Snow Plow Contractor Licensing Review

Council approved the proposed recommendations for Snow Plow Contractors on October 2, 2024. The new regulations will come into effect on October 16, 2024.

What has changed?

• Prohibiting dumping snow on accessible parking spaces and on private property, other than those of clients and at an authorized snow disposal facility.
• Imposing a 4-hour limit for Snow Plow Contractors to clean up snow they have dumped on City property and on accessible parking spaces.
• Increasing minimum insurance coverage from $1 million to $2 million.
• Annual sticker to be affixed to the existing City-issued snow plow vehicle plate.
• Permitting the use of metal driveway markers. Fiberglass, wood, and plastic are still permitted.
• Set back distances for installing driveway markers are now the same for all material types, which includes minimum 5 feet from edge of sidewalk and 7 feet from edge of the roadway if there is no sidewalk.
• Requiring Snow Plow Contractors and property owners to replace their damaged driveway markers and clean up any debris as a result of this damage.
• Requiring Snow Plow Contractors to provide their clients with a copy of the regulations annually ("SNOW KNOWledge pamphlet").
• Updating vehicle signage standards for snow plows to comply with the City of Ottawa’s Accessibility Design standards (15cm in height, colour contrast of 2:1 with vehicle’s colour, and an Arial style font).
• Clarifying existing exemptions to the licensing requirement, including the exemption for farmers in the rural part of the City.

Consumer Awareness

For more information on the new regulations, please refer to the SNOW KNOWledge pamphlet (COMING SOON). Additional information related to private snow plow contractors can also be found on the City’s Consumer Awareness page.

City staff would like to thank all participants of the Snow Plow Contractor Licensing Review. Your feedback has been a crucial part of the development of new regulations.

On September 19th, the Emergency Preparedness and Protective Services Committee carried the report and recommendations for the Snow Plow Contractor Licensing Review.

The report will be presented to City Council for final approval on October 2nd. For more information, visit the City of Ottawa Council agenda and meetings webpage.

Staff will present the Snow Plow Contractor Licensing Review report and recommendations to the Emergency Preparedness and Protective Services Committee on Thursday, September 19th at 11:30am.

The report is now available to the public, and the links to view the report and its support documents are posted below:

• Report to Emergency Preparedness and Protective Services Committee: Snow Plow Contractor Licensing Review
• Document 1: Recommended Snow Plow Contractor Licensing By-law
• Document 2: What We Learned Report

Thank you to all the residents, industry members, community partners, and members of Council for your ongoing engagement. Your feedback has been crucial in the development and review of recommended regulations.

If you would like to join as a delegate to speak at Committee, you must register in advance. You may also submit a written delegation to show support or disagreement with recommendations. Please find below the contact information of the Community Coordinator to request to be a delegate. In addition, you can find more information on how to get involved in Council and Committee proceedings here: Get involved in local government | City of Ottawa.

EPPSPC Community Coordinator Information:
Christopher Zwierzchowski
(613) 580-2424, ext. 21359
Christopher.Zwierzchowski@ottawa.ca

If you would like to watch the Committee presentation, you can tune into the City Council’s YouTube channel on September 19^th.

Want to know what we learned during the public and industry consultations? The What We Learned Report is now available! This document highlights the results from the engagement phase of the Snow Plow Contractor Licensing Review.

What's Next?

The report and recommended changes to the by-law will be presented to the Emergency Preparedness and Protective Services Committee on September 19, 2024. Stay tuned as a copy of the report and recommendations will be posted on Engage Ottawa sometime in early September.

The City is at the stage of developing policy options and would appreciate input from snow plow contractors. The anonymous industry survey will be open until May 31st, 2024.

If you are a snow plow operator or contractor, please provide us with your email by completing the online request form, scanning the QR code below, or emailing us at bylawreviews@ottawa.ca. You will then receive a link by email to the industry survey!

Public engagement has come to an end and the City would like to thank everyone who took the time to provide input! We received nearly 1,8000 responses on the public survey and are now in the process of compiling the consultation results.

Stay tuned for a "What We Learned" report in June, which will summarize the industry and public engagement findings.

Public Survey Information

Spring has sprung, and the flurries have scurried, but HURRY, HURRY! Only 1 week remains to engage with the City on the Snow Plow Contractor Licensing review.

The public survey closes this Sunday, March 31st so don't miss your chance to provide feedback on snow plow contractors working on private property in Ottawa.

Stay Engaged!

Stay tuned for the publication of a What We Learned report in June, outlining the public and industry engagement results.

The Snow Plow Contractor Licensing review public survey is now live!

The survey will be available until March 31st so don't miss your chance to participate and provide your feedback on regulations for snow plow contractors working on private property.

If you are an industry member, we will be consulting with you in April 2024.

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