The Town of Newmarket will examine windrow clearing, with a pilot possible for next winter if council decides to proceed.
Council approved a motion today to have staff examine different options to clear windrows — the piles of snow left at the bottom of driveways when plows come through on the streets. Staff are expected to bring back a report in the second quarter of this year, examining the programs different municipalities are offering for their residents.
Councillor Christina Bisanz brought the motion forward, after hearing concerns from her constituents about windrows after massive snowfall last month.
“For some individuals, it’s really difficult being able to clear that away,” she said. “I’d like to see consideration for what would be effective, but also cost-effective, recognizing that that’s a big concern, too.”
Several York Region and GTA municipalities have windrow clearing programs, including Richmond Hill, Markham, Vaughan and Aurora on a pilot basis. Newmarket has discussed the concept before, but the cost has been a point of contention. However, the massive snowstorms in February prompted online discussion in Newmarket about the idea.
Newmarket Mayor John Taylor said everyone at the council table has heard from residents about it.
“This process will get staff some time to just really do a scan, and I suspect there's four or five or six different models out there we can look at,” he said. “Whether we pursue one or not, it will at least give us the opportunity to engage with the public a little bit and understand what people are thinking and wanting or not wanting.”
Some municipalities like Markham and Aurora have done programs on a more limited basis, where only homes with seniors and those with disabilities get cleared. Other municipalities like Richmond Hill do windrow clearing throughout the community. Richmond Hill’s program costs about $4.5 million annually, according to a comparison report from Burlington, while Markham’s was about $604,000.
Resident Kim Allen wrote to council with another idea: organizing a group tender for windrow removal services through the private sector so that only those who utilize the service would shoulder the costs.
“This method promotes individual choice while maintaining fairness for all taxpayers,” Allen wrote, adding that “by involving the private sector and considering a user-pay model, we can create a responsive solution that meets our community's needs.”
Councillor Kelly Broome questioned whether a resident survey would make sense now, but development and infrastructure commissioner Peter Noehammer said it would be better to give more time after a big snowfall to survey residents.
Noehammer said staff would provide comprehensive information from other pilots, and that a pilot program could be implemented in Newmarket next winter.