Submitted Media Release
In response to a freezing rain warning currently in effect in our area, the City of Brantford and County of Brant has declared a Significant Weather Event that will impact programs, services and travel throughout the region today.
Municipalities now have the ability to declare a “Significant Weather Event” which is defined as “an approaching or occurring weather hazard with the potential to pose a significant danger to users of the highways within a municipality.”
The purpose of declaring a Significant Weather Event is to notify the public that the condition of roads, bike lanes and sidewalks will continue to deteriorate to a poor condition due to the weather event, and it may take longer than normal to restore. Additional caution should be observed if it is necessary to travel on the road.
When the declaration is cancelled, the municipalities shall address any maintenance issues pursuant to the regular standards for maintenance i.e. within the time prescribed in the standard. Please note, declaring the end of the event does not mean the roads, bike lanes and sidewalks are in a good condition. It only means that the municipalities now feels that the weather has subsided enough that we can meet our required maintenance objective timelines.
Motorists should check road and weather conditions before going out and refrain from unnecessary travel if conditions are poor.
Please be assured that the County of Brant Roads Crew and the City’s Operational Services Crews are working diligently to restore the roads to a safe condition as soon as possible.
For information on how to prepare for a winter storm, visit: www.brant.ca/emergencyplanning. The County’s website offers winter storm preparedness information, links to an interactive road condition map and a checklist for your car and home emergency kit.
Brantford City Hall is open today as is the City’s Customer Contact Centre: 519-759-4150.
For a list of Parks and Recreational programming closures, please visit Parks and Rec Facebook and Parks and Rec Twitter as well as the WGSC Facebook and WGSC Twitter accounts for updates.
To ensure the community’s safety during the significant weather event, the following City services will be disrupted:
BRANTFORD TRANSIT and BRANTFORD LIFT
Brantford Transit is operating though due to poor road conditions, passengers can expect extreme delays to service.
Brantford Lift service is suspended until further notice.
GARBAGE AND RECYCLING COLLECTION
Garbage and recycling collections for the remainder of the week will occur one day later than normally scheduled from Thursday to Saturday as follows;
· Collections for Wednesday, February 6th, will occur on Thursday, February 7th
· Collections for Thursday, February 7th, will occur on Friday February 8st
· Collections for Friday, February 8th, will occur on Saturday, February 9th
Residents that have set out garbage and/or recyclable materials for pick up on Wednesday, February 6th, 2019 may leave items at curbside for collection on Thursday, February 7th, 2019.
Environment Canada Warning in effect
The freezing rain is expected to persist for much of the day before changing to freezing drizzle this evening. Travel throughout the day will be impacted by these conditions. Surfaces such as highways, roads, walkways and parking lots are likely to become icy and slippery. Be prepared to adjust your travel plans with changing road conditions. Ice build-up may cause tree branches to break and utility outages may occur.
Freezing drizzle is expected to continue tonight and into Thursday morning.
