Snowstorms & Service Standards

On Sunday afternoon, I had to venture out by car in the worst of the storm, right around noon. A year ago, those whiteout conditions and the sheer volume of snow piling up so quickly would have filled me with dread. What a difference a year—and a change in management—can make.

While no response is ever perfect, Toronto’s major snow event plan is working far better this winter. In this E-Blast, I want to flag some of the snow-related challenges we are still addressing here in Don Valley North. But I also want to take a step back and explain how snow problems get solved, because winter operations are a good example of what happens when service standards, management, and accountability are aligned.

For every service the City delivers, Council sets service standards. Budgets are built to meet those standards, and staff are expected to deliver. When that system works, 3-1-1 and councillors’ offices deal mainly with isolated issues. When it doesn’t—when snowplowing standards aren’t being met across major routes—those “exceptions” become impossible to fix, and conditions deteriorate as the winter wears on. That’s exactly what we experienced over the past two winters.

Residents quite reasonably don’t want to hear that change begins with a deep forensic review. But when major fixes are needed, there’s no substitute for carefully identifying what went wrong so we don’t keep repeating the same mistakes. When the Mayor called for a full review of winter operations last year, councillors loaded it up with ward-by-ward evidence. It was a very long list.

Near the top: the baffling decision to shut down 3-1-1 during snowstorms—without Council’s approval. Restoring 3-1-1 during major weather events became recommendation number one.

We also spent a lot of time talking about contracted winter services. Snow plowing has been contracted out since amalgamation in 1998, so the review made something very clear: many of the problems traced back not to contractors themselves, but to how the City managed those contracts. That’s where change has mattered most this year.

I want to acknowledge the great work of our new Acting Director of Winter and Seasonal Services for the improvements. New leadership, clearer expectations, and better dispatch decisions are at the heart of the improvements we’re seeing—even as Toronto experiences one of the most significant snowfall years on record.

Instead of dramatic gestures, like calling in the army, the City is relying on better management and smarter decision-making. One of the biggest improvements is how quickly staff now decide when to shift from clearing snow to removing it. Clearing only works as long as there’s somewhere for the snow to go. When there isn’t, removal—trucking snow away—has to start.

I was surprised to see snow removal underway by Tuesday—just over 48 hours after the storm ended. I saw removal trucks on the Don Valley Parkway and later on Sheppard Avenue East, where snowbanks had already begun narrowing lanes. That early move reflects lessons learned through the review: with today’s short, intense storms, it’s often impossible to meet service standards on major roads without removing accumulated snow. Decisions to remove are now being made proactively, not reactively.

Crews are now fully mobilized on residential street snow removal, working around the clock and moving neighbourhood by neighbourhood. The goal is to improve safety and maintain access, especially for emergency vehicles.

Snow removal is expensive, and Council must plan and reserve for it. It also requires patience from all of us. Removal is a coordinated operation that moves slowly and deliberately. Large equipment—including loaders, graders, and dump trucks—will be visible on residential streets, working in formation. Snow is scraped down to the pavement, pushed into piles, and loaded into trucks for hauling. This is a systematic, block-by-block operation, not the same as plowing during a storm.

Removal usually begins on one side of the street to keep at least one lane passable. Additional passes may be scheduled once all local roads have a clear lane. Eliminating high snowbanks improves sightlines and access for pedestrians, people using mobility devices, strollers, and essential services like garbage and organics collection—and it prepares us for the next storm.

Even though it can feel inconvenient in the moment, those crews ensure your drive—and your walk—the next day is safer. I was encouraged to see the work happening Tuesday night, and equally concerned to see some drivers making dangerous lane changes around the trucks. Please slow down and give crews the space they need to do their jobs safely.

Don Valley North-specific challenges

Every year, I raise the same local snow issues with Transportation Services: wide rounded corners and crescents, windrows, cut-through pathways, and turning lanes on our main avenues.

Many of our crescents aren’t formal cul-de-sacs but have wide, rounded corners. When plows miss those areas, residents face excessive shovelling, and windrow clearing trucks can’t reach driveway entrances. We’re addressing these locations case by case, but driver changes can cause problems to re-emerge. Please keep calling us—our office tracks winter service issues year over year so we can clearly explain recurring anomalies to 3-1-1.

Before and after servicing.

Windrow clearing will never operate exactly as it did in pre-amalgamation North York. Today’s citywide standard is a three-metre opening per household driveway, delivered after plowing. Even historically, some cleanup by the property owner was always required after both plowing and windrow clearing. Sometimes we remember earlier days through rose-coloured glasses.

For semi-detached and double-wide driveways, the three-metre standard still applies per household. If your driveway clearly doesn’t meet that standard, please contact 3-1-1 and send our office a photo—images help speed up corrections.

Don Valley North also has more pedestrian cut-through pathways than any other ward in the city. I fought hard years ago to get them included in sidewalk clearing routes. If one is being missed—especially if it affects children walking to school—please let my office know directly. In these conditions, walking can be safer than driving, and those routes must stay accessible.

Sidewalks and Transit

After major storms, the City coordinates sidewalk clearing after road plows pass to avoid re-burying sidewalks with windrows. Because Sunday’s storm required multiple rounds of road plowing, some sidewalks that were cleared earlier were covered again. Over the past two days, crews have been sent back out citywide to address impassable sidewalks, especially for people using mobility devices or strollers. Please continue reporting issues to 3-1-1.

While I’m proud of the progress in snow clearing and removal this year, the TTC has struggled more than it should have. I hope the TTC Board takes the same forensic approach that has helped improve winter operations elsewhere—identify what failed, then fix it. When it’s time to return to work, our transit system has to be ready. Too much depends on it.

As always, thank you for your patience, your feedback, and your help flagging issues as crews continue their work across Don Valley North.

Read the Full E-Blast