Ice Control.

De-icing is a single application layer — the act of applying chemical de-icer to snow or ice. Ice control is an integrated program that combines pre-treatment anti-icing brine, post-storm de-icing, mid-storm re-applications, stair-and-ramp specialty crews, and ADA-compliant documentation. For residential properties the two terms are interchangeable because the program scope is small. For commercial properties they differ significantly: a hospital campus with 500,000 sq ft of paved surface, 2 km of perimeter walkway, 40 stair landings, and ADA-regulated entrance ramps needs a full ice control program, not just per-storm de-icing. snow.ca quotes commercial ice control as a separate budget item from snow plowing because the scope, the documentation, and the liability exposure are different.

Anti-icing brine is a liquid de-icer (typically sodium chloride at 23 % concentration, magnesium chloride at 30 %, or calcium chloride at 32 %) sprayed on pavement 24–6 hours before forecast precipitation. The brine soaks into pavement micro-texture and leaves a chloride residue. When snow begins to fall, the residue prevents the first snow contact from freezing into a bond — the snow stays loose on top of the brine layer instead of locking to the pavement as compacted ice. Mechanical clearing then removes the snow cleanly down to bare pavement, with no scraping and no chemical post-treatment. Anti-icing programs ahead of forecast storms cut total post-storm salt consumption 30–60 % and speed mechanical clearing 2–3x. Municipalities running anti-icing programs cut seasonal salt use 25–40 % vs. reactive-only.

Per-square-foot per-application, with rates varying by application layer. Anti-icing brine spray runs $0.005–$0.015 per sq ft per application; standard post-storm rock salt at the 4–8 lb per 1,000 sq ft rate runs $0.008–$0.022 per sq ft; treated salt blends and calcium chloride run a 30–60 % premium over rock salt; non-chloride alternatives (CMA, potassium acetate) run 8–25x rock salt rates. ADA-compliant stair and ramp ice control runs $25–$75 per stair landing per visit. For most commercial properties, total annual ice control budget runs 25–45 % of total snow-and-ice budget. Multi-year contracts typically lock the per-square-foot rate against fuel-and-salt index escalation.

ADA-compliant ice control meets the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act standards (or provincial equivalent — AQAPH in Québec, BC Accessibility Act, Manitoba Accessibility Act, etc.) for surfaces frequented by persons with disabilities. The core requirements are: ramp surfaces cleared to bare pavement (no compacted snow base), ice melt applied at 12–16 lb per 1,000 sq ft on stair landings and ramp surfaces, minimum 1.5 metre cleared width on accessible pathways, no piled snow blocking accessible doors or curb cuts, ice melt re-applied as needed during extended events, and documentation of clearing time, application rate, and pavement condition for any incident investigation. snow.ca documents all these data points in the per-visit photo-proof report for ADA-regulated properties.

Slip-and-fall claims average $340,000 per incident in Ontario and are the dominant liability driver in commercial snow operations. The primary defence against a claim is documented evidence that the property was cleared and salted per contract specification at the time of the alleged incident. snow.ca documents the product used, the application rate, the timing of application, the pavement condition at application, and the crew member who applied it for every ice control visit. In the event of a claim, this documentation is provided to insurance counsel within 48 hours as the indemnifying evidence. The documentation standard meets or exceeds the requirements specified by major Canadian retail, hospital, and government commercial contracts and is the primary reason snow.ca holds long-term contracts with these accounts.