Close X
Monday, November 11, 2024
ADVT 
National

Snow shuts Metro Vancouver and Fraser Valley schools as alerts blanket southern B.C.

Darpan News Desk The Canadian Press, 17 Jan, 2024 10:35 AM
  • Snow shuts Metro Vancouver and Fraser Valley schools as alerts blanket southern B.C.

All public schools in Metro Vancouver and the Fraser Valley have been closed today, as heavy snow falls across a wide swath of southern British Columbia.

Some universities and colleges in the Lower Mainland have also cancelled in-person classes, including the University of B.C., Simon Fraser University and the B.C. Institute of Technology.

Vancouver Mayor Ken Sim says an extreme weather alert is in place until Thursday, with extra shelter spaces being opened at 15 warming centres across the city.

Environment Canada says up to 20 centimetres is expected by this evening, and a snowfall warning is in place for all of Metro Vancouver, Victoria, Whistler and the Sunshine Coast. 

Dozens of snowfall warnings also cover the southern portion of B.C. from the Chilcotin to Creston.

Those warnings carry on into the southwest corner of Alberta, where accumulations of heavy snow from Banff to Milk River could reach 35 centimetres before it tapers off Thursday.

DriveBC, the B.C. Transportation Ministry’s information site, has issued travel advisories for 10 major routes In Metro Vancouver, the Fraser Valley and southern B.C.

“Drivers are advised to stay off the roads unless their vehicle is properly equipped with winter tires,” the alerts say.

In the southern Interior, Highway 1 west of Revelstoke is closed in both directions this morning as crews conduct avalanche control work above the route.

Northern Alberta meanwhile remains under an extreme cold warning and temperatures could dip to -40 C through the rest of the week.

Extreme cold is also forecast for southern Ontario with icy conditions expected from Windsor to north of Toronto, as wind chill values fall to -30.

MORE National ARTICLES

Sisters among four dead after Winnipeg shooting; man in critical condition

Sisters among four dead after Winnipeg shooting; man in critical condition
Two First Nations sisters are among four people who died in a shooting over the weekend in downtown Winnipeg. Officers were called shortly after 4 a.m. Sunday to a home where they found five people wounded. A man and woman were pronounced dead at the scene, and another man and woman died later in hospital. A 55-year-old man remains in hospital in critical condition. 

Sisters among four dead after Winnipeg shooting; man in critical condition

Enhanced security coming to Vancouver City Hall

Enhanced security coming to Vancouver City Hall
Members of the public attending council meetings and other public events at Vancouver City Hall will now go through an enhanced security screening process. The city says in a statement that the change is responding to the evolving security environment and following in the footsteps of other Canadian cities that have adopted similar security measures.

Enhanced security coming to Vancouver City Hall

South Surrey shooting, 1 injured

South Surrey shooting, 1 injured
One person was injured in a shooting in South Surrey this morning. Surrey R-C-M-P say officers responded to multiple reports of shots fired in a residential neighbourhood, and at first they couldn't find the victim.   

South Surrey shooting, 1 injured

Fatal hit and run in Surrey

Fatal hit and run in Surrey
Police in Surrey are investigating a fatal crash where one of the drivers fled the scene. Mounties say a white Ford Mustang was travelling southbound when it collided with a black Toyota Corolla at an intersection causing significant damage to both vehicles.

Fatal hit and run in Surrey

Weekend crash south of Whistler, B.C., kills two adults, one child Squamish

Weekend crash south of Whistler, B.C., kills two adults, one child Squamish
Two adults and a child are dead and a fourth person was injured in a single vehicle crash on the Sea to Sky Highway south of Whistler. Insp. Robert Dykstra, the officer in charge of the Squamish-based Sea to Sky RCMP, says a northbound vehicle veered off the road and hit a tree early Sunday.  

Weekend crash south of Whistler, B.C., kills two adults, one child Squamish

Truce extended in Gaza, raising hopes for further extensions

Truce extended in Gaza, raising hopes for further extensions
More humanitarian aid is expected to flow into Gaza over the next two days after Israel and Hamas extended a four-day ceasefire that was set to expire last night. The original truce allowed hundreds of trucks to deliver desperately needed food, water and medical supplies to hundreds of thousands of Palestinians who have endured weeks of Israeli siege and bombardment.

Truce extended in Gaza, raising hopes for further extensions