Good Samaritans brave B.C. snowstorm to help health workers, cyclists get to work
As snow fell heavy across large swaths of southern Vancouver Island Tuesday morning, a hidden army of helpers were quietly working to ensure others could get to work on time.
Starting at 5 a.m. Nick Poulopoulos and a crew of 4x4 enthusiasts took to side streets, highways and snow-encrusted parking lots to get health-care workers to hospitals and care centres.
The legion of drivers use a Facebook page to coordinate rides for a variety of health-care professionals during major weather events.
Early Tuesday, Luc Gagnon, who works at Victoria’s Royal Jubilee Hospital, was thankful he knew about the social media group as he saw the snow piling high.
"I was stressed. I wasn’t sure how I was getting to work," Gagnon told CTV News. "I didn’t want to let my coworkers hang, but I needed to figure out a way. Luckily I saw the Facebook post and I got saved."
By noon, Poulopoulos with had traversed dozens of treacherous side roads and even taken a trip up the Malahat highway to get nurses and other health-care workers to their shifts on time.
"I don’t even care if it puts me out a few bucks of gas here or there," said Poulopoulos. "It’s just the appreciation you get from people. It’s hard to explain."
In an official press release from Island Health, CEO Kathy MacNeill singled out the 4x4 club Tuesday morning.
"We couldn’t take care of our patients and clients without you," she wrote.
BICYCLE-MOUNTED PLOW
As the December storm began to intensify Monday night, a Saanich, B.C., bicycle builder was about to test a new design of his own creation.
Philip Marciniak threw his leg over his latest creation and pointed his wheels towards the snow-covered Galloping Goose trail.
For several years, the Saanich electric bike builder has toyed with designs for a bike-mounted plow, and finally he says his latest incarnation is really clearing a path.
“I was compelled to get out and do some plowing," Marciniak said. "I know folks walking and cycling are often left to put up with some pretty bad conditions."
Several social media posts showing the large e-bike plow clearing snow on Saanich bike paths and sidewalks have picked up hundreds of views since Monday evening.
Marciniak says his latest split-shovel design is much easier to handle than his older designs. His e-cargo bike is equipped with two large show shovels in front of the front tire.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
India's foreign minister reacts to murder charges, claims Canada welcomes criminals
India's Foreign Affairs Minister accused Canada of welcoming criminals from his country in response to the RCMP's recent arrests in a homicide that has roiled tensions between the two countries.
15-year-old boy stabbed in Ottawa on Thursday dies
A 15-year old boy who was critically injured after a stabbing in Nepean on Thursday has died of his injuries, Ottawa's English public school board said Sunday.
Dash cam catches moment suspected drunk driver hits parked car, sends it careening into North Shore flower shop
Police say it’s fortunate no one was injured or killed in a collision at North Vancouver’s Park and Tilford shopping centre Saturday evening that sent one vehicle careening into a flower shop and another into a set of concrete barriers outside a Winners store.
Actor Bernard Hill, of 'Titanic' and 'Lord of the Rings,' has died at 79
Actor Bernard Hill, who delivered a rousing cry before leading his people into battle in 'The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King' and went down with the ship as the captain in 'Titanic,' has died.
'A tiny city:' Pro-Palestinian campus protesters organize for another week
Pro-Palestinian activists have set up tents at universities in Toronto, Ottawa, Vancouver and Montreal, following a wave of similar protests at campuses in the United States linked to the Israel-Hamas war.
Lawsuit against Meta asks if Facebook users have right to control their feeds using external tools
Do social media users have the right to control what they see — or don't see — on their feeds?
A Holocaust survivor will mark that history differently after the horrors of Oct. 7
This year's Holocaust Remembrance Day, which begins on Sunday evening in Israel, carries a heavier weight than usual for many Jews around the world.
Princess Anne lays wreath at Battle of Atlantic ceremony; honours late Queen
Princess Anne saluted Canadian veterans and current forces members and honoured her late mother during separate ceremonies Sunday in Victoria as she wrapped up a three-day British Columbia West Coast royal visit.
El Nino weakening doesn't mean cooler temperatures this summer, forecasters say
As Canadians brace themselves for summer temperatures, forecasters say a weakening El Nino cycle doesn’t mean relief from the heat.