How we Respond to the Winter Weather

The City is prepared to respond to the extreme cold and snowfall of Regina’s winter with a fleet of winter maintenance machinery and more than 130 City staff and contractors.

“The City’s approach to snow plowing balances road safety, residents’ needs and cost savings,” said Chris Warren, Director of Roadways and Transportation. “Snow plowing is complex and challenging, especially with current weather trends, but we are confident in our planned response and are ready to get going as soon as snow hits the ground.”

The City’s plan is based on five road categories, from crucial throughfares and traffic arteries to small residential streets. The different road categories are plowed according to timelines that range from most to least urgent. This system ensures the City first plows the most utilized roads and those used by emergency vehicles like ambulances. Specifics for each road category can be found in the included backgrounder.

If there is more than 5 cm of snow in a single snowfall, the City will plow Category 1 through Category 4 roads. A plow of the entire City only happens when there is a minimum single snowfall of 15 cm. This means that most residential roads are only plowed when there is a 15 cm snowfall. This helps the City maintain drivable roads, while balancing the costs of winter maintenance. Winter maintenance activities continue between snowfalls, with the City focusing on snow removal and ice control of Category 1 to Category 3 roads during this routine maintenance.

New for this winter season, residents will soon be able to track the progress of the City’s winter maintenance with an interactive map. This map will show what winter maintenance activities are happening, the City’s progress for clearing each category of road and estimated timelines for when every road will be cleared. Residents will be able to look up any address to know when crews will be clearing that road. The map will be live soon.

This map is another tool to help residents understand and get involved in the City’s winter maintenance activities. Residents can continue to download Regina Sweep and Plow app or sign up on Regina.ca/SnowRoutes to receive notifications on when to move their car for a snow route or residential plow.