Good Evening Kanata North,
Environment Canada has identified hazardous weather for tomorrow, January 17. As a result, the City of Ottawa has declared a Significant Weather Event. The Roads and Parking Services team will be out maintaining the City’s sidewalks, roads and the winter cycling network, but will take longer than usual to restore them to regular conditions.
Significant Weather Event has been declared
The Significant Weather Event (SWE) program was launched to give the Roads and Parking Services Team an added opportunity to help protect residents of Ottawa, as Weather Hazards, issued by Environment Canada, are either occurring or approaching. The main objectives of the SWE declaration is to inform the public of weather situations where City resources may be unable to meet the City of Ottawa’s Maintenance Quality Standards (MQS) timelines, and to allow flexibility in the prioritization of the deployment of resources during these situations.
On Monday, we are expecting between 30 and 40 cm of snow – possibly higher in some parts of the City – all in the span of approximately 16 hours, with certain areas seeing as much as 2 to 5 cm of accumulation every hour. Gusting winds (35-50+ km/hr) and low visibility are going to make this event challenging to manage, and the impacts will be felt for several days. This is the type of event we expect once every 10 years, and the last such event was in 2016. The rate of accumulation and the gusting winds means that areas we clear and treat on Monday morning will be covered quickly, in some cases within 2 to 3 hours. Multiple passes will be required; please rest assured that we will return.
Keeping Everyone Safe
Conditions this week will be messy and visibility at times may be restricted. We encourage those who can, to plan ahead today by completing their errands and to find off-street parking immediately as travel in the coming days should be avoided unless it is essential. If you are travelling, please exercise extreme caution by adjusting to the conditions of the road.
Winter Weather Parking Ban
We are calling a Winter Weather Parking Ban from 7 pm Monday, January 17 through to 7 pm Tuesday, January 18. Throughout Monday, our Teams will be focusing on clearing priority sidewalks, roads and the winter cycling network, which will need multiple passes, before turning their attention to residential areas. This is not your typical storm, and an extension to the winter weather parking ban is essential in supporting our winter operations.
During this time, all vehicles must be removed from the roadway or risk being ticketed and / or towed. Though eligible parking permit holders are exempt, we encourage those who can to remove their vehicles to prevent them from being snowed in. Information on parking options during a winter weather parking ban is available on Ottawa.ca/winter.
COVID-19 Vaccination Clinic Update
Please note that all COVID-19 community clinics will be closed on Monday, January 17 due to the Significant Weather Event announced. Clinics are expected to resume on Tuesday, January 18.
Green bin, recycling and garbage collection
There will be no curbside or multi-residential green bin, recycling or garbage collection on Monday, January 17 due to the Significant Weather Event. Monday pick-up will take place on Tuesday, January 18 and all collection will be delayed by one day for the remainder of the week.
For more information on City programs and services, visit ottawa.ca, call 3-1-1 (TTY: 613-580-2401) or 613-580-2400 to contact the City using Canada Video Relay Service.
Please reach out to the Kanata North office at K.N@ottawa.ca or myself at cathy.curry@ottawa.ca if needed. We are here to support you.
Take care and stay safe.
Cathy Curry