The second major snow storm for the season appears to still be on track for this evening, as a low-pressure system from the west will bring snow across all of Nova Scotia. According to Environment Canada, “Total snowfall amounts of 15 cm are expected before snow tapers to a few showers or flurries this afternoon in the southwest and evening in the northeast.” With the rapidly accumulating snow expected today – coupled with the snow we received over the weekend – snow clearing operations will be in full swing. Our Public Works Department will be making an effort to clear away the snow as effectively and efficiently as possible, and the Town is urging motorists, residents and children to be cautious and patient as winter operations get underway.

So, you may be asking: with wintery weather approaching, what can I expect of the snow removal process at the Town of Antigonish?

Clearing our Streets and Sidewalks

Following a major snow fall, the Town’s number one priority is to make the main thoroughfares passable for emergency access vehicles. Accordingly, our efforts are focused on the arterial streets such as Main St., Church St., West St., and Hawthorne St., followed by collector streets such as Highland Dr., Braemore Ave., Brookland St., and Xavier Dr. Once snow clearing on these roads is reasonably complete, our focus shifts to subdivision areas and road widening in an effort to improve driving conditions through the Town.

Sidewalks are generally cleared after street clearing activity has commenced. Similar to our street clearing work, sidewalks are cleared according to a routing schedule, with priority being given to sidewalks which bring children to and from school. Moreover, when extreme conditions prevail, one sidewalk per street will be cleared before the second sidewalk is opened.

Our Focus is Safe, Accessible Streets

During periods of high accumulation, the Town’s main focus is having our streets accessible, and ensuring that storm drainage and fire hydrants are cleared. With all our clearing operations, efforts are made by our plow operators to lessen the amount of snow that is moved in a way that poses an inconvenience to residents, where possible, but obstacles such as trees, power poles, fences, and hedges can pose challenges to the placement of snow as it is plowed. Depending on the severity of the conditions and nature of the snow fall, the Town may need to push snow well back from the curb area, into driveways and onto lawns. Efforts are also made to remove snow banks from various areas across the Town, but this work is generally limited to our downtown business areas, selected intersections, and various sharp street curves within subdivisions that may have an impact on driving visibility. These secondary clearing efforts are impacted by available budgets.

What can you do to help?

There are certain things residents can do to help us as we carry out our snow clearing operations.

Foremost, the efficiency of snow clearing is improved when the parking ban is respected and vehicles are kept off all streets and Town-maintained parking areas between the hours of 12:01 am and 7:00 am. The parking areas include all free and metered parking lots, such as the lot on St. Mary’s St., the lot on Sydney St., all parking areas located along Creighton Lane, the lot behind Sunflower Natural Health, and the John Paul Centre parking lot (please see the image below for a map of Town-maintained parking areas).

Also, residents are reminded that shoveling, plowing, and blowing snow onto the street is prohibited under the Town’s Ice and Snow Removal By-law, as is chopping, scraping, and otherwise damaging sidewalks in an effort to clear snow and ice.

Finally, caution should be exercised by children who wish to play on the banked snow as it can be loose and unstable. Children should be prevented from building tunnels in banked snow, as plow operators may not be able to see them. Also, hoods and hats can muffle the sound of the approaching removal equipment, so please tell you children to be alert when playing near roads and sidewalks.

Stay Safe and stay warm!

Your cooperation and patience are appreciated during wintery conditions. Updates will be posted to our Facebook page as they are available. If you experience any significant problems related to our snow clearing efforts, residents are advised to submit their concern through our Concerned Citizen Report, which can be found on our website.

Stay safe and stay warm!