Heavy snowfall snarls traffic on highway to Whistler
A sudden blast of wintry weather caused such havoc on the roads around Whistler on Wednesday that GPS devices suggested that it would be faster for drivers to take a seven-hour detour past Abbotsford and Lillooet to reach the ski resort.
By mid-afternoon, some 50 centimeters had fallen – much of it in a very short amount of time.
"Big impact on the highway," said Const. Antoine Graevling of Sea to Sky RCMP.
"We've seen cars that come to a standstill, partial closures of the highway, and temporary closures on Highway 99," he told CTV News.
Two BC Transit buses, as well as a school bus were also sent off the road.
"BC Transit will continue to closely monitor conditions and proceed accordingly," read a company statement, informing would-be travellers that travel along some routes had been suspended.
The lure of fresh snow drew thousands of skiers to the mountain, but many of them didn't have good winter tires.
All along the Sea to Sky highway, cars were spotted in ditches, but Mounties say thankfully nobody was injured.
"Definitely when you see that amount of snow that falls over a short period of time, it can be quite dramatic," said Alyssa Charbonneaum, a meteorologist with Environment and Climate Change Canada.
"I think that for those who don't have to travel the route today, it's probably a good idea to postpone," she advised.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Liberal MP says she's leaving politics over disrespectful dialogue, threats, misogyny
Liberal MP Pam Damoff says she won't run again in the next federal election, saying she has experienced misogyny, disrespectful dialogue in politics and threats to her life.
Concerns about plexiglass prompt inspections at some Loblaws locations in Ottawa
Inspections are underway at more than one Loblaws location in Ottawa after complaints were filed about tall plexiglass barriers.
Federal employees will be required to spend 3 days a week in the office
Starting in September, public servants in the core public administration will be required to work in the office a minimum of three days a week. The Treasury Board Secretariat says executives will need to be in the office four days per week.
OPP officer said 'someone's going to get hurt' before wrong-way Hwy. 401 crash
As multiple Durham police cruisers were chasing a robbery suspect on the wrong side of Highway 401 Monday night, an Ontario Provincial Police officer shared his concerns, telling a dispatcher, "Someone's going to get hurt."
Five human skeletons, missing hands and feet, found outside house of Nazi leader Hermann Göring
Archeologists have unearthed the skeletons of five people, missing their hands and feet, at a former Nazi military base in Poland.
Poilievre returns to House unrepentant for calling Trudeau 'wacko,' Speaker not resigning
An unrepentant Pierre Poilievre returned to the House of Commons on Wednesday to pepper the prime minister about his drug decriminalization policies after being booted the day prior for refusing to take back calling Justin Trudeau 'wacko' over his approach to the issue.
Toddler of Phoenix first responder dies after bounce house goes airborne
A two-year-old child died after a strong gust of wind sent the bounce house he was in airborne and into a neighbouring lot in central Arizona, the Pinal County Sheriff's Office said.
Canada's most wanted fugitive arrested in P.E.I. in connection with Toronto homicide
A suspect in a fatal shooting in Toronto’s east end last summer has been arrested in Charlottetown, just one week after he topped a list of Canada’s most wanted fugitives.
A teen was found buried in a basement in New York. An engraved ring helped police learn her identity two decades later
Investigators have finally revealed the identity of an unknown victim nicknamed 'Midtown Jane Doe,' who was found in the Hell's Kitchen neighbourhood of New York City two decades ago.