A "Significant Weather Event" is defined as an approaching or occurring weather hazard with the potential to pose a significant danger to users of the highways within a municipality. Weather Hazards are determined by Environment Canada as meeting the criteria for the issuance of an alert under its Public Weather Alerting Program.
This declaration suspends the standard timelines required for municipalities to meet their winter maintenance objectives until the municipality declares the significant weather event has ended. Once an Significant Weather Event has ended, standard timelines for winter maintenance activities will begin.
The intent of a declaration is to notify the public that due to the current weather conditions, caution is to be exercised when travelling on the Municipality's roads, and that it may take longer than usual to restore them to the normal condition.
Frequently Asked Questions
| What is a Significant Weather Event? |
| A significant weather event is an approaching or occurring weather hazard with the potential to pose a significant danger to users of the highways within a municipality. |
| What is a Weather Hazard? |
| Weather hazards are determined by Environment Canada as meeting the criteria for the issuance of an alert under its Public Weather Alerting Program. |
| Under what authority can a Significant Weather Event be declared? |
| Ontario Regulation 239/02, Minimum Maintenance Standards for Municipal Highways, made under the Municipal Act, 2001, as amended, gives municipalities the authority to declare a significant weather event when a weather hazard is approaching or occurring and has the potential to pose a significant hazard to users of the highways in which the municipality has authority over. |
| Why would the Municipality declare as Significant Weather Event? |
| When a municipality declares a significant weather event, the declaration suspends the standard timelines required for municipalities to meet their winter maintenance objectives until the municipality declares the significant weather event has ended. During the course of a declared significant weather event, the standard for addressing winter maintenance is to monitor the weather and to deploy resources to address the issue starting from the time the municipality deems it appropriate to do so. When the municipality has declared the event has ended, the standard timelines for winter maintenance activities will begin. |
| Under what conditions would a municipality declare a Significant Weather Event? |
A municipality may declare a significant weather event when the weather forecast or weather condition includes one or more, but is not limited to one or more, of the following conditions:
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| Does a declaration mean the municipality is reducing its level of service? |
| No. A declaration of a significant weather event is not notice of a reduced level of service. The declaration is to notify the public that due to the current or forecast conditions, caution is to be observed when travelling on the municipality's roads, and that it may take longer than usual to bring the condition of the roads back to standard conditions. |
| Does a declaration mean the municipality is closing roads? |
| No. A declaration of a significant weather event is not notice of a road closure. The declaration is to notify the public that due to the current or forecast conditions, caution is to be observed when travelling on the municipality's roads, and that it may take longer than usual to bring the condition of the roads back to optimal conditions. |
| How will I know if the Municipality has declared a Significant Weather Event? |
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The Municipality will notify the public of the declaration of a significant weather event by doing one or more of the following:
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| How will I know if the Municipality has declared the end of a Significant Weather Event? |
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The Municipality will notify the public of the declaration of a end of a significant weather event by doing one or more of the following:
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