Snow mixed with rain slowing down clearing operations: City
The City of Ottawa says the heavy, wet snow mixed with rain is slowing down their ability to clear streets and sidewalks.
The first big winter storm of the season dumped snow, freezing rain, and rain on Ottawa.
Snow started falling in Ottawa just before 8 p.m., quickly covering roads and sidewalks. The city of Ottawa said Monday morning it had received 14 centimetres of snow overnight. The precipitation turned to freezing rain at around 3 a.m., lasting for about six hours before turning to rain as the temperature rose above the freezing mark.
Environment Canada said Ottawa received 25 mm of mixed precipitation in the last 24 hours.
Ottawa police said there had been 32 collisions on city roads through the morning, none with serious injuries.
School buses for English and French public and Catholic boards in Ottawa were cancelled Monday. Schools remained open.
OC Transpo warned of possible delays on some routes due to the weather, and urged commuters to plan their trips ahead of time. Several bus stops were out of service due to local road conditions.
The city of Ottawa has issued a daytime parking ban for Monday. Only vehicles with on-street parking permits are permitted to park on city streets between 10 a.m. and 7 p.m.
In a statement on its website, the City of Ottawa said the heaviness of the snow is making snow-clearing operations difficult.
"In many cases, our sidewalk plows have had to switch from pushing blades to snow blowers. When we are using snow blowers, we move at roughly half the pace of our regular machines. Even with the blades, our sidewalks plows are moving at a slower pace due to the weight of the snow," the city said.
The winter parking ban will be lifted at 7 p.m. but the city is still asking residents to keep their cars off of the street overnight, if possible, to aid in the clearing of catch basins.
"We have called in additional resources who are working exclusively to manage water pooling and drainage issues. Doing this now will help us to avoid icy build-ups overnight," the city said. "Because we are facing drainage issues in many areas, those who are able are asked to please clear their local catch basin to promote water draining from the road. This is the best way to prevent ice from forming on the roadways."
Winter storm and freezing rain warnings were also in effect for parts of eastern Ontario stretching from the Upper Ottawa Valley to Prescott-Russell.
Special weather statements
Special weather statements remain in effect along the St. Lawrence, warning of heavy rainfall in places like Kingston, Gananoque, Brockville and Cornwall. Local amounts of up to 25 mm of rain can be expected.
In the Kingston area, a wind warning also remains in effect, with gusts of up to 90 km/h in the forecast.
Paramedics respond to snow-clearing calls
Ottawa paramedics said they responded to two emergency calls involving snow-clearing activities Monday morning.
Around 7 a.m., they were called to Innes and Pagé roads where a man in his 40s suffered a heart attack after helping someone get their vehicle through heavy snow. He was rushed to the Ottawa Heart Institute.
Elewhere in the city, a man in shi late 60s collapsed as he was shovelling snow on his driveway. Bystanders performed CPR until paramedics arrived. He was taken to hospital in life-threatening condition.
Ottawa's forecast
Periods of rain should end by Monday evening. As the temperature drops, there will be a chance of flurries late in the evening. The sky should clear overnight. The low is minus 10 C with a wind chill of minus 14.
Tuesday is looking mainly cloudy, with a high of minus 5 C.
Wednesday could see clouds with a chance of flurries. High minus 5 C.
The outlook for Thursday is cloudy with a high of minus 7 C.
--With contributions from CTV News Ottawa's Leah Larocque, Michael Woods, Josh Pringle, and Ted Raymond.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Why drivers in Ontario, Quebec and Atlantic Canada will see a gas price spike, and other Canadians won't
Drivers in Eastern Canada face a big increase in gas prices because of various factors, especially the higher cost of the summer blend, industry analysts say.
How to avoid the trap of becoming 'house poor'
The journey to home ownership can be exciting, but personal finance columnist Christopher Liew warns about the trappings of becoming 'house poor' -- where an overwhelming portion of your income is devoured by housing costs. Liew offers some practical strategies to maintain better financial health while owning a home.
Toxic forever chemicals in drinking water: Is Canada doing enough?
As the United States sets its first national limits on toxic forever chemicals in drinking water, researchers say Canada is lagging when it comes to regulations.
'A living nightmare': Winnipeg woman sentenced following campaign of harassment against man after online date
A Winnipeg woman was sentenced to house arrest after a single date with a man she met online culminated in her harassing him for years, and spurred false allegations which resulted in the innocent man being arrested three times.
McDonald's customers left with 'zero value' collection of free hot drink stickers after company ends program
It took years for Vinnie Deluca to collect more than 400 cards worth of free McDonald's McCafe coffee, a collection that now has "zero value" after the company discontinued the program.
Biden scores endorsements from Kennedy family, looking to shore up support against Trump and RFK Jr.
U.S. President Joe Biden will accept endorsements from at least 15 members of the Kennedy political family during a campaign stop in Philadelphia on Thursday as he aims to undermine Donald Trump and marginalize the candidacy of Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
Where did the gold go? Crime expert weighs in on unfolding Pearson airport heist investigation
Almost 7,000 bars of pure gold were stolen from Pearson International Airport exactly one year ago during an elaborate heist, but so far only a tiny fraction of that stolen loot has been found.
When new leaders took over in ancient Maya, they didn't just bury the former royals. They burned their bodies in public
New archeological investigations in Guatemala reveal that the ancient Maya people had a ritual of burning royal human remains as a public display of political regime change.
Party's over: Coyotes play final game as Arizona franchise before move to Salt Lake City
Mullett Arena buzzed like few times in the two years since the Arizona Coyotes moved in, the fans amped for one last desert hurrah.