‘Hopefully I can reach my home’: Ontario snowstorm leaves travellers stranded in Winnipeg

A record-breaking winter storm in Ontario is wreaking havoc on air travel, leaving several travellers stranded at Winnipeg’s airport. Danton Unger reports.

A record-breaking winter storm in Ontario has been wreaking havoc on air travel, leaving several people stranded in Winnipeg.

It’s been a long wait in the Winnipeg Richardson Int’l Airport for Bindu Anil.

“Hopefully I can reach my home, and my son and my husband is waiting for me there,” Anil told CTV News while sitting in the airport Monday.

She’s trying to get home to Ottawa but ended up staying at the airport overnight after her flight was cancelled.

“I didn’t sleep. I was sitting and I was talking with my family, because I am already frustrated, so I cannot sleep,” she said.

It’s all thanks to a massive snowstorm that walloped southern Ontario and Quebec over the weekend, forcing airlines to cancel hundreds of flights.

At Toronto’s Pearson Int’l Airport, a record 46 centimetres of snow fell Sunday, grounding 146 flights. As cleanup continued Monday, the airport warned there would be further delays.

Here in Winnipeg, five flights to Toronto were cancelled Sunday, with another four as of Monday afternoon – leaving travellers like Luis Arruda stranded.

“It is what it is. It’s Mother Nature,” he said. “You know, she kind of runs the show a little bit.”

Arruda has been able to get another flight home to Toronto, but not until Tuesday, meaning he’s settling at the airport for the night.

“Just kind of walking around and doing whatever, grabbing coffee and everything else. I’m not going to get another hotel room for the night,” he said. “I’m going to just tough it out.”

In a statement to CTV News, the Winnipeg Airports Authority encouraged affected travellers to check the status of their flights with their airlines.

“If your flight has been cancelled, please do not come to the airport as rebooking and next steps are handled directly by your airline,” it said.

“While the airport is well prepared for winter weather operations, weather conditions can still impact flight schedules and may result in delays or cancellations.”

So for travellers like Anil and Arruda, Mother Nature has left them waiting and hoping their flights won’t be cancelled yet again.

“It is what it is, right?” Arruda said. “That’s life, and you got to deal with it the best way you can, right?”