Flurry of snow plowing complaints prompts council call for performance report

Responding to the numerous complaints received about snow and ice removal last winter, city council has directed administration to prepare a performance report for an upcoming meeting of the Infrastructure and Corporate Services Committee.

The current state of snow maintenance, in the minds of many taxpayers, is inadequate,” said Coun. Sam Trosow. ”I’ve had so many people tell me they don’t mind paying for municipal services, but they want to get value for their money.”

The motion from Coun. Corrine Rahman and Coun. Skylar Franke was in response to issues such as unplowed roads, icy sidewalks, and difficulties navigating pathways to schools.

The report will also examine the cost and feasibility of windrow clearing machines that a viral video on social media shows removing snowbanks left at the bottom of driveways in small part of Toronto.

The analysis of snow and ice removal during the winter of 2024/25 will also include a performance assessment of companies contracted by city hall, and alternative methods of snow/ice removal from roads, sidewalks, and pathways.

Staff are also directed to review Provincial Minimum Maintenance Standards and seek to engage local school boards about clearing walking paths on municipal property.

But not every member of council felt it was a worthwhile exercise.

“At a time when we are trying to bring taxes down, I don’t support asking staff to do work on something I will say no to in a budget business case,” stated Deputy Mayor Shawn Lewis.

Lewis reminded council that a previous decision to enhance snow maintenance on sidewalks was reversed after it failed to reduce the number of annual complaints received by the city.

“Reporting back to the committee to say how did the winter go and what was our service standard like, what were people experiencing, and what were people calling about?” Rahman explained. “It shows our responsiveness as a government to people’s concerns.”

The majority of council supported the request for a staff report later this year.