Snow removal crews are working as quickly as they can in and around Montreal to haul away snow from streets, sidewalks, and bike paths after 40 cm of snow fell in the middle of the week.
That's leading to quite a few mishaps, including a serious problem Friday morning in the Southwest borough.
A snow plow ripped a fire hydrant out of the ground on St. Antoine St. near Atwater Ave.
The adjacent Bell Canada building was flooded, as were several homes in the area.
The water supply to Blanchard St. and Coursol St. has been cut off, while streets between Vinet St. and Atwater Ave. are closed to traffic until the water has been removed.
Damage to cars, fences
Multiple residents said they had bad experiences with snow plow drivers.
On Thursday Ahuntsic resident Jimmy Costa came outside to find his car had been badly damaged, apparently by a sidewalk snow plow.
The car's fender, light, rear-view mirror, and doors were all slashed or torn off.
He's making a claim against the city of Montreal.
On Wednesday Vanessa Brott had problems getting her car off the street following this week's storm.
After she cleared off the snow and tried to drive away, she ended up with one tire on an ice-covered sidewalk.
When she went inside to get salt to help get her car moving, a sidewalk snow plow driver got upset her car was blocking the sidewalk and pushed snow in front of and beside her car.
The mayor of Cote des Neiges-Notre Dame de Grace has asked the driver to be disciplined.
Fixed property has also been damaged, with several people telling CTV News they have had fences or similar items destroyed by snow plows.
Bearing the brunt
Meanwhile snow clearing crews said they have had to deal with more than their fair share of anger.
Plow and truck drivers told CTV's Rob Lurie on Friday they have repeatedly been honked at while doing their jobs, apparently from drivers who want them to go faster.
Operators of snow removal equipment said it's not safe for them to go any faster.
They also said they were working a lot of overtime because there just was not enough employees operating heavy equipment.
Those in CDN-NDG, where 21 percent of the streets are cleared, said a lot of their equipment breaks down often.
Snow removal 31% complete
The city of Montreal began its snow removal operation on Wednesday evening, hours after 40 cm of snow accumulated on the ground.
As of 3:45 p.m. on Friday, the city posted to Info-Neige that it is about 31 per cent of streets and sidewalks were clear, although it varied widely by borough.
Only 12 per cent of streets in Pierrefonds-Roxboro were reported as being snow-free, while 53 per cent of roads in Verdun had been cleaned.
The city of Montreal's bike map indicated that almost all bike routes were free of snow.
