Toronto's snow-clearing struggles head to council for debate

John Rieti · CBC News

· Posted: Mar 26, 2025 5:00 AM EDT | Last Updated: 9 minutes ago

City assembly is acceptable to get much details Wednesday astir however snow-clearing operations fared during February's major storm, and that information may pb to immoderate crisp questions astir however Toronto handles wintertime operations successful the future.

Torontonians filed a whopping 25,318 storm-related work requests to the city's 311 line, the metropolis manager confirmed up of the meeting, aft spending much than a week clomping implicit unclear sidewalks, parking their cars amid snowbanks and seeing their quality to get astir slowed adjacent further.

Mayor Olivia Chow ordered a reappraisal aft what she called an "unacceptable" effect to the dense tempest that dropped much than 50 centimetres of snowfall connected the metropolis successful mid-February.

Chow flagged a fig of issues with snow-clearing and however metropolis crews and officials handled the effect to the storm, some with however the enactment was done and however it was communicated. She has besides been captious of the enactment done by backstage contractors — CBC Toronto was archetypal to study that astir of that enactment is being done by two companies and their associated venture, who won a perchance decade-long contract to wide snowfall successful astir each neighbourhood.

So what truly happened erstwhile the snowfall started flying? The nationalist should get a much implicit representation during the treatment of 2 abstracted motions (it's unclear truthful far what clip the motions volition beryllium debated.)

• CBC Toronto volition beryllium updating this communicative erstwhile the statement begins, truthful cheque backmost successful aboriginal Wednesday
• Also connected metropolis council's agenda: A statement connected Toronto's projected tariff response and an update connected projected "bubble zones" astir susceptible institutions. 

Motion 1: Just asking questions

First, Scarborough Coun. Jennifer McKelvie — who this week announced she volition beryllium moving for the Liberals successful the upcoming national predetermination — submitted an administrative inquiry seeking to found immoderate basics.

McKelvie enactment a agelong database of questions to staff, which you tin read here, asking for details connected everything from however the city's sidewalk snow-clearing went, whether oregon not it has standards for snow-removal (it does not), and whether the metropolis is looking at fining immoderate contractors successful the aftermath of the storm. 

City Manager Paul Johnson answered McKelvie's questions successful this elaborate letter, which includes accusation astir the 311 calls. 

Motion 2: The mayor's review

Then, Chow's question comes up for debate. 

The politician wants more specifics and an mentation from Johnson astir wherefore metropolis unit was telling her bureau "that 100 per cent of sidewalks were cleared of snowfall astatine slightest once" portion residents could spot "no plow had visited a fixed agelong of sidewalk." 

City unit person defended their enactment but said they are committed to making improvements successful the future. 

WATCH | Olivia Chow blasted the city's snow-clearing enactment on Metro Morning: 

Chow besides wants the metropolis manager to corroborate if the contractors are gathering the standards outlined successful their woody with the city. If they're not, Chow wants accusation connected perchance "renegotiating oregon breaking existing contracts."

That would beryllium a large determination for the metropolis — with superior fund ramifications.

Not everyone is blaming the contractors. Coun. Brad Bradford has pinned the blasted connected Chow for not doing much to co-ordinate the tempest response. 

Chow's motion, which was passed by her enforcement committee, besides asks the auditor wide to look into the city's latest wintertime tempest response. Coun. Josh Matlow moved the lone amendment to it astatine the committee level, asking metropolis unit to look astatine however different wintertime cities grip their snow-clearing and removal. 

City council's gathering begins astatine 9:30 a.m. ET and volition beryllium livestreamed connected YouTube.