To quote city of Timmins public works director Ken Krcel “to date, we’ve already had a fairly significant winter”.
The MNR and Mattagami Region Conservation Authority say we have 48 cm of snow on the ground. All last winter, Krcel notes, we only had 60 cm.
“Last year was a light winter,” is his assessment. “We have started off with a bit of a bang this year. They are calling for another 15 to 20 cm on the weekend, which will really put a lot of stress on our crews to keep up.”
Low-traffic areas are plowed during the day and afternoon shifts. Most other areas are done overnight, says Krcel.
“For the most part, we do the majority of our plowing overnight between midnight and eight o’clock in the morning, while the cars are all off the street and parking lots are empty.”
Krcel adds that the priority is to plow the streets… and when that’s caught up, start hauling the snow away.
And the highways and major arteries like Jubilee, Ross, Thériault and Airport Road are cleared by contractors. It’s part of the coordinated effort to get you to work once you’re off your own street.