Vancouver Island school closures: Several districts declare snow day due to icy roads, power outages
Dozens of schools across Vancouver Island are closed Wednesday after a major snowstorm played havoc with traffic and cut power to thousands of homes in the region.
All schools in the Nanaimo Ladysmith school district, the Campbell River school district, the Comox Valley school district, the North Island school district and the Pacific Rim school district have declared Wednesday a snow day due to unsafe roads and icy sidewalks.
"Evening events or facility rentals for today are also cancelled," the Campbell River school district said in a release. "Groups that had reserved the use of one of our facilities should contact the school board office receptionist to reschedule or receive a refund."
All North Island College campuses are also closed, affecting all classes and campus services. The college considered reopening to students in the afternoon but in an update at 11 a.m. said all facilities would stay closed for the remainder of the day.
Vancouver Island University has closed its Nanaimo and tiwšɛmawtxʷ campuses, as well as its facilities in Parksville.
Campus residences and the VIU library commons remained open Wednesday, as well as the VIU Cowichan campus.
The university says even though the campus is closed, classes will continue remotely if they can be conducted online, the school said.
All schools in the Qualicum school district, which includes Parksville, B.C., will remain open Wednesday, however the district said buses are not running.
Hydro crews worked through the night to restore power in many areas, including hard-hit regions of Vancouver Island and the Gulf Islands, where BC Hydro says more than 19,000 customers were still in the dark early Wednesday morning.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Doctors say capital gains tax changes will jeopardize their retirement. Is that true?
The Canadian Medical Association asserts the Liberals' proposed changes to capital gains taxation will put doctors' retirement savings in jeopardy, but some financial experts insist incorporated professionals are not as doomed as they say they are.
Something in the water? Canadian family latest to spot elusive 'Loch Ness Monster'
For centuries, people have wondered what, if anything, might be lurking beneath the surface of Loch Ness in Scotland. When Canadian couple Parry Malm and Shannon Wiseman visited the Scottish highlands earlier this month with their two children, they didn’t expect to become part of the mystery.
Fair in Ontario, flurries in Labrador: Weather systems make for an erratic spring
It's no secret that spring can be a tumultuous time for Canadian weather, and as an unseasonably mild El Nino winter gives way to summer, there's bound to be a few swings in temperature that seem out of the ordinary. From Ontario to the Atlantic, though, this week is about to feel a little erratic.
What a urologist wants you to know about male infertility
When opposite sex couples are trying and failing to get pregnant, the attention often focuses on the woman. That’s not always the case.
'It was instant karma': Viral video captures failed theft attempt in Nanaimo, B.C.
Mounties in Nanaimo, B.C., say two late-night revellers are lucky their allegedly drunken antics weren't reported to police after security cameras captured the men trying to steal a heavy sign from a downtown business.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
Quebec nurse had to clean up after husband's death in Montreal hospital
On a night she should have been mourning, a nurse from Quebec's Laurentians region says she was forced to clean up her husband after he died at a hospital in Montreal.
Northern Ont. lawyer who abandoned clients in child protection cases disbarred
A North Bay, Ont., lawyer who abandoned 15 clients – many of them child protection cases – has lost his licence to practise law.
An Ontario senior thought he called Geek Squad for help with his printer. Instead, he got scammed out of $25,000
An Ontario senior’s attempt to get technical help online led him into a spoofing scam where he lost $25,000. Now, he’s sharing his story to warn others.