The Town of Bonnyville is committed to providing cost-effective snow removal and winter road maintenance that mitigates winter driving hazards while being environmentally responsible. The Town of Bonnyville will provide an optimized road maintenance program utilizing a priority ranking system to ensure equitable service. This maintenance service will help to limit hazards related to winter road conditions and facilitate operations for Emergency Services.
Residents are reminded to shovel any sidewalks on or adjacent to their properties after any snowfall.
Snow removal in the Town of Bonnyville is completed through priority ranking, which can be found on the Snow Removal Map below. Priority sections are set by Town Council in the Snow Removal and Winter Road Maintenance Policy.
Note: When temperatures are below -35°C, Public Works will only respond to emergency snow removal situations.
Signage will be placed on residential streets 24-Hrs before snow removal operations commence. As referenced in the Traffic Safety Bylaw, vehicles that are left on streets after the 24-hour signing period may be ticketed or towed at the owner’s expense.
Snow Removal Priority Chart
| Priority Rank | Colour to Snow Removal Map | Description Classification | Service Level Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Red | Major Arterial Roadways, Services Sites, Collector Roads, Municipal Sites. | Snow is cleared to maintain as close to bare pavement standard as possible. |
| Trigger: 1 cm to 3 cm of accumulated snow) | |||
| 2 | Blue | Downtown business sections, school zones and school access routes. | Snow is cleared within 7-10 days. |
| Trigger: 1 cm to 3 cm of accumulated snow | |||
| 3 | Yellow | Commercial/Industrial areas, downtown business laneways. | Snow is cleared within 14 days. |
| Trigger: 5 cm of packed snow. | |||
| 4 | Green | Residential streets. (zones 1, 2, and 3 on a rotational basis based on pass ability and worst first.) | Snow is cleared within 30 days. |
| Trigger: 6 cm of packed snow. | |||
| 5 | Grey | Residential laneways | Residential lanes must be passable. Priority will be based on back lane garage access where applicable or low points where spring runoff is/has potential for flooding. |
If snow removal coincides with your scheduled garbage collection day, please place your bins at the curb as usual. Public Works will ensure the bins are moved and returned to the boulevard after collection. While efforts are made to avoid scheduling snow removal on garbage days, occasional overlaps may occur.
Sanding
Public Works staff will inspect streets daily during the regular work week, with additional inspections on weekends and holidays as needed based on weather conditions. Sanding will be conducted when road conditions pose a safety hazard, focusing on priority roadways, intersections, inclines, and areas with significant pedestrian and vehicle interaction. Inspections and sanding frequency will be adjusted according to weather factors such as temperature, wind speed, and snow type. If you see a particular area in need of sanding, contact the Public Works department at 780-826-3550.
Removal of Snow
The physical removal of snow will be completed utilizing the following techniques:
- In business corridors and parts of the downtown core, “No Parking” signs will be placed 24 hours before snow removal, during which snow will be windrowed to the center of the street and hauled away. In some cases, advance notice may not be possible, and residents are asked to avoid street parking until snow removal is completed in their area.
- In areas with space for snow storage, snow will be windrowed to one or both sides of the road. Stored snow may be piled to a safe height and will be removed within five days.
- Property owners will be responsible for the clearing of sidewalks and driveways of residual snow left by the snow clearing equipment on their own property.
- Snow from private and commercial/industrial properties must not be disposed of on Town streets, boulevards, or ditches. It should be placed on the owner’s property or at designated snow dump sites. For information on approved locations, contact the Public Works Department. Only uncontaminated snow is permitted.
- Residential areas will be divided into three zones and done on a rotational basis. For example, if the first snow removal starts in Zone 1, the next snowfall, snow removal will start in Zone 2 and so on. This will
help to ensure an equal level of service throughout the residential areas. - There may be certain areas that may jump the que due to severe drifting or causing safety related concerns.
- Snow removal on streets without parked vehicles may be completed at the discretion of the Operations Director if time permits during snow removal operations.