Hamilton is entering its second week under a “significant weather event” snow emergency.
Since the storm ended on Sunday, Mayor Andrea Horwath has issued no public statements regarding the snow emergency.
The Mayor has kept to her previously planned schedule of community events, luncheons, and feel-good social media statements.
At 1:21 p.m. today, day seven of the snow emergency, I asked the Mayor’s office to answer one question.
“Will municipally-maintained sidewalks be clear and safe for children to walk to school on Monday?”
Mayor Redirects Question to Staff
Mayor Horwath’s Chief of Staff Uzma Qureshi advised that City staff ‘would be best positioned to provide the most up-to-date information on the situation.”
I responded, “The question is directly to the Mayor,” noting that the storm had ended five days ago.
The Mayor did not respond.
City Staff Statement
At 4:49 p.m., the City Manager’s Office provided a statement attributed to the General Manager of Public Works.
“City of Hamilton road crews have been out in full force around the clock, working to clear all roads, sidewalks, bus stops, crosswalks and cycling lanes. All resources have been activated and deployed to address the storm conditions. City crews are prioritizing the removal of snow around schools, BIAs, and bridge decks. The majority of the clearing is expected to be completed by early next week, with the remainder of the cleanup efforts ongoing.”
Mayor Horwath’s X Account This Week: Nothing About City Snow Response
Mayor Horwath’s X account last reposted snow information on February 13, when the City of Hamilton closed all its facilities.
During Saturday and Sunday’s snow event, the Mayor posted only once – to celebrate Flag Day.
The Mayor did not post or repost any snow-related information.
On Tuesday, the Mayor posted photos of her attending a celebration of the 17th anniversary of Kosovo’s independence.
On Wednesday, the Mayor posted an article about CityHousing Hamilton and the 2025 City budget.
Today, Friday, the Mayor posted about the 4 Nations hockey tournament, attending a symposium, a senior’s event, and a post celebrating the Hamilton Tiger-Cats.
City’s Lack of Communications This Week
Similarly, the 27 communications managers and staff in the City Manager’s Office last issued a public update six days ago – the statement declaring the snow emergency.
The City’s website says its “current focus” includes “snow removal around schools (sidewalks and crosswalks).”
Yet, nobody at City Hall will say when school sidewalks and crosswalks will be cleared.
Today, I camped out at City Hall in search of answers.
I spoke with Carlyle Khan, the General Manager of Public Works, who stated the City does not yet have a timeline completed the first round of snow-clearing operations.
City Says It is Reassigning Staff to Snow Response
Khan said the Public Works is redeploying operations staff from all divisions to assist with snow-clearing operations.
He specifically cited the use of Parks staff, with ‘bobcat’ vehicles, who are now working to clear sidewalks and roads that larger vehicles cannot.
The snow emergency remains in effect.
Production Details
v. 1.0.0
Published: February 21, 2025
Last updated: February 21, 2025
Author: Joey Coleman
Update Record
v. 1.0.0 original version
While I appreciate your usual diligence, I’m not sure dogging on the Mayor or City Council about snow clearing is going to get it done any faster. The number of plows they have is set. I’ve seen sidewalk plows nearly every day I’ve been outside. The Mayor won’t answer questions like this because they’re simply not her prerogative.
Completely agree. I’ve seen multiple dump trucks filled with snow, bobcats, and salters/plows all over the city. It takes time to clear everything. Unlikely she’d have a direct answer.
What did the Chief of Staff say?
i think she should have put extra parameters in place given the increased taxes to hamiltonians, she should have put more people on it and sest it up before the snow storm and then say we didnt want to make you suffer twice now….