Toronto is digging itself out Thursday morning after a major winter storm dumped around 20 cm of snow prompting widespread school closures and a parking ban.
Toronto Pearson said 22 cm of snow had fallen by 6:30 a.m. marking the “heaviest snowfall of the season” surpassing what the city saw a few days earlier on Feb 8 with 15 cm of snow.
The Toronto District School Board and the Toronto Catholic District School Board, among several other boards across the Greater Toronto Area, were closed to staff and students on Thursday because of the snow event.
The City of Toronto’s transportation services director Vincent Sferrazza said plowing and salting operations were underway throughout the overnight. By 8 a.m., all major roads had been plowed at least two times and a first round for local roads and sidewalks.
“Because of the significant accumulations, and now we’re experiencing somewhat of a drizzle, the snow is going to be very heavy. And as a result, we will need to continue to be plowing throughout the day and into until Friday,” Sferrazza said.
Sferrazza is reminding residents of Toronto that a parking prohibition is in place, as of 10 p.m. Wednesday, as the city declared a “major snowstorm condition.”
“Parking is prohibited on designated snow route locations,” Sferrazza said.
“These signs are all installed on utility poles, on signposts. And this is what you’re going to be looking for … you cannot park there. It is prohibited.”
Sferrazza added that anyone who is parked on streets designated as snow routes could be fined or towed.
As of Thursday morning, Sferrazza said 700 tickets have been issued.
Snow route sign.
Global News / File
The condition will be in place until at least Tuesday next week, as its expected a third storm this week will hit the region this weekend.
Sferrazza said the city will also be conducting snow removal operations on Monday.
“That’s the activity where you actually collect the snow, and take it, and drive it away to one of our designated snow storage sites or snow dumps,” he said.