Sudbury’s snow budget was $1.3M in the red before Monday’s storm

Greater Sudbury’s snow removal budget was already $1.3 million over, driven by four January storms and rain.

Even before Mother Nature buried much of Greater Sudbury under a late-winter storm Monday, the city’s snow removal budget was already bleeding red ink.

A report headed to the operations committee March 23 says the $26 million budget is $1.338 million over budget at the end of January.

The report said there were four major snow events in January, bringing total for winter 2025-2026 to seven. Major events are when all city snow plows and contractors are deployed to deal with a major snowstorm.

“The total snow accumulation for January 2026 was below the five-year average for the same period, however, there was an additional 14 mm of rain that fell during the month,” the report said.

“In total, it snowed or rained on 14 of the 31 days within the month. In addition, on 12 of the days throughout the month, the daily maximum temperature remained below the effective temperature range of road salt.”

It was the four major snow events in January that is driving the deficit, the report said.

“The four winter events and frequent snowfall throughout the month resulted in an over expenditure in the snow plowing/sanding/salting, winter sidewalk maintenance and Snow plowing – graders/loaders/4x4s categories,” the report said.

“Further, the consistently cold temperatures through the months of December and January resulted in a significant accumulation of snow on the roadside, which impacted sightlines at intersections and lane widths on Class 1 to 3 roads. Snow removal activities occurred throughout the month of January and resulted in an over expenditure in this category.”

The cost of clearing last weekend’s storm won’t be known for a couple of months. However, there is a reserve fund set aside to pay for shortfalls in the winter snowplow budget.

Read the full report here.