Storm and emergency updates

June 1, 2022

Residential clean-up of debris from the May 21 storm began on May 30. Check the progress of the clean-up using our online map (grey streets indicate completed areas).

If your street has not yet been visited, please:

• bring larger branches and debris to your boulevard for City collection.
• collect and bundle or bag smaller debris and include it with your scheduled yard waste collection or take it to a regional drop-off site

If you missed your pickup date or need to hire a contractor to complete this work, please arrange for them to dispose of storm debris. Do not bring storm debris to city leaf drop-off sites.

May 31, 2022

A severe storm moved through Kitchener on Saturday, May 21, 2022. Strong winds caused extensive damage to trees in many areas of the city. While much of the most urgent needs and issues have been addressed, we continue to remind members of the public to be aware of the damage that may well be in trees and are at risk of falling. Please do not climb on downed trees or around upturned root balls and make sure to respect work areas around forestry crews and obey signs, barriers, and fences around areas that are closed.

Current work

• Staff continue to deal with urgent tree-related issues.
• An initial response to the most urgent needs across the City has been completed.
• Where possible, parks teams will continue to remove smaller materials to reopen trails and clear parks to make the areas safe.
• The City continues to work with the Region and private contractors to support cleanup efforts and will, where and if possible, try to move through this work quicker than anticipated.
• Primary focus for the next two weeks is on:
  • Identifying and managing damage in the crowns of trees and removing hanging branches
  • Focusing on removing trees/branches that have fallen from City trees into backyards, onto sheds, and over fences
  • Making ‘safe’ areas where trees pose a continued concern for public safety
  • Responding to as yet unidentified urgent tree-related calls.
  • Over the next two to three weeks, little work is anticipated on large trees that currently impact some trails and spaces. These are issues especially affect Prospect Park, Idlewood Natural Area, Rockway Gardens, Woodland Cemetery, and along some sections of the Walter Bean Trail. There are other trails, parks, and open spaces that also have large, downed trees that will not see immediate removal and will be addressed by priority as resources become available.

Future work

• Staff hope that once we have mitigated the most urgent issues, by mid to late June, we will be able to start a more comprehensive cleanup of parks, open spaces, and trails of large, downed trees.
• In some areas, such as Idlewood Natural Area, the damage to the urban canopy is extensive, with hundreds of trees destroyed. In these areas, staff anticipate it will be several weeks at least, and possibly several months, before specialist equipment and contractors can address issues.
• Staff are aware that some trees have sustained significant damage through the storm, and while they may have been made safe, and areas around them cleaned up, many of these trees may yet need to be removed as they have been damaged beyond the point to which they can be retained. It is likely that there will be additional trees that need to be removed as a result of the May 21 storm. This work will likely happen from October 2022 to June 2023, as weather allows.
• At this time, there are no service level impacts to other Parks programs such as turf cutting or horticultural programs.
• All planned planting for boulevard trees remains on schedule.
• Boulevard trees that were damaged or removed due to the storm will enter the queue and be replaced as a part of future planting.

May 27, 2022

Clean-up of debris from the May 21 storm will continue next week. Find information below about:

• downed trees on private property
• downed trees on public property
• city-wide clean-up

Downed trees on private property

If you have a downed private tree on your property, please:

1. contact your insurance provider
2. bundle the debris
3. place the bundled debris at the boulevard for yard waste collection or take it to a regional drop-off site

If you hire a contractor to complete this work, please arrange for them to dispose of storm debris.

Find regional drop-off site locations and hours on the Region of Waterloo’s website.

Do not bring yard waste, branches or logs to leaf drop-off sites.

Downed trees on public property

If you see a downed tree on public property, please:

• call 911 for dangerous trees (examples: on a house or on a hydro pole)
• call 519-741-2345 or fill out our online form for boulevard trees

City-wide clean-up

Crews will start a city-wide clean-up on Monday, May 30 to collect storm debris from boulevards. Please place storm debris on the boulevard before 7 a.m. on Monday, May 30, separately from your regular waste collection and yard waste materials. Do not block sidewalks or road access. Leaf drop-off sites are not open, and no dumping of yard waste, branches or logs is acceptable.

Check the progress of the clean-up using our online map.

May 24, 2022

City crews continue to respond to urgent city-wide damage caused by the severe storm this past Saturday afternoon. We expect to begin an additional clean-up of storm debris on impacted streets beginning May 30.

You can bring storm debris to their boulevard or curb for collection. Please separate storm debris from regular waste collection, and do not block sidewalks or road access. Crews continue to clear dangerous and urgent debris around Kitchener. You can continue to report problems online or by calling the corporate contact centre at 519-741-2345. 

May 22, 2022

City crews are responding to city-wide damage caused by a severe storm that moved through the Kitchener area Saturday afternoon. The City has mobilized all available resources to respond to the storm damage and remove fallen trees from critical infrastructure.