Greater Sudbury Safer Sidewalks

On  September 18, 2023, City Council’s Operations Committee voted unanimously in favour of a pilot project for the 2023-2024 winter that added 3 staff for winter sidewalk maintenance to finish any unfinished routes during storms, AND to maintain each route on a continuous basis once per week in between storms, with no tax increase.  This is an important step for safer winter sidewalks, and for continuous sidewalk plowing.  Read the staff report.

We documented winter  sidewalk conditions to evaluate the results of the pilot project.  The results of our survey for the 2023-2024 winter showed that the pilot project improved winter sidewalk conditions. However, a mild winter also contributed to improvements. Read our report here.  The results of our survey for the 2024-2025 winter again showed that the pilot project improved winter sidewalk conditions but that further improvements are needed, especially for residents using a mobility device or stroller.  

Our analysis showed that, overall, the pilot project resulted in acceptable sidewalk conditions for residents who walk, for a high percentage of the time. However, sidewalk maintenance requires further attention to meet the needs of residents who use a mobility device or push a stroller. Further improvements are also needed to provide acceptable sidewalk conditions more quickly after storms and thaw events, and address common barriers (icy conditions, and blocked sidewalks and intersections).

READ OUR REPORT.

On Sept. 15, 2025, City Council’s Operations Committee voted to continue the pilot project this winter (2025-2026), and requested a business case to make it a permanent service level change (staff report).  A vote on this business case by Council’s Finance Committee was deferred until the budget deliberations for 2027 (expected to happen ~Jan 2027).  This means that the pilot project will not be continued for next winter, and we will go back to ‘business as usual’ for the winter of 2026-2027.

We are advocating for Council to direct staff to bridge the gap, so that the pilot project can continue next winter, until they make a decision on whether to approve the pilot as a permanent service level improvement.