This winter has been particularly challenging for northern municipalities like Sault Ste. Marie, where residents are facing difficulties clearing their snowy driveways. The city workers’ efforts to clear and scrape the roadways overnight often leave behind large and heavy ice chunks at the edges of residential driveways, known as windrows.
To address this issue, the City of Sault Ste. Marie is exploring the possibility of hiring private contractors to remove these tough ice and snow accumulations. Following numerous complaints from residents struggling with the aftermath of snow clearing, Coun. Luke Dufour proposed a motion at the city council meeting on Monday to assess the cost of employing private contractors for windrow removal.
In the past, the city attempted to clear windrows using front-end loaders, but this method proved ineffective and sometimes caused damage. Dufour highlighted the success of residential tractor blower models with rear-mounted blowers for this specific task. There is an existing motion within the city to determine the cost of public works clearing windrows with suitable equipment, and the recent council-approved motion will complement this effort.
Dufour emphasized the impracticality of expanding the city’s fleet and workforce for this service, suggesting that seeking estimates from private contractors who already provide such services could be a more cost-effective solution. A report detailing the cost of hiring private contractors is expected to be presented by city staff this summer. If approved in time for next winter, the agreement would only come into effect after regular snow removal operations are completed, with homeowners remaining responsible for maintaining their driveway portions following standard plowing events.