Montreal snow-clearing sees disparity between boroughs

Snowfall over the last week, including a record 39 centimetres on Dec. 29, is putting the City of Montreal's new centralized snow-removal policy to the test.

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The policy was introduced to harmonize snow-removal operations across the city's boroughs to ensure residents in every borough receive comparable service.

"A Montrealer is a Montrealer no matter where they live in the city, and they're entitled to the same services," Anie Samson, the executive committee member responsible for snow removal operations, said in November as the new policy was rolled out.

By mid-afternoon, an average of 69 per cent ofstreets in most Montreal boroughs were free of snow, according to the City of Montreal'sInfo-Neigemobileapp.

Huge disparities remained between the boroughs, however while snow hadbeen cleared from all streets in the borough of Anjou, only 51per cent of streets inPierrefonds-Roxboroand 56 per cent of streets in Saint-Laurent were free of snow.

Centralized system

While snow-removal remains the responsibility of each borough, they now face penalties for not conforming with time limits and other rules for clearing snow set out under the city's central policy.

Each borough is given 12 hours to begin snow removal once the order is given by the city. They then have 36hours to complete the removal on main arteries.

Snow must be removed within 96 hours on secondary and local roads when a storm results in 20 centimetres of snow or less.

Snow-removal operations to clean up after the Dec. 29 storm began at 7 a.m. on the morning ofDec. 30 butwere put on hold for the evening of Dec. 31 and all day Jan. 1.

Work resumed Saturday to clearmajor arteries, reserved bus lanes and hospital entrances.

Problems persist

Despite the new policy,Notre-Dame-de-Grceresident SteveJasssayssnow-clearing problems persist on the streets of his neighbourhood around Wilson Avenue and deTerrebonneStreet.

"It looks like a totalmess.It's immovable, it's freezing up really fast, and it's beginning to look like anordicski jump," he said.

Jasssaid he plans to take it up at the next borough council meeting.

There are roughly10,000 kilometres of roads and sidewalks to clear across Montreal, according to the city.

TheInfo-Neigemobile app provides updates on snow-removal operations for 18 of Montreal's 19 boroughsbased on data from the City of Montreal's 'Planif-Neige' management system.

The only borough not included isL'le-BizardSainte-Genevive.

CBC Montreal's Steve Rukavina on snow clearing in NDG

9 years ago

Duration 1:16

CBC Montreal reporter Steve Rukavina takes to the streets of Notre-Dame-de-Grce to assess the snow-clearing efforts in the borough.