The weather outside has been nothing short of treacherous over the past few days, and Toronto’s streets and sidewalks are all the worse for it, leaving pedestrians questioning the city’s sidewalk shovelling policies.
Following a weekend filled with rain showers, snow, freezing rain, and icy temperatures, the streets and sidewalks in some parts of the city are flooded with slush. Online, many people are giving the city some major side-eye over the snow removal, or lack thereof.
“It’s been over 48 hours since the last major snowfall and the streetcar/bus stop at King and Jarvis is still not shovelled properly,” one person wrote on X Sunday night.
“It’s currently accumulating a [foot] deep of slushy water, not draining, not accessible.”
“These are your sidewalks and streets, Toronto! Left completely unplowed when we need them most, the holidays!” another X user wrote.
“Two days ago, I was very appreciative of winter in Toronto while looking out of my bedroom window. So beautiful!” one person posted. “Now I’ve been hit by falling ice and trudged through flooded sidewalks, I have a very different view…”
“No surprise. Pedestrians are literally de-prioritized. It costs too much money, apparently, to shovel the sidewalks and make it accessible for everyone, especially persons with disabilities.”
CITY SAYS SNOWPLOWING IS UNDERWAY
Now Toronto reached out to the City of Toronto to inquire about their snowplowing processes.
“Crews are clearing access to catch basins to help melting snow and pooling water drain from roads, and are shovelling excess slush from sidewalks,” City of Toronto representative Laura McQuillan told Now Toronto on Monday.
McQuillan says that in order to prevent ponding, residents are encouraged to clear any leaves blocking the sewer or catch basin near their property if safe to do so.
“As needed, crews will salt roads, sidewalks and bikeways to maintain safe access as conditions may become icy,” she continued, adding that motorists are encouraged to slow down, follow at a safe distance and use gentle braking, steering and acceleration while the roads are in such condition.
When it comes to the city’s protocol for plowing, McQuillan says their priority is ensuring that emergency routes and major roads are plowed first, followed by transit routes, then residential streets.
“This ensures safe access for emergency services and public transit. Road and sidewalk plowing are coordinated to help keep sidewalks clear after a plow has cleared a road.”
She says that crews are out addressing residents’ service requests related to snow, slush and ponding. If they see any areas that have been missed, residents can make a report using the 311 app or website.
FLURRIES IN THE FORECAST
More flurries are in the forecast for the next few days.
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Flurries and local blowing snow are in the forecast this evening, with winds between 50-80 km/hour and temperatures falling to a low of -8 C, according to Environment Canada.
Mainly cloudy conditions on Tuesday with potential flurries and a high of -3 C during the day, and more flurries overnight with a low of -4 C.
Moving into Wednesday, cloudy conditions are in the New Year’s Eve forecast, with a high of -5 C. Meanwhile, New Year’s Day is expected to see a mix of sun and cloud, with flurries and a high of -6 C.
