‘Crazy amount of snow’: Millions more than budgeted spent to keep roads clear during brutal winter

CTV’s Scott Miller with how winter maintenance budgets across midwestern Ontario were exceeded by the millions due to a brutal winter season.

It was a winter to remember across midwestern Ontario with tons of road closures, school bus cancellations and snowstorms.

“This past winter we found that it was almost relentless. You know, one storm after another. Obviously a huge, huge shout out to our staff who worked extensively long shifts and, had very little time off,” said Huron County’s Director of Public Works Imran Khalid.

All that extra time took a toll on Huron County’s winter maintenance budget, which saw $5.5 million spent on labour and materials to keep the roads clear. The original budget was $4.1 million.

“It reflects the crazy amount of snow we got this year,” says Khalid.

Khalid says Huron County budgeted for $1.7 million in county winter maintenance costs, but spent $2.1 million, a 25 per cent increase. They budgeted for $995,000 in external winter maintenance contracts but spent $1.3 million. Material costs for salt and sand were budgeted to cost $1.4 million, but reached $2.1 million, a 45 per cent increase.

In neighbouring Bruce County, $4.09 million was spent to move 460 centimetres of snow off Bruce County roads, higher than budgeted, but much more than the $2.78 million spent in the winter of 2024, when the five-year average of about 350 centimetres of snow fell.

“So, we’re 110 centimeters more snow than average last year. So it’s no great surprise that we would have spent a little bit more than we expected, but to take care of 460 centimeters of snow over the course of a winter, man, we’ve got some fantastic people working our roads in Bruce County, and everywhere, all of our lower tier communities, and in communities all over Ontario,” said Bruce County Warden Luke Charbonneau.

Grey County was nearly $2 million over its winter maintenance budget, and Owen Sound nearly $1 million over its snow clearing budget.

The excess funds come from winter maintenance reserves, which every county and municipality has. Money not spent during mild winters is set aside to help cover for winter’s like this past one.

“If it comes down to, you know, the same amount of precipitation and everything this year, it will take a hit on the budget again. But, for the most part, we prepare ourselves for that average level scenario,” said Khalid.

“Fingers crossed. You know, let’s hope that next year is easier than the last couple of years,” said Charbonneau. “It’s been a tough, tough couple of winters. Everybody knows it. But we’ll be ready one way or the other. We’ll be certainly building our budgets based on what we’ve experienced in the last few years. Those averages that I gave you will be going up, because we’ve had more snowfall in the last couple of years.”

Snowplow drivers will be hoping for a milder winter as well. In Huron County, it took 40 per cent more labour hours to keep the roads clear than the prior winter, which not only upped the cost, but also the time spent to do the job.

“This past winter has definitely taken a toll on both,” said Khalid.