Craig's Current - Snow Edition Supplemental

We’ve recently had two significant snow events and another one is expected this weekend. I know that clearing snow and ice from our roads and sidewalks is an important topic for the community. With that in mind, I thought it would be helpful to provide a summary of key information related to snow clearing. For further information, please visit the City’s Snow Clearing Webpage. 

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 chart below. As you can likely appreciate, major roads are cleared first, with residential roads receiving the lowest priority.  

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, these are the minimum standards you can expect: 

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

During a significant snow event, this target 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. 

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. 

If your street/sidewalk is not cleared within 24 hours of the END of the snowfall, please reach out to the Roads West team directly at [email protected] or call the City's mainline at 905-546-2489 and they will create a service request. The Councillor’s office does not oversee operations and does not influence how roads are cleared. City Staff coordinate this work with our operators and contractors. 

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.

• Check out the City's Snow Clearing webpage 

• Follow the snowplows’ progress at Plow Tracker

• Please avoid unnecessary travel, when possible.  

• Drive cautiously and give snowplows and salt trucks plenty of space to operate.  

• Provincial Highways that run through the city of Hamilton are not within the control of the City as they are maintained by the Ministry of Transportation. 

• Report hazardous road conditions by calling (905) 564-CITY (2489) 

• Please consider assisting neighbours who may need help with snow removal.  

• 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. 

• Remove vehicles from the streets and park in your driveway 

• Keep all catch basins clear of snow and ice for proper drainage during a thaw 

Should your property be damaged by a snow plow you must submit a claim for property damage by email to [email protected] 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. 

Unless otherwise communicated, garbage, yard waste, 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. 

Thanks for reading and please stay safe!