Edmonton councillor looking to bring back calcium chloride for snow and ice removal

A chemical compound, that was voted down by previous Edmonton city councils, could be making a return to clear roadways of snow and ice. 

Ward Ipiihkoohkanipiaohtsi Coun. Jon Morgan, during a council meeting on Jan. 27, put forward a notice of motion to have city administration look into bringing back an inhibited diluted form of calcium chloride as an anti-icing agent. 

“I think it's one of the right tools that we can use to mitigate some of these dangerous conditions that we have,” Morgan told news media at city hall Wednesday, pointing to the impacts of record snowfall in December and the difficulties the city faced in clearing snow and ice. 

In 2019, Edmonton city council voted to stop using calcium chloride after public concern over vehicle corrosion and environmental impacts.

However, the chemical is still used in select situations, such as clearing sidewalks and bike lanes. Calcium chloride is also used to clear Anthony Henday Drive, which is done by provincial contractors.

Morgan asserts that, when the city first used the chemical, it was a stronger solution.

“What I'd be proposing is an inhibited solution, much more diluted and easier on our vehicles and infrastructure,” Morgan said. 

A 2020 report, prepared by engineering consultation company Corrpro Canada for the City of Edmonton, asserted that “the results of research programs found in literature review have been inconsistent” when it came to determining the impact of anti-icing and de-icing chemicals on metal infrastructure and vehicles.

Some experts like University of Alberta's Tamzin Blewett, a professor who specializes in environmental physiology and toxicology, caution the use of calcium chloride, noting wildlife can be severely impacted.

“Even though you might be like, ‘Oh, these aren't high concentrations,’ if this was something that was used citywide, when we start to see a melt occur, we're going to see high pulses of calcium chloride going into our freshwater environments, into the [North Saskatchewan River].” Blewett told CBC News.

In the spring, especially, there is potential for thaw to overlap with developmental stages of freshwater invertebrates and fish, she added.

“They have such a narrow window of tolerance for salinity, so anything that would put them above could put them at risk,” she said.

City administration will explore what options exist to clear snow and ice and present those findings to city council. 

Some Alberta cities, like Calgary, use calcium chloride. Others, like St. Albert, just northwest of Edmonton, are also exploring resuming its use.