The Town performs a number of key maintenance services on a seasonal basis. These include:

Winter Potholes

Fluctuating winter temperatures can be tough on our roads. Here’s what you can expect from repair work during the colder months.

Temporary vs. Permanent Repairs

Cold patch is the primary repair method used in winter. It’s a temporary fix that helps address immediate safety concerns.

Hot asphalt provides a long‑lasting repair, but it isn’t readily available until warmer weather returns.

Why Potholes Form

Winter’s freeze–thaw cycles cause pavement to expand and contract. Over time, this leads to cracks and potholes—especially when temperatures swing above and below freezing.

Weather Conditions Matter

Cold patch works best in dry conditions and when temperatures are above 0°C. As temperatures rise, the material bonds more effectively.Crews cannot patch during active snowfall or when the road is wet, as moisture prevents proper adhesion.

Keeping Crews Safe

Our teams often work early in the morning before traffic increases. Please slow down, stay alert, and give crews plenty of space so they can work safely.

Report a Pothole

To report a pothole in the Town of Antigonish, please send an email with the location of the pothole (street, closest civic address or landmark) to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Please note that while we review all pothole reports sent by email, they are collected for information purposes only and individual responses will not be provided.  

Recreational Spaces Maintenance

The Town of Antigonish Recreation Department employs maintenance staff from mid-April until November 1st each year. These staff are responsible for maintenance of our fields, parks, paths, tennis courts, and mowing of public streets. Please note: Fields, parks, paths, and tennis courts are not maintained during the winter months.

Streets and Sidewalks

Each year, the Town of Antigonish undertakes regular maintenance on its streets and sidewalks, which includes paving and patching, centre line painting, and crosswalk painting. 

2024-2025 Canada Community-Building Fund

The following is the list of paving projects that the Town completed in 2023-2024 that were funded through the Canada Community-Building Fund:

 

Snow Clearing

Following a snowfall, first priority is given to major arterial streets used by emergency responders. Once these streets have been cleared, crews will move toward cleaning subdivision areas. Areas serviced by sidewalks on both sides of the street can expect at least one side of the walk cleared. 

Clearing our Streets and Sidewalks

Following a major snowfall, the Town’s number one priority is to make the main thoroughfares passable for emergency access vehicles. Accordingly, our efforts are focused on the arterial streets such as Main St., Church St., West St., and Hawthorne St., followed by collector streets such as Highland Dr., Braemore Ave., Brookland St., and Xavier Dr. Once snow clearing on these roads is reasonably complete, our focus shifts to subdivision areas and road widening in an effort to improve driving conditions through the Town.

Sidewalks are generally cleared after street clearing activity has commenced. Similar to our street clearing work, sidewalks are cleared according to a routing schedule, with priority being given to sidewalks which bring children to and from school. Moreover, when extreme conditions prevail, one sidewalk per street will be cleared before the second sidewalk is opened.

Our Focus is Safe, Accessible Streets

During periods of high accumulation, the Town’s main focus is having our streets accessible, and ensuring that storm drainage and fire hydrants are cleared. With all our clearing operations, efforts are made by our plow operators to lessen the amount of snow that is moved in a way that poses an inconvenience to residents, where possible, but obstacles such as trees, power poles, fences, and hedges can pose challenges to the placement of snow as it is plowed. Depending on the severity of the conditions and nature of the snowfall, the Town may need to push snow well back from the curb area, into driveways and onto lawns. Efforts are also made to remove snowbanks from various areas across the Town, but this work is generally limited to our downtown business areas, selected intersections, and various sharp street curves within subdivisions that may have an impact on driving visibility. These secondary clearing efforts are impacted by available budgets