Winter Maintenance

Frosty roads, friendly faces

Winter in Bruce County is no joke! The Municipality of Northern Bruce Peninsula works hard to keep our roads clear and our community safe all season long. Find out more about how we handle winter weather and how you can prepare below.

Before you travel

Is your travel essential or can it wait until the weather improves?

Before you head out on winter roads, check:

511 Incidents and Closures listing for provincial roadways
511 Road Conditions listing for provincial roadways
511 Interactive Map for provincial roadways
Bruce County Road Conditions
Forecast from Environment Canada
Alerts for Grey - Bruce from Environment Canada

Tune into your favourite local media outlets, too: radio, television, and online. They're great at getting the word out to the community quickly about cancellations and closures.

Winter road safety

To drive or not to drive in wintery weather is a big decision. Ask yourself do you really need to travel, is it safe, and is it worth the risk? It’s okay to stay where you are. Abandoned vehicles could be towed and fined.

For winter road conditions in Bruce County, call 1-866-266-7569 or use the links listed at the top of the page for 511 and Bruce County. Never call 911 for road conditions or closures.

If you are planning on travelling during the winter, here are some helpful tips:

Prepare for quickly changing conditions by having working winter tires, windshield wipers, and washer fluid. Stock your vehicle Emergency kit with a shovel, blanket, booster cables, flashlight, and more. Check road conditions and give yourself extra travel time.
Avoid collisions by removing all snow and ice from your roof and windows, ensure windshield wipers are in working order, turn taillights on, reduce speed, leave extra space, avoid sudden braking and accelerating. Slippery conditions require caution. See and be seen!
When there’s ice and snow, be patient and take it slow. Snow plow equipment travels at 25 to 60 kilometers an hour working to keep roads safe. Passing a snow plow is never encouraged. If you pass, ensure adequate distance, road conditions, and space to return.
Police close roads for safety. Do not drive on closed roads. In a whiteout, don’t stop on the roadway. Find a driveway or parking lot to pull into. Vehicles parked or abandoned on roadways can be towed and fined.

Emergency Preparedness

Make sure you're prepared this winter! Check out the Municipality's Emergency Preparedness page for resources and tips on how to stay safe, warm, and ready for whatever the season brings.

Travel Tips

No matter what the season, use caution while driving. Here's a few more tips to help keep you and your passengers safe:

Don't Text and Drive! Distracted driving is a serious safety issue that has claimed lives. Every driver has a responsibility to focus on the road, traffic, and driving conditions. Pull over to communicate and don't put yourself and others at risk. Texting and driving is against the law.
Deciding to pass is a serious decision. Use your turn signals, consider conditions and obstacles, and look for approaching vehicles and vehicles passing from behind. Pavement lines are simply a guide and could be snow-covered. When there is ice and snow, take it slow.
Don't veer for deer or other animals. Brake firmly but stay in your lane. Collisions occur when a driver swerves and loses control. Be on the lookout, prepare for the unexpected, and slow down in areas marked with animal activity signs.
Protect emergency services personnel responding to incidents on the roadside. Slow down and proceed with caution when an emergency vehicle or tow truck is roadside with lights activated. Obey the law, move over, and stay safe! Offenders may get fines or demerit points.

Winter parking restrictions

From November 1 to April 30, on-street parking is not permitted between 2:00 a.m. and 7:00 a.m.

This helps our crews clear the roads safely and efficiently after every snowfall. Thanks for keeping our streets snow-ready!

Photo of a snow plow clearing snow off a road.

Winter control handbook

The Winter Control Handbook explains how we keep roads safe and passable during the winter months. It sets out what residents can expect for snow clearing, ice control, and other winter maintenance on the Municipality’s roads, helping everyone travel safely and confidently, no matter the weather.

Click to view the 2024/2025 Winter Control Handbook.

Keeping up with the snow

The Municipality is committed to keeping its roads and sidewalks safe for vehicles and pedestrians during the winter months, in accordance with the Minimum Maintenance Standards for Municipal Highways and the Municipality's Winter Control Handbook.

The Public Works Department works diligently to clear snow and ice quickly from the roadways; however, roads may become snow-covered during certain hours and under certain weather conditions.

Image outlining the winter snow removal guidelines set by the Province of Ontario.

Snow shovel being used to clear snow off of a sidewalk.

Residential snow removal

Residents are reminded that, under Section 181 of the Highway Traffic Act, snow or ice shouldn’t be piled onto the road unless you have written permission from the Ministry or the local road authority.

During winter maintenance, plow operators may need to push snow onto or near driveways in order to keep roads clear and safe. Unfortunately, there’s no practical way to plow streets without some snow ending up at the end of driveways.

Keep your mailbox winter-ready

The Municipality’s policy on mailbox placement, post size, and replacement is outlined in By-law 2014-28, which also covers procedures for replacing damaged mailboxes.

To help keep roads and mail delivery safe, please make sure your mailbox is clearly visible and accessible to maintenance vehicles by keeping the area around it free of snow and brush.

If you don’t use your mailbox during the winter months, please remove it, including the post, to prevent damage during snow removal operations.

Inspect and clean around your home regularly

Snow can complicate things, especially when it adds up quickly. Make sure that:

While you're out shoveling, you clear around the exterior vents on your home. This can help prevent a blockage that could cause a Carbon Monoxide issue.
Have your heating appliances regularly inspected, especially fireplaces. It's actually required by The Ontario Fire Code requires that every chimney, flue and flue pipe shall be inspected to identify any dangerous condition
- - at intervals not greater than 12 months,
  - at the time of addition of any appliance, and
  - after any chimney fire.
You'll also want to check your Smoke and Carbon Monoxide alarms to make sure they're in good working order.
Make sure sewer grates and drainage are cleared of leaves and debris before the snow flies. When the snow piles on top, it can make it more difficult for drainage if there's any melting.