durhamregion.com This Week | Thursday, March 24, 2022 | 6 During the Jan. 17 blizzard, Whitby faced snow clearing challenges, including not having enough backup staff trained to help with the efforts. The town had its entire operations division working on snow clearing and cleanup, including roads, parks, fleet, administration and waste, while staff from the clerk's department and communications also worked on the storm response. The blizzard dropped 55 centimetres (21.5 inches) in the town, with a total accumulation of four cm (1.5 inches) an hour at its peak. A report prepared by Dave Speed, the fire chief and head of operations, noted Whitby was hit by about 50 per cent of its annual snow fall in a one-day period. "Despite the planning and best efforts of operations staff, the storm pushed the limits of what the service was designed to address," Speed noted. He added the storm "was a one in every 15 to 20 year storm." Following the cleanup, senior staff in operations held debriefing sessions with stakeholders -- including town management, union and non- union staff, politicians, other staff members and the public -- to listen to feedback and discuss how to improve service delivery in the future, without increasing staffing, equipment or spending on additional resources. Speed stated that operations crews were out early in the storm to clear snow and by 3:30 a.m., "a full plow operation was underway." By 8 a.m., staff made the decision to cancel waste collections "as it became obvious that is was an unsafe operation that could lead to potential collisions and road blockages further impacting plowing operations." Among the challenges faced by staff were a deluge of calls from the public, staff resources were limited because of legislative rules and lack of training for some staff, some streets were plowed, but nearby streets weren't, and sidewalks leading to schools weren't cleared soon enough, forcing kids to walk on the road. A series of short-term (three to six months) and longer term (six to 12 months) measures were recommended to ensure the town has the resources if a similar storm hits. WHITBY IDS WAYS TO IMPROVE SNOW RESPONSE A snowplow traverses through a blizzard earlier this winter. Steve Somerville/Metroland NEWS "Despite the planning and best efforts of operations staff, the storm pushed the limits of what the service was designed to address." - Fire Chief/Head of Operations Dave Speed Whitby is one of five hosts sites for the upcoming Ontario Minor Hockey Association championships. Derek Polowyk, the director of business development and marketing for the OMHA, said Whitby was chosen because of "the size and scope of the tournaments; we needed a certain amount of ice pads. Iroquois Park (Sports Centre) offers something unique that the rest of the province doesn't offer." The other sites are Barrie, Kingston, Oakville and Windsor. The championships will be contested on March 25 to 27, April 1 to 3 and April 8 to 10. There will be 72 A level teams from around Ontario playing in Whitby from U10 to U21 divisions. There are six pads at the Iroquois Park facility. "With the number of teams coming to this event, we needed hotel capacity in the area as well. So, the Durham Region, being able to host this size of event with restaurants and hotels, that was another major factor," Polowyk said. "We've done a number of events at Whitby," so the organization was familiar with the Whitby Minor Hockey Association, he noted. WMHA is providing timekeepers, announcers and volunteers for the event, he said. The OMHA has incorporated a new format for its championships, he said. "The way our playoff structure existed, you come out after the Christmas breaks, you really just jump into the playoffs. The main change Hockey Canada wanted to make was for kids to play hockey longer. The worst thing we heard: 'Feb. 1, we got knocked out in the first round.' You look outside and it's snowing and it's minus 10 and my winter sport is over," Polowyk noted. March 1 is now when teams could be knocked out of the playoffs, he said. That forced the OMHA to change its playoff structure, he said. After league playoffs, teams could qualify for the provincial championships. "We all know we were coming into that Christmas break and what number lockdown was that? Safety is No. 1. Could we imagine if kids couldn't finish their season again? The fact that kids are on the ice and they're playing hockey again -- fingers crossed and nothing else happens," he said. "We're excited to see kids back on the ice," he added. WHITBY HOSTING OMHA HOCKEY CHAMPIONSHIPS Whitby will be one of five host sites for the Ontario Minor Hockey Association championships. The event runs over the weekends of March 25 to 27, April 1 to 3 and April 8 to 10. Jason Liebregts/Metroland