Flights, classes cancelled and power outages reported as winter storm grips parts of Canada

Thousands of homes, businesses without power in Ontario’s Windsor-Essex region. Harsh winter conditions swept across parts of Canada on Wednesday, causing travel disruptions, school cancellations and power outages.

Amid warnings that the winter storm coming in from the west could affect air travel to and from central Canada, Air Canada had delayed or cancelled more than 160 flights for the day — about 26 per cent — by late Wednesday afternoon, according to the tracking service FlightAware.

WestJet said it had cancelled 37 flights — for Wednesday and Thursday — at airports in Toronto, London, Ont., and Kitchener-Waterloo, Ont.

Both airlines said delays in Toronto, Ottawa and Montreal could stretch into Thursday.

“We are monitoring the weather and we have made some schedule adjustments in anticipation of the storm, and this is ongoing as the situation evolves,” said Air Canada spokesperson Peter Fitzpatrick in an email, adding that customers will be rebooked or can opt for a refund.

WestJet said in an email that all guests would be rebooked on the first available flight within 48 hours.

Jazz Aviation, which operates regional flights for Air Canada Express, has cancelled 75 of its Wednesday flights, or 16 per cent, according to FlightAware.
Other carriers had already cancelled nearly 2,500 flights in the United States by early Wednesday afternoon, according to FlightAware, threatening to snarl trips and connecting flights for many others.

Environment and Climate Change Canada says the heavy snow that started to hit a swath of southern Ontario this afternoon will be followed by ice pellets and freezing rain overnight.
In a warning issued by Environment Canada late Tuesday, the agency said that “surfaces such as highways, roads, walkways and parking lots will become icy, slippery and hazardous.”

“If visibility is reduced while driving, slow down, watch for tail lights ahead and be prepared to stop.
Between 10 and 15 centimetres of icy snow is forecast to accumulate in the Toronto area before the storm largely tapers off Thursday morning. The city’s transit commission said 41 of its bus stops were out of service as of 5 p.m. ET because they were located in hilly areas that become difficult to navigate in wintry conditions.
Edmonton Transit is providing dedicated overnight transportation on three bus routes. Buses are stopping at all bus stops to pick up passengers who need to get out of the cold. Boyle Street is operating a winter warming bus.

Meanwhile, showers and other supports are available at the Bissell Centre and Boyle Street Community Services; the city’s encampment response team is conducting wellness checks; and all public library locations and recreation facilities are open for warming purposes.