Montreal snow removal almost complete

The city of Montreal says it has cleaned up 90 per cent of the snow, which fell during a major snowstorm last week.

City spokesperson Jacques-Alain Lavallée said the remaining 10 per cent of snow is most likely in residential areas.

The record-breaking Dec. 27 storm dumped about 45 centimetres of snow on Montreal.

The city's targeted deadline for its cleanup is Sunday night, just in time for Monday, when most Montrealers return to work from their holidays.

The current forecast for Montreal is predicting 5-10 centimetres of snow starting overnight on Saturday and continuing throughout the day on Sunday.

Lavallée said this could slow down their operations.

"The weather forecast is not an exact science," he said.

Despite the forecast, the city is still hopeful it will meet its deadline.

Residents of some boroughs in Montreal have voiced frustration over the slow-going cleanup process over the past week. Today Lavallée addressed their concerns.

"We want to address a specific message to those people that are in residential areas and that haven't been cleared of snow yet," Lavallée said.

"We understand your situation and this is our prime objective," he added.

The city has been coordinating with individual boroughs to organize the cleanup operation, especially on main streets.

But Lavallée said that ultimately, it's up to each borough to manage its own side streets. He said that each borough faces different obstacles, and the snow removal process in each district can't be compared.

The city currently has 3,000 employees and 2,200 pieces of equipment out working to clean up its streets.