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We’ve redesigned niagararegion.ca to make it easier to find what you need. We’re still putting on the finishing touches, so over the next few weeks you may notice:

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Winter road maintenance

Niagara Region provides winter maintenance 24 hours a day, seven days a week on all Regional roads. We use a combination of our own staff and equipment along with contracted services, and aim to meet or exceed Ontario's minimum maintenance standards for municipal highways.

Our winter maintenance targets

6 - 8 hours

Snow clearing after a winter event ends

12 - 24 hours

Bike lane clearing after a winter event ends

4 - 16 hours

Icy road treatment after a winter event ends

How we manage winter roads

Snowplows move snow from the road to the curb or shoulder.

To reduce snow being pushed back onto your driveway, pile snow on the right side as you look from your house toward the road.

If your home is on a Regional road and your mailbox was damaged by a Region snowplow, call central dispatch at 905-980-6000 ext. 3690.

If we confirm the damage was caused by Niagara Region or our contractors, we'll install a temporary mailbox within 48 hours and a permanent replacement within 30 days (April 1 to November 30), weather permitting.

Replacements follow Canada Post's Rural Mailbox Guidelines. Niagara Region does not replace mailboxes already in poor condition. Decorative mailboxes will be replaced with a standard model. Newspaper boxes will not be repaired or replaced.

Niagara Region uses seven road weather information system stations to track wind speeds, precipitation, road surface conditions and temperatures. Stations are located in:

  • West Lincoln
  • Grimsby
  • Pelham
  • Port Colborne
  • Niagara-on-the-Lake
  • Niagara Falls
  • Fort Erie

Learn about significant weather events.

Salt

Salt melts snow and ice, preventing it from sticking to the road surface and making plowing more effective. It works best above -9°C and loses effectiveness below -18°C. Niagara Region follows a Salt Management Plan to reduce environmental impact and voluntarily reports annual salt usage to Environment Canada.

Brine

Brine is a liquid salt solution sprayed before a storm to keep snow and ice from bonding to the road. It is also mixed with road salt to reduce bounce and scatter, speed up melting and improve penetration into ice. The white lines you may see on roads are salt residue from brine application.

Sand

Sand provides traction on slippery surfaces when temperatures are too low for salt to be effective (below -12°C). Winter sand includes a small amount of salt to prevent it from freezing in spreaders.

Safety tips

Front end of car

Drivers

  • Check weather forecasts and adjust your travel time
  • Remove all snow and ice from your vehicle before driving
  • Keep an emergency kit in your car
  • Adjust your speed to road and weather conditions
  • Watch for snowplows, identified by blue flashing lights
  • Keep a safe distance and don't pass snowplows or salt trucks
  • Use extra caution on bridges, where black ice forms quickly
  • A snowplow with its plow raised is likely heading to its route — give it space
Person walking

Pedestrians

  • Wear bright or reflective clothing, especially after dark
  • Stay off snowbanks along the roadside
  • Keep children away from snow piles near roads
  • Shovel snow onto your property, not the road
  • Give snowplows space to operate safely