City makes improvements to PlowTO map after ‘inaccurate’ reporting during February snowstorms

A worker uses a snowblower to clear snow from Nathan Phillips Square at city hall following a heavy snowfall in Toronto, on Thursday, Feb. 13, 2025. (Arlyn McAdorey/The Canadian Press)

The city says it has now made improvements to an online map that shows what streets and sidewalks have been plowed after the tool came under fire due to reporting issues last winter during back-to-back snowstorms.

In a new report, released Thursday, city staff said it has upgraded the public-facing map, which shows when streets and sidewalks have been plowed and salted during snowstorms.

The changes, staff said, were in response to criticism about the accuracy of reporting during February snowstorms.

During the storms, which dropped more than 50 centimetres of snow on Canada’s largest city, people turned to the reporting tool only to find that the map contained inaccurate information about winter service operations.

PlowTO uses GPS data to track the movement of winter equipment across the city during snowstorms.

Feedback from residents, the city said, revealed “opportunities for improvement in PlowTO reporting,” the staff report read.

“For example, intermittent location reporting from in-house sidewalk plows during the storm resulted in an inaccurate depiction of plowing activity in some areas,” the report read.

“In other cases, some streets were shown as cleared even though plowing operations were still underway, due to system challenges in differentiating between salting and plowing when the same equipment performs both functions.”

City staff said steps have been taken to “address both issues” for the current winter season.

“In-house sidewalk plow route information has been updated in PlowTO to provide accurate location updates, and operational procedures are being implemented so that the map accurately reflects whether combination equipment is salting or plowing is accurately reflected on the map,” the report stated.

Staff noted that “more broadly,” other areas have been identified to enhance PlowTO.

“For example, the map offers a snapshot of recent activity rather than a comprehensive view of all winter maintenance work during a winter event. Services from specialized equipment (such as windrow and bus stop plowing) are not included, and the platform currently shows past equipment locations, but does not provide information on upcoming routes,” the report read.

“Additionally, snow removal operations are not reflected on the map.”

Staff said they are exploring “operational and technology opportunities” to continue to improve the tool.

“An update on progress and changes implemented will be included in the 2026 Annual Winter Maintenance Report,” staff said.