Snow causes delays in the air and on the ground

ABOVE: Global’s Laura Zilke checks with the latest travel delays and cancellations 

TORONTO – Heavy snowfall in and around the Greater Toronto Area caused major delays at airports and on roads and highways across southern Ontario Wednesday.

Over 15 centimetres of snow fell in Toronto Wednesday morning.

The Toronto Transit Commission shut down the Scarborough RT for snow and ice removal at 12:30 p.m. Shuttle buses will run in its place.

Afternoon commuters can expect to deal with slow traffic and slippery conditions.

Sean Lamba was driving his new Cadillac sedan in Thornhill Wednesday when he got stuck, along with several other cars and buses, on a hill near Yonge Street and Thornhill Avenue.

But, he was lucky.  Some kind strangers swooped in to help.

“I got stuck on the road there, I called CAA and they said they’d take two or three hours and out of nowhere a bunch of good Samaritans came out and helped me,” he said. “It’s brutal, it’s horrible. This past winter’s been tough.”

Two passing drivers got out of their cars and pushed his car up the hill until it gained traction.

Road closures and delays

Toronto Traffic Services wants to remind drivers to cut down on unnecessary travel and to stay off the roads if possible.

Shortly after noon, Toronto Police closed the northbound lanes of the Don Valley Parkway at Millwood Road due to poor driving conditions. The highway reopened about an hour later after plows could clear the snow.

Watch the video below: Is a roadside service membership worth it? Sean O’Shea reports. 

The Canadian Automobile Association received over 1,000 calls for assistance by Wednesday afternoon.

Delayed and cancelled flights

In the air, hundreds of flights to and from eastern Canada and the United States were delayed due to the weather system.

As of 3:40 p.m., 383 departing and arriving flights were cancelled at Toronto Pearson International Airport.

Officials are reminding passengers to check their status before heading to the airport on GTAA.com or at Torontoport.com if flying in or out of Billy Bishop Airport.

While this storm will blow out of the GTA by day’s end, a winter storm is expected to start hitting southern Nova Scotia and southeastern New Brunwick by noon Thursday and to move through the Maritimes and into parts of Newfoundland and Labrador.

School Closures

A number of school boards cancelled bus service in the morning but most schools remained open.

However, several school boards shuttered their buildings for night classes Wednesday.

• York University cancelled all evening classes and exams.
• Halton Catholic School Board cancelled night classes but school remain open for community usage.
• York Region District School board cancelled all night classes and community events.
• Peel District School Board cancelled all night classes and community events.
• The Toronto District School board cancelled all night classes.
• All evening classes at Sheridan College are cancelled but campuses remain open.