Ottawans got their first real taste of the coming winter as the nation’s capital was hit with a blast of snow overnight Sunday and into Monday morning.
Environment Canada said 7.8 centimetres of snow had already fallen at the Ottawa International Airport by midnight, though flakes were still flying Monday morning.
The city put its first winter parking ban of the season into effect at 7 a.m. so plows could clear streets. Residents with street parking permits are exempt but still encouraged to move their vehicles if possible.
The Monday morning commute was marked by numerous reports of collisions and cars turned over or in ditches.
An Ottawa bylaw officer came across a car turned over in a ditch in Vars shortly after 9:30 a.m. and helped to administer first aid to the injured driver before other emergency services arrived on the scene, according to Ottawa Fire Services.
Fire crews said they were able to stabilize the vehicle and free the trapped driver by 10 a.m.
Schools in Ottawa remained open in light of the snow but some buses were cancelled with most others experiencing delays of 10 minutes at minimum, according to morning updates from the Ottawa Student Transportation Authority.
OC Transpo was also reporting delays on the Confederation Line light-rail transit system Monday.
The local transit agency reported delayed service between Tunney’s Pasture and Parliament stations due to a stopped train at Bayview just after 5 a.m.
Slower service continued after the morning peak hours, OC Transpo said, citing the weather conditions in a tweet.
The agency initially said service returned to normal before 10 a.m. but an hour later issued another update to say service would again be affected between Tunney’s Pasture and Lyon stations as crews move a train at the western terminus station.
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