{"id":571455,"date":"2026-03-30T20:44:15","date_gmt":"2026-03-30T20:44:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/571455\/"},"modified":"2026-03-30T20:44:15","modified_gmt":"2026-03-30T20:44:15","slug":"residents-could-get-paid-to-shovel-their-sidewalk-this-winter-in-toronto","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/571455\/","title":{"rendered":"Residents could get paid to shovel their sidewalk this winter in Toronto"},"content":{"rendered":"

It\u2019s officially spring and the snow has melted, but Toronto City Council is already looking ahead to next winter.<\/p>\n

At Thursday\u2019s council meeting, council approved a plan to develop a paid sidewalk shovelling program, which would pay residents and temporary workers to help clear the sidewalks after a snowstorm.<\/p>\n

The program is expected to be implemented as soon as possible to ensure it\u2019s ready for the upcoming 2026-2027 winter season.<\/p>\n

The City aims to model the program based on how it\u2019s been implemented in other major cities including Montreal, New York City and Minneapolis.<\/p>\n

The program was proposed in response to frustrations with sidewalk plows during heavy snowfall.<\/p>\n

\u201cDuring significant snowfalls, the City has encountered challenges with our sidewalk plows, and clearing sidewalks has continued to be a point of frustration,\u201d said Mayor Olivia Chow.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\"\" <\/p>\n

\u201cLast year, I brought a motion to direct staff to buy new, better sidewalk plows capable of moving larger quantities of snow without getting bogged down or breaking down. While this is an improvement, there is still more we can do to get Toronto moving after extreme storms.\u201d<\/p>\n

Property owners were previously responsible for shovelling their own sidewalks in much of Old Toronto until 2021, when City Council voted to expand sidewalk snow plowing to include all sidewalks in the city.<\/p>\n

The amended motion was voted 17 to 9 in favour of, and attracted criticism from some councillors including Councillor Stephen Holyday,\u00a0who said the City would essentially be paying twice for snow clearing if the program is implemented.<\/p>\n

Heavy snow hit many cities across Ontario during the past winter, with record-breaking snowfall<\/a> recorded at Toronto Pearson Airport in January.<\/p>\n

Environment Canada said the total snowfall of 46 cm on Sunday, Jan. 15 was the highest daily total snowfall on record.<\/p>\n

It brought the January 2026 snowfall total to 88.2 centimetres, making it the snowiest January and snowiest month since records began in 1937.<\/p>\n

With files from Karen Longwell<\/p>\n


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