City crews working around the clock to remove snow
Ottawa is grappling with a lot of snow this winter and the city is working hard to keep up with removing it all.
Snowbanks are at an all-time high, but most Ottawa residents commend the city crews for their hard work.
"The snowbank height, this is pretty high this year. It's not usually like that," said local resident Marc Desjardins.
Roads in some neighbourhoods has been reduced to one lane because of snow accumulation, causing traffic nightmares. However, residents understand that the city has to prioritize clearing the main thoroughfares first.
City crews have been working around the clock to remove the massive snowbanks on residential streets.
"It's January, we're getting snow, but they're doing a good job cleaning it," said Central Park resident Leanne Bennett. "They've been up and down a few hours now. And they've cleared everything."
However, the city has not been able to clear the snowbanks any quicker due to winter storms.
"Typically, a full removal operation takes about two weeks to complete," said Bryden Denyes, the City of Ottawa's area manager for urban roads. "When we're doing snow removal operations and we have a winter storm, whether it's snow or freezing rain, we have to pause our snow removal operations and then move into storm treatment."
Last year, Ottawa got 105 centimetres of snow by this point in the winter. This year, it's almost double with 205 centimetres falling since Nov. 1.
Residents are reminded not to park during snowbank removal, as they risk being towed.
Norma Viau, another Central Park resident, expressed concern about the high snowbanks and said, "The accumulation of the high snowbanks, it's dangerous. When you turn you can’t see the car coming."
The City of Ottawa spends $82 million for winter operations, and this snowy winter of 2023 will test the budget's limits.
"I think they do a great job," said resident Robert Dehartoj. "I've been here most of my life and there's snow and there's been lots of it and sometimes there's not. I think they're doing as much as they can."
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
B.C. tenants evicted for landlord's use after refusing large rent increase to take over neighbouring suite
Ashley Dickey and her mother rented part of the same Coquitlam duplex in three different decades under three different landlords.
MPP Sarah Jama asked to leave Ontario legislature for wearing keffiyeh
MPP Sarah Jama was asked to leave the Legislative Assembly of Ontario by House Speaker Ted Arnott on Thursday for wearing a keffiyeh, a garment which has been banned at Queen’s Park.
Mountain guide dies after falling into a crevasse in Banff National Park
A man who fell into a crevasse while leading a backcountry ski group deep in the Canadian Rockies has died.
Montreal actress calls Weinstein ruling 'discouraging' but not surprising
A Montreal actress, who has previously detailed incidents she had with disgraced Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein, says a New York Court of Appeals decision overturning his 2020 rape conviction is 'discouraging' but not surprising.
Saskatchewan isn't remitting the carbon tax on home heating. Why isn't my province following suit?
After Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said the federal government would still send Canada Carbon Rebate cheques to Saskatchewan residents, despite Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe's decision to stop collecting the carbon tax on natural gas or home heating, questions were raised about whether other provinces would follow suit. CTV News reached out across the country and here's what we found out.
Expert warns of food consumption habits amid rising prices
A new survey by Dalhousie University's Agri-Food Analytics Lab asked Canadians about their food consumption habits amid rising prices.
Charlie Woods, son of Tiger, shoots 81 in U.S. Open qualifier
Charlie Woods failed to advance in a U.S. Open local qualifying event Thursday, shooting a 9-over 81 at Legacy Golf & Tennis Club.
Caleb Williams goes to the Bears with the No. 1 overall pick in the NFL draft
Caleb Williams is heading to the Windy City, aiming to become the franchise quarterback Chicago has sought for decades.
Body of Quebec man who died in Cuba found in Russia, family confirms
A Montreal-area family confirmed to CTV News that the body of their loved one who died while on vacation in Cuba is being repatriated to Canada after it was mistakenly sent to Russia.