Toronto is now in winter snowstorm cleanup mode after getting hit hard this weekend by the third major snowfall in a week.
The City of Toronto’s general manager for transportation services, Barbara Gray, said Monday another 25 centimetres of snow fell on top of the 20 cm that fell midweek. About another 10 cm fell the previous Saturday.
The major snowstorm condition declared on Wednesday night remains in effect, she added, which means the parking ban is still in place along designated snow routes — including streetcar routes.
“If there are streetcars on streetcar tracks, do not park on that street. If you park on a snow route, you can be fined and your car can be towed,” she said.
City officials said around 2,300 tickets have been issued.
The major snow removal process — which involves dump trucks collecting to take it off streets — will begin after all plowing is complete, and is expected to take about three weeks due to the volume of snow, Gray said.
She added that the plan is detailed to the first 72 hours, the first week, then the second week.
“It’s not going to get any warmer, at least for a week,” Gray said. “The snow is not going to move unless we move it.
“We prioritize snow removal with a focus on safety, access and mobility, starting with main streets, sidewalks and pedestrian signals, transit stops, hospitals and emergency service stations, school bus loading zones, and roads with limited space for snow storage where excess snow could cause problems.”
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The city’s transportation services director, Vincent Sferrazza, said a bit of snow removal was done on Friday and the snow storage sites are ready for further operations.
“If you see our crews out in the days and weeks ahead, please remember to leave them extra space to get the clearing and removal done as quickly as possible,” Sferrazza said.
Sferrazza added that the week’s worth of accumulation met or exceeded the big, major snowstorm of January 2022.
“Granted, that was in a one-day period, which was another challenge in of itself,” Sferrazza said.
Meanwhile, Toronto Pearson airport said it recorded more than 22 cm of snow over the weekend at its location, and the total snowfall accumulation reached 63 cm over the last week in the trio of storms. Last year, the entire 2023-24 winter season saw 67 cm of snow.
The airport said on Monday that it is still catching up from all flights that were delayed and/or cancelled due to the storm. Overnight cleanup was underway in critical areas so that airplanes could land and take off safely.
Environment Canada said a winter storm warning that was issued Saturday for the Toronto area was lifted Sunday night as snowfall tapered off in the afternoon, and snowfall in the Ottawa area ended in the evening.
The weather agency said a snow squall warning remains in effect for communities along the Bruce Peninsula and in the Georgian Bay area, as 30 to 60 centimetres are expected to begin Monday morning and last into Tuesday. Snow brought on by the lake effect could bring near-zero visibility during snowfall.
The Ontario Provincial Police said on Monday morning that the force responded to about 100 collisions and another 100 stranded vehicles in the Greater Toronto-Hamilton Area over the past 24 hours.
The TTC has a Line 1 closure from Bloor-Yonge to Eglinton station due to an ice buildup on the power rails, the transit agency said.
Service is expected to be restored by Monday afternoon.
–with files from The Canadian Press
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Toronto winter storms may take 3 weeks to clear with snow removal: city
