By TERRY PUGH
The light dusting of snow we got last week was just the appetizer.
The main course is due practically any minute.
But, Warman Public Works crews are prepared for a major snowfall, with equipment ready to roll and a newly-revised snow-clearing bylaw for guidance.
Warman City Council gave its stamp of approval to Bylaw 2025-11 ‘The Snow Removal Bylaw’ at a meeting on Monday, October 27.
The new bylaw is the third version in four years, reflecting the challenge of snow removal in the growing city. Over the past decade, Warman Public Works staff numbers and snow-clearing equipment capacity have been hard pressed to keep pace with the sharp increase in the number of streets.
The City of Warman’s snow-clearing bylaw, revised in 2013, was updated in the fall of 2022. At that time the decision was made to focus resources on ensuring Priority 1 arterial streets and Priority 2 collector streets were cleared to ensure movement of emergency vehicles in the wake of a major snowfall event. Snow was piled in centre ridges and cleared as soon as possible.
This focused approach necessitated leaving snow on residential streets “to maintain a compacted, driveable, snow-packed surface.” The 2022 version of the bylaw stated that residential streets would periodically be lightly graded to reduce and flatten ruts to maintain driveability. Once the snowpack on the street reached a depth of approximately six inches, it would be centre-ridged and hauled away.
The bylaw was tweaked in the fall of 2023 (Bylaw 2023-10), with minor changes, but still maintaining the threshold of six-inches depth for compacted snow on residential streets before it was graded.
The new bylaw passed in late October incorporates suggestions and feedback from the public gathered online and during the recent Warman Open for Business Exhibition (WOBE). One of the major changes is a lower threshold of four inches of compacted snow on residential streets before grading takes place.
Another major amendment in the new bylaw is the stipulation that once the four-inch threshold for compacted snow in residential areas is reached, it will be centre-ridged and hauled out within three days, or as soon as practical.
In addition, the bylaw states that “depending on the amount of time between large snow events and if Pirority 1 and 2 roads are complete, city crews will continue working in residential and commercial areas. This may include moving snow from ruts to a windrow along the gutter or centre ridging the snow for haul-out before a compacted thickness of four inches. Residential and commercial snow clearing will be scheduled according to the garbage/recycling collection routes as bins hinder the snow removal process.”
Priority 1 streets include: Centennial Boulevard, Central Street, 6th Avenue South, Clubhouse Boulevard West, PEbble Beach Boulevard, and portions of 1st Avenue North, Traditions Boulevard and 4th Street West near schools.
Priority 2 streets include: Industrial Road, Crystal Springs Boulevard, 1st Avenue North, Thompason Road North and South, North Railway Street, South Railway Street and some others. The full list of streets is outlined on a map accompanying the bylaw on the City of Warman website.
In addition to the streets outlined, some designated alleys which provide the sole access for residents will also be cleared, although they are deemed to be lower priority.
The full bylaw can be seen online at the City of Warman website (warman.ca).