Schools in the Halifax region are closing Monday as significant amounts of snow continue to fall throughout the region.
In a midday release Sunday, the Halifax Regional Centre for Education said all of its 137 schools would be closed to start the week, to allow for ongoing snow clean-up at its schools and throughout Halifax.
“Based on information from EMO, all HRCE schools will be closed tomorrow, Monday, February 5, 2024,” the statement read, adding weather projections calling for an additional 1o to 15 centimetres overnight contributed to the decision to close on Monday.
“School sites may not be fully clear by morning and HRM streets and sidewalks may not be fully clear by morning.”
Chignecto Central Regional Centre for Education schools — which include schools in the East Hants, Colchester, Cumberland, and Pictou areas — are also closing Monday due to the snow.
In another release Sunday, Conseil Scolaire Acadien Provincial (CSAP) said all of the department’s schools in its Metro and North cluster would be closed Monday.
The Cape Breton-Victoria Regional Centre for Education, an area that has experienced the most significant amount of snowfall, also announced to start the week that classes were cancelled for Monday.
The Strait Regional Centre for Education, the other school district in Cape Breton, confirmed on Sunday afternoon that classes will also be cancelled on Monday.
Most Nova Scotia Community College are closing on Monday as well. A full list can be found here.
St. Francis Xavier University in Antigonish announced Sunday it would stay closed on Monday “given the conditions it will take time to make the campus fully accessible and safe to reopen.”
Also closing Monday are Cape Breton University, Mount Saint Vincent University, Dalhousie University and Saint Mary’s University.
Environment Canada said Sunday an additional 15 to 25 centimetres of snowfall could happen in Halifax area before tapering down to scattered flurries on Monday.
Eastern parts of Nova Scotia, which includes New Glasgow through to Cape Breton, was expected to receive another 30 to 50 centimetres, with wind gusts of up to 80 kilometres per hour.
The weather agency says the northeastern part of the province and Cape Breton were expected to have 20 to 30 centimetres of wet snow on the ground by Sunday morning, with a further 30 to 50 centimetres to fall by Monday.
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In response, the Cape Breton Regional Municipality council declared a local state of emergency on Sunday.
“After receiving news that the province is not willing to declare a State of Emergency, Council convened a virtual Emergency Meeting and voted unanimously to declare a Local State of Emergency and are urging residents to stay off the roads,” a post from the municipality read.
“It is imperative that Public Works crews are able to continue the hard work of clearing road ways and supporting our first responders as we enter into the next 24 hours that will see snow, wind and freezing rain.”
The update said that the state of emergency is in place for seven days, but the municipality is “hopeful that it will be lifter sooner as the storm passes and clean up continues.”
— With a file from the Canadian Press
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