The Numbers Don't Lie

The 2025-26 winter season was one of the most operationally demanding in Monster Plowing Company's 18-year history. Here's what our dispatch team tracked from November through April:

• 190.6 cm of snow at Pearson — 60% above Toronto's long-term average
• 34 trigger days of snowfall (1 cm or more) requiring active operations
• 56 cm peak snowpack on January 26th — the deepest Toronto has seen in years
• 46 cm of snow in a single storm on January 25th — the largest single event in recent Toronto history
• Storm Clause activated twice (January 15th and January 25-26th)
• 58 dispatched operations — 16 full plow deployments, 11 salt runs, 15 remedial touch-ups, 13 training runs, and 3 delivery rounds
• 29,714 site services completed across the season — 100% job completion rate
• 846 sites serviced on peak nights
• 90 trucks deployed from two yards — Cartwright Avenue and Birchmount Road
• 220 snowfighters at peak — operators, blower crews, snipers, dispatchers, supervisors, account managers
• 52,138 labour hours delivered — the equivalent of 25 full-time years of work in six months
• 343,947 km driven across the fleet — more than 8 times around the Earth at the equator, nearly enough to reach the Moon
• ~4,500 metric tonnes of eco-friendly Green Ice Melter applied (more on that below)
• 37 client weather updates sent — averaging a 61% open rate

The Salt Story — 4,500 Tonnes in Six Months

Ice melter consumption this season was staggering. Monster applied approximately 4,500 metric tonnes of eco-friendly Green Ice Melter between November and April. That's not a number most people can picture, so here it is in real-world terms:

• Enough product to fill more than 1.5 Olympic-size swimming pools
• The combined weight of 25 fully-loaded Boeing 747s
• Heavier than 750 adult African elephants combined
• More than the mass of 60,000 adults

Every pound of that was loaded, transported, and applied — by hand or spreader — across GTA driveways, laneways, walkways, loading docks, storefronts, and parking lots. The single busiest 24-hour stretch, during the January 25th powder storm, moved 272 tonnes of salt in one night — roughly the weight of a full Boeing 747 in a single shift.

A Season of Extremes

This wasn't a gentle winter. It started early, hit hard in January, tested our supply chain in February, and threw a late-season surprise in March. The season unfolded across 16 major plow events and 42 additional salt runs, remedials, training dry runs, and delivery rounds. Here's how the major plow events landed.

November 8th — First Snow, First Dispatch

The season opened on November 8th with 5 cm of snow across the GTA. While many contractors were still finalizing crews, Monster had already completed pre-season training and route assignments. All 787 contracted jobs at that point were attended. The season was officially underway.

December 9-10 — First Major Event

Ten centimetres of snow arrived with the season's first real test. Over 1,100 individual site services were completed in a single event — the highest job count of the entire season. Crews ran priority routing from a 4 AM start, with snowblowers deployed for the first time. The dispatch note to crews: "Treat the blowers nicely. Don't drop it. Strap it down. It's a vital tool if you treat it like your best friend."

December 23rd — Salting for Santa

A pre-Christmas deicing event brought out the full fleet for overnight salting. New snowfighters joined the team that night — onboarded on a lighter event to learn the ropes. The dispatch message: "Let's make it nice and salty for Christmas, Monsters. Welcome the new crew kindly with a great opportunity to get trained on an easy night!"

December 26th — Boxing Day Blitz

Ten centimetres hit on Boxing Day, requiring a 10-13 hour overnight shift. Crews were reminded to pace themselves: "Slow, steady, and careful wins big storms. Be gentle with equipment — breakdowns cost time and money."

January 5th — New Year, First Plowing of 2026

Five to ten centimetres were expected; four landed. A long daytime shift with priority routing. All 909 jobs closed out. The season's momentum was building.

January 14-15 — The First Storm Clause

This is where the season turned. Environment Canada forecast 10-15 cm. Toronto got 30. Snow started falling earlier than predicted and didn't stop for nearly 21 hours. Monster activated the Storm Clause — a contractual provision for extreme weather events where standard completion timelines are extended to account for conditions that exceed normal service parameters.

Crews ran a 22-hour continuous shift. Over 1,030 site services were completed. Priority sites were hit twice — once early, once after the snow stopped. The followup email to clients carried the subject line: "Following a 22-Hour Storm Shift, Additional Snow Service Scheduled Tonight."

January 25th — The Big One: 46-55 Centimetres

This was the defining event of the season. Environment Canada called for 30-40 cm of light powder. Pearson officially recorded 46 cm, with significant drifting pushing accumulation to 55 cm or more in exposed areas.

Monster dispatched the full fleet from both yards. The dispatch instructions were clear: "We're dealing with 45-60 cm of light powder plus drifting. Do each site ONCE, fully, to completion. Pile snow anywhere it won't block access. Keep salt DRY. This is go-until-done."

The Storm Clause was activated for the second time. Crews worked through Sunday evening and into Monday. A follow-up cleanup event ran Tuesday through Wednesday to bring every site back to full Monster standard. The dispatch note for that cleanup shift: "About 50% of sites are mostly fine and only need touch-ups. The other 50% are in rough shape and require real time and attention. Do NOT overwork the good sites. Spend your time fixing what's messed up."

This storm sequence — the 46-55 cm dump plus the multi-day cleanup — was the single largest operational stretch in Monster's history. And every site was brought back to standard.

Late January — The Ice Control Decision

The back-to-back January storms consumed enormous quantities of eco-friendly Green Ice Melter. With supply chains under pressure across the GTA, Monster made a proactive decision: survey every client on their ice control preferences for the remainder of the season.

Over the first week of February, Monster sent a multi-round client survey with a 20.9% click-through rate — unheard of for an operational email. Clients were given the option to adjust their ice control allocation, allowing Monster to optimize supply distribution across every property. The transparency was deliberate: rather than quietly reducing service, Monster asked clients directly and let them participate in the decision.

February — The Grind

February brought steady, persistent snow. Five plow events in three weeks — February 6th, 10th, 18th, 22nd, and 24th — kept crews on a near-weekly cadence. None were individually massive (3-5 cm each), but the cumulative effect was relentless. The February 24th event added 50 km/h wind gusts, creating drifting conditions that complicated already-tight salt supplies.

The dispatch note on February 22nd captured the operational mindset: "Major snow coming Tuesday and Thursday. Tonight is about setting sites up clean, safe, and ready for the week. Execute clean. Execute smart. SET YOUR CREW UP FOR SUCCESS WHEN IT SNOWS BIG LATER THIS WEEK!"

March 13th — The Late-Season Surprise

Just when it looked like winter was winding down, March 13th delivered a heavier-than-expected 5 cm snowfall. Monster deployed full plowing and deicing — all 859 jobs closed out. Two client weather updates went out the same day, plus a follow-up surprise snow alert on March 17th that required one final ice melter application.

That was Monster Update #37 — the last weather update of the season.

What the Season Proved

Fifty-eight dispatched operations. Two Storm Clause activations. 29,714 site services completed at a 100% job completion rate. An ice control supply crunch that required transparent client communication and real-time inventory management. A 46-55 cm powder dump that tested every truck, every crew, and every contingency plan in the book.

And through all of it:

• 100% job completion across the entire season — every site, every event, fully closed
• 37 proactive weather updates — clients always knew what was happening and when
• 61% average open rate on client communications — because Monster's updates contain real operational intelligence, not marketing filler
• 4,500 tonnes of salt moved and applied without a single site left unserviced
• 343,947 km driven — more than eight laps around the planet
• 52,138 labour hours delivered across 220 snowfighters at peak staffing

This is what flat-rate, all-inclusive, zero-tolerance snow removal looks like when winter actually tests it. Not during a mild year when anyone can look competent — during a year that breaks unprepared contractors.

Thank You to the Monster Team

None of this happens without the 220 snowfighters, supervisors, dispatchers, and support staff who made it through one of the toughest seasons on record. The overnight shifts. The 22-hour grinds. The pre-dawn salt runs. The post-storm cleanups that took days to complete. Every single one of those people showed up when it mattered.

And to our seasonal clients — thank you for trusting Monster with your properties. Your patience during Storm Clause events, your engagement with our communications, and your willingness to work with us on ice control planning made this season manageable even at its most extreme.

Looking Ahead to 2026-27

Monster Plowing Company has now won the Consumer Choice Award for Best Snow Removal in Toronto 12 consecutive years. Seasons like 2025-26 are exactly why that award keeps coming back.

If you're looking for a snow removal partner that actually delivers when winter gets serious, view our seasonal packages or request your free 2026-27 quote. Early sign-ups secure priority scheduling and locked-in pricing.

Stay safe out there, Toronto. We'll see you in November.