Heavy snow pushes Sudbury winter control budget into the red by $1.8M

The cost to remove snow in Greater Sudbury this year has already put the snow removal budget into a deficit of $1.8 million.

That's because 303 centimetres of snow fell on the city between January and April.

The numbers come from a report that was presented on Monday to the city's operations committee. 

A lot of the winter control budget is spent on plowing, sanding and salting during snow accumulation, according to the director of roads and transportation, David Shelsted.

"Depending how long the storm lasts, you may have to do that route twice, as opposed to just once," Shelsted said.

"So there's a greater need to provide that service — in terms of hours of operations — and that would relate into cost."

The biggest snowfall came in February, when 117 centimetres fell on the city.

April saw 15 centimetres more snow than March, with 55 centimetres falling on Greater Sudbury. 

"We don't lose a lot of sleep over the weather. It's unpredictable," general manager of infrastructure services, Tony Cecutti, said.

"So we just deal with it. We prepare for it."

The city dips into a reserve for winter roads control to pay for over expenditures in snow removal.