Snow Clearing

The Town of Whitby works hard to make our community safe to travel during the winter months.

Before You Call

Did you know that the Town is responsible for clearing over 1,173 lane km of roads, 329 km of sidewalks, 34 km of trails, 295 cul-de-sac locations, 122,000 sq. m parking lots and grooming 38 km of trails?

There is also a specific order in which these areas are salted and cleared.

Leading up to or during a winter event, staff actively monitor, salt and plow in a specific order. Roads are set into different categories, primary, secondary, tertiary and sidewalks, trails and parking lots. This order helps to keep traffic flowing to Regional Roads, schools, community centers and industrial/commercial areas. Learn more about the order below, and please keep in mind that if it has been snowing for more than 24 hours, the snow trucks may have to be recalled to clear primary roads, and staff cannot work more than 14 hours straight without rest.

When Are Roads Cleared?

Primary Roads (Road Class 2)

While it is snowing, the Town will salt and clear all Primary Roads first. These roads provide access to Regional Roads (Regional Roads are roads maintained by Durham Region), schools, community centers and industrial/commercial areas. Some of these roads include Dundas St, Brock St and Rossland Rd.

Secondary Roads (Road Class 3 and 4)

After Primary Roads are cleared, the Town will then move on to Secondary Roads. These roads feed primary and tertiary roads. Some of these roads include Anderson St, Ashburn Rd, Bonacord Ave, Burns St, Columbus Rd, Garden St and Garrard Rd.

Tertiary Roads (Road Class 5 and 6), Sidewalks, Trails and Parking Lots

The Town will focus on Tertiary Roads (residential streets), sidewalks/trails and parking lots once Primary and Secondary roads have been completed.

Sidewalks and Trails

Sidewalks and trails are maintained on a priority basis and will be cleaned and maintained as soon as possible.

Parking Lots

Complete plowing of parking lots is scheduled after the snowstorm has ended and is timed for when the lot is either being lightly used or not being used at all.

If/When it Continues to Snow

If the snow continues to fall, staff and snow plows may be recalled to service Primary Roads, and then once those roads have been cleared, the plows will return to Secondary and Tertiary roads. During longer snowfalls, Secondary and Tertiary Roads will encounter a delay in response times.

Please remember that the safety of our staff is also a priority. The truck drivers cannot exceed more than 14 hours driving before they must rest before being sent out again.

Find My Street

Use the Find My Street online tool to locate your street and see what type of road you live on or near (primary, secondary or tertiary). You can learn more information about the sidewalks and trails that the Town maintains throughout the winter season.

Open The Find My Street Map

Seniors/Accessibility windrow program

If you live in Whitby and are a senior over 65 years or an individual with an accessibility issue who has no able-bodied people living in your household, we help to clear your snow and windrow during winter months. To learn if you are eligible for the service, how to register and what's included in the service, check out our snow and windrow clearing program.

What is your responsibility during winter months?

If you are a resident and property owner, it is your responsibility to:

Clear your own driveway
Keep your windrows left by snowplows cleared on both the road and sidewalks (may need to do this more than once a day depending on the severity of snow events)
Clear off ice and snow from the sidewalk fronting and on each side of your property
Avoid parking on the streets during a snowstorm and in the days afterwards to allow snow plows to operate effectively and reduce windrows and extra costs for maintenance

How you can help

There are many ways you can help us clear snow:

Remove debris and snow from any catch basin inlet (storm drain) near or beside your property.
Only pile snow on your property or on the boulevard as it is a violation under the Ontario Highway Traffic Act to push or blow snow onto the street and you will receive a ticket from the Durham Regional Police.
Reduce the height of the snow bank by shoveling the snow back further onto your property to improve visibility when entering or exiting your driveway.
Expose fire hydrants that become buried by snow banks or drifting snow and contact the Region of Durham if you have any questions.

Transit shelters and super mailboxes

The Region of Durham is responsible for snow clearing at transit bus shelters and bus stops. Please contact Durham Region Transit if you have any questions regarding transit.

Canada Post is responsible for clearing snow away from super mailbox areas. Please contact Canada Post if you have any questions.