Edmonton’s snow clearing budget will be slightly lower next year compared to this year, but higher compared to 2020, after city council approved an enhanced snow and ice clearing package.
In 2018, the previous city council agreed to cut funding to snow and ice clearing in its 2019-2022 budget.
Edmonton spent around $64 million and $68 million on snow clearing in 2017 and 2018, respectively.
The previous council voted to decrease snow and ice removal funding by about half a million dollars each year from 2019 to 2022, but the actual reductions were millions more — the city spent $65 million, $60.8 million and $58 million in 2019, 2020 and 2021 respectively.
Last winter, the city tried out a pilot project where crews cleared the roads to bare pavement instead of maintaining a five-centimetre snowpack.
It didn’t work out and Edmontonians were clear they wanted something different.
At a summer committee meeting, councillors agreed on an Enhanced Snow and Ice Control service package for $4.7 million, on top of the base snow and ice funding, $63.6 million, for a total of $68.3 million for the first half of winter 2022.
Staff had suggested up to $8.8 million in enhanced funding but council went with about 50 per cent of that service package and future years of enhanced funding would be decided on during budget deliberations.
During budget deliberations, city council agreed to fund 20 per cent of a different service package — $4 million out of a possible $20 million.
The total amount of money going towards snow and ice removal in 2023 will be $60.9 million.
“So you have your base snow and ice. You heard over the last year Edmontonians wanted better snow and ice control so we brought forward ‘enhanced’ (control),” Ward sipiwiyiniwak coun. Sarah Hamilton told reporters Friday.
“2023 was still up in the air – we funded that to 20 per cent. So I hope it doesn’t snow.”
Hamilton said it was “alarming,” despite having voted in favour of funding 20 per cent of the package.
Craig McKeown, branch manager for the city’s roads department, said major changes to the current winter season are not expected.
“Some enhancements beyond basic priority clearing, (like) extra school zone windrow pickups and park internal pathways may not be completed,” he said.
“There may be a decrease in service levels between the winter seasons in 2022/2023 and 2023/2024. It is still, though, an increase in what Edmontonians have experienced in previous years.”