Winter storm prompts school bus cancellations in Ottawa, Smiths Falls and the Valley
Posted Dec 16, 2022 11:46:00 AM.
Ottawa and its surrounding areas are under a significant snowfall warning as a winter storm continues to bring heavy snow to eastern Ontario.
The inclement weather has caused cancellations of all eastern Ontario school buses on the morning of Friday, Dec. 16.
The Ottawa Student Transportation Authority (OSTA), which manages transportation for the Ottawa-Carleton District School Board (OCDSB) and the Ottawa Catholic School Board (OCSB), has cancelled all of its school transportation for today.
The Catholic District School Board of Eastern Ontario (CDSBEO) and the Upper Canada District School Board (UCDSB) said that all school bus transportation will be cancelled.
All schools, however, remain open and students can access resources online through classroom Teams/Brightspace D2L platforms or through other online platforms.
IMPORTANT NOTICE: all transportation services are CANCELLED, for Friday December 16, 2022 due to Weather & Road Conditions. All schools are OPEN. pic.twitter.com/rivEYucj9h
— RCJTC (@RCJTC_Trans) December 16, 2022
The snow started overnight on Thursday, Dec. 15 and Environment Canada said the significant snowfall will continue into the morning of Saturday, Dec. 17. We could see peak snowfall rates from one to two centimetres (cm) per hour, the weather agency adds.
“The snow is falling pretty steady throughout the day and overnight even through (Saturday) and we will continue to see some widespread flurries,” said CityNews weather specialist Denise Andreacchi. “We're looking at accumulations of 20-30 cm by Saturday morning.”
The City of Ottawa has also issued an overnight parking ban which remains in effect until 7 a.m. on Saturday, Dec. 17.
