Buses pulled, parking banned, schools closed as region braces for major snowstorm

A major snowstorm expected to hit the Ottawa-Gatineau area on Wednesday evening is forcing school closures, bus cancellations and parking bans across the region.

Western Quebec school boards Centres de services scolaire des Draveurs, Cœur-des-Vallées and Portages-de-l'Outaouais have cancelled classes Thursday because of the coming storm. 

The Portages-de-l'Outaouais board says it's cancelling a staff development day on April 6 to make up lost class time.

The Western Québec School Board is cancelling classes in its Region 7. The Hauts-Bois-de-l'Outaouais board says it will share its decision by 6 a.m. Thursday.

All school buses are cancelled in Ottawa Thursday, according to the Ottawa Student Transportation Authority. Student Transportation of Eastern Ontario has also cancelled its school buses.

The Consortium de transport scolaire d'Ottawa and Consortium de transport scolaire de l'est have cancelled school bus routes to French schools in all eastern Ontario communities.

The Ottawa-Carleton District School Board says schools will be open. Loyalist College has cancelled classes Thursday at all campuses.

Algonquin College and Carleton University said Wednesday they would plan to operate as scheduled. Carleton wrote it would reevaluate the situation Thursday morning.

'It's all hands on deck'

The City of Ottawa said Wednesday it should longer than usual to clear the transportation network. Other local municipalities such as Lanark County and Pembroke have made similar declarations.

"We're getting the biggest storm we've had this season," said Alain Gonthier, Ottawa's general manager of public works. "We are prepared. We're built to be able to handle these kinds of events, so it's all hands on deck right now."

Winter parking bans will be in place in Ottawa from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Thursday and Friday, though the second day will be lifted if snowfall is less than forecast. 

Road closures are possible, the city said, advising against travel due to the risk of rapidly accumulating snow making the transportation network unnavigable. 

Gatineau has a winter parking ban in place from midnight to 6 a.m. Thursday. Kingston always has overnight parking bans from 1 to 7 a.m. in January and February.

The City of Kingston also said its municipal facilities including community centres and administration offices will not open until 1 p.m. on Thursday.

OC Transpo scales back service

OC Transpo is implementing a reduced bus schedule on Thursday for the first time since the winter storm plan was introduced in 2022.

"We had almost 300 buses stuck in the traffic [that winter]," said Renée Amilcar, managing director of OC Tranpso. "We have learned from that bad experience."

The O-Train will run on a normal schedule and Para Transpo trips will go ahead as planned.  

Troy Charter, OC Transpo's director of transit operations, said he's been "pleased" with the performance of the Trillium Line and airport link, even though "it wasn't ideal to launch the service in the wintertime."

Charter said OC Transpo is applying lessons learned during winter operation of the Confederation Line. Workers will be out clearing snow from the tracks, checking switches and maintaining "some of that critical infrastructure that can cause problems for us."

Some bus routes will be cancelled, while many other routes will have reduced frequencies and modified trip times. 

OC Transpo urged commuters to expect delays, use the Travel Planner app and double check their route before heading out. 

"We're really asking residents to, if they have the option to stay home or take transit, to please do so," Gonthier said, noting the bad weather is expected to peak Thursday morning and taper off throughout the day.

Clearing crews are fully staffed, the city said, and will prioritize treating and clearing sidewalks, priority roads, bus routes and the winter cycling network.

Blowing and drifting snow could further complicate efforts, the city said, calling for patience from residents. 

"Given the amount of snow expected, some residents may find it challenging to get out of their communities until crews have been able to clear the residential sidewalks and streets," Gonthier said

The Société de transport de l'Outaouais (STO) is telling customers to check its website for updates about bus service in Gatineau and Ottawa.

In Kingston, transit service will operate on a modified schedule until noon when regular service will resume.

The Ottawa International Airport Authority said airlines have consolidated some flights on Wednesday evening and Thursday "to alleviate startup operations in the morning."

The airport advised travellers to check with their airline for the most up-to-date information and to plan extra time to travel to the airport.