Owen Sound’s Public Works Division began seasonal Winter Control Operations earlier this week.

Winter Control is based on a 24-hour per day, 7-day per week shift throughout the winter months. This is to ensure municipal roads, sidewalks, walkways, and parking lots remain safe for motorists and pedestrians in accordance with the Ontario Minimum Maintenance Standards.

The City would like to remind residents and visitors of the following Winter Season guidelines:

Driveways

• Under the City’s Snow and Ice Removal Bylaw 2008-046, residents CANNOT DEPOSIT ICE AND SNOW ON THE ROADWAY, SIDEWALK, OR ACROSS THE ROAD

Children Playing

• Educate all children not to climb, play, or build snow forts or tunnels in snowbanks at the side of streets or in cul-de-sacs as they could slip and fall into oncoming traffic. Snowbanks could also collapse or be pushed down during snow-clearing operations

Garbage and Recycling

• Place all collectible materials at the end of your driveway, off the roadway
• By avoiding the placement of your waste and recycling containers on roadways, boulevards and sidewalks, it will ensure that they do not:

• • block oncoming traffic
  • prevent snowplows from properly clearing the roadway and sidewalk
  • create a hazard as they may get struck by vehicles or snowplows; and
  • prevent waste materials from being knocked over or buried during snowplowing operations

Overnight Parking

• Overnight parking restrictions will come into effect on Thursday, Dec. 1, 2022
• As per Traffic By-law No. 2009-075, parking is prohibited on all City streets and any non-designated municipal lots between 1:00 a.m. and 7:00 a.m. from December 1 until March 31 each year
• Overnight parking passes can be purchased at City Hall or at the Transit Terminal. These passes are valid in the overnight parking areas of Municipal Lot 5 (800 block of 3rd Avenue East) and Municipal Lot 9 (700 block of 1st Avenue East)

Please visit the City of Owen Sound’s website for more detailed information relating to Winter Maintenance.

Quick Facts:

• The City maintains 282 lane kilometres of roadways and 100 kilometres of sidewalks during the winter
• The City has been successful in recent years in reducing salt usage for both environmental and economic reasons while exceeding the Minimum Maintenance Standards
• Owen Sound is noted as one of the top 10 municipalities in Ontario for annual snowfall receiving, on average, 330 centimetres per year
• If a severe storm event occurs, which is declared a “Significant Weather Event” in accordance with Provincial regulations, please take every precaution and adjust your driving behaviour. It is illegal to drive on a closed road, and never advised.
• For the most complete information on Winter Maintenance and Snow Clearing, click this link Know Our Plan For Snow

source: media release, City of Owen Sound