Residential per-visit pricing
What residential snow removal costs in Canada (2025–26)
| Service | Price |
|---|---|
| Single-visit driveway (4–6 m wide × 8–12 m long) | $79–$129 |
| Single-visit + walkway shovel + EOD windrow | bundled in single-visit |
| Pet-safe ice melt application add-on | $8–$15 / visit |
| Premium "before-I-leave-for-work" (cleared by 6:30 AM) | +15–25 % surcharge |
| Roof clearing (single-storey) | $450–$700 separate service |
Single-visit covers driveway plow + walkway shovel + end-of-driveway windrow + pile placement per your saved preference.
Seasonal contract pricing
What seasonal residential plans cost
| Plan type | Typical Canadian winter (12–20 storms) |
|---|---|
| Standard seasonal | $580–$960 |
| Premium seasonal (sub-2-hour SLA + pet-safe ice melt + extras) | +25–40 % |
| Storm-only insurance (3-storm minimum) | $240–$380 |
When seasonal beats pay-per-storm
- More than 8 storms expected (most Canadian cities)
- Predictable winter budget required
- Snowbird / vacation winter — property cleared during your absence
- Senior or disability — no shovelling at all
- Hard 7 AM departure — seasonal plan gets priority dispatch
- 01Toronto seasonal: $1,400–2,200
- 02Montreal seasonal: $1,200–1,800
- 03Ottawa seasonal: $1,300–1,900
- 04Calgary seasonal: $900–1,400
- 05Vancouver seasonal: $400–700
- 06Halifax seasonal: $1,500–2,400
Commercial per-square-foot pricing
Commercial pricing structures
| Structure | Best for | Rate |
|---|---|---|
| Per-visit per sq ft | Properties under 50,000 sq ft | $0.025–$0.055 / sq ft |
| Seasonal fixed-fee | Properties over 100,000 sq ft | Single monthly invoice |
| Per-event with minimum | Retail with open-by-time SLA | Per-storm + guaranteed minimum |
What changes commercial cost
- Lot size and complexity — turns, curbs, parking-lane configurations
- Stack-out availability — properties with no stacking add $0.005–$0.020 per sq ft for hauling or melt
- Ice control scope — pre-treatment brine + post-storm salt + ADA stair-ramp adds 25–45 % to base
- Response SLA — 2-hour SLA adds 15–30 % over standard 4-hour
- Documentation requirements — ADA-compliant per-visit reporting is bundled at snow.ca standard
Average annual budget by property type
| Property type | Sq ft | Annual snow + ice budget |
|---|---|---|
| Small commercial / office | 10,000–50,000 | $4,500–$22,000 |
| Mid-size retail / mixed-use | 50,000–150,000 | $22,000–$78,000 |
| Big-box retail / warehouse | 150,000–500,000 | $78,000–$280,000 |
| Hospital campus / large institutional | 500,000+ | $280,000–$1.2M+ |
What changes the price
Driveway slope (>5° = +15%), gravel surface (+10%), corner lot (+10–20%), priority response under 2 hr (+25%), end-of-driveway plow-pile clearance (+$15–30 per storm), salt and de-icer applications ($35–60 per visit).
Questions, answered.
What's the cheapest way to handle snow in Canada?
Buying your own shovel and doing it yourself — about $40 in equipment amortized over 5 years. Buying a single-stage thrower — about $200/season equivalent. Hiring per-visit — $400–1,000/season. Seasonal contract — $900–2,400. Trade-off is time vs. money vs. risk of injury.
Should I sign a seasonal contract or pay per visit?
Seasonal if your city averages 12+ trigger storms (Montreal, Ottawa, Halifax, St. John's). Per-visit if under 8 (Vancouver, Victoria, southern Ontario suburbs). Hedge between with a "core 6 + overflow" hybrid contract — snow.ca offers this in 40+ cities.
Is salt included in the price?
Per-visit pricing usually includes one salt application. Seasonal contracts usually charge salt separately ($35–60 per application). Calcium chloride for deep-cold de-icing is always extra ($55–95).
How do snow.ca prices compare to local contractors?
snow.ca pricing is benchmarked against the median local contractor in each city and is typically within ±8%. The difference is that snow.ca crews carry $5M general liability, send photo proof on every visit, and dispatch within 4 hours of trigger — independent contractors vary.