Mayor Bowman in front of largest "Snow Mountain" in RMWB History
FORT McMURRAY— As the mountain of snow at the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo’s disposal site continues to reach record heights, municipal crews are shifting from plowing to large-scale snow removal as winter maintenance zones move into a new phase this week.
The municipality says subzones 3 and 4 will be active for snow removal from March 2 to March 6, with regular winter maintenance schedules and on-street parking restrictions back in effect. Subzones 1 and 2 are expected to follow from March 9 to March 13.
Officials say snow removal is a more intensive operation than plowing, involving loading snow into trucks and hauling it to disposal sites. The process typically happens only once or twice each winter due to the time and resources required.
The move comes after crews accelerated snow-plowing efforts following heavy snowfall in recent weeks. The municipality says operations began Feb. 20 and were expected to wrap up as crews transition into hauling snow from residential areas and key routes.
Residents are being asked to watch for temporary no-parking signs, especially on streets not included in the winter maintenance zone program, including primary, secondary and tertiary routes where crews may be active through the weekend. The municipality says signs will be posted 24 hours before planned snow removal begins.
Municipal officials thanked crews for their efforts during the extreme weather response and acknowledged residents for cooperating with parking restrictions that helped clear access for equipment.
Residents are also being encouraged to keep streets accessible by removing empty bins from roadways after pickup, clearing sidewalks and driveways within 48 hours of snowfall and avoiding piling snow onto streets or around fire hydrants.
The municipality says updates on winter maintenance zones and snow removal schedules are available through its online tools, digital neighbourhood signs and municipal social media channels.
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