Three separate systems are impacting some Canadians this week, bringing snow, freezing rain and near-zero visibility due to fog.
Across the country, people on both coasts woke up to weather alerts from Environment Canada warning of messy weather ahead.
CTV Your Morning’s chief meteorologist Kelsey McEwen said the three systems are “dynamic,” and will be moving across Canada over the next few days.
FOG TO SNOW
A storm system that brought an “atmospheric river” to the West Coast is passing over the mountains into Alberta from B.C., meteorologists said Thursday.
Due to the temperatures in the mountains, parts of northern B.C. were warned they’d experience fog. An advisory was issued Thursday morning for an area stretching into the Thebacha Region in the Northwest Territories.
Snow began overnight Wednesday, the forecaster said, predicting a total of 10 to 20 centimetres through Thursday.
“Higher amounts are possible in some locations, though Calgary itself is expected to receive near 10 cm,” the warning read.
The storm was expected to pass the region by Thursday night.
During the day, the snowstorm from western Alberta was forecast to stretch into the Saskatchewan communities of Manitou Lake, Marsden and Prince Albert.
FREEZING RAIN TO SNOW
Further northeast in Alberta, the communities of Vermilion, Wainwright and Bonnyville were warned they’d experience a different storm system.
“Patchy” freezing rain was predicted in the early hours, though Environment Canada said it would end Thursday morning.
The same system crossed the border into Saskatchewan on Wednesday evening.
“It’s a real mess across Saskatchewan this morning,” McEwen said on Your Morning.
A warm front from Alberta spread over the province earlier this week, and could be mixed with snow as temperatures “hover” near 0 C, according to Environment Canada.
Closer to the Manitoba border, snowfall totals from this same weather system could be around 10 to 15 centimetres, Environment Canada said, predicting the precipitation would transition over to freezing rain by Thursday evening.
The “heavy” snow was expected to taper off by Friday afternoon, according to Environment Canada.
STORM BREWING IN ATLANTIC OCEAN
Another storm, this time coming from an area off the coast of Greenland, is expected to make landfall in Newfoundland and Labrador by Thursday night, the weather agency said.
“That has prompted some pretty significant warnings and alerts from Environment Canada,” McEwen said.
Smaller amounts are in the forecast for the coastline, the website read.
Communities of Corner Brook and Rocky Harbour fell under the advisories. Other parts of Newfoundland, including the Northern Peninsula East and Bay of Exploits, fell under blowing snow advisories from Environment Canada.
In mainland Labrador, parts of Cartwright, Paradise River and Rigolet were expected to emerge mostly unscathed, with a total snowfall amount forecast between 7 and 15 centimetres.
“Snow will become heavy, at times, this evening. Rain may begin to mix with snow along parts of the coast on Friday as temperatures approach zero,” the winter storm warning from Environment Canada read.
EDMONTON – RCMP say a second suspect has been arrested in the killing of an Alberta county worker.
Mounties say 28-year-old Elijah Strawberry was taken into custody Friday at a house on O’Chiese First Nation.
Colin Hough, a worker with Rocky View County, was shot and killed while on the job on a rural road east of Calgary on Aug. 6.
Another man who worked for Fortis Alberta was shot and wounded, and RCMP said the suspects fled in a Rocky View County work truck.
Police later arrested Arthur Wayne Penner, 35, and charged him with first-degree murder and attempted murder, and a warrant was issued for Strawberry’s arrest.
RCMP also said there was a $10,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of Strawberry, describing him as armed and dangerous.
Chief Supt. Roberta McKale, told a news conference in Edmonton that officers had received tips and information over the last few weeks.
“I don’t know of many members that when were stopped, fuelling up our vehicles, we weren’t keeping an eye out, looking for him,” she said.
But officers had been investigating other cases when they found Strawberry.
“Our investigators were in O’Chiese First Nation at a residence on another matter and the major crimes unit was there working another file and ended up locating him hiding in the residence,” McKale said.
While an investigation is still underway, RCMP say they’re confident both suspects in the case are in police custody.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 13, 2024.
RICHMOND, B.C. – The Integrated Homicide Investigation Team says the 26-year-old son of a man found dead on British Columbia’s Sunshine Coast has been charged with his murder.
Police say 58-year-old Henry Doyle was found badly injured on a forest service road in Egmont last September and died of his injuries.
The homicide team took over when the BC Coroners Service said the man’s death was suspicious.
It says in a statement that the BC Prosecution Service has approved one count of first-degree murder against the man’s son, Jackson Doyle.
Police say the accused will remain in custody until at least his next court appearance.
The homicide team says investigators remained committed to solving the case with the help of the community of Egmont, the RCMP on the Sunshine Coast and in Richmond, and the Vancouver Police Department.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 13, 2024.
VANCOUVER – Mediated talks between the union representing HandyDART workers in Metro Vancouver and its employer, Transdev, have broken off without an agreement following 15 hours of talks.
Joe McCann, president of Amalgamated Transit Union Local 1724, says they stayed at the bargaining table with help from a mediator until 2 a.m. Friday and made “some progress.”
However, he says the union negotiators didn’t get an offer that they could recommend to the membership.
McCann says that in some ways they are close to an agreement, but in other areas they are “miles apart.”
About 600 employees of the door-to-door transit service for people who can’t navigate the conventional transit system have been on strike since last week, pausing service for all but essential medical trips.
McCann asks HandyDART users to be “patient,” since they are trying to get not only a fair contract for workers but also a better service for customers.
He says it’s unclear when the talks will resume, but he hopes next week at the latest.
The employer, Transdev, didn’t reply to an interview request before publication.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 13, 2024.
