Montrealers urged to not drive as snow removal efforts continue

As Montreal faces a second winter storm in a matter of days, the City is urging everyone to avoid all non-essential travel until at least Monday evening.

The recommendation from the City is to allow crews to remove snow building on roads and sidewalks.

“So we were going skiing at Jay Peak, but it was too snowy to drive. So we came here to make sure we all stay for the night, then we’re going to go back to Ontario. And for the rest of the day we’re going to go shopping,” said one family CityNews spoke to.

Around 3 p.m. on Sunday, URGENCES-SANTÉ received 425 calls, compared to 600 for Montreal and Laval, as many stayed home. Authorities continue to urge the public to keep driveways and sidewalks clear to help paramedics work more efficiently.

“So it’s possible that it may take more time for our ambulances and our paramedics to get to you. So in that case, if it’s a non-emergent call, please call 811. Get some medical advice from a nurse online. If it’s non-emergency, obviously if it’s an emergency call, 911 is the number to call,” said Jean-Mari Dufresne, URGENCES-SANTÉ.

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By 4 p.m. on Sunday, Environment and Climate Change Canada said nearly 30 centimeters of snow had fallen in Montreal. 

“We were gonna go around Mount-Royal like the town, walk around, but their hotel is here. So now we’re just walking around here. It’s not that cold though. It’s nice,” said Montrealers CityNews spoke to.

Friday, the City launched a special snow-clearing operation due to the heavy snowfall that left around 1,000 km of roads closed.

City officials say for the first couple of days following the end of the winter storm, Montrealers should try and prioritize taking public transportation to avoid poor driving conditions.

“Once the snowstorm will pass away, then we will need an extra 8 hours to complete the tour around the network. So stay home would be my best advice for tomorrow or commute with public transit,” said Philippe Sabourin, a spokesperson for City of Montreal.

“Regarding the pickup, garbage, recycled bins, brown bin, we will maintain those pickup tomorrow. But we’re asking you, when it’s possible, postpone your pickup, wait until next week.”

Additionally, the City of Montreal encourages residents to visit the snow removal section of the official website, which provides resources such as a map to locate available parking spaces, the Info Neige Montréal app to track snow removal progress, and the INFO-Towing system to help locate towed vehicles. Residents can also subscribe to Alert Notices to stay informed about snow clearing operations in their area.