Ottawa snow: Cleanup from latest storm to take days
City crews are working to remove snow banks left by this weekend’s blizzard, and Ottawa residents say help can’t come soon enough.
People say they are running out of places to stash all the snow and it creates dangerous conditions for everyone.
Snow banks have made Rachelle Fontaine’s walks with her dog, 5-year-old Fitzgerald, treacherous.
“The snow banks were huge and difficult to negotiate,” she says. “You are taller than me and I am quite tall.”
The road is now clear but the last 48 hours have been difficult for the drivers too.
“The street I’m on is a one-way street, but people say, ‘Is this a one-way street because it looks like a one-way street?'”
The snow piles have also created visual hazards. They’re so big that motorists say they can’t see around them, making cornering or reversing out of driveways dangerous.
The weekend storm brought nearly 9 inches (24 cm) of snow to the region, bringing Ottawa’s total snowfall to more than 120 inches (308 cm) since Nov. 1.
City crews say it could take until next week to clear all streets, sidewalks and snow banks. City workers are confident they can do anything.
“Although this winter has been busy with snow clearing operations, we have no concerns about the capacity of our various snow removal facilities across Ottawa,” Quentin Levesque, director of roads and park services, said in a statement to CTV News.
The city also says it has enough space in its snow storage facilities to accommodate whatever is removed.
Snowbanks in some inner-city residential streets have already been cleared. Ottawa resident Doug Dempster spent some time Monday hacking at the remains, particularly near the nearby holding pond.
“Last night they cleared the road with the big machines and today I’m clearing the ice and opening the grates to let the water drain,” Dempster said.
All the snow also causes problems for the emergency services. Ottawa Fire Department spokesman Nick DeFazio emphasizes the importance of keeping your local fire hydrant clear.
“Over the weekend we had a fire that required two crews to dig out a hydrant,” he said. “It took us over 10 minutes to get to the hydrant, which was really affecting our water supply.”
He says that in emergencies, every second counts, and you can help keep people safe by shoveling snow away from your neighborhood fire hydrants.
“If residents see a covered fire hydrant, if they can go outside and dig it out, we ask for five feet on each side,” he says.
City crews are asking for patience and say they will provide an update on snow clearing operations later this week.
– Featuring files by Jackie Perez of CTV News Ottawa.