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A veteran of Saskatoon’s tow-truck industry sums up the situation on the city’s streets during a spring snowstorm with two words: “absolute chaos.”
Andrew Clewes, general manager of Astro Towing Ltd., said the company received 385 calls Friday, more than twice the usual call volume on a winter day, as the city was pelted with a late dump of snow.
“This is the worst we’ve seen this winter,” he said in an interview Tuesday. “It was non-stop.”
Saskatoon police responded to 77 calls about collisions Friday — the highest number recorded since Jan. 1, 2020. Police said they received more than one call about some crashes but the number of collisions might be higher, not lower.
“The total number of collisions in the city could be much higher as not all collisions need to be reported to police or require our attendance — for example, minor fender-benders that are dealt with between drivers at the roadside,” spokesman Easton Hamm said in an email.
One collision between an SUV and a bus on the Taylor Street overpass happened during the morning commute Friday. About 25 centimetres of snow fell during the storm.
The online police database shows there were 59 collisions recorded, with 54 incidents of property damage and five injuries, Friday. The previous high for collision calls to Saskatoon police since 2019 happened on March 27, 2025, with 59 recorded.
Police fielded 53 calls about crashes on Jan. 21 of this year, the fifth-most since 2020.
Overall, the number of crashes that required police to respond has dropped slightly so far this year compared with the same period last year, from 1,744 to 1,708.
Total collisions recorded by Saskatoon police have steadily increased over the last five years, from 3,984 in 2021 to 5,113 last year. Collisions increased significantly in 2025, from 4,393 in 2024.
Those injured in crashes have steadily increased, from 460 in 2021 to 585 in 2025.
Police data shows 31 people have died in motor vehicle accidents in Saskatoon in the last five years.
Clewes said his company’s 52 vehicles responded to 33 collisions within the city Friday and to 25 more vehicles that simply got stuck in the snow. Astro also responded to situations outside the city.
Clewes’s message for drivers in Saskatchewan’s largest city?
“Just be more prepared,” he said. “Just slow down. Take your time.”
