.

Treated salt or magnesium chloride

  • Used for residential, non-priority roads when temperatures drop below -7 degrees Celsius.
  • Works better at colder temperatures, so we can use less and reduce our impact on the environment.

Snow on private property

Don’t shovel snow onto the road when clearing it from your property. This violates the Highway Obstruction by-law and can create safety hazards for drivers and road users. It can also prevent proper drainage when the snow melts.

Instead consider:

  • Piling it on your lawn or property
  • Storing it in your backyard
  • Hiring services that pick up and take away the snow

Contact

If your street hasn’t been salted or plowed within these timelines, please contact 311 (905-615-4311 outside City limits).