​​​​​BRAMPTON, ON — The City of Brampton has declared a significant weather event and is continuing its snow clearing operations across the City, following almost 40 centimetres of snowfall.

The City recognizes the impact severe weather can have on daily routines and travel and thanks residents for their patience and understanding as crews respond to these challenging, severe winter conditions.

Snow clearing

Given the significant snowfall, City snow clearing operations may take up to 48 hours after the snowfall has ended, prioritizing major roads and emergency corridors before moving into neighbourhood streets. Non-emergency snow clearing concerns can be reported through the City’s 311 mobile app or online at 311brampton.ca,  beginning 48 hours after a snowfall ends, once crews have had time to address all routes.

Currently, crews are actively plowing and salting major and local roads, the downtown core, City-maintained sidewalks, transit stops, school crossings and key community facilities to support safe travel, access to essential services and community mobility.

Beginning on Sunday, January 18, weather permitting, crews will remove excess snowbanks in select locations such as downtown Brampton, some local roads and courts and bridges, to improve visibility, ensure the safe passage of vehicle traffic and maintain emergency access. This work will continue throughout the coming week to help keep local roads and communities safe.

For updates on city-wide snow clearing operations, visit brampton.ca/snow.​ 

​Removing mounds of excess snow along roadways creates safer streets for everyone. Credit: Shutterstock ​

​Street parking is prohibited during winter weather events

Parking on streets is prohibited during winter weather events to allow plows, salters and emergency vehicles to safely pass. All parking considerations are invalid. No parking considerations will be issued until after the snow removal process is complete. Under the City’s by-law, vehicle owners can be fined for interfering with snow removal or winter maintenance:

• First offence: $250
• Second offence: $500
• Subsequent offences: $750

By-law Enforcement Officers are actively addressing reports of parked vehicles impeding the progress of snow clearing operations, prioritizing reports where emergency access is being blocked. Officers are also proactively patrolling high-priority areas (i.e. emergency entrances, fire routes, fire hydrants, etc.) to inspect roads and confirm parked vehicles are removed, enabling plows to pass safely and efficiently. Since the beginning of the storm on January 14, 11 vehicles have been towed, and 439 tickets have been issued for interfering with snow clearing. Vehicles parked on the road during winter weather events will continue to be ticketed and towed at the owner's expense.

Brampton Recreation

The City’s top priority is the safety of its residents, patrons and employees and will monitor the weather and road conditions to determine the impacts on travelling. Any impacts to programs and services will be communicated on Facebook and Instagram or by visiting brampton.ca/recreation​. 

Brampton Transit

Brampton Transit services may be impacted by weather and conditions. For route and schedule information, call 905-874-2999, visit bbramptontransit.com or follow @bramptontransit​ on X for service updates.

Snow clearing reminders for residents

Following a winter weather event, under the City’s Snow and Ice Removal By-law, ​residents are required to maintain safe and accessible streets and sidewalks for all, including:

• learing sidewalks in front of your property of snow and ice by 11 am the day after the end of a snowfall.
• Keeping fire hydrants on your property free from snow to maintain emergency access.
• Do not shovel snow onto the roadway, as this creates a safety risk for vehicles and can block catch basins, increasing flooding potential. This is considered fouling the highway (dumping) and is contrary to the Highway Traffic Act.
• Driveway windrows (the pile of snow the plow leaves at the end of the driveway) are not cleared by the City and must be cleared by residents. As windrows may be large when there is significant snowfall, residents could consider helping their neighbours to clear the windrow, where possible.

Snow clearing financial assistance for residents

The City’s Financial Assistance Program for snow clearing offers eligible individuals 65 years old and older and individuals living with disabilities support to hire help for snow removal from sidewalks and driveways. Eligible applicants can receive grants of up to $300 for non-corner lot properties or up to $400 for corner lots. This program is open to eligible individuals who own or rent their home. Residents can learn more about the program, determine their eligibility and apply by visiting this website. ​​

Brampton’s Plow Tracker

During a winter weather event, residents can track the progress of snow maintenance efforts using the City’s plow tracker on brampton.ca/snow​ ​or through the 311 mobile app. With this tool, users can get updates, view road priorities and even see if a plow is near them. Service requests can also be submitted through the tracker. Check the website during weather events to follow the plow tracker.

Service Brampton

Residents can contact Service Brampton for any City of Brampton inquiries by using the Brampton 311 app (available on the App Store and Google Play), visiting 311brampton.ca or by dialing 3-1-1 or 905-874-2000 (outside Brampton). Requests will be actioned in a priority sequence, such as requests related to parked vehicles blocking access for emergency vehicles or snow clearing operations. Service Brampton is available 24/7, with only urgent service requests handled between 12 am and 7 am. Non-urgent requests should be submitted through the app or online at 311brampton.ca. 

Emergency preparedness

Emergencies can strike at any time and any place without warning. During these times, emergency responders will need to assist those residents in urgent need first. This means it is important to be prepared to take care of yourself and your family for at least 72 hours during a major emergency. In these circumstances, you will need an emergency preparedness kit with adequate supplies to keep you and your family self-sufficient. Find safety tips and emergency kit information at brampton.ca/prepared.​