THUNDER BAY — School bus runs were cancelled, and two rural communities declared emergency situations Thursday morning after 17 centimetres of heavy, wet snow fell on the Thunder Bay area and other parts of the district overnight.
The city's school bus consortium cancelled all buses.
Rural schools that were closed included Crestview, Valley Central, Gorham & Ware, Kakabeka Falls, McKenzie and Whitefish Valley.
Shortly after 10:00 a.m., the Thunder Bay Catholic District School Board adivised that it was closing St. Vincent and St. Francis schools, due a lack of power.
Parents were advised that their children could be picked up immediately.
In Oliver-Paipoonge, the municipality said many roads, especially in hilly terrain in the north end, were impassable.
Rain that preceded the snow froze overnight, making for treacherous conditions.
CAO/Clerk Wayne Hanchard said a motor vehicle collision on Townline Road exemplified the serious of the situation, as an ambulance had difficulty getting to the scene.
Residents were initially advised to stay home while snow removal and sanding operations continued.
Just before noon, officials updated the emergency situation with a notice that said no roads were closed to traffic, and all roads would be plowed and sanded by 2:00 p.m.
However, Hanchard said residents should still consider postponing travel unless it was absolutely necessary.
He expected the emergency declaration would remain in effect until Friday.
The Township of Conmee, which declared a significant weather event, reported no road closures but advised residents to use extra caution because road crews would be challenged to meet normal maintenance standards.
Conmee terminated its declaration shortly after 2:30 p.m.
One significant highway closure east of Thunder Bay ended late Thursday morning.
Highway 17 had been shut down in both directions between Terrace Bay and White River due to poor driving conditions.
Highway 11 between Longlac and Hearst remained closed at mid-afternoon Thursday.
The snowstorm caused power outages in various areas around the city and region, the biggest affecting 3500 Synergy North customers in Northwood.
Most outages in the city were restored by 11:00 a.m.
On the north shore, Hydro One reported an outage affecting over 1,000 customers between Nipigon and Terrace Bay, and an outage affecting 250 customers in Manitouwadge.
At 3:30 p.m., the utility said nearly 350 customers in the Rossport/Pays Plat area were were still without power.
