Montrealers dig out after major snowfall

People across southern Quebec are cleaning up after a major weekend snowstorm.

In Montreal, the storm dumped between 25 and 35 centimetres and the clean-up is expected to last at least until Thursday.

The entire operation is expected to cost the city close to $20 million.

Montreal executive committee vice-president Anie Samson said some 3,000 workers are out clearing the city's 10,000 kilometres of streets.

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The City is asking Montrealers to respect no-parking signs and to leave their vehicles at home as much as possible.

Officials say that snow removal efforts are significantly hampered whenever workers have to pause to remove a vehicle blocking their path. As many as 5,000 cars are towed in Montreal after every snowstorm, the city says.

"Every time we tow a car it takes time ... So, we ask people to be responsible for their car," Samson said.

She says the city will work with all the boroughs to make the clean-up as efficient as possible. 

The city has budgeted a total of $150,000,000 for this season's winter snow removal operations, which would cover the costs up to 200 centimetres of snowfall.

Water main break

A water main break in the Plateau-Mont-Royal added to the long-list of traffic delays for Montreal's Monday morning commute.

The break happened on Friday night, near the corner of St-Denis Street and St-Joseph Boulevard, and was still disrupting traffic on Monday morning.

The 51 bus stop near the intersection was also cancelled, forcing public transit users to trek to Laurier metro station.