No snow plow violence in Mississauga after latest winter storm, City says
Published March 15, 2023 at 4:41 pm
Angry Mississauga residents who harassed and attacked city snow plow drivers and their machines nearly two weeks ago as they tried to clear snow from the roads seem to have gotten the “smarten up” message.
Or, following the most-recent winter storm and subsequent snow-clearing efforts this past Saturday (March 11), they were simply no longer angry and frustrated as the winter blast dumped less snow on the city.
Whatever the reason, City of Mississauga officials say there were no similar incidents of harassment, violence and vandalism this time around.
“This past weekend’s winter operations were incident free and were delivered efficiently and effectively within our prescribed service levels,” said Helen Noehammer, Mississauga’s director of works operations and maintenance.
That was in stark contrast to events of the previous weekend, when several Mississauga snow plow drivers quit their jobs after being harassed by angry, violent residents who smashed their vehicles and prevented them from clearing some streets.
The series of violent incidents, which City of Mississauga senior staff described last week as unacceptable, irresponsible and showing a “blatant lack of respect for our operators,” prompted City officials to enlist the help of Peel Regional Police last weekend to ensure similar violent incidents didn’t happen again.
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Similar behaviour was reported in other areas as well, including Brampton and Caledon.
Beyond Peel’s borders, officials added, arrests were made two weeks ago in Oshawa and Milton.
With no snow and above-zero temperatures in the Mississauga forecast for the next week, snow plow operators likely will get a rest for a little while.
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