“It’s a win, win, win.” Woodlands County Mayor John Burrows reacts to an ongoing Ledcor agreement

Woodlands County Council was happy to vote on continuing an agreement with Ledcor Highway Services to drop their plow blades on Highway 658. At a recent meeting, the group of seven voted unanimously to keep the two-year-long deal in place. “Over the last two winters, Woodlands County has provided subcontracting services to Ledcor Highway Services for the snow and ice control on the secondary highway from Fort Assiniboine to the Athabasca River near Blue Ridge,” explained Andre Bachand, Director of Infrastructure.

For those listening in who didn’t understand why Woodlands County would want to make such an agreement, Mayor John Burrows explained that because it is a provincial highway, County trucks could not plow it unless they had permission. “We had to get an agreement. Administration worked hard to get an agreement with Ledcor.” Ledcor has the provincial contract to work on primary and secondary highways. For a County plow to lower its blade and clear the road, they have to follow a regulatory process that includes a written agreement.

He said that before the agreement, residents showed frustration from seeing county plows driving on a snow-covered Hwy 658 with their blades up. “Nobody wants to see a plow driving with the blade up. We were able to make an agreement with Ledcor that when our equipment is travelling and has time, it can drop the blade and charge Ledcor for the plowing,” explained Mayor Burrows.

In addition to the benefit of getting to clear the roadway, Woodlands County also makes a bit of dough. “We are making a little bit of money, and we are providing a better service level.” He said the financial benefit is between $50,000 to $75,000 a year. As for what residents can expect to be different, Mayor Burrows said not much. “The only difference you’re going to see is the slow down that it takes for a plow to drop the blade, but if the highway were snow-covered, they would be going slower anyway. That’s really the only difference. It doesn’t divert resources from anywhere else in the county. Our trucks were travelling out and clearing the little municipal roads in the Fort Assiniboine area, and on their way back, that plow was travelling through Blue Ridge. The equipment is already running past those areas. It could easily drop the blade and do plowing on the way.”

He said that Ledcor recognized that there was an issue and that Woodlands County could fill that void. “We got together, talked about it and put an agreement together. The travelling public is happy, the province is happy, Ledcor is happy, and we’re happy. It’s a win, win, win. This is a good news story, and we are really happy about it.”

Each road in the county has a specific service level that dictates how often to clear it in the winter. The agreement brings the service level of the road up to where it should be. Looking ahead to other secondary roads getting the same treatment, Mayor Burrows said it was possible. “I don’t see any reason why we couldn’t. If we get to that level, then we might end up doing something more drastic like buying another piece of equipment, but, at the moment, the Hwy 658 pilot project is working very well.” 

When it comes to increasing or decreasing service levels, Mayor Burrows explained that it’s a tricky process. “The primary routes get done first, no different than the primary highways. Like Ledcor does the primary highways first, we do our primary roads first, followed by the secondary ones. If people wanted a service level where everything was plowed in a day or two, fine, but there’s a cost to that, and taxes would have to reflect it. That would be a discussion we would have. It’s about trying to find that sweet spot in that area that works best.” The current service level for plowing is about four days. “In the past, if a road hadn’t been plowed, people would pick up the phone and call their councillors, who would then call administration to ask for a plow to get out there. The answer now is that we will have everything plowed within four days,” said Mayor Burrows. Councillor Bruce Prestidge who lives on Hwy 658, was pleased to make the motion. “The last two winters, we have seen considerable benefits for us doing this.” Woodlands County Council unanimously voted to continue the contract and keep County plow blades down as needed on Hwy 658.