The scrape of a snow plough used to be a rare sight and sound in Metro Vancouver.
The vehicles may be a dime a dozen in cities like Calgary and Toronto, but for Vancouverites the few ploughs are worth their weight in gold -- especially if you're trying to move around in all of this record cold weather.
Some drivers didn't get too far Saturday, with cars spinning on ice and landing in ditches in the heavy snowfall blanketing the area.
In Burnaby, it was nearly white-out conditions on and off all Saturday.
Traffic was lighter than usual in most areas, but commercial deliveries still had to be made. In Kitsilano, CTV found one truck stuck completely -- escaping a crash, but still blocking the road.
"Treacherous. This is -- ahh -- was fun for the first couple of days, wow, snow. But this has gotta stop," says truck driver Jeff Tan.
On the North Shore, there was also a lot of snow. Things were moving, just slower than usual.
"It's hard for people to get around, but handy-dart is still working -- the buses are still working," says Sheila Ward.
In fact, TransLink reported most routes were operating normally over the weekend, but told riders to expect longer than average delays, and some changes to scheduling. Some buses were unable to tackle steep inclines, and were forced to make detours in lower elevations.
The slush slowed down, but didn't stop shoppers downtown.
"It would be great if more streets were plowed," one shopper told CTV News. "It'd be just great."
A tow truck driver says the recent dump of winter weather has caused a crazy time for him.
"We've been working non-stop. Long days. Lots of accidents," he says. "It's good for business, but other than that -- personally -- getting around is tough."
But not everyone is seeing the blustery weather as a bad thing. Mas Kitigawa was making the most of it while shovelling.
"Hey, it's a form of exercise," she says. "I'm retired, so what the hell?"
She should enjoy it while she can: B.C.'s south coast is expecting heavy rainfall starting Sunday, meaning an end to the winter wonderland slowing down the province all holiday season.
With a report from CTV British Columbia's Peter Grainger
