After receiving more than 20 centimetres of snow, which then was pushed around by winds up to 80 kilometres an hour at time, Weyburn is digging out after the blizzard on the weekend. With drifts in some areas up to three feet high, the storm made getting around difficult at times.  

Once conditions started to allow, crews from the City of Weyburn were out working on the primary routes Saturday, and that work continued right through the weekend.  

“Sunday, they moved into secondaries and trying to make sure any routes were open for the schools,” explained Jennifer Wilkinson, the Director of Engineering with the City of Weyburn. “They then came in very early Monday morning to get into the downtown and that is where they’ve been working this morning, as well as wrapping up all the secondary streets.” 

With the abundance of snow, many residents of Weyburn are working to dig themselves out, be it with a snowblower, or a shovel. Wilkinson reminded residents that the Refuse Bylaw means snow can’t just be pushed to wherever someone wants it to go.  

“It states specifically in there that you cannot remove the snow from your private property and put it onto the roadways,” Wilkinson said. “You are required to shovel your driveway onto your front yard.” 

The reason for the bylaw language is because of the difficulty that can be caused on residential and collector streets when there are massive piles of snow on the road. The more snow there is on a road can also mean delays for the crews as they need more time to handle the snow.  

While crews are working to move as much of the snow as they can, there isn’t a timeline for getting to the residential areas yet. As crews progress with the snow removal operations, the City will communicate to residents where the plows are expected to be, and what steps can be taken by residents to help facilitate a quick cleanup, including moving vehicles to alternate parking locations if possible.