What to know
- In New York City, Mayor Zohran Mamdani launched an initiative that pays Emergency Snow Shovelers $30 USD per hour — increasing to $45 USD after 40 hours a week — to clear bus stops, crosswalks, fire hydrants and other public areas following blizzards.
- Toronto Coun. Brad Bradford is calling New York City’s paid snow-shovelling program a “wake-up call” for Toronto
- Chow’s office didn’t say whether Toronto would adopt a similar model, but says the City has completed 90 per cent of more than 43,000 snow removal requests made through 311 since January 2026.
A Toronto councillor says New York’s paid snow removal program highlights the city’s failure to deliver core services.
With intense blizzard conditions covering roads across the United States, New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani recently launched an initiative that pays New Yorkers to shovel streets—and it has cleared the streets very quickly.
Emergency Snow Shovelers are called on after heavy snowfalls to remove snow and ice from bus stops, crosswalks, fire hydrants, step streets and other public areas. At the rate of $30 USD per hour, increasing to $45 per hour after the first 40 hours worked in a week, NYC’s roads cleared up quickly after the recent blizzard – and those results did not go unnoticed.
Toronto Councillor Brad Bradford tells Now Toronto the initiative is a “wake-up call for Toronto.”
“It shows a city that is being honest about the scale of the challenge and is willing to try something different to get the job done,” Bradford said in an email statement.
Following a snowy-filled winter so far in the city, he explained that Torontonians have to shovel not by choice, but for safety.
“They are doing it because they’re worried about their elderly neighbours getting to the doctor or their kids getting to school safely,” Bradford said.
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“When Torontonians ask for the NYC model, they aren’t looking for a paycheck. They are looking for accountability. They are tired of being stuck doing the City’s job for them. We need a City Hall that stops making excuses and starts getting the basics right so the responsibility doesn’t fall on residents in the first place,” he added.
Torontonians have taken the issue online, urging Mayor Olivia Chow to follow Mamdani’s footsteps.
One Instagram creator discusses the issue and says she would “personally love to sign up.”
Meanwhile, an Instagram user commented, “Mamdani is truly a socialist visionary. He’s incredibly focused on community.” Another user joked, “Pay me to exercise? I’m in! 😂” and “You’d have to drag me back inside.”
This raises the question: what is Mayor Chow’s response?
Now Toronto reached out to Chow’s office and they didn’t answer if they will follow Mamdani’s footsteps, but said the city has completed nearly all snow removal requests.
“The City has received more than 43,000 snow removal requests through 311 since January 2026, and 90 per cent have been completed.”
“Following last year’s major snow event, the Mayor directed changes to improve coordination, strengthen response efforts and enhance overall snow operations across the city,” a spokesperson at Chow’s office said in an email statement.
Editor’s Note: This article previously said Bradford wanted a paid snow removal program implemented in Toronto but has since been corrected.
