Winter weather is here! Be a good neighbour this snowy season

Life doesn’t stop when it snows, and the City’s winter maintenance crews are ready to respond to snowfall all season long to keep you moving safely. Here’s what you can do to manage snow and winter weather on your own property and support crews as they work.

Shovel effectively

Shovelling can be a lot of work. Shovelling early and often will help to limit heavy snow buildup. Remember to take breaks, stay hydrated and dress appropriately.

Clear around your furnace and hot water tank vents. Covered vents can be a carbon monoxide hazard. If you have a fire hydrant on your property, please shovel around it so that it is visible to fire crews.

Try to pile snow away from your home’s foundation and where meltwater won’t flow across sidewalks or driveways, where it can freeze and become slippery. You can help minimize your driveway windrow by shovelling the snow to the right side of your driveway, if there’s space, so that the plow doesn’t push it back onto your driveway. Residents who are registered in the 2024-2025 Driveway Windrow Snow Clearing Program will get a three-metre space cleared in their driveway windrow so that one car can get in and out safely. It may take up to 36 hours after the end of a snow storm for windrows to be cleared.

Be smart with your salt use

Before applying any salt or de-icing materials to your walkway, sidewalk or driveway, clear any snow first and always use the materials as recommended by the manufacturer.

Remember that salt only works on ice and snow when the temperature is above -10° Celsius. Consider using alternatives like sand, grit, mulch, non-clumping kitty litter or treated salt (magnesium chloride) to add traction when the temperature is below -10° Celsius. Some abrasives can even be swept up in the spring and reused.

Park vehicles in your driveway during snow clearing

Vehicles parked on residential streets make it hard for crews to clear the snow properly and efficiently. This can make it difficult for emergency vehicles to get through and for you to get in and out of your street.

During a plowing event, avoid a parking ticket and help out our crews by parking your car in your driveway instead of on the street. Remember to remove sports equipment like basketball nets and garbage bins from your curb.

When our snow plows are out on the roads, the City may suspend temporary parking permits and new ones will not be issued. To find out if temporary parking permits have been cancelled, call 311, follow @MississaugaSnow on X or visit mississauga.ca/temporaryparking.

Be kind to each other this snowy season

If you can, consider offering to help those who may need help clearing their sidewalk or driveway. Please also remember to treat City crews and equipment with respect and to give them lots of space to work. Crews work around the clock to treat and clear Mississauga roads, roadside multi-use trails, priority sidewalks, bus shelters, facility parking lots and bike lanes.

You may not know the person operating the plow, tractor or truck, but they are part of our community and should be able to work safely. Your patience and co-operation is appreciated.

What the City clears

The City is responsible for clearing snow and ice on City-owned infrastructure, including roads, on-street bike lanes, priority sidewalks, bus stops, pedestrian crossings and roadside multi-use trails. The City plows snow when five centimetres or more accumulates. Priority roads and sidewalks are cleared first. Depending on how much it snows, it can take 12 to 24 hours to clear this priority infrastructure after the snow has stopped.

Residential roads are cleared next, within 24 to 36 hours after the snow has stopped. It may take longer if the city has back-to-back storms, or if there’s a winter storm that brings more than 30 centimetres of snow.

Stay updated

• Visit mississauga.ca/snow to learn more about snow clearing in the city.
• Use the online snow plow tracker to view a map of the City’s snow-clearing routes and track the City’s fleet as it clears streets and priority sidewalks.
• Follow @MississaugaSnow on X for timely snow-clearing updates.
• Find out if on-street parking restrictions are in effect and if temporary parking permits are suspended due to a weather event.
• Call 311 (905-615-4311 if outside city limits) for questions related to the City’s snow-clearing operations or to report a missed street after service timelines have ended.

Tags

• Snow Removal and Maintenance