Commuting next winter may be more tricky thanks to City snow removal

While it may be summer, and we are no longer haunted by thoughts of digging our car out of the snow, a report to Edmonton City Council today painted a chilling picture of what our city snow removal will look like in the coming years.

Edmontonians will experience a decrease in Snow and Ice Control service levels this coming winter season compared to last year, as funding levels will reflect the funding allocated in the 2023-2026 budget.

For the coming winter season, this means there will be an overall decrease in priority service levels on both roadways and active pathways compared to last year, the report says.

Some key differences will include:

• Priority 1 roadways (freeways, arterial roadways, roads and alleys in business districts) will be completed within five days instead of four
• Priority 4 roadways (residential) will increase from eight days to 10 when a blading cycle is initiated
• Priority 2 active pathways (City sidewalks, ramps, staircases, shared paths, pedestrian bridges, bus stop access) will be cleared in six days instead of four
• Priority 3 active pathways (manually cleared paths, bus benches, sandboxes) will be completed within 22 days instead of 13

“Roads and pathways will continue to receive essential snow and ice control services based on the priority service levels to ensure safety, reliability, and connectivity across Edmonton’s mobility network,” the report says.

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Staff support for the enforcement of parking bans will also be scaled back, with services being reduced from 15 dedicated Snow and Ice Control officers to five, and tow services entirely removed.

Once at their new baseline, service levels will increase incrementally every year until 2026 in line with the budget. According to the report, the 2026 budget will be comparable to what was spent in 2022.