The most significant and pressing conversations I had with snow contractors at Congress was about the current salt supply situation affecting Ontario and much of the northeastern Canada and US.

In my 30+ years in the snow industry, a couple of things consistently hold true. We often forget that snow amounts average out over a 5-year period. A few years ago in Ontario, we only had to plow 3 or 4 times, and this season, many contractors are already exceeding that on a weekly basis. As the snow industry becomes more professional and consolidates away from smaller contractors, several practices that were once optional are now essential for success.

The biggest industry-wide change we need to embrace is how we view and use salt. Many of us have attended seminars or spoken with other contractors about the need to reduce salt usage in our operations. A common refrain I hear is, "I wish I could use less salt, but I'm afraid of slip-and-fall litigation." Driven by this fear, our industry cont...

Have you thought about adding liquids to your snow operations? It can be a little daunting but the overall benefit far outweighs the learning curve.

A number of years ago, I attended a SnowEx seminar by Daniel Gilliland. He is a pioneer in bringing liquids to the forefront in Ontario. I learned so much through his presentation and I want to share what I learned with you. 

There are four main reasons to use liquid strategies for Snow and Ice Control:

• Improve safety outcomes
• Reduce the environmental impact/property damage and the amount of chlorides going into the environment.
• Drastically reduce your materials, especially if you make your own salt brine.
• Using liquids to anti-ice prevents snow and ice from bonding to the pavement which results in a significant reduction to post-storm labour, equipment, and material clean up costs.

Did You Know?

• Slip & Fall claims related to winter maintenance account for more lawsuits than in any other sector except auto accidents.
• Nationw...