Snow Management is very different between the City of Winnipeg and the City of Saskatoon. Let’s compare.
Winnipeg
Winnipeg has a Snow Clearing & Ice Control Policy. Plowing on their Priority 3 (residential) streets usually begins following a 10 cm snowfall accumulation. Crews will clear 7,200 km of roadways during an all-out city-wide snow-clearing operation. It takes approximately 2.5 days (or five 12-hour shifts) to clear all residential streets during a residential plowing operation, with crews working around the clock.
Saskatoon
Saskatoon, in comparison, will grade Priority 3 (local or neighborhood) roads with severe rutting or an average overall snow pack of more than or equal to a 15 cm depth when they are contacted by residents. An all-out city-wide snow clearing operation that we are seeing right now has never been undertaken before, according to City Manager, Jeff Jorgenson.
It is no surprise that snow and ice road management have been identified as key weaknesses for 2015-2018 in the Civic Services Survey. And guess what! The City is not conducting an annual survey now. Likely because still nothing has changed!
