Cleaning up after a record snowfall
Ottawa is still digging out from Monday’s record snowfall with the winter blast keeping business owners busy shovelling.
“We couldn’t be open yesterday,” said Tim Noyes-Brown, owner of Masala in the Byward Market. “You couldn’t walk on the sidewalks.”
Monday’s storm dumped nearly 48 centimetres of snow on the capital.
Crews worked around-the-clock to get streets and neighbourhoods plowed.
“It fell so quickly yesterday that they couldn’t stay on top of it, so yeah, hats off to them, they did a great job,” added Noyes-Brown.
On Monday, Mayor Jim Watson estimated the cleanup would cost as much as $5 million.
The winter blast forcing stores like Masala to close, but the ByWard Market was open for business by Tuesday morning.
“The roads are plowed and it’s kind of nice, beautiful weather,” said Jimmy Hyyteaanen, who is visiting from Vancouver Island.
While most major roads and side streets have been cleared, there are sidewalks still nearly knee deep in snow.
“We have all 575 pieces of equipment out on the streets working hard to get them cleared off and that’s our goal by the end of the evening tonight,” said Tim Tierney, city councillor for Beacon Hill-Cyrville.
In Old Ottawa South, Tiana Sproul and her neighbours decided to shovel sections themselves.
“There’s been a lot of neighbourly cheer, so it was trying to make fun out of it too,” she said.
Meanwhile, the fresh powder a chance to get out along the Rideau trail.
“We’ve been waiting for snow for a long time now, it’s great that we can finally see it,” said Sheila Niven, who was heading out for an afternoon of cross-country skiing.
“It was track-set yesterday and my neighbours told me it was in fantastic shape,” said Liz Sterling, with a pair of skis in her hand.
A weather advisory for Ottawa is calling for more snow tonight with 5 to 10 cm of snow throughout the evening.
--With files from CTV News Ottawa's Tyler Fleming.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
NEW 'Oh my God, you're my brother': Manitoba man discovers six unknown siblings
After receiving a DNA kit one Christmas from his son-in-law, Hugh McCormick soon discovered that he had six unknown siblings, with whom he shared the same birth parents.
Canucks hold off Oilers for 4-3 win in Game 3
Brock Boeser had two goals and an assist, and the Vancouver Canucks hung on for a 4-3 win over the Edmonton Oilers in Game 3 of their second-round Stanley Cup playoff series.
'My family doctor just fired me': Ontario patients frustrated with de-rostering
Dozens of Ontarians are expressing frustration in the province’s health-care system after their family doctors either dropped them as patients or threatened to after they sought urgent care elsewhere.
Ottawa pizzeria places among top 20 deep-dish pizzas in the world at international competition
An Ottawa pizzeria is being recognized as one of the top 20 deep-dish pizzas in the world.
Man fatally 'slashed in the neck' in downtown Toronto, suspect outstanding
Police are searching for a male suspect after a man was “slashed in neck” on Sunday morning in downtown Toronto and died.
WATCH Dashcam video shows terrifying near-miss on two-lane northern Ontario highway
There were some scary moments for several people on a northern Ontario highway caught on video Thursday after a chain reaction following a truck fire.
'He's in our hearts': Family and friends still seek answers one year after Nathan Wise's disappearance
It’s been a year since Nathan Wise went missing and his family is no closer to finding out what happened to him.
Canada Post cracks down on Nunavut loophole to get free Amazon Prime shipping
Amazon's paid subscription service provides free delivery for online shopping across Canada except for remote locations, the company said in an email. While customers in Iqaluit qualify for the offer, all other communities in Nunavut are excluded.
Wildfire near Fort McMurray more than triples overnight, several evacuation alerts remain in place
The fire burning near Fort McMurray grew from 25 hectares to 5,500 hectares over the weekend.