Saskatoon in 'full clean-up mode' after severe snowstorm hits city
Garbage collection suspended, schools and leisure centres are closed, bus routes impacted
The snow has finally stopped falling in Saskatoon, but it will take crews days to clear the mess.
Streets were left impassable for many after the winter storm dropped between 30 to 40 centimetres of snow, according to Environment and Climate Change Canada. The city is now following its phased Roadways Emergency Response Plan, which guides crews on what streets are cleaned up first.
"We're in full clean-up mode," Mayor Charlie Clark said on Monday.
"The snow extended over a period of about 48 hours, there's been quite a bit of wind, so every time our crews get out there and clear streets — they have to go back and clear them again."
The city is encouraging residents to stay home if possible, to leave space for city and contractor crews to do their work and assist emergency services. Even though the snow has stopped falling, gusting winds are creating snowdrifts which leads to additional challenges.
Crews are focused on clearing high-priority streets and maintaining access to all emergency facilities. The city anticipates crews will begin clearing residential areas during the night shift on Thursday, after all priority streets are finished.
A city update late Monday afternoon said about 95 per cent of priority one streets have been graded, followed by 45 per cent of priority two and 25 per cent of priority three.
"City and contractor crews are continuing to work around the clock to fight this snowstorm and to grade all of our priority streets," Goran Saric, the director of roadways, fleet and support for the city said Monday.
The city expects third-level priority streets to be done by midnight on Thursday.
Benjamin Semynov, who owns Benny's Yardwork, said he had been working 27 hours straight to clear snow as of Monday morning.
"Residential streets are a nightmare. I have been kind of stuck in parking lots for the last 12 hours, so I haven't really been driving around too terribly much, " Semynov said.
"As far as I'm aware, talking with a bunch of colleagues, it's kind of rough all over the city."
Semynov added that it is good to get some work in after a particularly brown winter.
"I'm happy that we're out. maybe a little less [snow] would have been nice, but I'd like to get home at some point, but I don't think that's going to be happening this week," Semynov said.
City services shut down, suspended
The storm has also shut down or affected other services around the city. Here's what you need to know about what's operating on Monday and Tuesday:
- Saskatoon Transit is offering full service Monday afternoon. Detours and delays can be expected, although the goal is that no delays exceed 15 minutes.
- Access Transit will continue trips for essential services and medical appointments. Customers are asked to reschedule leisure travel.
- Curbside recycling and garbage cart collections are suspended for Monday and have been rescheduled to Saturday. The landfill is open.
- All of the city's leisure centre including the Cosmo, Lakewood and Lawson Civic Centres, Saskatoon Field House and Shaw Centre are closed on Monday and Tuesday.
- Snow clearing on sidewalks adjacent to parks and all lighter parkways happens within 48 hours of snowfall.
- All scheduled building and plumbing inspections done by the city are cancelled on Monday and Tuesday.
- In-person classes at the University of Saskatchewan campuses in Saskatoon and Prince Albert are cancelled on Monday.
There were no classes for Saskatoon's Catholic and public school division's high schools. Elementary students were already out of school because of a professional development day.
However, classes will resume Tuesday but without most school-provided bus or taxi services to transport students. The Greater Saskatoon Catholic School division says the services provided by Horizon School Division in Humboldt and Sun West Division in Biggar will run.
Paramdeep Singh, a Saskatoon resident, said he's never seen this much snow in the city.
"It took me around half an hour to take my car out of my parking lot itself because there was so much snow all around the wheels," Singh said in downtown Saskatoon on Monday.
"It was a hectic morning."
Frigid temperatures expected
Gordon Taylor, the executive director of the Salvation Army in Saskatoon, said the snow made it difficult for vulnerable people to get to the organization's overnight warming centre located at St. Mary's Church Hall on Avenue O South.
"On a normal night throughout the winter months, there's several outreach teams that are providing transportation around town," Taylor said.
"They weren't functioning last night, so it was an extra challenge just getting to the warming centre."
There were 111 people at the centre last night, compared to this winter's usual number of about 140, he said.
"I'm just glad that we have a place where we can give them a chance to get in out of the cold overnight, because it's the only overnight shelter operating this winter," Taylor said.
And while the snow has stopped falling in the city, the winter weather is expected to continue with temperatures expected to feel close to -39 tonight.
The city has implemented its Extreme Cold Weather Emergency Plan, which opens up emergency overnight shelters and warm-up locations, among other resources, for people who need them.
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With files from Saskatoon Morning, Dayne Patterson, Pratyush Dayal