Winter Maintenance near you

Plowing is usually triggered by a set depth of snow, but ice control needs its own trigger, because some of the most dangerous days bring little or no snow. A good contract says whether the crew comes for freezing rain and for refreezing after a thaw, whether it salts after every plowing visit or only on request, and whether it watches forecasts and patrols or waits for your call.

Response times are usually described as a window after a snowfall or ice event ends, and they depend on the size of the route and the storm. Ask what happens during a long storm, whether pre-storm treatment is included, and in what order the route is served if someone in the household leaves early or has limited mobility. Ask for a record of visits and applications with dates and times as well; it settles billing questions and shows what was done on a given day.

Responsibility for the sidewalk in front of a house depends entirely on the municipality. In Toronto, City crews clear public sidewalks once snow reaches 2 cm or more; below that, residents must clear the sidewalk next to their property within 12 hours of the end of a snowfall, and driveways, steps and ramps on private property must be cleared within 24 hours after the snowfall ends. In Oshawa, residential owners must clear the sidewalk in front of and alongside their property by midnight after the first day the snowfall has ended, and pile the snow on their own property rather than on the road.

Other municipalities set different rules and deadlines, and some revise them between winters, so check your city's current page before the season starts. If the sidewalk is your responsibility, make sure the contract names it explicitly, including both frontages of a corner lot, and that the crew knows the deadline it has to meet.

Environment and Climate Change Canada notes that road salts pose a risk to plants, animals and the aquatic environment in sufficient concentrations. Its Code of Practice, published in 2004, helps municipalities and other road authorities manage salt storage, road use and snow disposal to reduce those impacts while keeping roads safe. The same logic applies at home, where salt runs off pavement into lawns, gardens and storm drains.

The Government of Canada suggests using a roof rake to remove snow from a home's roof and keeping it from building up beyond 15 to 30 cm (6 to 12 in.), and notes that ice dams that persist may be a result of poor insulation in the attic or top floor. A roof rake is used from the ground; nobody should climb onto a snow-covered roof.

When a roof needs more than safe raking, or ice dams and heavy icicles threaten eavestroughs and the area below, call a company that does roof snow and ice removal. The Régie du bâtiment du Québec calls roof snow removal risky and advises using specialized companies with proper equipment, which also protects the roofing. Lasting fixes for recurring ice dams happen in the attic and on the roof, covered on the roof maintenance and gutter repair pages. Keep people away from the eaves while snow and ice can fall.

Where snow is piled decides where it melts. The Government of Canada's flood-prevention advice is to remove snow and ice around the foundation, walkways and downspouts, and to shovel snow about 1 to 1.5 m (3 to 5 ft.) away from the foundation where possible. Banks against the house melt straight into the backfill during a thaw, and a buried downspout outlet sends roof water back toward the wall.

A winter maintenance season should end with a walk-around once the snow is gone. Sand and grit left on hard surfaces wash into drains and paver joints, salt residue keeps working on concrete and stone, and plows leave gouged turf and displaced edging behind.