Burlington Council Unanimously Approves the Addition of 800 Spots to City's Windrow Clearing Program
MY TAKE:We heard from members of our community how valuable our Windrow Clearing Program is to them, particularly in the face of harsher winters, and how they wished it could be expanded so that more residents in need of it could register for the program. Yesterday, Council unanimously voted to approve adding an additional 800 spots to our City's Windrow Clearing Program. In my statements at committee and Council, I noted my preference that our program be free of eligibility restrictions because it preserves people’s dignity. We do know there have been residents who have needed this program and were ineligible due to the format of our original program. I was comfortable with the work staff did on updating the program, their recommendation and ensuring there would be no upcoming budget impact for our community. Staff, as they do with any new and/or enhanced program, will come back to us after the upcoming winter season with a review of the successes of the program, any potential issues they may have encountered, and with any recommended changes, as a result.
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*Please see below a news release issued by the City of Burlington.
Burlington, Ont. — Sept. 27, 2023 — Yesterday, Burlington City Council approved the implementation of windrow clearing program enhancements beginning this winter. This includes increasing the number of available spots from 200 to 1,000 driveways. In addition, service boundaries will expand to include all areas of the city.A windrow is the pile of snow that is left at the bottom of driveways by roadway plows. As part of the City’s windrow program, crews will clear windrows within 36-hours of snowfall stopping and within 12-hours of residential road plowing. Residential road plowing only occurs after accumulations of 7.5 cm or more of snow. Windrow clearing services will run from Dec. 1, 2023 until March 31, 2024. A non-refundable fee of $125 + HST, per driveway entrance for the entire season must be paid at the time of registration.In years past, the program was only offered to persons with disabilities and individuals unable to clear their windrow(s). As part of the program’s expansion, the City now has the capacity to offer spots to any resident, regardless of physical ability or age.The City will continue to focus on providing spots to persons with disabilities. Previous registrants will be contacted over the next week to secure a spot in the program. Following that, advanced registration for persons with disabilities will open on Oct. 5 at 9 a.m. Registration for residents city-wide will open on Oct. 19 at 9 a.m.There will be online, in-person and assisted registration options. Registration closes November 10, 2023.For details about the program, in-person registration locations and instructions on how to register, visit: www.burlington.ca/windrowBurlington is a city where people, nature and businesses thrive. Sign up to learn more about Burlington at burlington.ca/subscribe and follow @CityBurlington on social media.
"I'm pleased to move forward with our enhanced windrow clearing program which will expand availability of this service and deliver much need assistance to those in the community which find driveway windrow clearing very challenging, especially after significant snow events." -- Enrico Scalera, Director of Roads, Parks and Forestry, City of Burlington
Links and Resources:
- To read the report presented to Community Planning, Regulation and Mobility Committee Meeting on Sept. 12, 2023 and approved by Council on Sept. 26, visit: RPF-16-23 - Options for Enhanced Windrow Clearing
- For details about the program, in-person registration locations and instructions on how to register, visit: www.burlington.ca/windrow
- Additional information on the City’s winter response services is available at www.burlington.ca/snow