Snow Clearing Program for Seniors and Persons with Disabilities

We offer senior citizens (65 years of age and over) and residents with a physical disability a snow clearing service on municipal sidewalks and driveway windrows bordering single-family dwellings. It includes semi-detached, link housing and row housing in the urban areas of Bowmanville, Courtice, Orono, Newcastle Village and in the Hamlets of Bond Head, Newtonville, Tyrone, Leskard, Haydon, Kendal, Solina, Hampton, Burketon, Enniskillen and Maple Grove.

Diagram showing a driveway, driveway apron, sidewalk, and a marking to show a maximum of three feet of windrow clearing

Municipal sidewalk clearing

Snow clearing service for municipal sidewalks will start after a snowfall ends and only when there are more than five centimetres (about two inches) of snow on sidewalks.

Driveway windrow clearing

Snow plows create windrows as they plow streets, often pushing snow so that it blocks driveways. The driveway windrow clearing service begins after we have plowed all municipal streets and when there is more than 15 centimetres (around six inches) of snow.

Should snowfall not meet the above conditions, the resident must clear the snow and sand or salt as needed.

Eligibility

To qualify for this service, applicants must submit the fee of $96.27 (including HST) with their application for the November to April season.

Applicants must:

Be 65 years of age or older (proof of age must be provided to keep on file) or have a diagnosed disability.
- Applicants with a temporary disability must provide a doctor's certificate each enrollment year.
- Applicants with a permanent disability must provide a doctor's certificate.
Occupy a single-family dwelling that fronts onto a municipal street in the specified urban areas or the urbanized regions of the specified hamlets.
Have no able-bodied persons under the age of 65 years residing on the property.

Terms and conditions

The snow clearing program does not assist with clearing municipal sidewalks or driveway windrows of vacant properties or vacant land.
Snow clearing will begin as soon as practical following a snowfall of more than seven-and-a-half centimetres (approximately three inches) and is planned to be completed by midnight the day after the snowfall ends.
Due to the nature of winter operations, the Municipality cannot guarantee specific schedules for snow clearing.
If you frequently need to leave your home to attend appointments, we urge you to make alternate arrangements to have your sidewalk and driveway windrow cleared. Do not rely solely on the municipal snow clearing program.
Driveway windrow clearing begins after all municipal streets have been plowed.
The service will not be called out for minimal amounts.
At the time of the snow clearing, crews will apply sand or salt if needed. It is the homeowner’s responsibility to apply more sand or salt if necessary. No additional sand or salt will be provided.
Snow will not be cleared more than one metre (three feet) into the driveway apron. If your driveway ends at a sidewalk, there is no separate windrow requirement, as it will become part of the sidewalk clearing portion of the program.
This service does not provide clearing of walkways on private property or the driveway other than the windrow.
The resident/owner is responsible for addressing all other conditions not meeting the above criteria.

How to apply

Visit one of the following community centres during regular business hours:
Show proof of eligibility.
Pay the program fee of $96.27 (including HST).

Application deadline

The deadline to apply for the 2022-23 snow-clearing program is October 31, 2022.

Questions?

For questions about the application process or eligibility requirements, please contact communityservices@clarington.net or 905-623-3379 ext. 2552.
For all other questions about the snow clearing program, please contact the Public Works Department at operations@clarington.net or 905-623-3379 ext. 2291.