By Mark Squibb
Mount Pearl council has voted to extend its current snow clearing contract with Farrell’s Excavating for an additional term, a period from December 1, 2025 to March 31, 2026.
The initial contract began on December 1, 2024 and ended on March 31 this year and cost the City $216,200, HST included.
That contract was subject to adjustments based on weather conditions.
The decision to extend the contract for another year includes a guaranteed minimum payment of $100,000 regardless if equipment is utilized or not.
The majority of the City’s snow clearing is done inhouse by unionized drivers. However, on the heels of a citywide strike that lasted over two months, the City, in 2022, contracted out additional snow clearing services for the first time ever in an effort to “complement” its snow clearing service. The City has continued to do so in the years since, a move which the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) has criticized.