Heavy snow is falling in parts of Saskatchewan, Manitoba and northern Ontario on Wednesday as a major winter storm moves eastward through the provinces.
Environment Canada says southeastern Saskatchewan is now facing blizzard conditions, with northerly wind gusts of up to 90 km/h. Blizzard conditions are also developing in southern Manitoba, with northeast winds gusting as high as 70 km/h.
Winter storm warnings are also in place for other parts of Manitoba and Ontario.
Travel conditions in the affected areas are expected to worsen on Wednesday night, with wind gusts and blowing snow making roads unsafe for motorists.
Here’s what you can expect:
Wednesday evening: Travel could become impossible
Roads in southeastern Saskatchewan and southern Manitoba could be treacherous due to snowfall accumulation and blowing snow, with near-zero visibility in places. People should avoid travel or expect delays if they attempt to travel.
In southern Manitoba, several stretches of highway are closed due to the weather. For an updated list of road conditions and closures, visit the Manitoba 511 page.
Some Saskatchewan highways close to the Manitoba border are also closed. Get updated information on Saskatchewan road closures on the Highway Hotline website.
Sections of the Trans-Canada Highway were closed west of Winnipeg due to the storm on Wednesday. (John Woods/The Canadian Press)
By Wednesday evening, travel within cities or communities may become impossible due to the accumulation of snow and low visibility, Environment Canada warned.
Wind and snow are also picking up in northwestern Ontario. Environment Canada is warning of heavy rainfall in the Thunder Bay area later on Wednesday, adding that road closures were also possible in northern Ontario, as the storm shifts east.
Environment Canada says communities outside of the areas where snowfall warnings have been issued will also be affected by the storm. Although they will likely see lesser snowfall, “conditions will likely be difficult,” including the potential for reduced visibility.
Wednesday night: Storm shifts eastward
In Saskatchewan, the blizzard is expected to gradually ease overnight into Thursday, with winds tapering off. Snow will likely continue, but will not be as severe as on Wednesday, Environment Canada said. But a cold night lies ahead for Saskatchewan, with a wind chill of -17 C in the forecast.
Blizzard conditions will persist in most of southern Manitoba through the night. The temperature in Brandon is expected to drop on Wednesday night, with a wind chill of -16 C.
In northern Ontario, snow could fall at a rate of up to four centimetres per hour on Wednesday night, with strong wind gusts of up to 70 km/h. Blowing snow means visibility could be near zero, Environment Canada warned. Its forecast predicts a wind chill of -11 C in Kenora on Wednesday night.
WATCH | What to expect from the storm:
What to expect as major storm hits Saskatchewan, Manitoba and Ontario
13 hours ago
Duration 1:11
The Weather Network’s Nicole Karkic on what to expect as a storm batters three provinces this week. 1:11
Wednesday through Friday: Possible power outages
Environment Canada and hydroelectric companies say people should be prepared for power cuts as the storm barrels through.
As the weight of the snow and strength of the winds increased, Manitoba Hydro was reporting a number of power outages throughout the south.
Truckers are forced to strap down in Moosomin, Sask., as Highway 1 is closed on Wednesday. (Daniella Ponticelli/CBC)
The company says it has put all staff in the storm zone — from front-line workers to back-end and IT staff — on notice that they might be needed, and has plans in place to quickly deploy crews from Winnipeg to any particularly hard-hit areas.
Hydro One, one of northern Ontario’s two electricity operators, said it was preparing for possible outages in the same areas that were affected by a storm a week ago, where more than 35,000 customers lost power.
“We are urging customers to be prepared in case of an extended power outage … Poor driving conditions and road closures may delay power outage restoration efforts,” Hydro One said in a statement on its website.
Most southern Manitoba schools and some in southern Saskatchewan will remain closed on Thursday.
You can read a list of school closures for Manitoba here.
WATCH | Heavy snow falls in southern Manitoba, causing travel disruptions:
Snow begins to fall in Manitoba
9 hours ago
Duration 0:31
Flurries are swirling across Manitoba from a heavy storm forecasted to linger over the province for several days. 0:31
In Saskatchewan, the South East Cornerstone Public School Division in Weyburn advised parents and staff that it would be cancelling classes and programs on Wednesday and Thursday.
Wednesday was the first snow day for Winnipeg students since April 1997, when a three-day blizzard hit southern Manitoba, leading to what became known as “the flood of the century.”
Natalie Hasell, Environment and Climate Change Canada’s warning preparedness meteorologist, suggested during a briefing on Tuesday that people should consider remote work options while the storm continues.
Thursday: Heavy snow in northwestern Ontario
Heavy snow is expected in northwestern Ontario into Thursday morning before tapering off. Strong winds are also expected, and blowing snow could reduce visibility to near zero.
Thunder Bay and areas along the north shore of Lake Superior are also expected to receive up to 10 centimetres of snow, as well as ice pellets and freezing rain, by Thursday morning.
That snow is expected to continue through Thursday night.
Environment Canada warned of possible road closures, power outages and damage to trees, and encouraged people to postpone non-essential travel until the weather improved.
Mike Power walks his dog in the snow in Kenora, Ont., on Wednesday morning. (Hayley Schwartz/CBC)
Friday and Saturday: Calmer conditions
By Friday morning, a total of up to 30 to 50 centimetres of snow is expected in southern Manitoba, though up to 80 centimetres is possible in some areas of higher elevation, Environment Canada says.
The snow and winds are expected to taper off in Winnipeg on Friday, and northwestern Ontario has a chance of flurries.
However, once the storm reaches the Great Lakes, it’s expected to shift north — which could affect areas in northeastern Manitoba.
Temperatures in Manitoba are expected to remain below normal for several days, and snow and ice could continue to cause issues for motorists.
Environment Canada says the cleanup from the storm will likely last well into next week.
VANCOUVER – Contract negotiations resume today in Vancouver in a labour dispute that has paralyzed container cargo shipping at British Columbia’s ports since Monday.
The BC Maritime Employers Association and International Longshore and Warehouse Union Local 514 are scheduled to meet for the next three days in mediated talks to try to break a deadlock in negotiations.
The union, which represents more than 700 longshore supervisors at ports, including Vancouver, Prince Rupert and Nanaimo, has been without a contract since March last year.
The latest talks come after employers locked out workers in response to what it said was “strike activity” by union members.
The start of the lockout was then followed by several days of no engagement between the two parties, prompting federal Labour Minister Steven MacKinnon to speak with leaders on both sides, asking them to restart talks.
MacKinnon had said that the talks were “progressing at an insufficient pace, indicating a concerning absence of urgency from the parties involved” — a sentiment echoed by several business groups across Canada.
In a joint letter, more than 100 organizations, including the Canadian Chamber of Commerce, Business Council of Canada and associations representing industries from automotive and fertilizer to retail and mining, urged the government to do whatever it takes to end the work stoppage.
“While we acknowledge efforts to continue with mediation, parties have not been able to come to a negotiated agreement,” the letter says. “So, the federal government must take decisive action, using every tool at its disposal to resolve this dispute and limit the damage caused by this disruption.
“We simply cannot afford to once again put Canadian businesses at risk, which in turn puts Canadian livelihoods at risk.”
In the meantime, the union says it has filed a complaint to the Canada Industrial Relations Board against the employers, alleging the association threatened to pull existing conditions out of the last contract in direct contact with its members.
“The BCMEA is trying to undermine the union by attempting to turn members against its democratically elected leadership and bargaining committee — despite the fact that the BCMEA knows full well we received a 96 per cent mandate to take job action if needed,” union president Frank Morena said in a statement.
The employers have responded by calling the complaint “another meritless claim,” adding the final offer to the union that includes a 19.2 per cent wage increase over a four-year term remains on the table.
“The final offer has been on the table for over a week and represents a fair and balanced proposal for employees, and if accepted would end this dispute,” the employers’ statement says. “The offer does not require any concessions from the union.”
The union says the offer does not address the key issue of staffing requirement at the terminals as the port introduces more automation to cargo loading and unloading, which could potentially require fewer workers to operate than older systems.
The Port of Vancouver is the largest in Canada and has seen a number of labour disruptions, including two instances involving the rail and grain storage sectors earlier this year.
A 13-day strike by another group of workers at the port last year resulted in the disruption of a significant amount of shipping and trade.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 9, 2024.
The Royal Canadian Legion says a new partnership with e-commerce giant Amazon is helping boost its veterans’ fund, and will hopefully expand its donor base in the digital world.
Since the Oct. 25 launch of its Amazon.ca storefront, the legion says it has received nearly 10,000 orders for poppies.
Online shoppers can order lapel poppies on Amazon in exchange for donations or buy items such as “We Remember” lawn signs, Remembrance Day pins and other accessories, with all proceeds going to the legion’s Poppy Trust Fund for Canadian veterans and their families.
Nujma Bond, the legion’s national spokesperson, said the organization sees this move as keeping up with modern purchasing habits.
“As the world around us evolves we have been looking at different ways to distribute poppies and to make it easier for people to access them,” she said in an interview.
“This is definitely a way to reach a wider number of Canadians of all ages. And certainly younger Canadians are much more active on the web, on social media in general, so we’re also engaging in that way.”
Al Plume, a member of a legion branch in Trenton, Ont., said the online store can also help with outreach to veterans who are far from home.
“For veterans that are overseas and are away, (or) can’t get to a store they can order them online, it’s Amazon.” Plume said.
Plume spent 35 years in the military with the Royal Engineers, and retired eight years ago. He said making sure veterans are looked after is his passion.
“I’ve seen the struggles that our veterans have had with Veterans Affairs … and that’s why I got involved, with making sure that the people get to them and help the veterans with their paperwork.”
But the message about the Amazon storefront didn’t appear to reach all of the legion’s locations, with volunteers at Branch 179 on Vancouver’s Commercial Drive saying they hadn’t heard about the online push.
Holly Paddon, the branch’s poppy campaign co-ordinator and bartender, said the Amazon partnership never came up in meetings with other legion volunteers and officials.
“I work at the legion, I work with the Vancouver poppy office and I go to the meetings for the Vancouver poppy campaign — which includes all the legions in Vancouver — and not once has this been mentioned,” she said.
Paddon said the initiative is a great idea, but she would like to have known more about it.
The legion also sells a larger collection of items at poppystore.ca.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 9, 2024.
