It’s the type of weather that left most of us wishing we stayed inside.
“It’s really slippery, I almost fell down two times,” said one Regina resident. “In this weather usually I don’t leave the house but I had to because I had an appointment.”
Overnight sidewalks and roads turned into skating rinks. By morning, people had a hard time getting into vehicles as freezing rain fell on southern Saskatchewan creating hazardous conditions.
The City of Regina has had sanders out since last night and will remain out on the city streets throughout today.
Currently, the city’s primary focus has been to provide ice control on arterial and collector roads and sidewalks.
The city is currently working through the road networks to address the dangerous areas. They are encouraging residents to take extra caution when driving.
Sander trucks will be continuously monitoring category 1, 2, 3 and 4 roads and applying salt or sand as needed.
Once category 1-4 roads are complete and in good winter driving conditions, the city will focus on category 5 (residential) streets.
The city is also offering free sand for the public to use to keep their sidewalks and driveways safe.
The winter sandbox can be found at the following locations:
- Northgate Mall – Seventh Avenue North and Lorne Street
- Jack Hamilton Arena – 1010 McCarthy Boulevard
- Albert Scott Community Centre – 1264 Athol Street
- Cathedral Centre – 2900 Thirteenth Avenue
- Al Ritchie – 2230 Lindsay Street
- Murray Balfour Arena – 70 Massey Road
- Glencairn Centre – 2626 East Dewdney Avenue
- Sandra Schmirler Leisure Centre – 3130 Woodhams Drive
- South Leisure Centre – 222 Sunset Drive
Both Regina’s public and catholic schools cancelled all buses Wednesday morning due to icy roads.
Police are also urging drivers to slow down after dealing with several collisions in the past 24 hours.
“Allow a little more stopping distance and be patient especially with other drivers,” Regina Police Service Sgt. Ian Barr said. “We’re all in a hurry to get somewhere but patience is a virtue.”
With the slippery conditions Regina’s emergency rooms saw a spike in admissions.
Between the Pasqua and General Hospitals, at least 149 patients were examined due to injuries caused by the treacherous weather conditions.
“We did have to cancel some of the elective surgeries today, seven of them,” Surgical Services Executive Director Sandy Euteneier said. “As of this morning we had ten fractures waiting for surgery here at the General and six more at the Pasqua.”
The Saskatchewan Health Authority says seniors are particularly at risk of falling and urges people to stay inside.
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