Clearing heavy snow from all driveways put to the test in Mississauga

The time — more to the point, the weather — is fast approaching when Mississauga’s new plan to clear troublesome snowy messes from the bottom of driveways at homes across the entire city will be put to the true test.

However, beyond the City of Mississauga’s role in getting rid of the windrows from people’s homes as part of regular winter maintenance, residents must also do their part, the city says, if the new program is to work as intended.

Windrows are the difficult-to-move piles of hard-packed snow and sometimes ice left at the end of driveways after the streets are plowed (see video below). They’ve been a contentious issue in Mississauga the past few years as residents have been pushing city council to deliver a winter plan to keep their driveways accessible.

Starting this winter, city snowplow crews will for the first time ever clear the windrows in front of all homes in the city — a total of some 134,000 driveways. Using specialized new equipment, the plows will clear a 10-foot-wide opening to allow cars to enter and leave the driveway.

The service is not available for condominiums, commercial properties and homes on private roads.

The city put its new windrow plan into action for the first time a few weeks ago when the first winter blast hit the area.

While that provided an opportunity for a test run, of sorts, noted Mayor Carolyn Parrish, the storm brought only around 10 centimetres of snow to the city — barely enough to create any windrows of significance.

Still, the mayor said, snowplow/windrow-clearing crews performed more than up to the task, as did residents by keeping their driveways and sidewalk areas clear for snowplow operators.

Parrish told INsauga.com earlier this week she was happy with the performance of the city’s wintertime road- and windrow-clearing crews in their first outing of the season, and she’s confident the job will continue to be done effectively during larger storms in the winter ahead.

Mississauga’s winter maintenance crews have been kept busy this weekend as well (see post below), though it remains to be seen how much snow is dumped on the city in the hours and days ahead.

With today's weather, we urge you to be safe on roads, regardless if you're walking, cycling, taking transit or driving. Please plan ahead and give yourself extra time to reach your destination.

If you're planning on driving, be sure to:
🚗Clear all snow off your vehicle… https://t.co/Uth5N1Xm1T pic.twitter.com/3pcTfZ6jV8

— City of Mississauga (@citymississauga) November 30, 2025

The city says snowplows are deployed when five centimetres or more of snow accumulates on the ground (see video below). For less accumulation, winter maintenance crews salt the roads and sidewalks.

Homeowners who want to ensure they receive the windrow-clearing service must allow snowplows to easily access the space required by doing several things, city officials say:

• Don’t park on the street, sidewalk or at the end of your driveway.
• Move garbage and recycling bins away from the curb.
• Remove sports equipment, yard decorations and other items from around your driveway entrance and sidewalk.

“Driveways and sidewalks blocked by parked cars, garbage and recycling bins, sports equipment or other obstacles will not be cleared,” city officials said in an online description of the new service.

“The city’s standard snow-clearing service now includes driveway windrow clearing,” officials added. “After the snowplow passes, we clear the portion of snow at the end of your driveway so it stays accessible. Snow along the curb is not cleared.”

The city’s new winter service also now includes clearing the sidewalks.

(Graphic: City of Mississauga)

As for the windrows, the city says snowplows will clear a 10-foot opening at the end of driveways following winter storms.

The new citywide program replaces the previous windrow-clearing service that was available for older adults and those with mobility challenges.

Last November, city council approved a plan to clear windrows from all homes in Mississauga starting this winter. A $224 increase on the 2025 residential property tax bill for the average homeowner included $21 per household for citywide windrow removal to be implemented for the 2025-26 winter season.

Secondary sidewalk snow clearing (at an additional $7 per household) and enhanced snow removal for bike lanes ($1) are also part of the city’s updated winter maintenance plan.

Mississauga joins several other Greater Toronto Area municipalities in providing windrow clearing to all residents. Toronto, Richmond Hill and Vaughan already offer the snow- and ice-clearing service.

The matter of windrows became a big issue during winter 2022-23 when several major storms left numbers of people in Mississauga trapped in their homes, unable to clear the heavy snow and ice themselves.

Mississauga councillors said at the time they fielded more windrow complaints from residents than ever before.

Windrows have also been a significant source of growing public frustration in recent years that hit new heights in early 2023, culminating in several isolated incidents in which angry residents attacked Mississauga snow plow drivers and their machines.

In response, city councillors at that time discussed adopting a Mississauga-wide program.

In May 2023, faced with a staff report that showed it would cost $11.6 million a year to run a city-wide windrow-clearing service, council decided against the move at that time.

New fines for parking on street during storms

In addition to the snow- and ice-clearing services, the city has also introduced new fines as high as $150 in an effort to stop people from parking their vehicles on streets during heavy snowfalls.

City council approved the move in October as part of an updated plan to deal with obstructions to winter snow-clearing efforts.

Officials are looking to such enforcement measures in response to a growing number of parked vehicles in recent winters that block the path of snowplows, thereby hindering snow-clearing efforts of road maintenance crews during and after significant snowfalls.

Add to that the city’s new plan to clear all windrows and it becomes even more critical to find new ways to discourage on-street parking when the snow flies, city officials said earlier.

For more information on Mississauga’s winter maintenance/snow-clearing services, visit the city’s website.