With blizzard warnings in effect for parts of southern Ontario on Monday, some regions are expected to get dumped with as much as 30 cm of snow as a low-pressure system from the United States moves through the province.
While residents are being urged to stay home due to dangerous driving conditions, unfortunately, a traditional snow day shouldn't be expected considering most people were already working from home, to begin with.
As for students, the Toronto District School Board said that "all schools will be moving to remote learning" because of the weather conditions, while the Toronto Catholic District School Board said all school bus transportation and schools are closed for in-person learning, with staff and students asked to continue with remote learning.
Some post-secondary schools also cancelled in-person classes on Monday, while library branches even closed due to weather conditions.
The City of Toronto’s plows and salters will face a heavy workload throughout the day. The public can track real-time locations of plows, sidewalk plows, and salt trucks and identify which roads have been serviced by winter snow clearing vehicles and crews online here.
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While the City is responsible for sidewalk plowing throughout Toronto, when this service isn’t available, all home, property, and business owners must clear the adjacent sidewalk of snow or ice within 12 hours of the end of snowfall as per the Snow and Ice Clearing Bylaw.
Those caught not clearing snow from public property can face a fine of $105, plus a $30 surcharge, for a total of $135.
Additionally, according to the Property Standards Bylaw, homeowners and property owners are responsible for clearing ice and snow from private property -- including driveways, parking spaces, steps, ramps, and landings --within 24 hours after snowfall ends to provide safe access for people and vehicles.
To ensure that some of Toronto’s most vulnerable residents -- including seniors and those with disabilities -- living in any area where sidewalks cannot be plowed, the City offers a free sidewalk clearing service.
Generally, the City says it can take anywhere from 13 to 72 hours to clear sidewalks after a snowfall. However, depending on the severity of the storm, sidewalks may have to be cleared more than once.
With more snow on the horizon Monday, be sure to stay safe out there, Toronto.
