Toronto needs a more robust plan to deal with major snowstorms—including the creation of a dedicated, year-round winter operations unit—after an independent review revealed serious flaws in how the city handled a massive February storm that buried parts of the city under more than 50 centimetres of snow.
The review, commissioned by City Manager Paul Johnson and conducted by Municipal VU Consulting Inc., was released Friday and paints a picture of a system that, while functional during typical snowfalls, struggles to respond effectively when major weather events hit.
“There are systemic gaps that limit our ability to respond in real time,” Johnson said at a news conference Friday. “While we have a plan on paper, we’re missing the operational tools underneath it to make that plan work during emergencies.”
Gaps across the board
The report outlines failures across multiple levels—policy, operations, contracting, technology, and communications—that combined to paralyze parts of the city for days, and in some cases weeks, after the storm.
Residents faced prolonged delays in clearing sidewalks and local roads, with some streets remaining impassable well beyond acceptable timeframes. Snow storage was limited on narrow streets, and equipment was often unreliable or unavailable. Meanwhile, communication with the public was patchy, with residents and city staff often unaware of when or whether certain areas had been cleared.
The city’s existing snow removal contracts were also found to be poorly suited for large-scale storms. The contracts focused heavily on plowing and salting, with no clear provisions for actual snow removal. That left crews constantly forced to choose between pushing snow out of the way or hauling it off-site—without enough resources to do both.
A new unit, built for winter
Johnson is recommending the creation of a permanent winter operations unit that would operate year-round, coordinating all aspects of winter readiness. That includes everything from seasonal planning and staff training to contract management and interdepartmental coordination.
“This kind of team doesn’t currently exist in Toronto,” Johnson said. “It will, going forward.”
He explained that the city can likely build the unit by restructuring existing staff, rather than starting from scratch. The idea is to give the city the capacity it needs to scale up operations quickly when major snow events hit, rather than scrambling for temporary solutions after the fact.
Communication breakdowns added to public frustration
Beyond the operational shortfalls, the review found that the city’s communication strategy failed to keep up with the scale of the event.
“People didn’t know what was happening. They didn’t know when to expect plows, or what the delays were. That uncertainty created frustration and confusion,” Johnson said.
To fix that, he’s recommending a modernized, tiered communication strategy that provides more frequent and accurate updates—not just on where work is planned, but what’s actually getting done. He also wants to keep the 311 call line open during snowfalls, instead of temporarily shutting it down, so that residents can report real-time issues and help the city identify hotspots.
“When we shut down reporting, it looks like things are under control—until we open it again and the complaints flood in,” he said. “We need that feedback to understand where things are going wrong.”
A record-breaking storm—and a slow recovery
The February snowstorm was Toronto’s largest single snowfall in years, dropping more than 20 centimetres overnight, with some parts of the GTA seeing totals surpassing 26 centimetres. Areas like Etobicoke, Scarborough, and Mississauga reported snow accumulation between 20 and 26 centimetres, while nearby Ottawa and central Ontario were slammed with totals approaching 40 centimetres in some regions.
In the aftermath, the city deployed 1,400 pieces of winter equipment to tackle the roads, highways, bike lanes, and sidewalks—but the snow was so heavy and widespread that crews didn’t finish clearing some areas until the following week. Snow removal operations to designated dump sites were delayed, and parking bans were issued under the city’s major snow condition declaration.
At Toronto Pearson International Airport, dozens of flights were cancelled as snow blanketed the runways. Schools across the GTA shut down, and transit services, including TTC and GO Transit, ran on reduced schedules or experienced delays.
Another critical review
This is the second major report examining the city’s snow response in recent weeks. Toronto’s Auditor General released her own findings earlier this month, noting that the city failed to follow through on previous recommendations made before the February storm. She highlighted issues with contractor oversight and a general lack of preparation for high-volume snowfalls.
Johnson acknowledged those findings but pushed back slightly, saying the city generally performs well when snowfalls are moderate.
“When we get 5 or 10 centimetres, our system works. But when we’re hit with something bigger, like we were in February, that’s when the gaps become clear,” he said.
The review will be brought to the city’s Executive Committee next week, where Johnson is expected to push for the changes needed to get Toronto ready for the next big one.
