Snow clearing costs in the Town of Peace River have now climbed to more than double the municipality’s annual budget as the Peace Country continues through a high snowfall winter.
During the March 2 Governance and Priorities Meeting, council heard that snow removal costs had reached approximately $852,000. The Town typically budgets about $400,000 per year for snow clearing, meaning this winter’s expenses have already exceeded the annual allocation by more than $450,000.
The higher costs were driven largely by significant snowfall in December. Data from Environment Canada shows the region received far more snow than usual, including an estimated 30 to 55 centimetres between December 8 and 15, with local estimates suggesting 45 to 50 centimetres landing in Peace River. A typical December normally brings around 24 centimetres of snow.
Town ramped up snow removal operations earlier than usual on December 9, with operations continuing at a high level to mid-January. During this time, Town staff logged 2,842 hours of snow clearing work compared to about 2,350 hours in an average winter. To keep roads accessible, the Town also relied heavily on contractor support, using 4,388 hours of contracted trucking and equipment to haul snow. As many as 21 combined Town and contracted trucks were operating at peak times to manage the conditions.
Keith Hopper, Trending 55
