Significant Weather Event

Bruce County may declare a significant weather event when the weather forecast or actual weather conditions meet certain criteria. Read below for more information.

Bruce County Winter Road Conditions & Closures

Significant Weather Event – As per Regulation 239/02 of the Municipal Act 2001, an Ontario municipality may 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 highways in which they have authority over. See map below for roads in which Bruce County has authority over. This declaration suspends the standard timelines required for municipalities to meet their winter maintenance objectives until the municipality declares the significant weather event has ended. In each case, during the course of 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 that the municipality deems it appropriate to do so. When the municipality has declared the event has ended, the standard timelines for winter maintenance activities will begin.

Bruce County may declare a significant weather event when the weather forecast or actual weather condition includes one or more of the following conditions:

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.

Bruce County wishes to note that the declaration of a significant weather event is not notice of a reduced level of service or a road closure. The declaration is to notify the public that due to the current or forecasted conditions, caution is to be observed when travelling on Bruce County roads and that it may take longer than usual to bring the condition of the roads back to a state of repair.

Bruce County will notify the public that a significant weather event has started and or ended in the following ways;