Victoria may be a city of gardens, but it can still receive its share of snow. The City’s Streets and Traffic Bylaw requires businesses and residents to clear the sidewalk fronting their property by 10 a.m. after a snowfall. Not complying with this bylaw may result in a fine of $125 per ticketed offence (per day).
Learn more about snow clearing responsibilities and safety tips:
- Snow Clearing for Residents [PDF/406KB]
- Snow Clearing for Businesses [PDF/406KB]
- ICBC - Winter driving
- Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety - Snow shovelling
Snow Clearing Priorities
The City has a Severe Weather Response Plan to guide ice and snow removal operations in Victoria. To ensure emergency services and main arterial roads are maintained, clearing is prioritised in three tiers:
| First Priority | Second Priority | Third Priority |
|---|---|---|---|
Roadways | Emergency routes, access routes to hospitals, fire stations and police headquarters, major and arterial roads, hills and bridge decks | Senior care and homeless shelter facility streets, secondary and collector roads, left-turn lanes with traffic loop detectors | Residential roads, City-owned surface parking lots, downtown parking spaces, protected bicycle lanes |
Sidewalks/frontages | Downtown transit stops, wheelchair ramps and sidewalks fronting downtown City properties | Transit stops outside downtown, sidewalks fronting City properties outside of downtown, community centre sidewalk frontages | Galloping Goose Trail and harbour walkways |
It may take several days after the snow has stopped falling for crews to complete clearing priority roadways and sidewalks, particularly second- and third-priority areas. If City crews are in the process of clearing second- or third-priority routes and it starts snowing again, they will immediately return to clearing first-priority areas.