Snow Removal
The Facilities Services groundskeeping crews are responsible for clearing snow on university property and property-adjacent walkways. The Toronto Snow and Ice Clearing Bylaw requires property owners to clear walkways of snow and ice within 12 hours after a snowfall, but our dedicated groundskeeping crews work non-stop during a heavy snowfall and take pride in making sure the campus is safe and accessible for our community.
Keeping pedestrian routes clear and accessible
The groundskeeping crew pre-treats all outdoor routes with brine and salt and then continuously plows, shovels and de-ices until the snowfall subsides. Accessibility ramps are a priority and treated first. Additionally, new construction features accessible ramps that are heated with subsurface wiring to minimize snow and ice accumulation.
The university has two plows: one equipped with a salt spreader and the other with a brine applicator. Snow blowers, shovels and salt bins placed around the campus round out our equipment.
Weather reports are monitored to ensure there is adequate staff to meet predicted conditions and groundskeepers are also on call off hours if additional crew members are needed to assist
Supporting sustainability
Toronto Metropolitan University uses a liquid brine that reduces salt use by 25-30% on average. The brine has proven to be effective as a de-icing and anti-icing solution and reduces the negative impact of road salt on the environment.
You can find out more about our salt-reduction program at the Urban Water Research Centre’s website.
If you see an area of snow accumulation that needs to be addressed, you can send a service request via Fixit, the Facilties Help Desk’s online portal. This allows us to track areas for improvement and strategically implement increased support where needed.
Is something a mess? Is something amiss? Contact Fixit!
We share the responsibility of good campus stewardship with the greater TMU community — your service requests and reports help us continuously maintain a clean, hygienic and good-working environment and infrastructure. If you see something that needs our attention, please contact the Facilities Help Desk. — We can fix it!