MONTREAL - The city of Montreal has started to shovel out from its first snowstorm of the winter.
Workers will spend five days hauling the 25 centimetres of snow that's fallen over Montreal the past two days.
With 2,200 machines, 3,000 workers will be clearing snow around the clock, but by the time the sun rose Wednesday morning very little had changed in the downtown core.
Signs went up Tuesday afternoon advising people not to park on Ste. Catherine St., but the borough was not able to clear snow from the commercial strip before people arrived and started parking cars in the morning.
The city's snow czar Yves Girard says every borough is responsible for its own snow.
"You know that every borough has made their own planning for the operation. They can change it because sometimes they have to secure the sidewalks," said Girard.
The priority is clearing entrances to metro stations, schools and the area around hospitals, but there was plenty of snow on Cedar Ave. outside the Montreal General Hospital Wednesday morning.
Regardless, Girard is asking drivers to obey the parking signs so the job can be completed as quickly as possible.
"Please use the public transit. We have 6,000 places of free parking overnight, so use it," said Girard.
All the free spaces can be found here.
Drivers not respecting the signs will have their car towed and face a $112 fine.
Anyone whose car is towed can find out where it is by calling 514 872-3777 or going online.
