Whoever came up with the phrase “the best things in life are free” clearly never had to dig their way out of a Saskatchewan blizzard.
If you’d asked me about “the best things in life” Wednesday afternoon I would have told you that a freshly plowed street was at the top of the list, and folks, those streets don’t plow themselves.
According to budget documents, Prince Albert city council set aside more than $1.5 million for snow removal in 2026. That’s down slightly from the $1.76 million the City spent in 2025, and may appear small in light of other big ticket items.
For comparison, the City budgeted $56.7 million for Salaries, Wages, and Benefits in 2026. That covers paycheques for everyone from the City Manager to the guy who mows the grass at your local splash park.
However, $1.5 million is almost double the amount spent on snow removal a decade ago. In 2015, the City budgeted $840,000 for snow removal, with the actual final cost rolling in at $782,607. In 2018, snow removal actual costs crossed the $1 million threshold, and have stayed there ever since.
In 2022, the City saw record high snowfall levels, and that led to a record number of snow lifts. At the time, council asked for a detailed report on the subject because the City’s Snow Management Reserve was constantly running a deficit.
The City charges each residential property a Snow Management Special Tax to pay for snow removal operations. That $75 tax pays for the City’s dedicated snow operations crew, a 13-person team that uses four graders, five loaders, seven tandem trucks, one snow blower, and four sanders to clear 285 km of Prince Albert road.
I mention all these numbers because residents should know the cost of something before they start asking for more of it. Every year I’ve worked at the Herald I’ve heard complaints from residents about snow removal. Some years, I’ve been one of those people doing the complaining.
However, there is a bottom to the City’s coffers, and an end to the taxpayers’ purse strings. In a statement issued on Thursday, Public Works Director Jeff Da Silva said roadway crews worked 16 hours yesterday to keep the streets clean. Could they work more efficiently? I honestly have no idea, but I don’t think it’s realistic to expect them to work more hours. Faster snow removal will likely require more crews and more machinery—and that costs more money.
I don’t think it’s wrong to ask for better snow removal service but I do think residents need to consider whether this is the best use of limited City funds.
A huge snowfall like the one we experienced on Wednesday can become a public safety concern if it isn’t dealt with. It’s not good if police officers, firefighters, and medical professionals can’t get further than their own driveway. But where is the money going to come from?
Taxpayers? The City already asked for an additional $3.3 million from them to balance the last budget.
Infrastructure? The City had to spend roughly $1 million on the Sixth Avenue Bridge Viaduct Rehabilitation project. During budget deliberations, city administrators made it clear that delaying repairs could increase costs and disruptions.
Emergency Services? The Prince Albert Fire Department has been asking for a second location for years. Should the City put that request on hold—again—to speed up snow removal?
How about recreation? The City just entered into a major partnership with the Woodland Cree First Nations and secured significant federal funding–$15 million—to build a new Convention and Cultural Event Centre. Should the City turn down that partnership and federal funding to spend their own share on snow removal equipment and crews? Or perhaps council should ask the federal or provincial governments to chip in on snow removal instead of infrastructure?
These are all questions residents should sincerely ask themselves before demanding quicker snow removal service.
I will be the first to admit I get frustrated with bad roads. I will also be the first to admit I suffer far less from poor road conditions than most.
For one thing, I live on a priority street that leads right to Victoria Hospital. My block is often the first to get a snow lift. For another, I don’t deliver papers for the Daily Herald, but I’ve talked to people who do. Let’s just say delivering to houses and apartments on some of these side streets has not been a pleasant experience this week.
And we haven’t even talked about all the people who clearly don’t know how to drive in winter conditions.
I get all these things, but when I look at the financial challenges the City of Prince Albert faces—some of which I haven’t even mentioned in this column—I’m confident the City can put that money towards more important projects.
Jason Kerr is the editor of the Prince Albert Daily Herald.
