Snow clearing & ice control
The City’s snow clearing and ice control program typically runs from November through to April. Activities are in accordance with the Council-approved Policy on Snow Clearing & Ice Control.
We use a combination of City-owned heavy equipment and privately-owned equipment hired on a contract basis. During a snow clearing operation, we deploy a combination of the following: spreader trucks; truck plows; motor graders; front-end loaders; sidewalk plows; snow blowers; and anti-icing trucks.
Activities include:
- Clearing snow from streets, lanes, sidewalks, and active transportation pathways
- Dumping accumulated snow at the City’s snow disposal sites
- Applying either salt or sand to improve traction on roadways
- Thawing catch basins and culverts, and clearing ditches to prevent overland flooding in the spring
Winnipeg’s street system is cleared based on a priority system, beginning with Priority 1 (P1) – regional streets or major routes; Priority 2 (P2) – bus routes and collector streets; and then Priority 3 (P3) – residential streets.
In 2019, we introduced a sub-set of priorities to expedite clearing of sidewalks and cycle paths to improve city-wide accessibility to active transportation.
- Learn more about street priority
- View the snow clearing status map
- Learn more about the Snow Clearing & Ice Control Policy