Winter Maintenance Zones (WMZ)

Please take the 2021-2022 Winter Maintenance Survey, and have your say on how snow is plowed and removed from streets in Fort McMurray.

From Oct. 15 to April 15, on-street parking restrictions may be in effect on residential streets in Fort McMurray to allow for snow plowing and removal. If you live on a residential street, there will be "no parking" signs indicating your Winter Maintenance Zone (WMZ) and the one day of the week you can't park on the street.

Throughout the winter, WMZs will be relaxed and activated, depending on the need for maintenance and to allow more options for on-street parking. For weeks your WMZ is activated, on-street parking restrictions are in effect from 7:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. only on your designated day for maintenance. If your WMZ is relaxed, on-street parking restrictions are NOT in effect and you can park on the street without being ticketed or towed. Efforts are being made to keep the schedule consistent for the activation of each WMZ. Typically, your WMZ will be active every second week, meaning you need to move your vehicle off the street twice a month. It is still important to check the status of your WMZ every week during the winter.

The WMZ Progress map will keep you up to date on the progress of snow plowing and removal on residential streets included in the Winter Maintenance program.

Occasionally your WMZ may be activated, but no winter maintenance will happen on your street. This usually happens when crews are removing snow or there are multiple vehicles parked in active WMZs, slowing down progress causing areas to be missed. New snowfall, emergencies, or other unexpected delays may also result in challenges with scheduling. 

Winter maintenance is always prioritized and scheduled based on the condition of roads. This means if your street didn’t receive maintenance last time your WMZ was active, it is scheduled to receive maintenance before other streets in the same area where snow has recently been cleared.

Windrows (snowbanks) created from a plow that are higher than 15 cm are being removed from the end of driveways in active Winter Maintenance Zones (WMZ). The decision to help residents remove larger than normal windrows was made after reviewing the results from the Winter Maintenance public engagement and the daily feedback received. 

Residents are responsible for clearing windrows smaller than 15 cm from their driveways within 48 hours after winter maintenance has occurred. The busier streets that aren't included in the WMZ program receive winter maintenance more frequently, resulting in smaller windrows that residents are responsible for removing. 

Sidewalks and walkways are the resident's responsibility and must be cleared within 48 hours after a snowfall.

Older adults that need help shoveling can register for the Snow Angels program. The program is available to residents 65 years and older.

The Winter Maintenance program was designed using feedback from residents and is aligned with the Urban Ice and Snow Control Policy approved by Council in 2016. To learn more, visit Snow Clearing FAQs.