Removing 55 cm of snow that fell over just a 15-hour period during a major winter storm in Toronto last January cost the city more than $17 million, or nearly 20 percent of the annual winter maintenance budget, according to the task force. The report was released this month.

The operational post-major snow event report for 2022, written by the city's General Manager of Transportation Services, found that the rapid snow accumulation during the January 16-17 storm accompanied by extremely cold conditions in the following weeks created a "unique set" of challenges for storm cleanup impacts.

The report indicates that 180,000 tons of snow were removed from streets, sidewalks, and bike lanes at a cost of more than $17 million.

The report stated that "None of the current service levels approved by Council represent emergency weather events, and therefore these service levels do not set a possible response time for a storm of the size that occurred in January."

"Additionally, a number of challenges were faced as a result of the storm including supporting the immediate needs of emergency services, digging around TTC vehicles, equipment pressure, manual labor to avoid damage to infrastructure and property, logistics for removing and transporting snow as quickly as possible, and reporting on service levels and response times."

The report mentions that while improvements were later made to current services, the storm highlighted the need to develop a severe winter weather response plan with updated service levels.

This winter storm resulted in snowfall amounts exceeding the total accumulation in January, February, and March of 2021 and was one of the top ten single snow events ever in the city.

Some obstacles faced by city crews included equipment breakdowns, pandemic-related supply chain shortages causing delays and disruptions in spare parts supply. Crews were forced to clean some areas manually to prevent damage to infrastructure, and the extreme cold weather meant crews had to move at a slower pace. Storage capacity for the unprecedented amount of snow was inadequate in the city streets, requiring crews to move large amounts of snow to other locations.

Resources were redeployed to assist in extracting nearly 500 TTC buses that were stranded due to the storm. An estimated 62,000 calls related to the weather event were received by 311.

"The response to the storm on January 16-17 highlighted the need to address the increasing scope of responses required from transportation services during severe weather, the impacts on all snow removal operations for storms with accumulations over 25 cm, and the need for increased coordination with services supporting the most vulnerable groups."

"While storms of this size are uncommon in Toronto, other Canadian cities have developed response plans for this type of severe weather."

The City's Infrastructure and Environment Committee will consider the report later this month, and City Council will review the severe winter weather response plan in early 2023.

Edited by: Dima Abu Khair