SNOW CLEARING

During significant snow events clearing snow and ice from our roads and sidewalks is a very important topic for the community. This page provides a summary of key information related to snow clearing in the City of Hamilton. For further information, please visit the City’s Snow Clearing Webpage.

Note that the Councillor’s office does not oversee snow-clearing operations or direct operators on how or where to plow roads or sidewalks. City Staff complete this work according to Council-approved levels of service. Please read this page for more details on levels of service. If you’ve read through the information and still believe the approved service levels are not being met, you can contact City Staff at roadswest@hamilton.ca or via the City's mainline at 905-546-2489.

SNOW CLEARING SERVICE PRIORITIES

Let’s begin with the Council-approved service levels, which are the standards of service that City Staff and our contractors are held to.

Roads are cleared on a priority basis according to the road classifications shown in the accompanying chart. As you can likely appreciate, major roads are cleared first, with residential roads receiving the lowest priority.

PRIORITY BY ROAD CLASSIFICATION

Although it is common to see plows on the roads while it is snowing, the service levels defined here are the target completion time for snow clearing after a winter event has ENDED (i.e. stopped snowing, no drifting/blowing snow or freezing rain). Many roads may be cleared sooner than that, but with thousands of kilometers of roads in our City, the minimum standards you can expect are listed in the chart.

To determine your street's priority level, enter your street name into the interactive map found at this link.

During a significant snow event, some targets may be delayed further as the Provincial standards require the City to keep main roads to a higher level of clearing, so some plows may get diverted back to the main roads multiple times before finishing our residential streets.

Many residents contact my office to ask why a snowplow has visited their street for a second time after effort has already been invested to clear their windrow (the pile of snow the plow leaves at the end of your driveway). They are frustrated because this second visit creates another windrow and more shoveling.

During heavier snow events, the primary goal is to ensure all residential roads are passable so that residents can get around. First, a plow or tractor will make an initial pass to open the roads for basic access and mobility. However, the committed service level is to clear the roads from curb to curb. Later, a secondary plow/salter follows to clean up and apply material as needed. (Note that cars parked on streets will inhibit full road clearing).

DURING HEAVY SNOWFALL SNOW PLOWS MAY CLEAR YOUR STREET TWICE

HOMEOWNERS' RESPONSIBILITIES

Homeowners are responsible for the following:

Clearing the windrows (the snow piled at the end of driveways).
Keeping fire hydrants clear and visible. To assist with a quick response by firefighters, residents are asked to clear 1m (3ft) on either side of the hydrant near their property.

WINDROW REMOVAL

Windrows are the pile of snow left at the end of driveways after the snow plow has passed.

Current Council-approved service levels do not include windrow removal, so they are the responsibility of homeowners. In 2023, Council directed staff to investigate the possibility of enhancing service levels so that the City removed windrows under certain conditions. The full report ("Winter Control") from December 4, 2023, is available on the City's website. The two most relevant slides are provided here. Council did not pursue adding windrow removal to the service level as it would require up to $27 million annually. That equates to a property tax increase of over 2%. As we are already dealing with rapidly increasing costs of existing services, there was no appetite to add this item to the property tax bill.

SIDEWALK SNOW CLEARING

The City clears sidewalks adjacent to:

Municipally owned property

Private lots that do not face the road (reverse frontage lots)

Many sidewalks throughout the city including sidewalks in Ancaster

Sidewalks adjacent to school properties owned by the Public School Boards, under By-law No. 03-296, on a charge-back basis

The sidewalks the City is responsible for will be addressed within 24 hours after the END of a snow event. For more details and to follow the sidewalk plow, visit the City’s webpage Sidewalk Snow Clearing.

HAMILTON PLOW TRACKER AND OTHER USEFUL TIPS

Follow snow plowing progress with the Plow Tracker. On that page scroll down until you see the 'Launch Plow Tracker' button.
Prior to a snowfall event, please remove parked cars from the street, if possible
Please avoid unnecessary travel, when possible.
Drive cautiously and give snowplows and salt trucks plenty of space to operate.
Report hazardous road conditions by calling (905) 564-CITY (2489)
Please consider assisting neighbours who may need help with snow removal.
Visit the City's Snow Clearing webpage for more information

DAMAGE TO PROPERTY

Should your property be damaged by a snow plow you must submit a claim for property damage by email to claims@hamilton.ca or in writing to:

City of Hamilton - Risk Management Services - 71 Main Street West Hamilton, ON L8P 4Y5

You must describe:

what was damaged

how it happened

date and time of occurrence

names of contractors, equipment, and operators where possible

Your name, address, and phone number

Each claim is examined individually. When Risk Management Services receives your claim, they start an investigation. You will receive a written reply in the mail to let you know they received your claim. A decision on your claim is made when all of the information has been reviewed. You are advised of the decision as quickly as possible. Payment of a claim is contingent upon legal liability on the part of the City.

The City does not replace or repair damaged landscaping items that are placed in the City's road allowance.

More information can be found on the City's website. Note that as damage claims are legal matters, the Councillor is unable to intervene in these decisions.

GARBAGE COLLECTION FOLLOWING A SNOWFALL

Unless otherwise communicated, garbage and recycling collection will occur as scheduled following a snowfall but may be delayed.

When putting out your garbage container, blue boxes and green cart, make sure they are visible. Do not place items on top of or behind snowbanks where the waste collectors cannot see them.

If it is windy on your garbage day, secure your recyclables so that items do not blow away. Place heavier items on top of lighter items. (For example, place magazines or catalogues on top of loose paper). This prevents litter on your neighbourhood streets and properties when the snow melts.

SNOW CLEARING SUBSIDY

Snow Angels is a program to assist Hamilton low-income seniors and disabled residents with a financial subsidy to help them meet the requirements of the City of Hamilton Sidewalk Snow Clearing By-law. The subsidy can be used to pay for snow removal needed to clear the sidewalk and to provide safe walking access to the front door and through the snow-plow windrow. This subsidy is not to be used for whole driveway snow clearing. Five criteria must be satisfied for you to apply. Visit Snow Clearing Subsidy to learn more.

CRAIG CASSAR

Councillor for Ward 12 - Ancaster & West Flamborough