City Providing Support for Post-Storm Tree Cleanup

Following this week’s severe weather and significant rainfall, the City of Windsor is currently responding to requests for service across the community while rolling out additional supports.

Tree Damage Due to Storm

As part of the City of Windsor’s standard emergency response, Forestry crews have been working through service requests for downed trees impacting the municipal right-of-way, with over 400 requests received over the last two days following two significant storms. The Forestry Department, along with multiple contracted crews, is prioritizing emergency situations, hazardous tree conditions, downed trees, power-line concerns and the hardest-hit areas. At this time, Buckingham Drive is still closed from Wyandotte Street East to Riverside Drive East to address tree damage from the storm. Detour signs have been posted.

The City is working closely with ENWIN Utilities to address trees impacting electricity, as some large and established trees have been damaged and require significant equipment to address. Residents are reminded to report downed wires by calling 519-255-2727. ENWIN Utilities also provides an outage map that is updated as new information becomes available. 

The City encourages residents to continue to log a “Tree Damage Due to Storm” service request on the Windsor 311 app or online portal if on municipal property. Duplicate calls and reports slow down the response process. Once a request has been submitted on the app or online, residents can be assured it is in the system and will be addressed based on priority and available resources. Also, the City will continue to address the large tree limb cleanup as part of the ongoing tree maintenance program for those who have requests submitted.

Tree Waste Collection Starts Next Week

Pick-ups of storm-related tree waste will be performed on the same day of the week as regular yard waste pick-up (refer to waste collection schedule), similar to past leaf and yard waste collection schedule pickup dates. 

The City, in partnership with Miller Waste, will be providing an additional tree waste collection for Windsor residents over the coming weeks, based on resident “Tree Damage Due to Storm” service requests submitted through the Windsor 311 app or online portal.

For this additional pick-up schedule, Windsor residents are asked to:

• Limit the length of the branches to 4 feet (122 centimetres);
• Limit the thickness of the branches to no more than 4 inches (10 centimetres) thick;
• Limit the weight of the branches to 44 pounds (20 kilograms); and
• Tie tree branches together, if possible.

Any other storm-related tree waste not meeting the above requirements can be dropped off at the City’s Public Drop Off Depot (3560 North Service Road East) at no charge.

City crews worked throughout the night to address traffic signals impacted by power loss, cleared catch basins of leaves and branches and optimized water pumping rates. We appreciate the patience, cooperation and understanding of residents as crews continue this important work across the community. For more information, please contact 311.

Please note: 311 is currently experiencing higher than normal call volumes, which may impact wait times. Residents are encouraged to use the Windsor 311 mobile app or online portal, whenever possible, to avoid wait times and log service requests more quickly and easily, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.