JOSHUA ALLAN
The 1510 West
It has been the biggest and longest snow removal operation in recent memory, but West Island municipalities have either completed or have almost completed all street clearing since two major storms dumped a record-setting accumulation earlier this month.
“I could just lift my hat and say thanks to all our blue-collar (workers) who are working tirelessly,” said Beaconsfield director-general Patrice Boileau, adding municipal employees have worked long hours over the past two weeks to clear snow from the town’s streets, sidewalks, bike lanes and fire hydrants. “We’re very happy and proud of our teams.”
Boileau described the snow removal process as “very challenging,” given the unprecedented 75 centimetres of snow that fell in back-to-back storms from Feb. 13-16.
“It’s the equivalent of four to five regular storms,” he said. “It’s a lot of work for all the (workers) who we have in Montreal, Beaconsfield – or any other city.”
Both Pierrefonds-Roxboro and L’Île-Bizard–Sainte-Geneviève, whose snow removal services are managed by the City of Montreal, were just over 75-per-cent complete in their snow removal process as of yesterday, according to the City of Montreal.
All other West Island communities have announced that they have completed removing snow from streets, sidewalks and bike lanes, with some left to clear snow from parking lots and around fire hydrants.
When budgeting for snow removal services, West Island municipalities pay a flat fee that is included in their annual budgets. However, extra costs may be incurred if trucking services are needed to haul the snow away or if city employees are required to work overtime.
Beaconsfield will see added expenses for these services, Boileau said. The city had reserved $945,598 for snow removal this year but that figure could increase by 10 or 15 per cent due to “non-stop overtime.” This estimate, Boileau added, is assuming that there will be no more major snowstorms for the rest of the winter.
Kirkland is another municipality that expects to incur added costs to cart snow away. Its municipal snow dump on Ste. Marie Road just north of Highway 40 is closing in on its maximum capacity, Bruno Possa, Kirkland’s Public Works director, told The 1510 West.
The mountain of snow at the snow dump is usually so large that it normally survives until well into the spring and summer months before it is completely melted away.
“We are currently reviewing our loading strategy,” Possa said. “Several potential solutions are on the table.”
Kirkland had completed its clearing of streets and sidewalks last Friday, but has been working on snow removal in parking lots this week. The city had budgeted $1.47 million for snow removal in 2025.
As Kirkland continues to look at different options this week, Possa added that the municipality’s priority “is to ensure the best possible solution for the taxpayers.”