Let’s Talk Snow Removal!

After receiving several complaints regarding snow removal, the Township of Champlain would like to highlight a few things. First and foremost, we understand your frustrations and the inconveniences experienced with regards to the amount of snow we have received.

Priorities

The Township of Champlain has 200 km of roads and sidewalks to maintain, which is a lot for a small municipality like Champlain. For reference, it took 13 hours to remove the snowbanks from the main roads following the snowfall of the last few days. Our crews had to clear and load the snow as many times in January 2023 as they did during the 4 months of the 2021-2022 winter season.

The large volume of snowfall in the last few days, on top of the continuous winter weather events we have experienced since the holidays, greatly complicates the snow removal operations. With over 67 cm of snow in 30 days, municipal employees are working hard to keep the roads clear. Even if the Township were to extend the working hours of our employees, we are constrained by the Provincial maximum driving time standard to ensure the safety of our employees, this requirement further complicates our operations when there is a large snowfall over several days.

Snow removal operations are done in the following order of priority:

1. Clear the roads and make them safe;
2. Once the roads have been properly cleared, we then remove the snowbanks from the main roads and the side streets with sidewalks;
3. If there are no subsequent snowfalls, widening small streets in urban areas.
   However, a single snowfall brings us back to square one.

If it snows again between snowbank removal operations, crews must clear the roads before resuming the snowbank clean-up. This is why operations can take several days or even weeks.

Children and Snow Tunnels

The Township of Champlain also reminds parents to never allow children to play in the snowbanks along the street. An incident was barely avoided in the nearby town of Salaberry-de-Valleyfield while a snow removal operation was taking place. A child was playing in a tunnel that she had dug on the side of the road. Fortunately, the operator saw a bit of hat sticking out of the snowbank and was able to stop in time.

Make Snow Removal Easier

Finally, to help us proceed as quickly as possible with snow removal operations, please ensure that you are following the parking restrictions on the streets. Follow us on Facebook or subscribe to our website news to be notified when we scheduled snow removal operations.

The Township of Champlain wishes to thank residents for their cooperation. Please be courteous and grateful to our employees who work days and nights for your safety.

To File a Complaint or Make a Request

To file a complaint or make a request to the Public Works Department regarding snow removal, please complete the online request form at www.champlain.ca/service-request. It is the fastest and most efficient way to contact us due to the high number of calls we have been receiving lately.