Snow disposal problems affect Westmount

"There's a lot of snow out there — and it has got to go," Director-General Bruce St. Louis said Tuesday, but he added that getting rid of it has been more difficult than usual.

Earlier this week, there were considerable restrictions on where trucks could dump the snow collected from Westmount's streets. "We're having problems obtaining authorization to use any of Montreal's snow-disposal sites," St. Louis said Tuesday morning. "They're having problems at the Turcot Yards — which has been closed more than open during the past 48 hours."

The situation was no better at the Butler snow chute in Pointe St. Charles, where much of Westmount's snow has gone in the past.

Though both sites opened later that afternoon, Westmount trucks were only granted access until 7 p.m. — nowhere near enough time to clear the streets of all the accumulated snow.

As a result, St. Louis said the City was forced to go to its Plan B — blowing snow onto residential properties in selected parts of the city. This was done as a last-resort safety measure.

He emphasized that residents should not worry about the salty road snow ruining their lawn when it melts, for only the cleaner, white snow on and near sidewalks would be blown onto properties. Dirty snow from the road would be picked up and carted away as usual.

The practice of dumping snow onto people's front yards will only remain in place while the snow-disposal sites are closed or can only grant limited access to Westmount's trucks. "We're optimistic they'll get things sorted out at the Turcot Yards and the Butler chute," St. Louis said. But in the meantime, he added, "We will do what has to be done to remove that snow."