Mayor touts ground-up rethink of Toronto’s approach to snow

Contents of the article

Mayor Olivia Chow on Wednesday touted Toronto's “central command, all-in” approach to winter weather as city council approved a package of changes to how Toronto deals with snow.

Contents of the article

Bye The council approved the changes at the meetingincluding increasing fines for drivers blocking tram tracks on snowy routes, the discussion also served as an update on how City Hall has already responded to the terrible snow storms of last February.

Contents of the article

Contents of the article

Chow thanked bureaucrats, some of whom have new or changed responsibilities, for their work to rethink and overhaul Toronto's snow removal system.

Last year's snow removal was 'less than ideal': Chow

“Yes, the program last year was not ideal,” the mayor said. “What you did was truly admirable. You looked at the program, you took it apart, you worked with the consultant we brought in, the expert we brought in, and you left no stone unturned.”

The Council's discussions were closely followed Unusually early November snowfall on Sunday. Chow said it served as a good test run for Toronto's new approach.

Contents of the article

Contents of the article

“They tested it last weekend and it worked,” she said. “The fact that I don't get many calls from the mayor's office – no news – is good news – it means it works… You salted before the snow melted. Great!”

Key differences include a focus on proactive measures and what city documents call a “surge plan” to quickly reallocate municipal resources to prepare for and address snow problems. Improved communications was a recurring theme during the council meeting, with Chow highlighting the end of the 311 blackout period, which prevented Torontonians from promptly reporting snow issues.

No blackout period

“There is no longer a blackout period,” Chow said, adding that City Hall can now see Toronto residents with complaints as its eyes and ears. “Instead of them causing you problems, you see them as allies who can work together to improve care,” she said.

Contents of the article

One of the new ways of communication could be push notifications. The amendment proposed by Councilor Lily Cheng would require City Hall transportation and technology leaders to communicate better ways to communicate winter operations to people, including the use of push notifications about snow removal and parking restrictions.

Another amendment, this time from Councilor Dianne Sachs, increased the fine for a driver blocking streetcar tracks on a snowy route from $200 to $500.

Recommended Video

We apologize, but this video has failed to load.

Play video

Bureaucrats were willing to talk about specific details, such as the “additional monitoring capabilities” being used, including the use of traffic cameras to ensure proper snow removal.

Council members also considered a so-called “friendly towing” system in permitted parking lots, as is the case in Montreal, in which vehicles are moved for free to an available space nearby.

Contents of the article

Blame former Mayor John Tory?

Councilman John Burnside seemed somewhat skeptical about how the changes were being presented.

When it was his turn to ask questions of city officials, Burnside said it appears “a lot of the blame” is being placed on former Mayor John Tory. WWhile changes were needed, he said many of them could presumably have been made at any time and seemed to suggest that the current administration should shoulder at least some of the shortcomings.

As an example, he asked City Manager Paul Johnson about City Hall's efforts to improve communications related to winter work.

“I don’t think it will cost much. It could probably be implemented in advance, right?” – Burnside asked.

Johnson replied, “Absolutely.”

Contents of the article

While the changes are numerous, when the mayor's executive committee discussed the snow program last week, Chow summarized them as addressing five key priorities.

IN letter to the committeeChow said Toronto needs to fix its snow contract, end the power outage on Route 311 and implement a “one team approach,” better equipment and “clear communication.”

What councilors failed to do this month was change the contract.

“The 2021 contract only covers plowing, not snow removal. A forensic investigation is investigating how this happened,” Chow wrote.

“We need snow removal included in the 2029 contract, but we can't wait that long. The city will use our own equipment and workers to clear snow after smaller storms so we'll be ready when big snowfalls hit.”

[email protected]

Contents of the article