Better Services. Responsible Spending.
Protecting Our Town. Making Winter Easier for Everyone.
Why This Matters
1
A Wall of Snow at the End of the Driveway
Anyone who has lived through an Oakville winter knows the frustration. You’ve spent an hour or more clearing your driveway after a heavy snowfall, only to watch a snowplow come down your street and leave a wall of heavy, compacted snow and ice across the entrance. Sometimes that windrow is so densely packed that it is almost impossible to shovel. It can be exhausting, frustrating and physically demanding work.
2
A Serious Obstacle for Many Residents
For seniors, people with disabilities and residents with mobility challenges, it can be an especially serious obstacle, preventing them from leaving their homes safely.
3
A Problem for Everyone
But this isn’t just a problem for seniors. It affects families, working residents and homeowners throughout our community. I believe we can do better.
My Commitment
As Mayor, I will bring forward a plan to introduce universal residential driveway windrow clearing across Oakville, beginning with the winter of 2027 to 2028, subject to Council approval and operational readiness. My proposal is straightforward:
Clear Windrows After Qualifying Snowfalls
Provide windrow clearing at residential driveway entrances following qualifying snowfalls as part of Oakville’s regular winter maintenance operations.
Universal: No Registration, No Fee
Make the service universal, without requiring residents to register, qualify based on age or disability, or pay a separate service fee.
Coordinated With Road Plowing
Coordinate windrow clearing with regular road snowplowing to provide timely, efficient and reliable service.
Clear Service Standards
Establish clear service standards so residents understand when they can expect their driveway entrances to be cleared.
Delivered Cost Effectively
Deliver the program as cost effectively as possible, with a priority on finding savings within existing municipal operations rather than simply increasing taxes.
The service would clear the snow deposited across residential driveway entrances by municipal road plowing. It would not replace residents’ responsibility for clearing their own driveways and walkways or extend municipal service onto privately maintained roads.
Want to Go Deeper?
Understanding the Cost
Town staff have already examined the feasibility of a universal windrow clearing program.
A 2023 report estimated the annual cost at approximately $2.6 million. A subsequent assessment in 2025 increased that estimate to approximately $3.9 million.
At the more recent estimate, the impact would be approximately $30 annually on an average residential property tax bill of $5,000.
That’s about $2.50 per month for a service that could make a meaningful difference to thousands of Oakville households.
But I am not prepared to simply accept a $3.9 million estimate without challenging how the service could be delivered more efficiently.
Other municipalities have demonstrated that universal windrow clearing is possible. Vaughan, for example, has reported costs of approximately $23 per driveway, compared with Oakville’s estimated $66.
We need to understand the reasons for that difference and determine what Oakville can learn from the experience of other municipalities.
Finding a Better Way to Deliver Services
One of my central commitments is to protect taxpayers while improving the quality of municipal services.
Universal windrow clearing will be an early opportunity to demonstrate that commitment.
I will ask staff, with the involvement of the proposed Internal Auditor, to undertake a detailed review of the program’s costs and delivery options, including:
Better integration of windrow clearing with existing snowplowing routes and equipment.
Opportunities to use municipal equipment and personnel more efficiently.
Competitive private sector and hybrid service delivery models.
Opportunities to reduce equipment storage, contracting and administrative costs.
Lessons learned from other municipalities, including Vaughan, Mississauga and Richmond Hill.
Practical service standards that balance reasonable clearing times with affordability.
My first objective will be to find efficiencies and savings within our existing municipal budget to offset the cost of this new service.
I will not promise that a program of this magnitude can be delivered at absolutely no additional cost. However, I believe Council has a responsibility to thoroughly explore every reasonable opportunity to avoid adding to the tax burden before asking residents to pay more.
We must also ensure that introducing windrow clearing does not compromise the timely clearing of roads, emergency routes or other essential winter maintenance priorities.
Helping Seniors Stay Independent
This proposal is particularly important to older residents who want to remain in their own homes.
A large, icy windrow can become more than an inconvenience. It can be a physical barrier that prevents someone from attending a medical appointment, picking up groceries or simply leaving their driveway safely.
Oakville should be a community where residents can age in place with dignity and independence.
A universal windrow clearing program is one practical way we can support that objective while providing a valuable service to everyone.
A Responsible Implementation Plan
My goal is to have a universal program operating for the winter of 2027 to 2028.
The implementation process will include a detailed operational review, confirmation of service standards, equipment and staffing requirements, procurement where necessary, and identification of available funding.
The final program and its funding will require Council approval.
I believe this timeline provides a reasonable opportunity to undertake the necessary work and prepare for implementation.
My Bottom Line
Municipal government should focus on delivering practical services that make a real difference in people’s everyday lives.
Universal windrow clearing is not a luxury. It is a sensible improvement to a winter maintenance service residents already rely upon.
I want Oakville to be a community where residents don’t have to dread the arrival of the snowplow after spending hours clearing their driveway.
I want seniors to have greater confidence that they can leave their homes safely during the winter.
And I want taxpayers to know that their municipal government is working just as hard to control costs as it is to improve services.
Better services. Responsible spending. A better Oakville.
That is my commitment.
— Jeff Knoll
Sources & Background
Town of Oakville — Driveway Windrow Snow Clearing Program
City of Vaughan — Windrow Clearing Service
Related policy — Open Oakville
Related policy — Protecting Your Tax Dollars
All proposed initiatives, expenditures and municipal policy changes are subject to Council approval and applicable legislation. Where responsibilities fall to Halton Region, the Province, conservation authorities or other agencies, implementation requires appropriate cooperation and approvals.
