Some Winnipeggers are still digging out after residential parking ban ends
City issued 5,546 parking tickets during residential ban from Dec. 21 to 23
Winnipeg’s residential snow clearing ban ended on Tuesday, but plow crews are still cleaning up residential streets days after last week’s major snowfall.
The slow cleanup has frustrated some residents, and at least one city councillor, who say plowing delays and lingering windrows have made winter conditions harder to manage in certain neighbourhoods.
On Springfield Road in North Kildonan, Patrick Walker says clearing snow left behind by plows has become routine.
“If you don’t get it right away, it freezes, and then you really have a problem,” Walker said as he shoveled near his home on Wednesday.
CHECK OUT: Feeling burned out? Try these tips to manage your holiday stress
Walker says he had already cleared his private sidewalk and the public sidewalk in front of his house when a city plow arrived over the weekend. He says the machine swung wide, cutting across his lawn and damaging his lawn in the process.
“They plowed up my sidewalk again. Walker said. “It didn’t need clearing out because as you can see, I keep it clear … I was pretty pissed off.”
The issue is especially challenging for him because of mobility limitations. Walker says shovelling can take him an hour or more, depending on conditions.
He also helps elderly neighbours clear their driveways and access points, which he says becomes more difficult when plows leave behind deep, hardened ridges.
City crews began the residential snow plow on Sunday, following last week’s heavy snowfall.
North Kildonan Coun. Jeff Browaty says while the city generally handled snow clearing well, residential plowing in his ward fell short.
Patrick Walker clears a windrow behind his house on Springfield Road after a snow plow cleared his back lane on Dec. 24, 2025. (Prabhjot Singh Lotey/CBC)
“Locally, up in North Kildonan, the area contractor completely dropped the bag,” Browaty said in an interview.
“The rest of the city was basically done…. It’s unacceptable that northeast Winnipeg and these snow areas were so poorly handled this time.”
Once they start clearing an area, crews have 12 hours to complete the work, but Browaty says some residential streets in his ward were not cleared Tuesday night, and even Wednesday — well past the scheduled completion window.
SEE ALSO: Scientists witness ultra rare polar bear cub adoption in Manitoba
He says the contractor responsible for residential plowing in the area will face financial penalties for failing to complete the work on time, and city staff will meet with the contractor to ensure changes are made before the next snowfall.
While the City of Winnipeg clears windrows left in front of driveways on residential streets, responsibility for clearing back lanes falls to homeowners. For residents like Walker, that can mean hours of physical work after plows have passed through.
In a statement, a city spokesperson said crews are now clearing windrows more than eight inches high from front street driveways and returning to any residential streets missed during the parking ban.
The city also says enforcement was active during the ban, issuing more than 5,546 parking tickets between Dec. 21 and Dec. 23. Each ticket carries a penalty of $200.
This article was originally published by CBC News on Dec. 24, 2025, written by Cameron MacLean.