Saskatoon councillor says city's snow removal plan needs a rethink

One Saskatoon city councillor thinks it's time the city starts budgeting for annual residential snow removal.

"I think we need to come up with a system somewhere along the way where we budget for this, and some people aren't going to like that," Ward 3 Councillor David Kirton said.

"Here's the challenge administration is going to face: It's all unbudgeted money again."

Such a request would more than double the city's current snow removal budget of nearly $14.1 million, according to budget documents available on the city's website.

In Saskatoon, residential snow clearing is not performed unless a minimum of 25 centimetres falls in a short period of time, nor is it ever part of the snow and ice management budget.

When 34 cm fell between Christmas Day and New Year's Eve, the city enacted its city-wide snow response plan to plow all roads in the city, something it hasn't done since 2020 when 35 cm of snow fell on Nov. 8.

Goran Saric, the city's director of roadways said this storm presents even more challenges compared to 2020 because of the accumulation in Saskatoon leading up to the holiday snow storms.

"We had already 50 to 55 cm of snow on the ground, so the total snowfall accumulation is approximately 90 cm, compared to 35 to 40 in 2020. So the snow removal effort is much bigger this time,” he said.

While snowfalls of more than 20 cm don't happen often in Saskatoon, Kirton would like to see the city consider removing snow from residential streets once a year regardless, which Saric says could cost between $10 million and $15 million.

"I think we need to have the money in the budget for at least once so that we're not going to have to scramble on this and wonder where we're going to (get the money from)," he said. "Administration is going to be looking at cost savings now to try to make up for this."

If savings can't be found, Kirton said residential snow removal could lead to higher property taxes.

"Some people aren't gonna like that. Those who are stuck in their homes right now are going to like it," he said.

Saric said the city is on track to plow snow in every neighbourhood and all industrial streets by Friday.

Starting next week, when more crews are available for usual snow removal, Saric said crews will begin removing the snow piled on the side of the road on well travelled streets.

Clearing piles of snow in residential areas will begin after that and could take several weeks. He said a schedule for that work will be released on the city's website once a plan is finalized.