But of course: A climate change expert from the University of Saskatchewan suggests that global warming is the reason that Saskatoon may have overspent their 2012 snow and ice removal budget by $1.3 million

Snow budget needs more flexibility in changing climate: prof

A climate change expert from the University of Saskatchewan says the city should be doing more to budget for extreme weather events.
...Pomeroy says extreme storms caused by climate change are not isolated to costal areas. While the effects of climate change typically means a shorter winters and more rain, it can also mean more drastic extremes in the winter months.

“We are getting more extreme precipitation events and drought events and we should be expecting more of that here. That will include some really big blizzards and some very heavy snow events as well as winters where we just don’t have any snow,” Pomeroy said.

The City of Saskatoon currently bases its annual snow removal budget on average estimates of 60 to 90 centimetres of snow a year. In 2012, the snow and ice removal budget was $5.7 million. Thanks to major snowfalls in November, the city expects to be over that 2012 budget by anywhere from $800,000 to $1.3 million, according the city’s infrastructure manager.