Montreal snow removal workers won’t let anything stop them from plowing the sidewalks — not even a lack of snow.

A YouTube video showing two snowplows running along the snow-less sidewalks of a north Montreal neighbourhood is adding fuel to the heated debate over snow removal in Quebec.

The blades can be seen scraping the sidewalk in some parts of the video.

The video was recorded Dec. 21, before Montreal had snow on the ground, leading viewers to comment that the machines were running unnecessarily.

Danielle Lamarre, a public relations representative for the Villeray neighbourhood, said the plows were spreading salt in preparation for freezing rain that came later in the afternoon.

“We put abrasives (salt and pebbles) — but of course we weren’t supposed to scratch the sidewalks, so the employees that did that will be met with,” she said in an interview with the Star.

Based on the timestamp, the two plows cruised the streets for nearly 40 minutes with their blades down and lights on, though the video itself shows just two minutes of the action.

Online reaction to the video was a mixture of condemnation and pleas for understanding.

The video, titled “Only in Quebec — snow plow” has received more than 115,000 views and 500 comments since being posted Dec. 22.

“I don’t know about you guys but I can clearly see what they’re scooping up there: Money. (By the way) austerity measures on the way, because there’s no extra money around!” wrote one user.

While some slammed Montreal’s snow removal service and the public sector union representing them, others floated explanations such as training, practicing routes or salting the sidewalks.

Snow removal in Montreal came under fire this year when Maisonneuve magazine made the service the subject of its December 2011 cover story.

The story investigates bid-rigging in the snow removal industry, comparing it to the construction industry, which is currently undergoing a two-year public inquiry over complaints of corruption.

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