Epic January winter storm cost Toronto $17+ million for snow removal
The Jan. 17 snowstorm in Toronto required several rounds of plowing on all roads, sidewalks and bike lanes, removing almost 180,000 tonnes of snow.
Toronto's biggest snowstorm in years resulted in numerous accidents and a prolonged cleanup the city is now starting to put a price tag on.
According to a new city staff report released Tuesday, the City of Toronto's snow removal effort from the January 2022 storm cost more than $17 million, approximately 20 per cent of the annual winter maintenance budget for Transportation Services. The snowstorm required several rounds of plowing on all roads, sidewalks and bike lanes, removing almost 180,000 tonnes of snow.
On Jan. 17, southern Ontario was blasted by a significant winter storm that brought rapid snowfall and accumulations of 55 cm in some areas. It was also one of the top 10 snowfall amounts ever recorded in Toronto. It also yielded extremely cold temperatures.
(Mark Robinson/The Weather Network)
The snow fell at a rate of up to five centimetres per hour, much more than what is considered heavy (defined as at least one cm an hour). Just for context, any storm that brings at least 10 cm of snow to the city is considered to be a significant event for Toronto.
The City of Toronto staff report will go before the Infrastructure and Environment Committee on March 29. It details the city’s response to the Jan. 17 storm, the snow-clearing and removal challenges and the improvements already underway for Toronto's extreme winter weather preparedness and response plans.
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Some of the obstacles the city had to overcome during the storm included supporting emergency services and TTC vehicles, the ability to clear streets amidst the overwhelming rate of snowfall, strain on equipment from the volume of snow, the need to provide manual clearing to avoid infrastructure and property damage. These were in addition to the logistical challenges of removing and relocating high volumes of snow as quickly as possible.
It also offers an update on the implemented and planned improvements for the city’s winter weather preparedness and response plans.
The report can be viewed here.
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