After a snowstorm, where does Toronto put all the snow?

After almost 60 centimetres of snow fell across the Greater Toronto Area (GTA), where does the city take the snow that isn’t able to be pushed to the side?

A lot of clearing efforts following Sunday’s record-breaking snowfall are still underway, with residents and city crews having cleaned up a significant amount of the streets and sidewalks.

Significant snowfall can cause windrows, or snow piles, which can impact traffic flow, interfere with pedestrian infrastructure and parking and obstruct sightlines.

Though snow is typically kept near where it was cleared from in a pile or off to the side, sometimes crews must gather the snow and take it to a second location.

In an email to Now Toronto, the City of Toronto said this location tends to be a storage facility.

“The city has five snow storage sites across Toronto,”  Imane Boussaid with the City of Toronto said.

Along with these storage facilities, Toronto also has three locations to melt snow.

On the city’s website, it explains what methods they use during major snow events.

“Snow removal operations involve the use of snow melters, snow blowers, front end-loaders and dump trucks,” it said in part.

Clearing snow in neighbourhoods

According to a report from Statistics Canada in 2021, at least 602,920 households owned a home in Toronto. With so many properties affected by snowfall, homeowners are responsible for clearing the snow on their driveway and walkways.

Many residents and homeowners often place snow into one pile, on their yard or off to the side.

In many videos across social media, Torontonians could be seen blowing snow to the side and using push style shovels to move snow over to yards and off driveways.

One TikTok user said “I just shovel it onto the road,” while another said “If you push [the snow] and leave it, eventually you’ll have no driveway. Unless you live somewhere that gets very little snow, you’ll be building a mountain of snow beside the driveway.”

In addition to their driveways, the City of Toronto encourages residents to help clear sidewalks too.

“We all have a role to play in keeping our city safe in the winter,” said Imane Boussaid with the City. “Residents can help by clearing sidewalks next to their property in between City crews.”

Boussaid added that residents should clear their own driveways, ramps and stairs of any snow or ice within 24 hours of the snowfall ending, in order to prevent the risk of slips and falls.

Additionally, when shovelling, residents should keep fire hydrants near their properties and their surroundings clear so firefighters can access them in an emergency.

Residents are urged to not push snow onto sidewalks, roads or bike lanes. Boussaid warned doing so is both dangerous and illegal. She also added residents could risk being slapped with a hefty fine.

“Shoveled snow must be stored on their property or they could receive a fine of $500 and a $110 victim surcharge fee,” she added.

The city does not specify where or how the snow on a resident’s property be stored.

When shovelling, the city encourages residents to stretch and march in the spot prior to clearing snow.

Anyone clearing snow should use a push method rather than lifting, as that can cause potential heart issues.

Shovelling early and often is also recommended, as snow is heavier the more it has accumulated.

As these significant snow events occur, residents have been encouraged to be extra careful while clearing snow and be patient with city crews as they plow major roads, bus routes, school routes and emergency routes.

The city encourages anyone who has questions on snow clearing from public or private properties to call 311.