City Hall, the Welland Public Library (all branches), and City administrative services are closed, Monday, January 17, due to inclement weather. Welland Transit continues to operate.

City staff decided to close based on the dangerous road conditions and snow accumulation early Monday morning. However, essential City services are operational, such as public works, by-law, and parks.

“We monitored the forecast throughout the weekend and, after confirming the severity of the weather event, made the decision to close,” said CAO Steve Zorbas. “In anticipation of such an event, staff presented an operating procedure to deal with inclement weather to council, and we’re following that procedure.”

The City would like to remind residents that parking on the streets during winter operations is prohibited. Plows need adequate space to move around parked vehicles, and when this occurs, it creates snow build-up. Therefore, when clearing snow from your driveway, the City recommends piling snow on the right side of the driveway. Doing so reduces the amount of snow pushed back into the driveway when plowing streets.

The City attempts to clear Welland roads 24-hours after a snowfall. However, due to harsh weather, this is not always possible. Therefore, please be patient; staff are clearing the streets systematically and eventually clearing them all. If a street has not been cleared within 24-hours after the snowfall has ended, residents can call public works at 905 735-1700 ext. 3000.

Residents are also reminded to clear the areas around fire hydrants. When fire hydrants are covered in snow, it’s difficult for emergency services to locate and access them in emergency situations. Unimpeded access is critical for effective emergency response.

Normal operations will resume on January 18 at 8:30 a.m. The City will continue to share information about closures or interruptions to services as the weather event unfolds.