Schools in Ottawa will be closed Tuesday in the wake of a destructive storm that ripped through much of southern Ontario and Quebec on Saturday.
Both the Ottawa Catholic School Board and the Ottawa-Carleton District School Board confirmed the news on Monday afternoon.
The chaos caused by the storm, including widespread power outages, was cited as the reason for school to be called off.
“The decision to close all schools was based on the fact that approximately half of our schools are without power at this time and municipal officials are urging residents to stay off city streets as they attempt to stabilize roadways and traffic lights,” the Ottawa-Carlton board said in a statement.
Neither board will offer online learning Tuesday, with plans to introduce virtual classes if closures continue beyond a single day.
The Ottawa-Carlton board said it hoped to open schools by Wednesday but that “ongoing power outages and traffic safety” meant it was preparing to switch to remote in “some or all” schools.
At least one school from each board — Castor Valley Elementary School School and St. Monica School — have already confirmed they will switch to online learning from Wednesday after their rooves were damaged during the storm.
The Catholic board said it hoped “most” schools would be ready to reopen Wednesday.
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