Cambridge, Kitchener, Guelph reviewing road maintenance during record-setting winter
Posted Feb 4, 2026 12:35:51 PM.
Last Updated Feb 4, 2026 02:54:54 PM.
As we pass the halfway point of winter in Ontario, officials in Cambridge, Kitchener, and Guelph are looking back at the season so far and hoping to find ways to improve on winter maintenance operations.
More than 200 cm of snow has fallen on Waterloo Region this season, leading to plenty of work for road maintenance crews who are battling against the elements and a shortage of road salt.
The winter season began early this year, with the first significant snowfall recorded in early November. In part because of all that snow, regional police have received reports of 4,600 crashes already this season, more than the 4,300 reported last winter.
In Cambridge, Councillor Helen Schwery noted that she’s been hearing from residents who feel that the snow clearing and salting have been inadequate this season, something that presents a significant public safety risk.
In response to those complaints, Schwery will bring a motion to council later this month, looking for an explanation from staff of the provincial minimum maintenance standards for winter operations, a review of the challenges faced over this winter season, and for staff to present options to enhance current levels of service so that snow removal and the salting of residential roads can be improved.
In Guelph this week, Mayor Cam Guthrie motioned that the operations department investigate service levels when it comes to winter maintenance as part of the annual internal audit. That investigation would include recommendations for potential additional services and opportunities to allow for community engagement.
Kitchener council are also set to receive a report reviewing winter maintenance operations and ways to improve service at a meeting in June.
There is still plenty of winter left before the thaw of spring rolls around, and last February, Waterloo Region was hit with 78 cm of snow.
