RICHMOND HILL – Richmond Hill is committed to the health and safety of our residents, businesses and visitors. We are currently experiencing a strike by our CUPE 905-represented employees and want to provide an update regarding our winter maintenance services.

Winter maintenance in Richmond Hill will be affected by CUPE 905’s labour disruption. Residents should expect some snow clearing delays if heavy snowfall occurs during the labour disruption.

Clearing of the city’s 1,100km of roads will experience some delays if there is more than 5cm of snow accumulated. Clearing of the city’s nearly 750km of sidewalks will also be affected as salting will be delayed and it may take up to two days to plow any significant accumulation. Pedestrians are encouraged to take precaution while using sidewalks and pathways. In addition, windrow clearing -clearing of the pile of snow left behind at the bottom of a driveway by road plows - for all households will be suspended and will not be provided. Salting of roads will continue with little to no service disruption.

If there is more than 5 cm of snow in the forecast, a Winter Event will be declared and on-street parking will be prohibited. Residents can subscribe to RichmondHill.ca/WinterUpdates to receive Winter Event notifications.

Residents are asked to wait at least 16 hours after the snow stops before contacting Access Richmond Hill with service requests.

The City of Richmond Hill values the work of all our employees, including those represented by CUPE 905. It is our goal to achieve a negotiated collective agreement that reflects the important role that they play in the City and that is in keeping with other comparable settlements while remaining responsible and fair to our taxpayers.

For more information, visit RichmondHill.ca/LabourDisruption.

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“Thank you to the residents and businesses of Richmond Hill for their patience during the CUPE 905 strike. I know that winter maintenance service delays are a great inconvenience, and I can assure you, that the City did not want this strike. We value the important role staff play and I am hopeful this strike will end so we can get our employees back to work. The City has made a very fair offer to CUPE 905’s bargaining committee that meets or exceeds comparable municipal agreements. I encourage the bargaining committees to return to the table and work hard to reach an agreement.” – Mayor David West

Additional information

How residents can help support winter operations

• Don’t park on the road or across the sidewalk when it’s snowing or expected to snow
• Do not place anything within one metre of a road, curb or sidewalk that may obstruct plowing operations (e.g., waste bins, sports equipment, landscaping etc.)
• Do not shovel snow onto the road or sidewalk

Winter parking rules

• There is no on-street parking between 1 a.m. and 7 a.m. from December 1 to March 31 unless you have a permit
• On-street parking is also prohibited when a Winter Event is declared. It takes effect in advance of any snowfall. This applies even if you have a permit

Stay informed

To be notified about Winter Event declarations and maintenance activities, residents are encouraged to:

• Subscribe to RichmondHill.ca/WinterUpdates; and/or
• Follow us on X (Twitter) @myRichmondHill

Who to contact this winter

• City services - Contact Access Richmond Hill by email access@richmondhill.ca, phone 905-771-8800 or report a problem online at RichmondHill.ca/Access.
• York Region roads – Call Access York at 1-877-464-9675