Why don’t Caledon plows clear snow off end of driveways?

Town council last considered windrow service in 2018-19

Yorkregion.com
Jan. 19, 2023
Karen Martin-Robbins

It’s up to Caledon residents to make sure the bottom of their driveway gets cleared of snow after a winter storm.

The windrow is the pile of snow left at the bottom of a driveway after a plow clears the road.

Several areas surrounding Caledon have added clearing the windrow to winter maintenance service.

The City of Vaughan provides windrow-clearing service for all residential driveways fronting Vaughan roadways.

Mississauga has the service for 300 residents 65 and older and for persons with disabilities on a first come, first served basis.

But like Caledon, many others don’t have programs -- such as the Township of King and Town of Orangeville.

Caledon last reviewed the possibility of offering a windrow program in 2018 -- looking at both a townwide removal program and service focused on the residential areas in Bolton, Caledon East and Southfields.

Randy Fee, communication advisor with the town, said it was determined to be “cost prohibitive.”

Both options estimated it would cost about $160 per driveway and would require funding for a program administrator and operators to address quality control, complaints and service requests.

“Based on more recent scenarios from Brampton and Mississauga that also determined a program is cost prohibitive, we estimate the costs would be double what was estimated for 2018,” he explained.

However, there are options available for those who can’t clear their own driveway.

The town has a snow removal financial assistance program available for low-income older adults (65+) and low-income persons with a disability living in Caledon.

Those eligible can receive a grant of up to $350 toward snow removal for the winter season.

Those who are approved for the program can use the money to hire a private contractor or even purchase a snowblower.

The town also promotes Snow Angels Canada, a third-party program that matches residents in need with residents who volunteer to assist with snow removal.

For more information on programs and winter road maintenance services, visit the town website.