With a limited budget, Vancouver Park Board sets key routes for snow removal | Daily Hive

With a limited budget, Vancouver Park Board formalizes key routes for snow removal

Snow being removed from the Coal Harbour seawall in downtown Vancouver. (Margarita Young/Shutterstock)

The Vancouver Park Board is poised to formally adopt a Snow and Ice Treatment Policy to formalize how and when snow and ice are cleared.

The policy, expected to be approved by Park Board commissioners at their first public meeting of 2026 next week, summarizes long-standing operational practices already used by Park Board staff and aligns them with the City of Vancouver’s existing snow and ice response framework approved by Vancouver City Council in 2020.

In their report, Park Board staff state the policy is designed to bring clarity and transparency to winter maintenance in parks, while balancing public access, safety and the realities of limited budgets and crew sizes for the work.

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“This is not a bare pavement policy”

Treatment would be triggered based on weather forecasts, with operations initiated within 24 hours when snow or icy conditions are predicted and not expected to resolve on their own within that time frame — snowfall accumulation that is not followed by warmer conditions and/or rainfall. The policy makes clear that Vancouver does not operate under a “bare pavement” standard, meaning the Park Board does not guarantee that roads or paths will be completely free of snow or ice at any point during a winter event.

The Park Board is responsible for clearing snow and ice from approximately 82 km of sidewalks and pedestrian areas within parks and community centres. This work is carried out using a fleet of 33 pieces of mechanized equipment, including seven one-ton dump trucks with plow-equipped dump trucks and either a briner or salter, as well as 17 ride-on mowers with plow attachments.

Under the policy, all snow and ice treatment areas within the park system would be divided into three priority levels: designated park access roadways and primary pedestrian sidewalks, followed by secondary pedestrian sidewalks/pathways and then other sidewalks/pathways of tertiary importance. Crews would always begin with the highest-priority routes, and any new snowfall would restart the sequence from the top.

The policy also highlights different areas of responsibility for clearing the seawall, such as the North False Creek seawall, where the City’s engineering department and adjacent private property owners are also responsible for clearing certain segments of the seawall.

The pedestrian sidewalks and bike lanes along the Stanley Park Causeway are also the sole responsibility of the provincial government’s private contractor.

north false creek seawall vancouver snow removal responsibility

Responsibility for snow/ice clearing on the North False Creek seawall. (City of Vancouver)

$900,000 annual Park Board cost for snow and ice clearing

According to the report, the Park Board’s measures for winter weather clearance has cost an average of $900,000 per year over the past four years. While base costs are funded through the Park Operations budget, additional expenses such as overtime and extra materials are not pre-budgeted and must be absorbed elsewhere or, in some cases, covered through the City of Vancouver’s extreme weather reserve.

Based on previous City of Vancouver staff reports, the municipal government’s annual total clearing costs are roughly $5 million, with the City of Surrey also spending a comparable amount.

Park Board staff caution against comparing Vancouver’s municipal government’s park snow-clearing operations directly with those of other Canadian cities that regularly experience significant snowfall year.

For example, the City of Edmonton spends more than $30 million annually on just clearing pathways alone and operates under a bare pavement policy — a level of service far beyond Vancouver’s parks budget. Overall, Edmonton’s annual city-wide snow clearing and ice budget is $67 million.

As well, the City of Montreal’s annual city-wide budget for such operations is $200 million.

In addition to their much higher standards for clearing, it should also be noted that both jurisdictions are exponentially larger than the City of Vancouver. The City of Edmonton has a land area of 784 sq. ft., which is nearly seven times the land area of Vancouver, while the City of Montreal is 365 sq. km. or more than three times that of Vancouver.

Snow/ice clearing route in Stanley Park. (Vancouver Park Board)

The Park Board’s new formalized policy also allows for flexibility. In unusual or unexpected circumstances, Park Board staff leaders would be able to temporarily depart from the policy, including changing priorities, adjusting start times or suspending operations if necessary.

Park Board staff state the formal adoption of the policy will help manage expectations and ensure consistent decision-making during winter storms, while maintaining access to parks and recreation facilities as safely and efficiently as possible.

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