Who clears the windrow the City plough leaves at my driveway?

You do, or your contractor does if the contract says so. The City clears public roads and sidewalks, not private driveways, and the ridge left across the foot of the driveway is the homeowner's problem. Ask specifically whether windrow clearing is a return visit or an extra charge.

Is a seasonal contract better than paying per visit?

A seasonal contract moves the weather risk to the contractor and costs the same in a mild or a brutal winter. Per visit is cheaper in a light year and can be much worse in a heavy one. If a predictable bill matters more than the lowest possible bill, take seasonal.

Does salt still work in an Ottawa cold snap?

Plain rock salt loses most of its effect as the surface temperature drops well below freezing, which happens regularly here in January and February. A contractor working those nights should be using treated salt or a brine and should be able to name the product. More salt is not the answer, and it is what burns the lawn edge and the hedge.

If someone slips on my walk, how long do they have to make a claim?

Written notice must be served within 60 days of the injury, by personal service or registered mail, on an occupier or on the contractor hired to clear snow and ice, stating the date, time and location, though a court can excuse late notice in some circumstances ([LawPRO](https://www.practicepro.ca/2021/04/new-60-day-notice-requirement-in-occupiers-liability-act-injury-from-snow-or-ice-overview/)). This is why a dated service log is worth asking for.

Snow clearing contracts

Seasonal driveway and walkway contracts for Kanata homes and small commercial sites, and how to read one before you sign.

Snow is the only landscaping service in Ottawa you buy before you know what you are buying. The contract is signed in September and the weather decides in January whether it was a bargain or an expensive insurance policy.

What the City does and does not do. The City clears public roads and sidewalks to its own quality standards. It does not clear your driveway, and the windrow the plough leaves across the foot of it is yours. The City's current standards could not be read for this page, because its website returns an error to automated requests, so what follows is the provincial floor every Ontario municipality works above. Under the Minimum Maintenance Standards a Class 1 road is addressed at 2.5 cm within 4 hours, Class 2 at 5 cm within 6 hours, Class 3 at 8 cm within 12 hours, Class 4 at 8 cm within 16 hours and Class 5 at 10 cm within 24 hours (O. Reg. 239/02). Residential streets sit at the slow end. On a heavy night the street may be ploughed hours after your contractor has cleared the driveway, and then the windrow arrives, so a contract that includes a return visit for it is worth more than one that is ten dollars cheaper.

How the contracts are structured. Three forms. A seasonal contract is a flat winter price with unlimited visits above a stated trigger, which moves the weather risk to the contractor. A per-visit contract bills each clearing, cheaper in a mild winter and unpredictable in a heavy one. A per-event contract treats a multi-day storm as one billable event, and the definition of an event is where disputes live.

The trigger depth is the most important number in the document. A contract triggered at 5 cm visits far more often than one triggered at 10 cm, and the second is cheaper and leaves the driveway packed after a run of small snowfalls. Get the trigger and the response time in writing, measured from when the snow stops.

Step by step, what a visit involves. The driveway is cleared with a plough, a blower or a shovel crew depending on the site, with snow pushed to a stated storage area. Walkways and steps are done by hand or with a walk-behind blower, then a de-icer is applied where the contract says so. Rock salt loses most of its effect once the surface is well below freezing, which happens often here in January and February, so a contractor working cold nights should be using a treated salt or a brine and should be able to name it. Over-salting kills the lawn edge and scorches the cedar hedge along the driveway.

What it costs in Ottawa in 2026. Indicative ranges. A seasonal contract on a standard two-car Kanata driveway commonly runs $500 to $900 for the winter, with walkways and steps included at the upper end. A long rural driveway toward Carp or Fernbank is higher, sometimes $1,200 to $2,500. Per-visit clearing is often $50 to $120. Small commercial sites are quoted after a walk-through and rarely come in under $3,000 for the season. What moves the number: length and slope, snow storage, whether walks and salting are included, and how early you sign.

Liability, which matters more than most homeowners realise. Ontario changed the rules for snow and ice injury claims. Since 29 January 2021, a person injured by snow or ice must serve written notice within 60 days, by personal service or registered mail, on an occupier or on an independent contractor employed to remove snow and ice, stating the date, time and location, subject to a court's power to excuse late notice (LawPRO). Your contractor may be named directly, so it matters that the contractor carries liability insurance, and a dated service log of every visit and salt application protects both of you.

Kanata specifics. The west end catches wind. Open frontages in Morgan's Grant, Kanata Lakes and the newer Fernbank streets drift across driveways after the snow has stopped, so a contract triggered purely on accumulation depth can leave a driveway blocked on a clear day. Ask how drifting is handled. Storage is the other local issue: newer lots are narrow, and by February there is nowhere left to pile snow, which is when contractors charge to haul it. Older Beaverbrook driveways are longer and steeper with mature trees and hedges close to the edge, so plough and salt damage to planting should be discussed in September rather than in March.

Licences and credentials. Snow clearing is not a licensed trade in Ontario and no certificate is required. The checks that mean something are commercial general liability insurance with a limit adequate for a snow operation, a WSIB clearance number valid for up to 90 days (WSIB), vehicle insurance on the plough truck, and a written service log. For a commercial site, ask whether the crew follows a documented salting practice and keeps records.

What to ask before you sign. Is this seasonal, per visit or per event. What is the trigger depth and the response time, measured from when. Are walkways and steps included. Is salting included, and what product in cold weather. Who clears the City windrow, and is that a return visit or an extra charge. Where does the snow get stored and what happens when that space is full. What is the damage policy for sod edges, interlock and hedges. Can I see the insurance certificate and the WSIB clearance number. What is the cancellation clause.

Sign in September. West-end contractors fill their routes by early October and price latecomers accordingly, and after the first real snowfall the good ones are not taking new residential work.