Waterloo Region, Guelph recovering from winter storm

Waterloo Region is dealing with a winter storm hangover on Tuesday, as plow crews continue to clear off roadways and sidewalks following a monster winter storm system over Family Day weekend.

Up to 26 centimetres of snow fell on the region from Saturday through to Monday, adding to the mound of snow piled up on Wednesday and Thursday last week.

“The snow depth is now at 51 cm in many areas,” said 570’s Meteorologist Jill Taylor. “As fast as the snow plows have been trying to shovel, and the residents have been shovelling the sidewalks, the snow is filling back in.”

Environment Canada had issued a blowing snow advisory for Waterloo Region and Guelph, warning of near-zero visibility on some roadways as blowing snow into Tuesday evening.

‘Around-the-clock operations’

Crews are continuing to remove and plow snow from all cities in and around the region on Tuesday.

In an email, Cambridge city staff said teams are focusing on the core areas, bridges and sidewalks without boulevards. Some areas, like cul-de-sacs, have limited access due to the large snowbanks. They warn people should be careful pulling out of driveways due to the snow obstructing views.

“Potholes are also forming because of the weather,” staff said. “All available crews and equipment remain deployed to deal with the snow and address pothole conditions.”

A similar “around-the-clock” sentiment is happening in Waterloo. Staff from that city say the volume of snow has created “challenges.”

Teams are now shifting focus away from plowing to instead loading/hauling the snow away from all impacted areas. Over the holiday weekend, Bob Henderson, director of transportation service for Waterloo, said crews did not break.

“With temperatures where they are, the snow isn’t going anywhere unless we haul it away,” he said. “Clearing and hauling snow is labour intensive, and if we get additional snow, we’ll be forced to pause those operations to clear roads again.”

Kitchener teams are also focusing on critical infrastructure such as the city’s LRT, main roads and bus routes. Crews are prioritizing widening the streets that have narrowed due to the large snowbanks. Staff told CityNews Kitchener in an email they anticipate it will take “weeks” for the clean-up to be complete — and that’s if no more snow is dumped on the municipality.

“Snow loading is a substantial operation that requires up to 30 pieces of equipment per crew and will remove up to 400 triaxle dump truck loads of snow from our right of ways per day,” staff said.

Snow events in Kitchener, Waterloo, and Cambridge have been extended, meaning there is no on-street parking anywhere in the three cities without exemptions.

In Kitchener, the ticket for parking on the street during a snow event is $80.

Ontario Provincial Police are out on the roadways, offering warnings for drivers as they continue to contend with a wintery commute.

“Back roadways may seem to be clear, but roadways can still be slick and icy,” said Sargent Ed Sanchuk of the Ontario Provincial Police. “We’re asking everybody to please slow down, get to where you’re going safely, but more importantly, have a great day and get home safely to your family.”

Taylor isn’t forecasting any significant snowfall for Waterloo Region until Sunday at the earliest.

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