City of Toronto officially ends the major snow condition. Here’s what that means

Officials are warning drivers about slippery roads. CP24’s Courtney Heels reports.

The City of Toronto ended the major snow condition that was put in effect when the city saw back-to-back snowstorms in February.

The city says it made that declaration on Feb. 12—before Toronto was blanketed by 53 centimetres of snow—as a means to more efficiently handle its winter road maintenance. City officials typically make that call whenever “significant amounts of snow are expected to accumulate that exceed the capacity of the road allowance,” the city says.

Whenever the city enacts a major snow condition, drivers are effectively banned from parking on designated snow routes to make way for crews to plow and remove snow from roadways and sidewalks faster. Anyone who parked in these designated snow routes could be hit with a $200 fine and have their vehicle tagged, towed and impounded at their expense.

The city says snow removal will continue wherever necessary, which includes transporting snow to designated storage sites.

“To assist crews, drivers are reminded to avoid parking where temporary ‘No Parking – Snow Removal’ signs are posted as crews will be removing the snow from the area within 48 hours of the signs being posted,” the city said in a release issued Wednesday afternoon, adding drivers could be fined if their vehicles are blocking these areas.

To help prevent flooding from the snow melt – and the aftermath of up to 25 millimetres of rain – the city says crews are already working around the clock to clear catch basins, especially in low-lying areas.

Torontonians can still make requests for snow clean-up by calling 311 to make a service request.