Everything you should ‘snow’ about Vaughan’s windrow-clearing operations

The City of Vaughan’s Public Works crews work hard to clear snow all winter long – even at the entrance of your driveway! 

Understanding what windrow-clearing involves, when the service begins and what can impact our operations will help you prepare for the upcoming season. 

Here’s everything you need to ‘snow’:

What is windrow clearing?

As part of our winter maintenance efforts, the City offers a windrow-clearing service to all homes in Vaughan. Windrow machines are designed to clear a portion of the driveway entrance so a car can drive through. However, due to the limited size and reach of the windrow clearing units, they can only clear a portion of the driveway entrance – residual amounts of snow may be left behind. 

Please note the City’s windrow service does not clear windrows left by sidewalk plows and does not clear hardened snow, ice or the entire driveway. It is your responsibility to clear the small windrow across a driveway created by sidewalk plows. 

Watch this video to see a City windrow-clearing machine in action.

How long does it take the City to clear windrows?

Due to the different operating speeds of snowplows and windrow-clearing units, our windrow-clearing service runs on a separate schedule from our plowing operations.

Snowplows work in one continuous movement as they go from street to street, whereas our windrow-clearing operators must slow down to drop and raise their blades at each driveway. As a result, this service takes more time and is completed up to four hours after a snowplow has passed. Certain factors can delay our operations, such as heavy snowfalls (10 or more centimetres), cars parked on the street — which make it difficult for snowplows to clear the roads — and cars parked on driveways that are too close to or hanging over the curb.

Did you know you can play a role in helping Vaughan’s winter operations run smoothly? Here’s how:

• Don’t park cars on the street while snowplows are out. On-street parking is not permitted between 2 a.m. and 6 a.m. in Vaughan or at any time when winter operations are in progress, as per the City’s Parking By-law 064-2019 (PDF). 

• Clear snow and ice from sidewalks bordering your property as soon as a snowfall has ended to help ensure roads and sidewalks are safe for you and your neighbours, as stated in the City’s Snow Clearing By-law 227-2022 (PDF). 

• Remove anything from your property that may interfere with or be hazardous to plow crews. Landscaping features – such as inflatables, decorative lights, fencing, sports nets, decorative stones, pots, bird baths, furniture and more – cannot impede pedestrian traffic, obstruct sight lines or hinder City operations. These items should not be within 30 centimetres (12 inches) of a sidewalk or one metre (40 inches) of a street curb, as per the City’s Encroachment By-law 034-2017 (PDF).

• Be mindful of where snow is placed. It is illegal to shovel snow or ice onto the road under both the Ontario Highway Traffic Act and the City’s Dumping By-law 103-2020 (PDF). That applies to any contractors you hire to clear snow, too!

• Clean snow off all surfaces of your vehicle before driving and keep a safe distance from snowplows and salting equipment. 

• Keep fire hydrants clear and accessible (one metre all around). Blocked, concealed or difficult-to-access fire hydrants can impact emergency response.

• Set waste bins and bags back from the curb approximately one metre on the right-hand side of the driveway (when facing the home). They should never be placed on top of or behind snowbanks. This allows crews to clear the windrow from your driveway without disturbing your waste materials.  

Stay informed!

For more information on the City’s winter maintenance program, visit vaughan.ca/snow. For additional details and to receive the latest information on Vaughan’s winter operations:

• contact the SNOW hotline at 905-879-SNOW (7669) or email snow@vaughan.ca.

• follow the City’s official corporate social media channels on X, Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn.

• subscribe to Vaughan News.