The City of Cornwall has declared a significant weather event, a spring ice storm beginning late Friday and continuing through Monday.
As per the Ontario Municipal Act, a municipality may declare a significant weather event when a weather hazard, either forecast or occurring, has the potential to pose a significant danger to users of the roadways in which they have authority. This declaration suspends the standard timelines required for municipalities to meet their winter maintenance objectives.
Environment and Climate Change Canada are advising all to postpone any non-essential travel until conditions improve. During the significant weather event, motorists, pedestrians, and residents are advised to use extra caution as the municipality may not be able to meet its minimum maintenance standards for roads, sidewalk, and bike lanes due to the heavy snowfall.
The declaration will not change how the municipality performs its winter maintenance operations. However, it may take staff longer than usual to bring the roads, sidewalks, and bike lanes back to a state of repair. Snow removal priority will be given to arterial and collector roads. Public safety is the municipality’s top priority, the city says.
