Several Ontario cities are conserving their supplies of road salt due to what they say is a provincewide shortage.
Pickering and London recently issued notices advising they’re adjusting their winter maintenance operations due to the low supply of road salt, which comes as a cold snap settles in for large swaths of southern Ontario.
“Salt supplies are under pressure across the province,” Joel Gillard, division manager with road operations with the City of London, said in a Jan. 23 notice.
“Our teams are adapting to ensure roads remain as safe as possible with the materials we have available.”
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Meanwhile, Pickering said rather than apply salt early in a storm, it may salt later when conditions allow it to be most effective.
“In some locations, a blend of salt, sand, or other de-icing materials may be used. This approach can improve traction and help extend available salt supplies; as a result, residents may notice more sand on roads and sidewalks,” the city said.
“These measures reflect practices being used across Ontario in response to current supply conditions. Winter operations will continue to be adjusted as needed based on weather, road conditions, and available materials.”
The shortages come as Environment Canada placed large portions of southern Ontario under cold warnings Tuesday.
Parts of the province, including Toronto, can expect wind chill values near -25, it said. Wind chill values will moderate throughout the day, although they are expected to be between -15 and -20.
Many Ontarians have already witnessed historic snowfalls this month; at Toronto Pearson International Airport, at least 88.2 centimetres of snow has fallen so far this January – making it the snowiest month since records began in 1937 – Environment Canada said Monday.
A snowstorm on Sunday dropped 46 centimetres at the airport, while areas closer to Lake Ontario saw higher accumulations of snow. Snowfall amounts recorded at Billy Bishop Airport reached 56 centimetres, the summary noted.
— with files from Gabby Rodrigues
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Ontario cities facing road salt shortage as cold snap settles in
