City securing additional plows for winter storms

Sarnia is changing its procurement practices to speed up snow removal on streets during a major winter storm. The city has enough plows for a normal snowfall, but in severe events it relies on private contractors to meet minimum clearance timelines.

Sarnia is changing its procurement practices to speed up snow removal on streets during a major winter storm.

The city has enough plows for a normal snowfall, but in severe events it relies on private contractors to meet minimum clearance timelines. Private plows, however, are often contractually obligated to other customers and unavailable.

This winter, the city will pay an annual fee to contactors to have six units on standby for severe storms, whether they are used or not.

Staff says the change will improve response times and be less expensive than adding additional plows to the city fleet.