Who is responsible for the winter maintenance on my road?

There are three classifications of roads within UCLG Counties: Provincial, County and Municipal/Township roads. Each road network has a different level of service.

Provincial roads, managed by Ontario Ministry of Transportation are responsible for Highway 401 and 416

County roads are designed to a higher standard with a wider platform and asphalt surface. These are generally longer roads joining municipalities across UCLG.

Municipalities are responsible for the smaller, collector roads and neighbourhood streets. Municipal roads are identified by name and can have either an asphalt or gravel surface.

What happens when it starts to snow?

The Township of Edwardsburgh Cardinal is responsible for 196 km of road, which is actually 392km of maintenance on paved and gravel surfaces, when one factors in both lanes of traffic.

Township staff monitor the weather and patrols roadways daily, seven days a week during the winter months. Once snow begins and accumulation reaches eight centimetres or the roads become icy, winter maintenance equipment is dispatched.

What happens during the winter event?

Between the hours of 4 a.m. and 6 p.m. the Township Road network is divided by 7 predefined plow routes, each taking three to 5.5 hours to complete.

During a winter event one can expect the roads to be snow covered at times.

Please stay alert, plan ahead, slow down, and stay in control when driving a vehicle during this period.

The Township strives to have driving lanes cleared within twelve hours of the completion of a winter event.

The Township has one shift to perform winter maintenance duties during winter operations.

Why do I see plows driving with their plow and wing up?

To optimize plowing efficiency, plows are dispatched to their assigned routes from two different Township patrol yards: Cardinal Public Works Yard and Pittston Public Works Yard. Most routes start at, or are very close to, each of these yards.

If the Township plow is travelling with its plow and wing up, it is either out of service or heading to its assigned route.

Various municipalities and private contractors use County Roads to reach their assigned routes on local roads. They are commonly mistaken for County plows.

Snow plow operators will not continue in an area where there are cars parked on the street, or cars parked across from each other on the street. The operator will leave the area and return at another time when they have completed the remainder of their route. This may not be until the next day.

Please keep all vehicles off the street during a snow event and 48 hours after the storm for cleanup operations. If you must park on the street, be sure to stagger the parking, so that vehicles are not parked directly across from one another, as plow trucks cannot maneuver around tight spaces.

By law, snow must be removed from the travelled portion of the road. Plows are designed with a fixed blade and wing that always pushes the snow towards the roadside ditches.

The Township entrance bylaw permits property owners, through the Public Works Department to install entrances onto the Township Municipal Right-of-Ways, but stipulates that the removal of the snow and ice from the entrance is the property owner’s responsibility.

Why do plows come back and push snow into my driveway after I have cleaned it?

After initial snow plowing and sanding is completed, snow removal staff must remove snow that is piled up along the edge of the roads and curbs which is causing the road surface to narrow. This may mean snow is pushed back into driveways.

This helps expose the road drainage catch basins, which need to be open to handle melting snow or rain storms to reduce freezing on the road. You can help by exposing catch basins that may be along the curb in front of your home.

Additional clearing of the shoulders improves sight lines and creates more snow storage space for the next winter event.

All snow plow routes have a start and end location. Your street may be at the beginning, middle or end of a route, which takes up to 12 hours to be completed after a storm ends. Depending on your street, you may not be scheduled to be plowed until the end of the route.

Even if you see a passing plow clearing an adjacent street, that may not be the plow that does your street.

If you live on a cul-de-sac, dead end court or a 90-degree bend in the road, you may find that the plow will come through and only clear central lanes in the area before leaving. These larger plows are not able to maneuver effectively in tighter spaces compared to straighter roadways.

For efficiency, these plows clear central lanes and move onto other areas, with a different type of machine coming later to clean the street more thoroughly.

No, placing snow or ice on a roadway is a violation under the Highway Traffic Act. It is also a safety hazard for pedestrians and vehicles, causing snowy and slippery conditions. It also hampers our operations and delays clean-up by requiring equipment to return to previously cleared areas.

Please place all snow onto grassy areas or where there is no walkway or road.

Is it okay to push snow onto the roadway or across the road?

Under the Highway Traffic Act, it is illegal to deposit snow or ice on a roadway.

If you are experiencing an emergency during a winter storm, please call 9-1-1. If emergency response staff have trouble accessing a street, responders will contact the Township directly and we will respond immediately.

We cannot respond to resident requests for snow clearance because they must get to work, school, an appointment or other errand. All staff and equipment are working their designated routes and we cannot effectively or efficiently reschedule them to other locations.

Winter storm events may require you to safely reschedule an appointment.

What if I need to get out for a medical appointment or require emergency services?

Plows do not deviate from regular routes - if they did, the snow removal operations would take twice as long and would leave some roads in a dangerous state.

If you have an appointment, please monitor the weather and plan ahead.

In a true emergency, emergency services will contact the Township to ensure our efforts and response are coordinated.

Who cleans the sidewalks?

Local municipalities are responsible for the maintenance of all sidewalks and pedestrian crossings. Please contact the Township, should you have any concerns

During snow clearing operations, some grass or granular shoulder along the roadside may be disturbed. If this happens, please contact us and we will schedule for repairs in the spring.

We do not repair or replace specialty concrete, paver stone or asphalt on driveways or aprons that may be damaged.

We will replace a mailbox and/or mail post if there is obvious physical evidence it was struck by the plow. We are not responsible for mailboxes or posts that may have been knocked down or bent from snow coming off the plow.

On a county road, the United Counties of Leeds and Grenville is responsible for plowing and mailbox repair or replacement.

Who is responsible for cleaning at the end of my entrance and around my mailbox?

Property owners are responsible for the removal of snow from around their mailbox.

If it has been longer than 48 hours after a snowfall event and your street has not been cleared of snow, please contact us and we will forward your location to our operations staff.

Operators are very good at completing their plow routes on a regular routine, however alterations may occur due to equipment breakdown and replacement vehicles or operators, delays due to parked cars, or plows bypassing areas that can't be safely maneuvered. 

We cannot confirm the exact time the plow will reach your street, and cannot provide callbacks or further information on street misses.

What if my vehicle is damaged by the plow?

When one sees the plow’s flashing blue lights, please move over to give operators room to work. This includes intersections where the plows are required to back up multiple times to clear the intersection.

If you believe your vehicle has been damaged by a plow, please contact your insurance company, and advise our office at 613-658-3055.

Residents and drivers can help by doing the following:

 Leave room for plows. When one sees the flashing blue lights on the winter maintenance equipment, remain a safe distance behind. Also, NEVER pass a plow, this is an extremely dangerous practice.

Stay back and give the plows room at intersections. Plows need to back into and around intersection to clean them properly. If you can’t see the operator’s mirrors, they can’t see you!

Be patient. In heavy snow falls, it may take The Township longer to get all roads cleared.

Keep parked cars off the road wherever possible and follow the Townships Winter Parking Restrictions for overnight parking.

To help keep children safe, please don't let them play in the snow piles or on the snow banks at the side of the road.

Keep garbage cans and recycling bins five or six feet from the edge of the road.

When clearing your driveway please keep the snow on your property, not on the road. Pushing snow back onto or across the road creates unsafe road conditions for motorists and is prohibited by the Highway Traffic Act.