'Snowmicron': the city tackles the first big snowfall in the time of COVID-19 Omicron variant
It was shaping up to be the biggest storm of the season and the first big test for road maintenance teams under COVID-19 Omicron conditions.
While they didn’t get the brunt of the storm that pushed into Ontario on Monday, City of London officials say the response went well for the first significant snowfall of the year.
There was a steady stream of trucks moving through the Exeter Road Operations Centre.
John Parsons, the city’s division manager of road operations, says it was “all hands on deck.”
Parsons says keeping equipment available has required early planning as they try to ensure supply chain issues don’t become a problem, "If some equipment goes down it could be hard to get some parts, but we've ordered extra parts so we are ready for those types of situations."
City of London Exeter Road Operations Centre, Jan. 17, 2022. (Gerry Dewan / CTV News)There were no serious accidents on area roadways during the overnight snowfall Sunday into Monday, including the 401 and 402 highways but police believe drivers could do better, with a few ending up in the ditch.
West Region OPP Sergeant Ed Sanchuk says it starts with making the decision not to travel or allowing more time for the journey.
"We're just asking people to make sure they slow down, drive according to the road and weather conditions, put their safety as a priority," said Sanchuck.
Looking at other forms of travel, there were a number of flights out of London International Airport that were cancelled Monday morning, but that had more to do with the storms impact on Toronto.
As for more localized snow clearing operations, Clari Thornicroft had to shift to the shovel to clear her driveway after the snow blower ran out of gas, but she did so grudgingly, "I don't like it. I like summer but we live in Canada so that's how it is," she said.
Parsons says, while staffing wasn't an issue Monday morning, the city will be monitoring the impacts of Omicron.
He says the pandemic, along with provincial government limits on shift lengths, may impact future snow clearing efforts.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Online diary: Buffalo gunman plotted attack for months
The white gunman accused of massacring 10 Black people at a Buffalo supermarket wrote as far back as November about staging a livestreamed attack on African Americans, practiced shooting from his car and travelled hours from his home in March to scout out the store, according to detailed diary entries he appears to have posted online.
Conservative leadership candidate Pierre Poilievre denounces 'white replacement theory'
Pierre Poilievre is denouncing the 'white replacement theory' believed to be a motive for a mass shooting in Buffalo, N.Y., as 'ugly and disgusting hate-mongering.'
Ontario driver who killed woman and three daughters sentenced to 17 years in prison
A driver who struck and killed a woman and her three young daughters nearly two years ago 'gambled with other people's lives' when he took the wheel, an Ontario judge said Monday in sentencing him to 17 years behind bars.
Half of patients hospitalized with COVID-19 still experiencing at least one symptom two years later: study
Half of those hospitalized with COVID-19 at the start of the pandemic are still experiencing at least one symptom two years later, a new study suggests.
What we know so far about the victims of the Buffalo mass shooting
A former police officer, the 86-year-old mother of Buffalo's former fire commissioner, and a grandmother who fed the needy for decades were among those killed in a racist attack by a gunman on Saturday in a Buffalo grocery store. Three people were also wounded.
Top 6 moments from the 2022 Ontario election debate
Ontario’s four main party leaders were relatively civil as they spared at Monday night’s televised election debate in Toronto.
Rising cost of living worries Canadians, defines Ontario election
The rising cost of living is worrying Canadians and defining the Ontario election as prices go up on everything from groceries to gas.
Documents show a pattern of human rights abuses against gender diverse prisoners
Facing daily instances of violence and abuse, gender diverse people in the Canadian prison system say they are forced to take measures into their own hands to secure their safety.
White 'replacement theory' fuels racist attacks
A racist ideology seeping from the internet's fringes into the mainstream is being investigated as a motivating factor in the supermarket shooting that killed 10 people in Buffalo, New York. Most of the victims were Black.
Kitchener
-
Police searching for man after child's suspicious death in Cambridge
The Waterloo Regional Police Service has released the name of a man they say could have information on the suspicious death of an eight-year-old boy in Cambridge.
-
Police seek driver in hit and run collision involving cyclist
Police are looking for a driver involved in a hit and run collision in Kitchener that sent a cyclist to hospital with serious injuries.
-
Kitchener Rangers reflect on rollercoaster season
The Kitchener Rangers' playoff run came to end over the weekend and the team is reflecting on their up-and-down OHL season.
Windsor
-
What will it take to win the vote of Windsorites? Residents share their top issues ahead of the Ontario election
With just over two weeks until Ontarians head to the polls, candidates are running out of time to convince voters they will keep their election promises.
-
Airsoft gun allegedly used at county dance, OPP investigating
OPP in Essex are investigating after it was reported a weapon was brought to a grade school dance on Friday.
-
RECAP
RECAP | Ontario party leaders face off during 2022 election debate
The leaders of Ontario's four major political parties took the stage for a live televised debate in Toronto on Monday night.
Barrie
-
Paul Sadlon, 89, stands trial accused of sexual assault
Barrie businessman Paul Sadlon, 89, walked alongside his lawyer into a courtroom to stand trial on Monday, accused of sexually assaulting a woman following a business meeting nearly three years ago.
-
Truck rollover on Highway 400 in York Region caused major delays
A truck rollover on Highway 400 south of Newmarket is causing major delays Monday, according to provincial police.
-
Lasting fatigue a symptom of long COVID, expert says
Many people who contracted COVID-19 during the sixth wave complained of lasting symptoms, sometimes known as long COVID, which Dr. Sohail Gandhi said can result in low energy or extreme fatigue.
Northern Ontario
-
Sudbury’s Positive Inception store reopens after fire
After a fire in a nearby business closed the shop, Sudbury’s Positive Inception officially reopened Monday.
-
Northern Ont. union worried members were exposed to cell-destroying substances
Mine Mill Unifor Local 598 says staff at some of the area's long-term care facilities and nursing homes may have been exposed to cytotoxins.
-
Ontario landlord says he's drained his savings after tenants stopped paying rent last year
An Ontario landlord who says he's exhausted his savings and credit after his tenants allegedly stopped paying rent six months ago is frustrated he has no power to evict them.
Ottawa
-
Canada Day celebrations moving from Parliament Hill
The Canada Day main stage will be at LeBreton Flats park just west of downtown Ottawa this year, not on Parliament Hill.
-
Ontario party leaders attack Ford on health, education in election debate
Progressive Conservative Leader Doug Ford faced a barrage of attacks from the other three major party leaders in the Ontario election debate Monday.
-
Officials confirm EF0 landspout tornado near Casselman, Ont.
Western University's Northern Tornadoes Project says a landspout tornado occurred east of Ottawa during Sunday's severe weather, making it the first confirmed tornado of the 2022 season.
Toronto
-
Top 6 moments from the 2022 Ontario election debate
Ontario’s four main party leaders were relatively civil as they spared at Monday night’s televised election debate in Toronto.
-
Ontario party leaders attack Ford on health, education in election debate
Progressive Conservative Leader Doug Ford faced a barrage of attacks from the other three major party leaders in the Ontario election debate Monday.
-
Ontario landlord says he's drained his savings after tenants stopped paying rent last year
An Ontario landlord who says he's exhausted his savings and credit after his tenants allegedly stopped paying rent six months ago is frustrated he has no power to evict them.
Montreal
-
Quebec English-speakers have higher unemployment, lower income than French-speakers: study
Who are Quebec's English-speakers in 2022, anyway? A new study shows they're young, extremely ethnically diverse -- and are struggling in the workforce, with higher unemployment and lower income than French-speakers.
-
Quebec coroner calls for independence in public health director role in final report on long-term care home deaths
The government of Quebec needs to ensure the role of the public health director is independent and without any 'political constraint,' a Quebec coroner has recommended in a final report into deaths at long-term care homes during the pandemic's first wave.
-
Apartment hunting: What can you get for $1,450 in Montreal?
As moving season approaches, the ongoing housing crisis is on the minds of many Montrealers seeking a new place to live.
Atlantic
-
'Absolutely disgusting': Team leader critical of RCMP mental health support after N.S. shooting
The RCMP's treatment of their tactical team in the days following the April 2020 mass shooting in Nova Scotia was characterized as "absolutely disgusting" Monday during testimony before the public inquiry examining the killings.
-
Mother of Chantel Moore tells inquest about night N.B. police shot her daughter
The mother of an Indigenous woman shot by New Brunswick police in 2020 told a coroner's inquest Monday that less than two hours after she was awakened by an officer seeking her daughter's address to check on her safety, police returned with news that her daughter had been killed.
-
Closure concerns: Glace Bay ER closed for nearly two years due to staffing shortages
The emergency department at the Glace Bay Hospital has been closed since July of 2021, and it’s unclear when it will reopen.
Winnipeg
-
Sex workers concerned over proposed legislation bringing changes to hotels
Sex workers are raising concerns about a proposed law aimed at cracking down on human traffickers who use short-term rentals, saying the move could make things less safe for them.
-
Beavers taking a toll on this Winnipeg neighbourhood's tree canopy
Some busy beavers have been taking a toll on a Winnipeg neighbourhood's tree canopy, prompting a group of residents to work with the city to save the trees.
-
Foundation repair companies slammed with calls after flooding
With the heavy rain Winnipeg has received, many homeowners are finding cracks in their foundations undetected during the previous two years of drought.
Calgary
-
Warrant issued for suspect in crash that killed Calgary mother of 5
Calgary police said in a statement issued Monday they have identified a suspect wanted in an incident that resulted in the death of a Calgary mother of five.
-
'Great for all of Alberta': Flames, Oilers prepare for battle in second round
Johnny Gaudreau and Matthew Tkachuk weren't even born the last time the Calgary Flames and Edmonton Oilers met in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, but they still understand how much the Battle of Alberta means to fans of both teams.
-
Italian language program cancelled for 2022-23 school year at Catholic school
Kids at St. Alphonsus elementary and junior high won't be able to continue in the school's long standing Italian language and culture program in September.
Edmonton
-
Alta. man pleads guilty to 1st-degree murder in deaths of woman, toddler
The Alberta man accused of first-degree murder in the deaths of a 24-year-old woman and her 16-month-old child is due in court on Monday.
-
New strategy aims to make Edmonton safer as community calls for more EPS officers
Community members and councillors weighed in on a newly proposed safety and well-being plan crafted by administration to make Edmonton the safest city in Canada by the end of the decade.
-
Police takedown suspect vehicle in northeast Edmonton
Officers performed a vehicle takedown in northeast Edmonton Monday afternoon to end a "short" police chase.
Vancouver
-
'Devastating': Vancouver dad's tweet about son's empty birthday party strikes nerve
A Vancouver dad whose son is on the autism spectrum took to social media to share how painful it was to see only one classmate at his birthday party. Now, he's receiving a flood of support that he hopes marks the start of an important conversation.
-
Metro Vancouver fresh food bank sees 10-fold surge in demand during pandemic
A Metro Vancouver food bank program that provides fresh groceries to people in need is serving 10 times more families than it was before the COVID-19 pandemic.
-
B.C. liberal leader slams $800M museum 'vanity project' on first day in legislature
British Columbia Liberal Leader Kevin Falcon said that if elected premier he would halt plans to build a new Royal B.C. Museum, calling it a “billion-dollar vanity project” after he took his seat in the legislature.