St. Marys details response to days-long winter storm, significant weather declaration

This shot of a snowy downtown St. Marys was taken on New Year’s Eve, Dec. 31, during the town’s significant weather event declaration, and shared to the St. Marys Life Facebook page.

By Galen Simmons, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

A powerful mix of freezing rain, rain and persistent snowfall kept St. Marys road crews busy for the better part of a week beginning Dec. 26, 2025, prompting the town to declare a significant weather event on Dec. 29, 2025, as conditions worsened.

What began as heavy freezing rain early on Boxing Day quickly turned to rain as temperatures rose, loosening a layer of ice that had begun forming on local roads and sidewalks. Later that evening, the weather shifted again, with snow continuing to fall on the town and surrounding area for the next several days.

St. Marys director of public works Jed Kelly said staff were ready well before the storm’s effects were fully felt.

“Patrols began at 2 a.m. to assess and address road conditions,” Kelly said. “We were receiving updates from the Provincial Emergency Operations Centre warning of up to 50 millimetres of ice. Fortunately, temperatures rose through the day, helping break up much of the accumulation.”

Despite the reprieve, the system that followed created ongoing challenges for winter operations staff. With snow falling steadily and drifting under strong winds, the town declared a significant weather event under Ontario’s Minimum Maintenance Standards to acknowledge conditions that made it impossible to meet provincial road and sidewalk standards.

Kelly said the declaration serves two important purposes.

“First, it ensures the public and local businesses are aware when travel becomes hazardous,” he said. “Even with a strong fleet and dedicated crews, weather can outpace what is safe. Second, it formally signals that due to extreme conditions, meeting the maintenance standards may not be possible.”

The town’s announcement on Dec. 29, 2025, noted that snow removal was having “little effect” as winds and ongoing accumulation continued to undo clearing efforts. Primary roads, hills and bridge decks remained the focus while residential streets and sidewalks took longer to reach.

The storm’s duration over the New Year’s period also brought the usual operational complications that accompany heavy snowfall. Kelly said equipment failures and stuck vehicles are unavoidable in prolonged storms.

“Transport trucks were unable to climb hills, and some sidewalk machines became immobilized or needed repairs,” he said. “Our one-tonne sander truck even had a transmission failure, but we deployed an older unit to keep operations going.”

Despite the timing, Kelly said the community was patient and supportive.

“We received very few complaints – in fact, more positive feedback than negative,” he said. “Many of our winter operations staff had vacation days planned, and most have young families, but everyone reported for duty to complete the early morning passes. Their dedication made a tremendous difference.”

Sidewalk clearing, often the final step before lifting a weather declaration, was slowed as machines had to switch from blades to blowers due to deep accumulation. Both sidewalk plows must complete their initial passes before the town can return to meeting provincial standards.

The declaration was lifted Jan. 1 after crews regained control of both roads and sidewalks.

Kelly credited not only staff but council’s long-term investment in winter operations.

“We are grateful for the support and resources provided through the budget process,” he said. “One cannot succeed without the other. I believe we have a very good winter service delivery model in place and are well positioned to manage future storm events.”

Officers with the Stratford Police Service were also out in full force in hazardous conditions over the holidays, responding to stranded and stuck vehicles, and ensuring residents of St. Marys, Perth South and Stratford remained safe during the worst of the snow and ice.

“It’s a stressful situation for everyone in the community, including the emergency services workers who are engaged in addressing those matters and attending calls for service during that time,” community resource and media relations officer Const. Darren Fischer said. “Roadways are slippery and snow-covered and icy, and it’s a dangerous time to be travelling around on those roads, so I think we just have to be aware of that weather and be cautious ourselves along with passing on that message to others to be patient and careful while they’re out travelling.”

Fischer said public works staff in St. Marys, Perth South and Stratford worked closely with the police service, giving police an eight-to-10-hour heads up to ensure vehicles are not parked on the street where snow-clearing operations are planned to occur, making the job of keeping roadways clear easier for plow operators.

While Stratford police did not provide the number of collisions that occurred within the three municipalities during the worst of the holiday winter weather from Dec. 26, 2025, to Jan. 1 before press time on Tuesday, the local police service did say the only road closures during that time were short in duration and had to do with rescuing stuck vehicles and stranded drivers. Perth Line 26, for example, was closed for several hours Dec. 29, 2025, between Perth Road 113 Perth Road 111 as tow truck operators and emergency crews worked to remove multiple transport trucks that had become stuck and were blocking the road.

Perth County OPP, meanwhile, told the Independent there were 62 collisions across the county, excluding the Stratford Police Service’s jurisdiction in Perth South, in that same time period.

OPP closed a number of roads in Perth County due to blowing and accumulating snow between Dec. 29, 2025, and Jan. 1 with all roads in the county reopened by Jan. 2. Closed roads between Dec. 30 and 31 included Highway 23 from both Highway 7 to Mitchell and Mitchell to Palmerston; Perth Line 33 from Perth Road 107 to Perth-Oxford Road; Perth Road 107 from Perth Line 56 to Perth Line 43; Perth Road 131 from Perth Line 55 to Perth Line 61; and Wilmot/Easthope Road from Highway 7/8 to Punkeydoodles Corners.

“The decision to close a road is not taken lightly,” regional media relations coordinator for the OPP West Region Derek Rogers told the Independent. “Road closures may have significant impact on personal or commercial traffic. Public safety and officer safety are the main considerations when deciding to close a road.”