Gatineau maintains approximately 600 kilometres of sidewalks in the winter. The policy on snow clearing provides for the maintenance of one out of two sidewalks along the main arteries, collectors and side streets, unless otherwise specified.

Sidewalks are cleared continuously as soon as there is an accumulation of 5 cm on the ground or as soon as they get icy.

Response time: up to 24 hours after the precipitation ends to complete the operations.

Any sidewalks on side streets that meet the following criteria will not be maintained:

• street and very narrow street with little traffic,
• dead end where there is no traffic and few residences,
• street where the sidewalks have not been completed,
• street where the sidewalks are not connected to the rest of the network, or
• street where two-thirds of residents signed a petition choosing not to have their sidewalks cleared (revised in 2009).