Saskatoon city council gives extreme snowstorm response plan green light

Saskatoon city councillors have given the OK for a new extreme snowstorm response plan in the hopes of avoiding the chaos that unfolded when the city was hit by up to 40 centimetres of snow one year ago today.

The plan was passed at the regular council meeting Sept. 27.

The snowstorm brought some parts of the city to a standstill, including schools and some businesses. Residents simply couldn’t dig themselves out of their driveways or along residential streets, many of which were impassable days later.

Roadways, fleet and support director Goran Saric says the city didn’t have an emergency response plan for snow events like that before. He said what council has approved is essentially a guiding document so the city can immediately mobilize a response.

“The plan reflects a proactive approach to emergency management,” he said. “In a typical snowstorm, our priority is on the priority streets system and we do not grade to remove snow from local streets.

“However, our emergency response plan includes a city-wide snow grading and removal which includes residential streets and local neighbourhoods as well as industrial neighbourhoods.”

The plan is activated after a blizzard with at least 25 cm of snow falls, and light vehicles like cars and SUVs can’t travel on city streets.

“As soon as we see weather information indicating a significant weather event is approaching the city and we might expect an extreme snow event, we would have our crews as well as contractor crews on standby. We would have all the equipment … and materials, all the resources that are required, on standby ready to go,” Saric added.

A five-step plan outlines the priorities, starting with clearing main roads and access to hospitals. Around 36 hours later, transit routes will be graded along with Priority 2 streets. The next step are Priority 3 streets and school zones. Up to one week later, residential areas are also included in the plan.

The cost of the plan still needs to be ironed out. According to the city, an extreme blizzard like the one in 2020 can be expected every seven to 14 years. Last year’s event cost the city $14 million.

Councillors will debate whether to contribute between $1 million and $2 million per year to the city’s Snow and Ice Management Reserve at upcoming budget talks.