Could an Ottawa Driveway Cost $48 More This Winter?

Hiring a plow in Ottawa can cost more this winter because some firms are passing on diesel, not because the city set a new household fuel tax.

CBC reported on November 2 that Kodiak Snow Removal, which works in Kanata and Stittsville, is adding a $2 surcharge per snowfall. Co-owner Allan Singer said a full-season driveway plan averages about $550, and the fee is meant to cover fuel rather than raise profit. Based on last year’s 24 snow events, the company expects about $48 more per customer. He said filling roughly 80 tractors costs thousands of dollars.

Worry Free Snowblowing in Navan is charging each client an extra $30. Chief executive Denis Berube told Radio-Canada the increase also reflects staffing and equipment, including higher equipment costs that he tied in part to a U.S. tariff on Canadian steel. He said the extra money only covers fuel.

Economist Colin Mang of McMaster University called damaged Middle Eastern refining a prolonged problem that could last into next year, and said those refineries are operating at about 75 percent of pre-war capacity. That is his assessment, not an Ottawa pump survey. No citywide snow-removal price was published.

Could every Ottawa household pay $48 more for snow removal? No. The $48 figure is Kodiak’s estimate for its own customers if there are 24 snowfalls. It is not a city rate, and no diesel-price cut was announced.