Here’s Why Your Street Wasn’t Plowed in Mississauga

It’s true that this weekend’s storm was unprecedented, covering Mississauga and surrounding cities in sleet, ice pellets, freezing rain, regular rain, and even snow.

And in mid-April, no less!

If your residential street is currently a slushy mess after this weekend’s ice storm, you’re not alone–and you’re not the only person who is unhappy about it.

Pedestrians, cyclists, those with mobility devices and transit users: please note that almost no sidewalks, trails, or transit shelters have seen ANY salt/sand/plow, save some major routes. Even there, expect massive 1-2ft ridges of dirty slush… including at crosswalks! https://t.co/M5xsA5DHjX

— Rahul Mehta (@OpportunCity) April 17, 2018

Some examples… #icestorm2018 #MondayMotivation #visionzero pic.twitter.com/DwNcPTY6g5

— Rahul Mehta (@OpportunCity) April 17, 2018

As of today, some sidewalks might still be a bit slushy and while main roads are now clear, many Mississauga residents are wondering why residential streets and sidewalks weren’t cleared over the weekend and on Monday.

This is a major bus station at Erin Mills and Erin Center blvd. Today is Wednesday already. See the condition yourself! It is not acceptable. What if there are disabled bus riders on wheelchairs. The bus station is inaccessible! @insauga @BonnieCrombie pic.twitter.com/zEwprzUVjc

— Pieceodcake (@pieceodcake) April 18, 2018

To address the concerns, Mississauga Mayor Bonnie Crombie released a video statement on the city’s response.

I wanted to provide residents with an update on our storm response. Salting of residential roads in #Mississauga started late last night. Crews are clearing sidewalks and bus stops. Please stay safe & thank you for your patience and understanding. #Spring is almost here! pic.twitter.com/Y9OE02YWtk

— Bonnie Crombie (@BonnieCrombie) April 17, 2018

“I’d like to provide everyone with an update on the storm and our response. First, let me thank our staff and the first responders for working tirelessly all weekend long, and let me thank all of you, the residents for your patience and your understanding,” Crombie said in a video posted to Twitter.

“We have heard your frustrations, and we wanted to provide some context on the service. First, we started by plowing all our major roads and we made a decision not to plow the residential streets. We did so for three reasons: Primarily we were concerned it would cause additional flooding. Secondly, we thought it would clog the catch basins, which would lead to additional flooding. Also, it would lead to a large, icy windrow at the bottom of your driveway.”

Crombie went to say that now that the rain has stopped, the salt will work.

“We are salting residential streets, we are cleaning the sidewalks and the bus shelters.

“We will continue to monitor the water levels in all our rivers, creeks and streams and we highly recommend that you keep your pets and, of course, your children, away from any water.”

With today being a little warmer than previous ones, we can only hope that spring is finally getting here (or at least hope for no more snow!).