Questions
Everything people ask us, answered properly.
If your question isn’t here, call or text and a real person answers. We’d rather give you a straight answer now than a surprise in February.
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- Cancel any time, 30 days’ notice
See all three memberships and what each one covers
Green in summer. Clear in winter.
Pricing & billing
Pricing and billing
Why is it a monthly payment instead of per visit?
Because a per-visit contractor bills you most in the months you least want a bill: May when growth peaks, and February after a bad run of storms.
Your annual membership is divided into twelve equal payments. You get the work when you need it and pay evenly across the year. In a heavy winter you'll receive far more clearing than that month's payment covers, and that's the point: the risk of a bad winter sits with us.
Am I paying for nothing in January?
No: in January you're usually getting more than you paid for that month. Twelve payments cover one full lawn season and one full snow season. It balances the other way in July, when you're paying the same amount for weekly cuts.
If we billed per visit, a heavy February would cost you several hundred dollars in one month. Levelling it out is the whole benefit.
When is my card charged?
On the last day of every month, automatically, with an emailed receipt each time. Nothing is charged when you sign up.
What happens if a payment fails?
We text and email you the same day with a link to update the card, and we try again: most declines are just an expired or reissued card. A declined payment carries a $40 fee under the membership agreement, and if an account reaches 15 or more days past due we may pause service, including snow clearing, until it is brought current. We would much rather sort it out than pause anything: tell us and we will agree a date.
Are the prices on the site what I will actually pay?
Yes. The three membership prices are the same for every member and do not change with the size of your lot. We still look at your property before you commit, because a larger one (over about 5,000 sq ft of lawn, or a double or extended driveway) is quoted individually rather than put on a membership. Either way the number we send is fixed, not an estimate that moves later.
Do you charge extra for a big storm?
Never. Seasonal contracts are unlimited within a storm and across a season. No per-storm charge, no cap on visits, no surcharge for a bad winter.
What about HST?
All prices are shown before HST, which is added to your invoice as required.
Snow
Snow removal
When do you come out?
When accumulation reaches or is forecast to reach 5 cm. Below that we don't push: plowing a light dusting does more harm to your driveway surface than good. A salting pass may still be warranted.
What time will my driveway be cleared?
For snow that ends overnight, our target is 7 AM for Gold members and 6:30 AM for Platinum. Commercial and medical-access properties are cleared first, overnight, because they have hard opening times.
Silver is a different clock and we never blur the two: you clear your own driveway, and we take the city windrow off the end of it on a daytime pass the same day the member route runs: cleared by 5 PM. That is not a 7 AM target and it never touches the overnight route.
Do I need to call you?
No. We come automatically after every qualifying storm. There's nothing to book and no number to ring.
What if it snows all day?
We clear you twice. The first pass opens a lane out of your driveway, clears the mouth at the road, and does your walkway and steps properly so you can leave; once the snow stops we return for the full clear: full width, windrow removed at the road, piles tidied and salt down. There's no extra charge for the second visit.
We'll email you when the first pass is done, so if it looks half-finished at 8 AM you already know why.
What exactly do you clear?
Driveway curb-to-garage at full width, walkways to at least 90 cm, front steps cleared right down to the surface, and the entrance widened so you can turn in. We never leave a windrow across the mouth of a driveway we just cleared.
Will you clear the windrow the city plow leaves?
On Gold and Platinum, yes: on the same visit, wherever the city plow has already been, and we deliberately do it last. Clear it first and the city plow simply buries it again on their next pass. If the plow comes back after we have finished with you, we clear it on your next scheduled pass at no charge. A dedicated trip made solely for the windrow is $45, and it is included at Platinum.
On Silver the windrow is the whole offer. You shovel the driveway. We take the windrow the city leaves at the end of it, after every storm, all winter. It is a daytime pass on the same day the member route runs, after the municipal plow has been through, cleared by 5 PM.
Where does the snow go?
We plan the piles at the start of the season with March in mind rather than just the first storm, and we never push snow onto the road: that's illegal in most municipalities. If there's a spot you'd rather we didn't stack, tell us in November while the piles are small.
What if my driveway gets damaged?
We photograph it, tell you the same day and fix it. Plow contact with a lawn edge happens occasionally in a hard winter. The difference is whether you hear about it from us in January or discover it yourself in April.
Do you salt automatically?
On Platinum, yes: unlimited and applied whenever there's an ice risk. On Gold it's free on any visit we're already making: text us and we salt on the next pass. A trip made just to salt is $25.
We're not plowing your driveway. We're still there after every storm.
Silver isn't a snow membership. You told us you've got the driveway. But your membership runs twelve months, so we're there twelve months. After every storm we run, we come back in the daytime and take the windrow off the end of your driveway: the ridge the city plow leaves behind, the heaviest, iciest part of the whole job. You shovel your driveway. We take the part that makes people give up.
You shovel the driveway. We take the windrow the city leaves at the end of it, after every storm, all winter.
Silver: Lawn Care & Winter Backup
What Silver gets after every storm
We're not plowing your driveway. We're still there after every storm.
The windrow pass
What we take. The municipal windrow cleared off the driveway apron, full width, to the surface. Nothing else on the driveway. The member clears their own driveway.
When. A daytime pass, on the same day Northline runs the member snow route, after the municipal plow has been through. Cleared by 5 PM.
Every storm. Every storm for which the member snow route runs. Same trigger, same day. If the municipal plow comes through after our pass, the windrow is taken on the next pass.
The windrow pass is not driveway clearing. The member clears the driveway; Northline clears the ridge the municipal plow leaves across the end of it.
Four banked clears a season
What it is. A full clear (driveway, walkway and front steps), exactly as a Gold member's, but on request and four times a season.
What it is for. The storms that beat you. Away, ill, Christmas morning, the 30 cm one.
When. Served after the member route is complete, never during it. Same day if requested before the route rolls; otherwise the next available pass.
Unused visits do not carry over to the following season.
What Silver does not get
No driveway plowing. No 7 AM target. No walkway or steps except on a banked clear. No salting. No entrance widening. Those are Gold's, and they are what Gold is sold on.
No driveway plowing. Gold plows the driveway, unlimited visits, every storm.
No 7 AM target. The windrow pass is a daytime pass, cleared by 5 PM; the 7 AM target after overnight snow is Gold's.
No walkway or steps except on a banked clear. Gold clears the walkway full width and the front steps every storm.
No salting. Salt is on request at Gold and unlimited and automatic at Platinum.
No entrance widening. The driveway entrance is widened all winter at Gold.
Winter on Silver
Silver in winter
I'm on Silver. What happens at my property between November and April?
We're not plowing your driveway. We're still there after every storm. Silver isn't a snow membership. You told us you've got the driveway. But your membership runs twelve months, so we're there twelve months. After every storm we run, we come back in the daytime and take the windrow off the end of your driveway: the ridge the city plow leaves behind, the heaviest, iciest part of the whole job. You shovel your driveway. We take the part that makes people give up.
After every storm we run, you get the windrow pass: the ridge the city plow leaves at the end of your drive, off by 5 PM, every storm. Four times a season, on request, you can also call in a banked clear: a full clear (driveway, walkway and front steps), exactly as a Gold member's, but on request and four times a season.
What exactly is a windrow pass, and when does it happen?
The municipal windrow cleared off the driveway apron, full width, to the surface. Nothing else on the driveway. The member clears their own driveway.
A daytime pass, on the same day Northline runs the member snow route, after the municipal plow has been through. Cleared by 5 PM. Every storm for which the member snow route runs. Same trigger, same day. If the municipal plow comes through after our pass, the windrow is taken on the next pass.
The windrow pass is not driveway clearing. The member clears the driveway; Northline clears the ridge the municipal plow leaves across the end of it.
How do the four banked clears work?
A full clear (driveway, walkway and front steps), exactly as a Gold member's, but on request and four times a season. They are for the storms that beat you. Away, ill, Christmas morning, the 30 cm one.
Served after the member route is complete, never during it. Same day if requested before the route rolls; otherwise the next available pass. Unused visits do not carry over to the following season. There is no salt on a banked clear: Silver gets no salting at all.
Running out is usually the moment people move to Gold, and we would rather have that conversation than have you shovelling.
What does Silver not get in winter?
No driveway plowing. No 7 AM target. No walkway or steps except on a banked clear. No salting. No entrance widening. Those are Gold's, and they are what Gold is sold on.
No driveway plowing. Gold plows the driveway, unlimited visits, every storm.
No 7 AM target. The windrow pass is a daytime pass, cleared by 5 PM; the 7 AM target after overnight snow is Gold's.
No walkway or steps except on a banked clear. Gold clears the walkway full width and the front steps every storm.
No salting. Salt is on request at Gold and unlimited and automatic at Platinum.
No entrance widening. The driveway entrance is widened all winter at Gold.
Lawn
Lawn care
What happens on a weekly visit?
Four things, in the same order every time: edge the driveway and walkways first, mow, trim around every post and fence line, and blow off every hard surface. Clippings go back onto the turf.
Why does my lawn look longer than my neighbour's?
Because we mow high on purpose: around three inches, and three and a half in July heat. Ontario turf guidance is to cut as high as you reasonably can. Low mowing produces a shallow root system, and a shallow-rooted lawn is the one that browns out in the first heat wave.
Taller grass grows deeper roots, shades its own soil and crowds out weed seed. It looks marginally shaggier the day after a cut. It also survives August.
What if it rains on my day?
Light rain we work through. Heavy rain or standing water we don't: cutting a saturated lawn causes ruts and scalping that cost more to repair than the missed day is worth. We reschedule within 48 hours and text you before you notice.
Do you spray for weeds?
No, and legally nobody can spray an Ontario lawn for appearance. The cosmetic pesticide ban prohibits it. The honest and effective answer is density: a thick, well-fed lawn crowds weeds out on its own, which is exactly what the 5-step fertilizer program is for.
What do you do with the clippings?
They go back onto your lawn on every cut, at no charge. Clippings are around 85% water, break down within days, and return nitrogen to the soil, cutting your fertilizer requirement by 20 to 35%. They don't cause thatch; that's a myth.
My back gate is usually locked. What happens?
We do the front, text you, and note it in your file. We never force a gate. Give us a code or leave it unlocked on your service day and we do the whole property.
When is the best time to aerate?
September into early October, and effectively only then. The soil is still warm enough for fast germination but the air has cooled and summer weed pressure has gone. July fails and November is too late. The first three weeks of September are the best of the window, so book in August. Spring aeration on Durham clay is a narrow case (severe compaction on a lawn being renovated wholesale), not a routine option.
Getting started
Signing up and cancelling
How do I get a quote?
Call, text, or fill in the form on the contact page. We look at your property, in person or on the map, and send a fixed monthly price the same day, Monday to Saturday.
Do I have to sign anything in person?
No. You approve the quote online, which takes about two minutes on your phone. Nothing to print and nothing to post.
Do I need to be home for service?
Not for anything. Tell us about gates, dogs and where to park once and it goes in your file permanently. You get photos after every visit.
Can I change memberships?
Any time, with a two-minute phone call. The change starts on your next billing cycle. Silver to Gold is the move we expect most often, usually before a first winter, and the sharpest moment is the storm a Silver member spends their second banked clear on, because unused visits do not carry over to the following season.
Can I cancel?
Yes: 30 days' written notice. Your membership runs as a twelve-month agreement that renews automatically unless you tell us otherwise 30 days before your renewal date, and there is no cancellation penalty. Because the year is billed in twelve equal payments, if you leave part-way through we settle up: you pay for the work already delivered against what you have paid, and anything prepaid and not delivered comes back to you. There's a service agreement setting out exactly what we do and what you pay, but it isn't a trap.
What if I'm not happy with a visit?
Tell us and we come back. That isn't a form response: it's cheaper for us to fix a visit than to lose a customer, and we'd rather know.
Are you insured?
Yes, fully: commercial general liability plus equipment coverage. We can send you a certificate if you'd like to see it.
Do you service commercial properties?
Yes: we survey, measure and quote commercial sites year-round, and our commercial contracts begin with the 2027 to 28 season. Tell us when your current contract ends and we'll time our follow-up to it, then quote it properly rather than applying a residential rate.
Get a fixed monthly price for your property
Send me the address and I'll send you a real number the same day, Monday to Saturday. I price what is actually on the property, and if a membership is not good value for yours I'll say so.
Green in summer. Clear in winter.