The wheels that turn when snow flies in the prairies

The various people who clear roads and provide information to the public always prepare for winter storms, but nevertheless they see a spiking workload when storms hit the Prairies.

The Sun took a peek into this world by connecting with provincial information centres, the City of Brandon’s snow management team, and a grassroots weather reporter to get a picture of what wheels turn when a snow storm approaches the region.

Travis Woloshen, maintenance manager at the City of Brandon, in mid December said that planning and preparation had worked well in dealing with Alberta Clippers.

Snow responses had gone pretty much as planned, he said, with no major hiccups or surprises. The team monitored forecasts, gave at least an eight-hour notice to its contracted snow clearing help, and planned to take action when snow fell more than five centimetres, and 13 centimetres.

“We’ll draw up a plan in our crews and our schedule, and then have that prepared, so when we do hit our milestones, we’re ready to go,” Woloshen said.

Planning can only protect against so much. The team expected trouble at some point, as many moving pieces fall together. For instance, conflicts can emerge between garbage pickup and snow plows, and Woloshen said this issue already caused one pivot in mid-December, where the team modified their snow clearing plans.

“We’re trying to schedule and provide an anticipated start time to the public, but we’re also looking at collection cycles so we’re not running into refuse collection and garbage bins on the street,” he said. “We don’t want to be plowing while bins are out.”

A mix of things, like a good team of staff, help from the city’s new contractor, and several years of experience, are the factors behind early success, the City of Brandon maintenance manager said.

“If we would have had this discussion six years ago when I was green in the seat, it’d be different,” Woloshen said. “But with quite a bit of experience, you know what to expect.”

The city has made some changes this year to launch a new information program, providing the public with daily updates on clearing activity at 2 p.m. during snow events. Woloshen said to make this happen he had to reschedule his time to be available to release information, and that shift has been productive.

“I’ve noticed a lot more blocks are getting cleared because that messaging is going out, and residents are off the streets a little more.”

Justin Oertel is an independent weatherman who, with his family and some friends, runs The Weather Centre of Manitoba. He told the Sun he was very busy covering the Alberta Clippers this year.

In the middle of December, he said he spent the whole night at the computer posting updates, save for three hours of sleep. He has roughly 157,000 followers who keep an eye out for updates — some even directly reach out for advice. Snow storms are busy times for his business, and he has no say on when they come, but he does know he must be there when they arrive.

“Before the storm happens, I’m constantly watching a plethora of (weather) models,” he said. “I just have it in the back of my mind: tomorrow is going to be a really busy day. I’ll talk to my wife, and ask volunteers to post some updates.”

The self-made weatherman has friends he enlists to help out, and tries to schedule assistance when he is at work at his other job. The weather group received a dozen messages in December from followers looking for information.

People look to him for information when they are considering travel plans. He notes that he has been told several times of people who checked his channel, then avoided long trips, only to see that they would have been stuck in places like Winnipeg.

Oertel, in an effort to provide a look at Brandon, later took to the streets on a livestream to broadcast the conditions from his car. The roughly hour-long broadcast took place when Brandon was under heavy snow conditions.

“The big thing for me is, if you chase a winter storm, you’re not taking big risks.”

While the bulk of the city’s work takes place on the streets of Brandon, the bulk of Oertel’s work takes place online — and the Province of Saskatchewan blends its work across the two. The Alberta Clippers that travelled through Saskatchewan on their way to Manitoba met a dedicated team in Saskatchewan.

The province’s Highway Hotline blends a constant information service with data coming through snow plows across its highways. To do this, the team prepares each winter for major weather events, such as the Alberta Clippers, a spokesperson told the Sun. The team uses roughly 300 snowplows. The team covers 26,500 km of the province’s highway network.

“The ministry schedules equipment operators to be available seven days a week on flexible schedules to ensure maximum coverage during winter storms,” a spokesperson for the Ministry of Highways told the Sun. “Snow and ice removal equipment is mobilized before, during and after storms.”

The operation centre in Regina, which looks like a battle-station of computer screens, displays highway feeds, custom maps and organization systems while it is running. It is staffed around the clock, to provide updates road conditions from a swath of sources such as snowplow operators in the field.

The province also provides an app for the public. It is meant to provide a central place for weather watching, with features like roadside cameras, weather forecasts, and a “Track My Plow” feature on snowplows.

The Province of Manitoba, which dealt with the Alberta Clippers after they rolled through Saskatchewan, said the workload spikes when storms hit.

“Winter storms, such as the blizzard that occurred from December 17 to 18, 2025 significantly increase d workloads and call volumes,”a spokesperson with the province said in a written statement. “Before major weather events, staff are alerted to potential incoming weather systems and are prepared to work extra hours if needed to manage the increased call volumes, provincial road closures and variable message board updates.”

The spokesperson said that Manitoba 511 Operations Centre partners with law enforcement and municipal police. In Manitoba, law enforcement agencies decide when to close highways for safety, and Manitoba 511 staff notify the public. Government maintenance staff also provide updates on road status while patrolling through days of snow events.

“The Manitoba 511 Operations Centre staff are a dedicated team.”

Additional Manitoba Transportation and Infrastructure employees are also ready to be made available and are called in to support the 511 Operations Centre as required.

» cmcdowell@brandonsun.com