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- calendar_today October 31, 2026
Edmonton Updates Snow and Ice Removal Policy
As the winter approaches, the City of Edmonton is introducing significant changes to its snow and ice removal operations by designating accessibility as a “core pillar” in its strategy. This initiative aims to improve mobility for all residents, especially those with mobility challenges.
Accessibility Now a Core Pillar
In a recent news release and at a news conference held at the Southwest District Yard, city officials outlined the updated approach to snow and ice control. Cheryl Fereday, Edmonton’s director of mobility infrastructure services, noted that accessibility now stands alongside safety, reliability, and connectivity as one of the four main outcomes expected from the city's snow removal service.
Fereday stated, “Elevating accessibility formalizes our commitment to inclusive mobility across all travel modes. This helps our active pathways team work towards accessible winter walking, cycling, and public transit where it's needed most.”
Targeted Improvements for Winter Mobility
Valerie Dacyk, the general supervisor of mobility infrastructure operations, shared that while overall service levels will not change, the city intends to take a targeted approach to enhance accessibility. “As with all of our active pathways, we are ensuring that pedestrian, routing and transportation in those affected neighbourhoods are done to a safe and cleared level,” Dacyk said.
In response to early snowfall, crews started 24-hour operations ahead of the standard winter schedule. These operations are set to transition to regular winter shift rotations, ensuring continuous coverage during snow events.
Enhancements to Snow and Ice Removal Operations
The city announced several new measures for the upcoming winter season. These include:
- Fleet optimization to reduce equipment downtime
- Multilingual messaging to better inform residents about snow operations
- Enhanced communication with community leagues, school boards, and business improvement areas to reach all groups affected by snow operations
Despite these changes, service levels remain consistent with previous years, but improvements are expected through better scheduling and fleet management.
Snow Clearing and Pathway Priorities
The City of Edmonton continues to use a structured prioritization protocol for snow and ice clearance based on factors such as safety, traffic speed, and volume:
- Priority 1: Main freeways, major arterial roads, and business districts, cleared to bare pavement within one day after a snow event.
- Priority 2: Secondary arterial roads, collector roads, transit routes, and Park and Ride access roads, cleared within five days.
- Priority 3: Industrial and rural roads, addressed within six days.
- Priority 4: Local and residential roads, targeted to be cleared within 14 days once a Phase 2 parking ban is declared as needed.
For active pathways:
- Priority 1: Core facility pathways, transit centres, LRT stations, wheelchair ramps, and the Winter Priority Bike Loop, cleared within one day.
- Priority 2: City-maintained sidewalks, shared-use pathways, parking lots, and bridge decks, cleared within three days.
- Priority 3: Manually cleared areas such as neighbourhood breezeways, public benches, and fire hydrants, cleared within 14 days.
- Priority 4: Community sandboxes and safe mobility devices, addressed as resources allow.
Parking Bans and Enforcement Details
Not all snow events result in parking bans. The city issues bans in two phases. Phase 1 covers major routes and transit corridors, lasting four or five days, while Phase 2 affects residential and industrial roads and is active in any single neighbourhood for roughly 72 hours.
Keith Scott, deputy chief with the city's community standards team, emphasized that vehicles must be removed for the entire duration of a ban, as crews may need to return for additional clearing. Failure to comply may result in a $250 ticket.
Looking Ahead to the Winter Season
Through these updated policies, Edmonton aims to enhance winter mobility and reduce barriers for those with accessibility needs, while maintaining clear communication with all residents about snow and ice removal operations.
Source: cbc.ca.
