Now that we’re halfway through winter here in Ontario, officials in Cambridge, Kitchener, and Guelph are taking a look back at how things have gone so far this season and trying to figure out how to do better with snow clearing and road care.
Waterloo Region has seen over 200 cm of snow this winter, which has meant a lot of work for crews who have been dealing with tough weather and not enough road salt.
This year’s winter started pretty early, with the first big snowfall hitting in early November. Because of all the snow, regional police say there have already been about 4,600 crashes reported-more than last year’s 4,300.
In Cambridge, Councillor Helen Schwery mentioned she’s heard from people who think the snow plowing and salting haven’t been up to par this season. That’s a big safety concern for everyone out there on the roads.
To address these worries, Schwery plans to bring forward a motion at council later this month. She wants staff to explain what the provincial minimum standards are for winter maintenance, review the problems faced during this snowy season so far, and offer ideas on how services like snow removal and salting on residential streets can be improved.
This week in Guelph, Mayor Cam Guthrie asked that the operations team look into how well winter maintenance is working as part of their annual internal audit. This will include suggestions for extra services and ways to get more input from the community.
Today #Guelph City Council committee met to discuss many items:
1. Guelph Chief Administrative Officer 2026 Objectives
2. 2026 Internal Audit Work-plan (yes, this one had to do with winter maintenance (snowplowing) as well)
3. Mayor and Council Compensation… pic. twitter. com/v LXb YKQsn3
– Mayor Cam Guthrie (@Cam Guthrie) February 3, 2026
Kitchener’s council will also be getting a report about their winter maintenance soon with ideas on how they might improve things when they meet in June.
There’s still plenty of cold weather ahead before spring shows up-and just last February Waterloo Region got hit by another 78 cm of snow.
