REGINA — With the temperatures dropping, snow can now appear in the forecast for Regina at any time.
To respond to snowfall, the city has laid out its operational procedure.
“When it comes to winter maintenance, our priorities are safety, accessibility, and using our resources efficiently to maximize cost savings,” said Chris Warren, City of Regina director of roadways and transportation.
The city’s winter response for roadways is dependent on the category it’s in:
Category 1 — Major roadways in the city, including Ring Road, Albert Street and Lewvan Drive.
Category 2 — Minor arterial roads or major collector roads with a certain traffic volume, including McIntosh Street and Pasqua Street.
Category 3 — Major collector roads with lower traffic volume or minor collector roads, including Sandra Schmirler Way and Angus Street.
Category 4 — All gravel roads.
Category 5 — Local/resident roads with less than 1,500 vehicles per day.
Each classification of category determines whether the city will provide any road maintenance during a storm.
In the event the city receives under 5 cm of snow, only roads under Categories 1-3 will get ice control treatment.
When there is 5-15 cm of snow, roads under Categories 1-4 will receive plowing within a certain time frame:
Category 1 — Within 24 hours.
Category 2 — Within 36 hours.
Category 3 — Within 48 hours.
Category 4 — Within 60 hours.
It’s worth noting that any storm with at least 5 cm of snow enacts snow routes, which ban drivers on designated routes from parking for 24 hours while in effect.
Any storm that causes 15 cm or more of snow to fall will see all routes plowed, including Category 5, which has no timeline.
After a storm has passed, the city will continue maintenance where problems are identified and prepare for the next snowstorm.
One way residents can keep track of when their routes will/have been plowed is through the city’s new interactive map, which will launch soon.
“The map shows when your street is scheduled to be plowed, and how the plow may affect your commute. The map is also updated in real time throughout each plowing event,” said Warren.
“They’ll also be able to enter in their location as well as their destination, and the technology will be able to show which roads have been plowed and which ones haven't on their destination,” he added.
Warren explained this map is updated by operators who have access to the technology and can clear off a road once it’s completed.
The city funds winter maintenance from an annual budget, which in 2025 is $11.9 million. In a September report to council, the city said $9.3 million of this year’s budget has been used so far due to increased winter maintenance activity in Q1.
In recent years, the city typically averages 69 cm of snow for winter, but 2024/2025 nearly doubled that amount (123 cm), according to the report.
“With the higher snowfall amounts and the increased number of systematic plows, the city's resources are stretched, and this forces us to continuously work to find efficiencies and improve our processes and delivery of our service,” said Warren.
He also mentioned that more snowfall is tougher on equipment, but the city co-ordinates to ensure operations remain steady.
The city has a total of 130-plus permanent and seasonal staff members managing 70 pieces of equipment, including graders, plow trucks, snow blowers, snow hauling trucks and payloaders.
