York Region's average January temperature historically sat at minus 7 degrees C over 1981 to 2010, so a January move means doors propped open to freezing air for hours while furniture and boxes cross driveways and walkways. A home with no plan for its entrance, its floors and its cold-sensitive belongings absorbs that exposure for the whole load, and those three things need settling before the crew arrives.
Provincial climate projections for York Region expect warmer winters, with more precipitation falling as rain instead of snow. Winter driveways and walkways can therefore carry slush and standing water as often as packed snow, and every trip through the door brings some of it inside. Floor protection and a dry staging spot just inside the door belong on every winter moving plan for that reason.
Slush carried in on boots and dollies all day ends up on cartons, and a sealed wet box shut in a closet of a closed-up winter house holds that moisture indoors. Open and dry any damp boxes and the entry floor the same day the truck leaves. If dampness persists afterward, Health Canada notes that a qualified professional can identify moisture sources and suggest a prioritized action plan.
Heat, water and power at the new address
A winter closing can mean walking into a house where the power was off or has only just come back, with the furnace idle and the water heater in an unknown state. Ontario's power outage guidance advises waiting 10 to 15 minutes before slowly turning appliances back on, turning the essentials on first, such as the heat in winter, and making sure the hot water heater is filled before turning it back on.
Plugging everything in at once on arrival is the usual shortcut, and it skips the order the province recommends, heat first and appliances slowly. Planning the moving-day sequence around that order means the fridge and freezer come off the truck after the heat is running, so the frozen food carried from the old home can be checked and assessed as it goes in.
Drafts around windows, doors and exterior walls decide how comfortable the first night in a cold house will be. Looking for those gaps during the pre-closing walkthrough tells you which rooms will hold heat while most of the unpacking happens, and which ones are better left closed until the house warms up.
Wait 10 to 15 minutes after power returns before slowly turning appliances back on, so the system can stabilize
Turn on heat first
Make sure the hot water heater is filled before switching it back on
Check and assess frozen food once the freezer is running again
Street parking and permits by city
Newmarket's parking exemption program offers no help in winter, because it only exempts a vehicle from the 3-hour parking limit from April 16 to October 31. In season, each exemption is valid 24 hours from purchase and is capped at 15 nights per year per licence plate. For a January or February move, plan to keep the truck on the driveway or private property where possible, and ask the town how the 3-hour limit applies to a loading truck on your street before the date is set.
Richmond Hill's temporary parking permits are valid for on-street parking only and cannot be purchased for commercial vehicles other than taxi cabs, a category that includes vehicles over 5.2 m in length or 3,000 kg, which rules out a moving truck. Any work on the road or boulevard in Richmond Hill, including a temporary lane or road closure, falls under the City's Road Occupancy Permit instead.
A truck that cannot fit in a Vaughan driveway ends up in the City's road allowance, and Vaughan requires a Road Occupancy Permit for work within that right-of-way under Road Allowance By-law 126-2024. North York follows Toronto's rules, where a Street Occupation Permit is needed to place moving containers on the boulevard, sidewalk, roadway or public lane, and the permit must be obtained in person. Confirm with the city whether your specific setup needs a permit before moving day.
Regional roadwork can block a planned truck route. York Region lists Bayview Avenue in Newmarket reduced to one lane in each direction between Stonehaven Avenue/Silken Laumann Drive and Laurelwood Gate/Brooker Ridge from January 26, 2026 to November 15, 2026, and Warden Avenue in Markham closed from 16th Avenue to Major Mackenzie Drive for culvert rehabilitation. Check York Region's road closures listing the week of the move.
Newmarket, Bayview Avenue reduced to one lane each way between Stonehaven Avenue/Silken Laumann Drive and Laurelwood Gate/Brooker Ridge, January 26 to November 15, 2026
Markham, Warden Avenue from 16th Avenue to Major Mackenzie Drive, closed for culvert rehabilitation
Any closure newly posted near either address
Booking lead times outside peak season
Packing services from Move Your Stuff must be booked when the move date is confirmed and cannot be added as a request on moving day. Winter works in the reader's favour on timing, since outside the May through September peak one week of notice is typically sufficient, against two to three weeks in peak months. Packing runs on the morning of the move or the day before, and it is included at no additional charge with a booked move, with all materials supplied.
For apartment moving, Move Your Stuff recommends booking at least two weeks in advance, and that two-week mark is when it contacts building management to confirm the elevator booking, submit the certificate of insurance and verify the loading entrance. Certificates of insurance are typically provided within 24 to 48 hours of a request. On short-notice dates, the building's elevator access is the binding constraint on same-day availability.
Packing some boxes yourself carries one consequence: contents packed by the crew are covered against damage during the move, and that coverage is voided for anything the client packed. An acoustic instrument brings its own conditions under piano moving, where upright moves need at least one week's notice and grands two weeks, and the owner or a designated representative must be present at both the origin and the destination.
Packing outside May to September, typically one week
Packing in peak months, at least two to three weeks
Apartment or condo move, at least two weeks
Upright piano, a minimum of one week, and a grand piano, a minimum of two weeks
Contents the crew packs are covered against damage during the move, and that coverage is voided for anything packed at home.
The two-week call list before moving day
Two weeks before a winter move, the useful calls are the ones that take longest to resolve. Ask the city about a Road Occupancy Permit for a Vaughan or Richmond Hill address, or arrange Toronto's Street Occupation Permit in person for North York, confirm the elevator booking and certificate of insurance with condo management, and recheck York Region's closures list for the route.
To set the date for a household move, request a quote through the quote page or call Move Your Stuff at 647-982-1819, 9am to 9pm, 7 days a week, and book packing in the same call. Cost depends on distance, volume and the services added, and apartment moves are billed hourly, with the rate covering the crew and truck from arrival to completion, including elevator time, protection setup, and disassembly and reassembly.
The last thing to check is how many boxes are still going to be packed by hand at home, because every item the client packs themselves rides in the truck without the crew's damage coverage, and that includes the fragile kitchen and closet boxes most often left to the final night.
