B.C. snowfall warning prompts preparations

Preparations for the snow are being put in place all over the Lower Mainland. This comes as Environment Canada issued an updated snowfall warning for Metro Vancouver Saturday afternoon.

The weather service says the Lower Mainland could see 10 to 25 centimetres of snow and 30 centimetres for places in higher areas.

In Vancouver, the city says it has over 100 vehicles and equipment for snow and ice treatment, along with 3,000 tonnes of salt.

In New Westminster, Councillor Daniel Fontaine says a regional response is needed for heavy snowfall warnings, including better communication models. Fontaine is also pushing for a regional snow summit to improve road conditions.

“To make sure that ambulances can get around, our transit can continue working, the fire trucks can make it to a fire on time. Those are all critical core services of our municipal governments. And to be quite frank, I’m not convinced that we’re at that stage yet,” Fontaine said.

Travel delays and power outages possible

TransLink’s Dan Mountain says their buses are only as good as the roads they drive on. However, the transport service says it has improved its communication operations.

“Whenever there’s inclement weather in the snow, in the forecast, we activate what’s called a snow desk, which is essentially dispatchers that are communicating with the operators about any tricky spots on the roads and communicating that directly to the municipalities,” Mountain said.

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At the Vancouver International Airport (YVR), plans have been put in place to prevent mayhem.

“We have our de-icing facilities fully up. We have new dating procedures in effect. And we’ve certainly been working with our air carrier partners to make sure that towing capabilities off gate are fully operational,” YVR’s Mike McNaney said.

YVR says it’s important for passengers to check their airlines’ updates before coming to the airport. McNaney says they have also been working with airline carriers to “thin out” flight schedules.

“What we are seeing now is approximately 15 per cent of flights over this evening and into tomorrow have been canceled or delayed.”

For those who plan to take on the road, the Ministry of Emergency Management and Climate Readiness says to put together a car kit. This includes non-perishable food, bottled water, a flashlight, blanket, tire chains, shovel and to make sure your gas is topped up. The ministry says to also prepare for possible power outages.