Winter storms wreak havoc on Oxford and Wilmot roads

Pictured is traffic on the 16th Line in East Zorra-Tavistock during a snowstorm on Dec. 29. Significant weather events were declared throughout the region as snowsqualls affected driving conditions throughout the region. Facebook photo

Lee Griffi, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

A mixed bag of severe winter weather hit Oxford County and Wilmot Township over the last few weeks, creating hazardous driving conditions and keeping public work crews busy clearing snow and applying salt and sand to area roadways.

Oxford County declared a significant weather event for county roads at 4 p.m. on Dec. 29, citing high winds that caused drifting snow in rural areas and prevented snow plows from meeting provincial maintenance standards.

“It means we aren’t able to keep up with the snow accumulation and meet those minimum standards. It doesn’t necessarily mean the plows will come off the road, but it is challenging to clear roadways with drifting and continued snow accumulation,” explained Frank Gross, the county’s senior manager of transportation.

“It makes the public aware to expect poor road conditions if they have to travel. Visibility did get very bad during the event once the sun went down, so we did have to pull the plows off the road for a bit. Snowplows in the ditch don’t do us any good.”

The last time the county declared a significant event was in February of last year, and before that, in December of 2023.

Gross said he understands people’s frustrations during times of heavy snow but added it does take time to clear county roads.

“It’s challenging when the event is occurring … with all the snow squalls coming through. The conditions can change so fast and it can be challenging to keep the roads in decent shape for driving.”

In terms of budget implications for snow removal, the county has surpassed its allotted amount for 2025.

“We also had quite a bit of snow in November. Our budget is based on a three-year average, and it is hard to predict, but we try to match what we see historically.”

He also had some advice for Oxford County drivers.

“As drivers, we all have a role to play making sure we have good tires with snow tires preferred. Avoid any unnecessary travel when winter storms occur and monitor the weather and social media.”      

Oxford County and Wilmot Township received approximately 54.5 centimetres of snow in December, making it one of the snowiest Decembers the regions have seen in more than a decade. A number of area roads were also closed as driving conditions deteriorated.

Wilmot declared its significant weather event at 5 p.m. on Dec. 29 and also added a snow event at the same time.

“All on-street parking is prohibited during a snow event to allow plows to clear roads safely and efficiently. Vehicles parked on the street during the snow event may be ticketed and/or towed,” explained a township release.

Both events were cancelled at noon on Dec. 31.

This snow event will remain in effect for 24 hours unless extended or cancelled. Wilmot provided the Gazette with a joint statement from its Infrastructure services and bylaw enforcement teams.

“Our last significant weather event was issued last year on Feb. 12 and ended on Feb. 18. December’s event was issued in response to substantial snowfall and sustained winds that exceeded 70 km/hr.”

It added plows were running steadily to keep roads open and safe for travel. Areas where snow was drifting required more attention and the use of a snowblower to maintain road widths. Despite the requirement for residents not to park on area roadways, several tickets were given out.

“Our bylaw enforcement team spoke with numerous residents about staying off the roads during the events and issued nine tickets for parking violations. All on-street parking is banned during a snow event to allow plows to clear roads safely and efficiently.”

Members of the Oxford OPP and Waterloo Regional Police Service were flooded with calls to attend collisions and vehicles in ditches across the area, but no serious injuries were reported.

East Zorra-Tavistock also declared a significant weather event at 4 p.m. on Dec. 29.

“This means that we’re working hard to clear snow, but the severe conditions are making it difficult to maintain roads and sidewalks to the minimum standards set out by the Province of Ontario,” said a township Facebook post.

“We may be required to plow high-volume roads multiple times before being able to address lower traffic routes, subdivisions and sidewalks. We’re asking residents to postpone any non-essential travel and to use extreme caution if you must leave your house,” it added.

The event ended at noon on Dec. 31.

“Thank you to all of our community members in East Zorra-Tavistock for their patience and cooperation during this time and thank you to our public works team for their hard work and dedication towards keeping our community safe,” explained another social media post.