City officials say 175 cms of the white stuff has fallen so far this winter; here’s how roads and streets are prioritized by city crews

Orillia’s snow plow operators have been running full bore as the city has received a “staggering” 175 cm of snow since November.

According to Environment Canada’s weather station, Orillia received 64 cm of the white stuff by the end of November and 111 cm has fallen so far this December.

“City crews have been working around the clock to clear and maintain roads, sidewalks, parking lots and trails to ensure the safety of all residents,” according to a Dec. 19 council information package (CIP).

The CIP outlines how the city prioritizes snow clearing across the city.

When snow falls, the city’s first priority for plowing is arterial or high-volume roads such as Westmount Drive, Front Street and transit routes.

“These are the first to be cleared to ensure emergency access,” read the CIP. 

Plows are deployed to arterial roads when there is an accumulation of five centimetres of snow and aims to clear the roads to “centre-bare pavement” within six hours.

The second plowing priority is collector roads — roads that connect neighbourhoods to arterial roads — such as Barrie and Fittons roads. Plowing starts with an accumulation of eight centimetres of snow and the goal is to have the roads cleared within 12 hours to a snow-packed condition. 

The third priority is residential streets in neighbourhoods. The city designates two classes of residential streets. The first class is to be cleared within 16 hours once eight centimetres of snow has fallen and the second class is to be cleared within 24 hours once 10 centimetres of snow has accumulated — both to a snow packed condition.

Highways, such as Highway 11 and 12, are outside the city’s authority and are plowed by provincial contractors.

At the same time, sidewalk plows begin when snow accumulation exceeds eight centimetres, according to the CIP. The city aims to clear sidewalks to a snow-packed condition within 48 hours after the storm ends. Priority is given to sidewalks near schools, hospitals and transit routes.

So far no “significant weather events” have been declared, but when one is called due to a winter storm delivering a “hazardous” or an “excessive” accumulation of snow, “the standard timelines are suspended.” Roads are deemed to be in a “state of repair” until after the declaration has been lifted.

Residents can now view which roads have been plowed through the Orillia Snowplow Tracker available on the city website: orillia.ca/PlowTracker and on the OrilliaNow online portal at orillia.ca/now. 

“Crews focus on keeping main arteries open rather than meeting specific time targets,” reads the report.

At all times during the time period of Nov. 15 to Apr. 15, residents are not allowed to park on city streets between midnight and 7 a.m. to allow plow access.

Plows leave a ridge of snow — called a windrow — at the end of driveways. It is the responsibility of homeowners to clear this snow.

It is illegal under the Highway Traffic Act to shovel or blow snow from private property back onto the municipal roadways.

10 facts about winter in Orillia


Orillia receives four to 15 feet (1.2 to 4.6 metres) of snow each year; 
There are 30 winter control staff;
The city has 45 specialized vehicles;
There are 414 kilometres of roads;
The city has 132 kilometres of sidewalks;
There are 12 parking lots;
The city has eight plow routes, from 30- to 52-km in length;
The downtown core has its own plow route. Merchants are required to clear the sidewalk fronting their business;
The winter control budget is $1.5 million; and
Service is provided 24/7 on weekends and holidays

For more information, call the municipal operations centre at 705-326-4585 or email [email protected].