The City of Toronto is offering free snow clearing for your driveway — Here's how to get it
If you're staring at a massive snowbank at the end of your driveway after last week's back-to-back snowstorms and wondering how the heck you're going to get your car out, you're not alone.
With Toronto weather dumping up to 23 centimetres of snow over the weekend — on top of the 15 to 20 centimetres from Wednesday — the city's snowplows have been working around the clock to clear roads and sidewalks. But with street and sidewalk plowing comes the dreaded "windrow" — that giant pile of snow left by plows at the end of driveways.
If you just finished the arduous task of shovelling your driveway only to check back a few hours later and find a ridge of snow the size of the Niagara Escarpment, you'll be happy to know that relief is now available from the City of Toronto at no charge. According to the city, residents in eligible areas can now submit requests for snow clearing through 311 Toronto.
This includes requests related to snow that's blocking roads, sidewalks and walkways, bike lanes, bus stops and yes, even residential driveways.
In a post on X (formerly Twitter) on Tuesday, the city announced that it's officially accepting service requests for driveway clearing. "We're coming, #Toronto! We're now accepting @311Toronto Service Requests for snow clearing," the city wrote, encouraging residents to report areas needing attention online.
But before you get too excited, you should know there are a few conditions.
The driveway snow-clearing service is only available to residents in certain parts of the city — mainly in Etobicoke, North York and Scarborough — and road plowing must have already been completed.
Once requested, plows with special blades will clear a three-metre-wide opening in snow windrows to allow vehicles to pass.
Keep in mind that streets with permit parking are out of luck, as are any driveways with cars parked too close to the bottom as the snowplow won't be able to get in.
This is all part of the city's ongoing snow-clearing efforts following the recent storms. The city said on Monday that crews have been "continuing to work 24/7" to clear streets, transit stops and sidewalks and estimated that the full cleanup could take "up to three weeks."
Residents are also being reminded that shovelling snow onto roads, sidewalks and bike paths is illegal and can lead to fines. Parking also remains prohibited on snow routes, and your car may be towed at your expense and fined up to $200 if your car is parked in the way of snow crews.
For those waiting on garbage collection, the city says regular pickup is still happening. However, bins should be placed away from snowbanks to ensure they're accessible.
If you're eligible for windrow clearing and need help digging out your driveway, you can check the plow status of your neighbourhood at PlowTO and submit a request online through the city's 311 service.
Editor's note: An earlier version of this article stated that the city is offering snow removal at residential addresses. It has been updated to reflect that the city is offering snow clearing.
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