KAWARTHA LAKES-The City of Kawartha Lakes has declared a Significant Weather Event per O. Reg. 239/02 of the Municipal Act 2001 at 5:48 pm on January 14. This means they are not legally bound to plow the roads and are absolved of any legal responsibility relating to the state of the roads.
Environment Canada issued a warning for a second winter weather event for today, a snow squall, for Kawartha Lakes and area.
While Public Works staff were able to maintain compliance with Minimum Maintenance Standards (MMS) during and after Friday’s weather event, but they were not able to meet the Minimum Maintenance Standard and Council Policy targets during this significant weather event. Officials say staff accumulating hours of service will potentially limit their availability to perform winter maintenance activity during and after this storm.
“Residents are advised to use caution if travel is necessary as they may experience poor road conditions during the significant weather event. Staff will actively manage resources in an attempt to achieve MMS compliance as soon as possible.” said the City in a press release.
What does declaring a Significant Weather Event mean?
As per Regulation 239/02 of the Municipal Act 2001, an Ontario municipality may declare a significant weather event when a weather hazard is approaching or occurring and can potentially pose a significant danger to users of the highways they have authority over. This declaration suspends the standard timelines required for municipalities to meet their winter maintenance objectives until the municipality declares the significant weather event has ended.
