Some of the people you see doing sewer or sanitation work could be the same ones taking care of roads this winter.

That - along with new equipment - is part of the city's strategy to deal with whatever winter throws at London this year.

John Parsons, roadside operations manager for the city, says, "Last year we had like 92 events. On average we might see 65 to 70 events. But when you have 92 events, some of them back to back, it's a challenge."

And the city got mixed reviews on it's snow clearing efforts last winter.

Some understand the budgetary issues and the unusually heavy snowfall, but others say getting around - especially on sidewalks - was brutal.

City staff admit they learned some lessons from the long hard winter.

One of the challenges was restrictions on how long staff can work. Drivers can only go 13 hours before a required break. The fix for this winter - train more staff.

Parsons explains, "Sewer and water department, or even the sanitation department. We've opened up our training a little bit more, so that we can draw on more people."

Another key component in the effort to keep roads cleared is a new truck that can convert from being a street sweeper in the summer, to spreading brine on bare roads before the snow and ice hits, one of the few preventative measures the city has at its disposal.

"If you're able to get in there and break that bond of the snow and ice to the road, it's easier to plow it off. It's actually five times more cost effective, some of the studies are saying," Parsons adds.

It's a constant effort to try and balance service and cost.

The city's snow clearing budget is $12.4 million whether they get 50 snow storms or 90.