As Newmarket residents dug themselves out of the biggest snowfall of the season earlier this month, many were frustrated by the huge piles of snow left at the end of their driveways after roads were plowed.
The large windrows were the bane of residents in Newmarket and beyond, and many took to social media and complaint lines to voice their frustration. With the Town of Newmarket having no program to clear windrows, unlike some other area municipalities, residents had to find a way to clear the added snow deposits themselves.
As neighbouring communities explore windrow-clearing programs, NewmarketToday wanted to hear our readers’ thoughts about the service. More than 700 respondents chose options to the question: Should Newmarket have a program to clear windrows (snow piles at the end of a driveway after road plowing)?
Results are based on an online study of adult NewmarketToday.ca readers that are located in Newmarket. The margin of error — which measures sample variability - is +/- 3.66%, 19 times out of 20. NewmarketToday.ca uses a variety of techniques to capture data, detect and prevent fraudulent votes, detect and prevent robots, and filter out non-local and duplicate votes.
Most respondents supported the idea of Newmarket introducing such a program, with more than 78 per cent in total in favour. Of those, about 28 per cent said the program should be limited to seniors and individuals with disabilities.
That is what Aurora is exploring after a February resolution from council. Aurora staff were asked to report back on the feasibility of such a program, limited to seniors and those with certain disabilities.
“I believe that it is our responsibility as a council and municipality to explore all options to provide services our residents may need, in particular, seniors and physically challenged individuals in our community,” Aurora Mayor Tom Mrakas said on his website after the March 3 to 4 snowfall.
Newmarket's commissioner of development and infrastructure, Peter Noehammer, said the idea has been discussed over the years and the town does watch its neighbours' actions. Windrows are not a legislated requirement for clearing, unlike roads or sidewalks.
“We continue to gather information related to this service and other comparable services being delivered in other municipalities,” Noehammer said. “There would also be additional costs related to equipment, staffing and contracted services that would have to be introduced in future budgets for this increased service should it be considered and implemented.”
Although there are no cost estimates available for such a program in Newmarket, Noehammer said it could be expensive and require a tax increase. Newmarket is tentatively looking at a 5.5 per cent tax rate increase this year, above the norm of previous years due, in large part, to inflation.
“With 2023 being a challenging budget year due to inflation and the desire from residents to maintain all services, implementing a windrow clearing program would be a new service that would have increased tax implications for residents,” he said.
Neighbouring Georgina piloted the program last year and found the cost manageable. The Town of Georgina service was also only eligible to seniors and those with certain disabilities, by application.
In its trial stages starting from February 2022, Georgina received 265 applications that year. The town contracted the work, with 768 windrows cleared for $16-per-windrow. That amounted to $12,288 for the season, and council approved putting $100,000 to have the program in place for the 2022/23 season.
“Delivery of this program was overwhelmingly successful,” Georgina staff said in a May 2022 report to council.
Georgina's population of 47,642 (2021 census), compared to Newmarket’s 87,942 population.
Some larger area municipalities do provide windrow clearing for all residents, the most popular response in the NewmarketToday poll. Vaughan and Richmond Hill offer it for homes on all residential streets, regardless of age or disability. Markham also provides the service, too, but limits it to older residents and those with disabilities.
Newmarket councillors reported hearing from residents about plowing concerns earlier this month. Although discussion did not go to windrows, councillors did task for some reporting back on how snow clearing prioritizes sidewalks.
Newmarket will consider public feedback on snow clearing, Noehammer said.
“As always, the town continues to regularly engage with the public to gather feedback on their satisfaction with existing services and various other service enhancements the community may want,” he said.
