Frequently Asked Questions

The first response to all snowfalls is to apply a salt and sand mixture to our main and collector roads. Plowing will commence when approximately 2 - 5 cm has accumulated. Sanding and plowing is carried out in order of priority.

The City sends out plowing equipment when 2  - 5 cm of snow accumulates on priority roadways. Ice control will be provided on an ongoing basis during snowfalls, frost, freezing rain or any other event that may be dangerous for motorists and vehicle traction. Plowing and ice control will be completed in accordance with priority rankings found on our website. Ongoing weather conditions require a continuous focus on Priority 1 Roads and resources may be diverted accordingly.

City crews work around the clock performing snow and ice control. While the majority of this work gets done throughout the night, we try to limit the amount of reversing needed and how much pressure we’re putting down on the low blade, which is what makes the screeching noise. In some snow clearing conditions, it’s difficult to avoid the noise.

Most of our arterial and main roadways don’t allow for parking. Where parking is a concern, we will plow these areas at a different time of the day from when vehicles are commonly parked. The City will also put out temporary ‘No Parking’ signs in advance of plowing these streets. Residents are advised to watch for snow removal signs in their neighbourhoods and park their vehicles on their driveways or in their garages, rather than on the streets.

We remove snow from back lanes and alleyways, when possible, after an average of 6 - 9 cm of snowpack is present.

St. Albert is unique as a large majority of our roads have a boulevard between the road and the sidewalk. This allows our crews to place the snow on the boulevard to restore safe mobility on the road. During clearing operations, City crews will remove snow from the boulevards and other locations where the plowed snow is temporarily stored and take it to an engineered snow site.

Ice control will be provided on an ongoing basis during snow events, frost, freezing rain or any other event that may adversely impact vehicle traction. Priority 1 and Priority 2 Roads shall be plowed and sanded within 8 hours following the end of snowfall. 

On residential roads, sand will not provide traction for very long as it will become embedded into the snowpack. City crews will use ice blades and an ice breaker when necessary to groom the top surface of the snowpack to reduce slick conditions.  

Under extreme cold conditions, chip material will be applied to provide traction.

Our snow crews are on call 24 hours a day, seven days a week, from mid-October to mid-April ready to respond to snow and ice. The City sends out plowing equipment when 2 - 5 cm of snow accumulates on priority roadways. Ice control will be provided on an ongoing basis during snowfalls, frost, freezing rain or any other event that may be dangerous for motorists and vehicle traction.

Yes, like many Canadian communities, St. Albert uses road salts such as Calcium Chloride and Sodium Chloride in its sand mix to assist with winter management of city streets. The amount of salt that is added to our mix is dependent on the temperature and time of year.

We currently have:

• Six sander/plow combination trucks
• One motor grader
• Four front-end loaders
• Four sidewalk plows

A variety of factors are taken into account, as always with a focus on safety, including traffic speed, traffic volume, width of the road and hills. The road priorities are outlined in the current Snow and Ice Control Policy

Information will be updated on our Winter Roads webpage and through our social media channels when residential plowing begins and finishes. We currently track our progress using GIS, or a geographic information system, and are exploring how we can incorporate this onto our website.

A person shall maintain any sidewalk adjoining and adjacent to land they own or occupy and clear of any dangerous condition caused by snow or ice within 48 hours from which the dangerous condition was formed. If icy conditions are present, sand boxes are located throughout the City for residents to freely access sand for use on their property. Please view the Community Standards Bylaw for more information on snow removal from privately owned property.

No, this action contravenes the Community Standards Bylaw, specifically Section 6 (3): No Person shall remove snow or ice from any Sidewalk or Property by causing such material to be placed upon City Property, other than the adjacent Boulevard they occupy. 

Shoveling or blowing snow onto the road also affects the mobility of pedestrians, cars, emergency vehicles and waste collection vehicles.

When plowing or blading roadways, City crews try their best to ensure that windrows do not block sidewalks. In some cases when there is a lot of snow, some may spill onto sidewalks. If the spillover blocks use of the sidewalk or poses a safety concern, please report it to the City using the Spruce It Up App or by calling Public Operations at 780-459-1557 and crews will be sent out to assess the area as time permits.

Operators make every attempt to keep driveways clear and keep windrows as small as possible. The clearing of small windrows less than 30cm in front of driveways left by snow plowing equipment is the responsibility of the property owner, much like sidewalk clearing. Oversized windrows can be reported by using the Spruce It Up App or by calling Public Operations at 780-459-1557

City crews do their best to clear up catch basins, especially on main roadways. On residential streets, we will assess drainage concerns and dispatch crews to try and deal with ice buildup. Our loader mounted ice breaker has been very successful with this type of issue.

Canada Post is responsible for clearing the snow and ice around the community mailboxes. For more information, please contact Canada Post at 1-800-267-1177

If there is an adjacent sidewalk connecting the roadway to the mailbox, City crews will clear in accordance with snow clearing policies. If there are no connecting sidewalks, residents are asked to use the closest sidewalk entrance to the mailbox to access their mail.

If there is a fire hydrant near your home, please clear away a minimum of one-metre clearance that is required for emergency access. In the event that City crews have impeded access to fire hydrants on boulevards, Public Operations is responsible for clearing this snow to ensure they remain accessible.

If there is a location where a fire hydrant is not accessible, please contact Public Operations at 780-459-1557

Please report any issue related to plow damage on the City’s Spruce It Up App and we will come out in the spring and assess the damage. If damage is significant, we will add the area to our repair list.

Please report issues of concern through the City’s Spruce It Up App, or call Public Operations at 780-459-1557

If you request a call back, we will do our best to respond to your call in a timely manner. During very busy call times we receive a large volume of calls and we do our best to inspect and respond to them all.