Snow & Ice Control

Snowplowing Roads

The City is divided into 7 snow route areas; each area has a Priority 1 Route (emergency accesses, transit and school bus routes and streets in the business district), and a Priority 2 Route (residential, rural and local streets). When there is snow throughout the municipality, resources are allocated to these priority routes.

Priority 3 routes include all other roads in each area; they will not be plowed until after the snow event has ended and Priority 1 and 2 Routes have been cleared and are in good condition. Priority 1 Override is used in emergency events for professional responders and other utilities or agencies and will take precedence.

The following summarizes the City of Mission preparations and responses to plowing of municipal roads in response to a snowfall:

The priority for municipal forces is to plow the main roads, with extra priority for those main road hills.
Main roads include public transit and school bus routes.
Equipment will be reassigned to secondary roads when the main roads are plowed and the snowfall has subsided

Snow Plow Routes Do Not Cover:

Lanes;
Sidewalks and stairways other than those specifically identified in the current snow clearing procedures;
Mailboxes (this is the responsibility of Canada Post. If you have an issue with a community mailbox, please call 1-844-454-3009 and inform Canada Post of the mailbox location);
Private roads and private driveways;
Park trails and trail parking lots; and
Florence Lake Road, unless required in an emergency.

All parking lots associated with municipal buildings will be cleared, salted and sanded by 10:00 am the day following a snow event (City Hall and Public Works Complex will only be cleared on days they are normally open). All other sidewalks, walkways, and stairs will not be cleared.

Common Tasks

Snow Plowing – Throughout the 2023/2024 snow season, the contractor will clear snow upon the accumulation of 2 – 2 ½ inches. This process involves creating a 5-foot path and applying salt. It’s important to note that the service does not encompass the removal of windrows formed by road plowing or bike lane plowing.

De-Icing – The contractor has the responsibility to apply salt to the bike lane as deemed necessary and contingent on prevailing weather conditions.

All snow and ice control on 7th Avenue will continue as usual.

What is a windrow?

When our plows pass down a snowy road, the cleared snow pushes to the side. This accumulation of snow is called a windrow, and unfortunately, windrows are inevitable.

During snow events, our main priority is to clear as many roads as possible to allow residents to move as safely as possible around the City.

Clearing windrows is costly and would require additional people and equipment.
The City of Mission outfits our current fleet trucks with plow attachments and specific windrow grates would require grader equipment.
Many residential roads are narrow with vehicles parked along the curbs or shoulder, which prevent a plows from being able to navigate to remove the windrow.

It is the responsibility of the residents to clear the windrow and sidewalks adjacent to their property. Here are a few ways to reduce the size of a windrow and to help our crews ensure they can provide you with the best plowing results:

Park vehicles in your driveway.
Remove obstructions from the roadway ie: basketball hoops, hockey nets.
When shoveling, pile snow to the right side of your driveway (when facing the road).
Shovel snow onto your lawn or property, as opposed to the curb or roadway. Less snow on the road or curb will lead to smaller windrows.

For detailed information on each of the City of Mission’s policies and procedures for winter road conditions, choose from the list below and click on it.

Preparing for Winter Conditions

As we enter the winter months we want to ensure we are all as prepared as possible to deal with winter driving conditions, snow, and ice.

Resources

View up to the minute road conditions throughout Mission and BC on our Road Cameras page.

From November through February the City of Mission conducts overnight winter ice patrols. Night-shift crews undertake a patrol whenever the ambient temperature at the Public Works Complex drops to 2 degrees Celsius or lower at the start of their shift. We also receive precision forecasts daily, and more frequently when weather changes are expected. Where warranted night patrol staff will apply either a mixture of sand and salt or a brine solution. View the ice patrol routes here. [PDF/396KB]

The City of Mission makes our own brine solution in-house at Public Works instead of trucking in tanks of it from other cities. The tanks at Public Works store around 53,000L of brine which is ready for use at any time during the winter months.

Crews will brine roads if patrols find icy conditions or snow accumulation of 25mm or more, or when freezing rain is expected. Priority 1 routes and transit routes are all pre-treated, with crews working to ensure this is done four hours prior to any anticipated weather event.

Crews apply a sand-salt mix when there are icy roads. Sanding is done on an as-needed basis when grit is required on paved surfaces to improve traction. Typically this is done on hills, approaches to intersections, and known icy areas. First responders and the public can also contact the City to request emergency after-hours sanding.

A person wearing a mask looking at a piece of paper

Here are some things you can do to be prepared for this winter:

Park your car in the driveway in inclement weather to provide the plows unobstructed access to clear streets;
Clear snow and ice from sidewalks in front of your property (cleared snow should be piled to the left of your driveway with the flow of traffic or on lawns);
Remove blockages from catch basins for optimal drainage;
Business and residents are responsible for clearing snow and ice from sidewalks bordering their property.

For additional information, please contact Public Works at 604-820-3761 during normal working hours (7:30 am – 5:00 pm, Monday through Friday).

Road Cameras

Check out local road conditions before you head out.

Mission Snow and Ice Reporting

Have a location you would like to request snow or ice removal?

Alerts

Stage 1 water restrictions are now in effect

Snowplowing Roads

Snow Plow Routes Do Not Cover:

Common Tasks

What is a windrow?

Preparing for Winter Conditions

Resources

Road Cameras

Mission Snow and Ice Reporting

Stage 1 water restrictions are now in effect

Snow & Ice Control

Snowplowing Roads

Snow Plow Routes Do Not Cover:

Common Tasks

7th Avenue Greenway Snow & Ice Clearing

Snow Clearing and Windrows

Snow Route Maps

Important Contacts

Policies and Procedures

Preparing for Winter Conditions

Resources

Ice Patrols

Brining and Sanding

How to Help

Road Cameras

Mission Snow and Ice Reporting

Related contact(s)

Public Works