What are the rules for snow removal in Barrie: Find out here

Snow is removed from a city street in Barrie. Mon., Dec. 15, 2025. PHOTO: CTV NEWS BARRIE

Lake-effect storms have dumped more than 80 centimetres of snow in the Barrie area since November 1.

“The volume and frequency of snowfall we’ve experienced this early in the season is unprecedented,” says Dave Friary, director of operations. “Our crews have been working nonstop, often in back-to-back storms, to manage the accumulation. We want residents to know that every available resource is out on the road.”

Barrie’s winter maintenance crews are working around the clock to keep roads and sidewalks safe and passable.

Winter maintenance in Barrie:

Plowing roads

Priority and secondary roads are serviced when at least five centimetres of snow has fallen. They are cleared up six-to-eight hours after the end of snowfall. Residential routes are plowed when there is at least eight cms of snow. The goal is to have residential routes plowed 12 to 24 hours after the end of a snow event.

On Barrie’s Plow Tracker page, you can track the progress of the road plows and see when your street was last serviced.

Sidewalk plowing

Sidewalk plowing is done on a priority basis on sidewalks when five cms of snow falls and on secondary sidewalks when there are eight cms of snow. If you see a sidewalk plow driving on the road, there’s a good reason—they’re travelling to their next destination for plowing because it’s faster than travelling on the sidewalk. Winter road and sidewalk maintenance updates are posted online.

Parking restrictions On-street parking is not permitted on city streets from 12:01 a.m. to 7 a.m. and 3 a.m. to 6 a.m. within the Downtown Business Improvement Area, from December 1 through March 31.

This is to ensure streets can be completely cleared and that large emergency vehicles can travel on the streets.

On-street parking is permitted on the following dates unless a Winter Maintenance Event is declared by 4 p.m. on the day prior, such as December 24, 25, or 31:

• 12:01 a.m. to 7 a.m. on December 25
• 12:01 a.m. to 7 a.m. on December 26
• 12:01 a.m. to 7 a.m. on January 1

Waste collection

City staff ask residents to shovel out a small area at the bottom of your driveway for your garbage cart, organics cart, and recycling bins. Do not place them on top, behind, or within two feet of a snowbank. Place carts out of the path for snow removal equipment.

Barrie’s windrows

Windrows—the pile of snow left at the end of your driveway after the road plow passes—are frustrating, especially during heavy snowfall. While residents often ask why the city can’t clear every windrow, the scale and cost of providing this service in Barrie make it impractical.

Unlike southern municipalities that receive less than half of Barrie’s annual snowfall, clearing windrows in Barrie would require a major new program.

Early estimates show it would cost more than $12 million every year, plus $8.5 million in new equipment, and would require about 45 additional machines and more than 90 contracted personnel dedicated solely to windrow clearing. Even then, the service would only push most of the snow aside, requiring residents to still clear what remains.