Saint John is changing how it handles winter snowstorms. After years of complaints about blocked streets and icy paths, city councillors approved a new multiphased plan. The strategy directs more resources to clear snow from sidewalks in the south central peninsula. If you rely on transit or walk through the uptown area, you will see faster snow removal.

According to a report from CBC News, the city will meet the high demand for pedestrian access in these busy neighborhoods.

Why the City is Changing its Approach

An independent audit by the KPMG consulting group drove these changes. The audit identified sidewalk services and rural roads as high priority areas for improvement. During the 2024 to 2025 winter season, the city met service standards on only 75 percent of its sidewalks after storms.

Public works director Tim O’Reilly told councillors that two main factors are pushing this shift.

“One is transit routes,” O’Reilly said. “People that use transit, they don’t just get on the bus. They have to get there from the sidewalk. And number two is just creating those connectivity routes for pedestrians through the peninsula.”

Upgraded Priority Routes

When you navigate the city after a storm, you will notice crews prioritizing major transit routes. The new plan upgrades the priority ratings for several streets in the uptown and south end areas. The city categorizes streets and sidewalks by priority levels to determine how quickly crews clear them.

Priority one includes major streets, highway connections, and emergency routes. Crews make these roads passable within eight hours. After achieving basic accessibility, crews have two days to push back the snow, widen travel lanes, and open drainage.

Many high traffic sidewalks on St. Patrick, Union, Waterloo, and Prince Edward streets already hold priority one status. The city will now upgrade Broad and Pitt streets to priority one. Connecting roads like Duke and Sydney streets will also receive higher priority ratings.

Priority three and four areas include collector streets, minor bus routes, and residential subdivision streets. Crews make these roads passable within 12 hours and push back the snow within three to four days.

Equipment and Budget Changes

The KPMG audit revealed the city lacked the equipment to meet its sidewalk service levels. To fix this, Saint John purchased four new sidewalk plows. The city will repurpose three of these plows to improve services in specific priority areas.

The city will also decommission older backup vehicles. Coun. Gary Sullivan explained this move improves operational redundancy to “mitigate service disruption risk so that if something breaks down, we don’t lose that route.”

While the initial focus remains on the city core, Coun. David Merrithew emphasized the need for broader improvements.

“We’re talking about sidewalks in the south end peninsula, but we should be talking about them in all four wards where there are schools and transit routes as well,” Merrithew said.

The first phase of this winter plan begins in the 2026 to 2027 season and costs $97,600 annually. The operational redundancy phase costs $110,000 annually starting next year. Future plans include spending $147,600 annually for additional street plowing redundancies and a one time cost of $125,000 to review indoor storage for snow clearing equipment.

Frequently Asked Questions

What areas will see improved snow removal first?

The city will focus its new resources on the south central peninsula. This includes the uptown and south end neighborhoods where pedestrian and transit demand is highest.

How quickly will priority one streets be cleared?

Crews will make priority one streets passable within eight hours of a storm. They will fully push back the snow and clear drainage within two days.

When does the new winter management plan take effect?

The operational redundancy improvements begin next year. The first major phase focusing on upgraded sidewalk priorities will start in the 2026 to 2027 winter season.