Town of Aylmer Declares a Significant Weather Event – Sunday February 16 – Ended February 18
⚠️Update: 9:18 a.m. Tuesday February 18, 2025
The Significant Weather Event Declaration for the Town of Aylmer has now ended. The Town of Aylmer Works Department continues to monitor road and weather conditions to ensure public safety is maintained. Thank you to all residents for their patience during this time.
⚠️At 12:35 p.m. Sunday February 16, 2025, the Town of Aylmer officially declared a Significant Weather Event as per Ontario Regulation 239/02. This declaration applies to all roads within the geographic boundary of the Town of Aylmer.
⚠️The Town is currently responding to the significant snowfall. Declaring a Significant Weather Event allows the Town to continue road maintenance operations in a safe and responsible manner during severe and hazardous weather. Town plows will continue to operate, but the difficult weather conditions can mean road and sidewalk maintenance may take longer than usual.
⚠️All non-essential travel throughout the Town is strongly discouraged. If citizens must travel, leave plenty of additional time and give snowplows extra space and distance to operate.
What is a Significant Weather Event?
A significant weather event is an approaching or occurring weather hazard with the potential to pose a significant danger to users of the roads within a municipality.
As per the Ontario Municipal Act, the Town may declare a Significant Weather Event when the weather forecast or actual weather condition includes one or more but is not limited to the following conditions:
- Environment Canada has issued an alert under its Public Weather Alerting Program
- Significant snow accumulation during a 24-hour period
- Ice formation that occurs with no warning from the weather forecast
- High winds leading to large snow drifts
- Cold temperature when de-icing operations will not be effective
What happens when the Town declares a Significant Weather Event?
The Ontario Regulation 239/02, Minimum Maintenance Standards for Municipal Highways, made under the Municipal Act, 2001, gives municipalities the authority to declare a Significant Weather Event when a weather hazard is approaching or occurring and has the potential to pose a significant danger to users of the roads in which the municipality has authority over.
When a municipality declares a Significant Weather Event, the declaration suspends the standard timelines required for municipalities to meet their winter maintenance objectives. All roadways and/or sidewalks are deemed in a state of repair with respect to snow accumulation and/or ice conditions until the municipality declares the significant weather event has ended.
During a declared Significant Weather Event, the standard for addressing winter maintenance is to monitor the weather and to deploy resources to address the issue starting from the time the municipality deems it appropriate to do so.
Will roads be closed during a Significant Weather Event?
A declaration of a Significant Weather Event is not a notice of road closures. The declaration is to notify the public that due to current or forecasted conditions, caution is to be observed when traveling on the municipality’s roads or sidewalks, and that it may take longer than usual to bring the condition of the roads and sidewalks back to optimal conditions.
However, residents are urged to remain at home and avoid driving unless travel is necessary when a Significant Weather Event is declared.
Where can I find the Town has declared a Significant Weather Event?
In the event that a Significant Weather Event is declared, the Town will, within its best efforts, communicate applicable details to the public through the following methods of communication:
- Posting a notice on the Town website
- Sharing the notice on the Town’s social media pages
Facebook.com/TownofAylmer
Instagram.com/TownofAylmer - Add a message to the Town’s phone line 519-773-3164
These channels will also be updated when the event has ended.