Winter operations update: Sunday, Jan. 25 at 10 a.m.

Community centres and libraries open, city-wide salting underway

It’s snowing in Vaughan, and the City’s crews are hard at work keeping the city safe and moving. 

Here is everything you need to know about City programs, services and facilities as of 10 a.m.:

• Community centres and Vaughan Public Libraries (VPL) remain open today with regular hours of operation. Programs will continue as scheduled where possible. Staff continue to monitor weather conditions and any future closures or cancellations will be shared as information becomes available.

  • High School Study Hall is cancelled at all VPL locations and the libraries will close at 5 p.m.

• Road salting operations began this morning and will transition to plowing as weather conditions warrant, starting on main municipal roads.

• Sidewalk plowing and salting operations begin at noon today with a focus on clearing sidewalks on major roads. 

• Maintenance at City facilities began this morning with a focus on main entrances, fire routes and parking aisles. 

• Windrow clearing operations may be delayed. Please note, due to the limited size and reach of the windrow-clearing units, they can only clear a portion of the driveway entrance, enough for one car to pass through – residual amounts of snow may be left behind. 

Your role in winter maintenance:

Managing snow in Vaughan is a community effort. Here are some tips on how you can help the City’s winter operations run as smoothly and safely as possible.

• Don’t park cars on the street while snowplows are out to assist the City in ensuring streets are cleared properly and safely. On-street parking is not permitted at any time when snowplows are clearing the streets, or between 2 a.m. and 6 a.m. in Vaughan without a permit. Crews cannot effectively clear roads and laneways with cars parked along them. As outlined in the City’s Parking By-law 064-2019 (PDF), on-street parking that interferes with snow-clearing operations is prohibited. Vehicles found in violation may be subject to a $75 fine or towed at the owner’s expense. 

• Be mindful of where snow is placed. It is illegal to shovel snow or ice onto the road under the Ontario Highway Traffic Act and the City’s Dumping By-law 103-2020 (PDF). If you have hired a contractor to plow your laneway or sidewalk, ensure they are licensed with the City and they do not leave snow on the road.

• Keep fire hydrants clear and accessible (one metre all around). Blocked, concealed or difficult-to-access fire hydrants can slow down emergency fire response. As outlined in the City’s Water By-law 024-2024 (PDF), residents who have a fire hydrant on their property or City property adjacent to theirs are responsible for ensuring the hydrant is always visible and unobstructed.

• Help keep catch basins clear of snow and ice to prevent flooding during temperature fluctuations, if it’s safe to do so.

• Clear snow and ice from sidewalks bordering your property to help ensure roads and sidewalks remain safe, as stated in the City’s Snow-Clearing By-law 227-2022 (PDF). 

• Remove anything that may interfere with or be hazardous to plow crews. This includes landscaping features, such as fencing, basketball nets, decorative stones, pots, bird baths, furniture and more, as stated in the City’s Road Allowance By-law 126-2024 (PDF). These items should be within 30 centimetres of a sidewalk or within one metre of a street curb.

• Stay off the roads during a heavy snowstorm unless travel is essential. You can also use York Region Transit to get around the city during inclement weather.

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

   

To report non-emergency winter maintenance service requests, visit Service Vaughan.

Stay informed

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

• create a profile on vaughan.ca and sign up for the “Snow Information Alert” to receive snow alerts directly in your inbox. Visit vaughan.ca/support for a step-by-step guide.

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

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

• subscribe to Vaughan News.

• contact Service Vaughan at 905-832-2281 or service@vaughan.ca.