Freezing rain makes for slippery and hazardous commute: ‘You don’t need to drive fast’

Walking out the front door was dangerous business, Thursday as freezing rain coated the Greater Montreal area in ice.

The treacherous conditions forced some schools on the south shore to close and had emergency officials on high alert.

“Slips and falls are the majority of our calls right now. There have been a lot of motor vehicle accidents in the worst of the storm,” according to Jean-Mari Dufresne spokesperson for Urgences-santé.

The emergency services call centre said it responded to an influx of reported injuries due to the icy roads and streets.

Dufresne is calling for people to take it slow.

“Just take the necessary precautions you don’t need to drive fast. It’s better to arrive late than not at all,” Dufresne said.

3:41 How to prevent slipping on ice

The 10 millimetres of freezing rain that fell Wednesday night into Thursday morning made for tricky operations for city crews.

City officials said they are trying their best to keep up with Mother Nature.

“Even if we are using massive amounts of salt and rock we need time to complete the operation. If we pass in front of your house at 4 a.m. this morning maybe we won’t come back before 11 p.m. We need the time,” city spokesperson Philippe Sabourin said.

Despite sidewalks being dangerous in some areas, the ice is not thick enough according to the city to deploy its fleet of ice-crushing machinery. The trucks will remain parked in the garage.

“There is no way we have the conditions to deploy the croque-glace. We need one inch of ice and that is not the case actually,” Sabourin said.

City officials said it will take a full day for crews to tackle the ice build-up and to clear the 10,000 km of streets and sidewalks.

Environment Canada is forecasting another 10 mm of rain for Friday morning.