Vaccine clinics halted, classes kept online as winter storm bears down

A major winter storm is set to hit Ottawa and the surrounding area,leading to the cancellation ofCOVID-19 vaccine clinics on Monday and the decision by Ottawa's English and French school boardsto keep classes virtual.

Environment Canadaissued winter storm warnings across the region Sunday, from Algonquin Park east to the Quebec border and south to Prince Edward County. They also cover western Quebec.

The national capital is expected to be blanketed with between 25 and 40 centimetres of snow, with some places potentially seeing half a metre's worth come down.

The weather agency says people should expect blowing snow on Monday with winds potentially hitting 60 km/h.

People should consider postponing non-essential travel and take breaks while snow shovelling, Environment Canada said.

Classesgo online for another day

Ottawa Public Health has decided to cancel Monday's community COVID-19 vaccination clinics due to the impending storm.

They are expected to resume Tuesday, the health unit said.

While in-person learning was set to resume Monday after a two-week pause, Ottawa's English public and Catholic school boards both say all theirclasses will remain virtual for one more day.

"Recognizing that educators were planning for a day of in-person learning, a transition to a full synchronous learning day may be challenging," the Ottawa-Carleton District School Board (OCDSB)said in a statement Sunday evening.

The OCDSB'sextended day programs will also be closed.Families who access child-care and extended day programs run by third parties should check with their service providers to see if they're going ahead as usual, the board said.

The Ottawa Catholic School Board issued a similar announcement Sunday night, apologizing to parents for the late notice and saying they hoped to have classrooms up and running on Tuesday.

Ottawa's French public and Catholic boards each posted on social media that classes would be virtual Monday, as have other boards around the region.

City services also disrupted

The City of Ottawa, meanwhile, has issued a parking ban that will run between 7 p.m. Monday and 7 p.m. Tuesday.Vehicles parked on the street during a ban may be ticketed and towed.

Waste and recycling collectionwillalso be delayed by one day this week beginning on Monday due to the storm, the city said in a Sunday evening statement.

Library branches will be closed, the city said, while bus routes and LRT could experience "extensive delays and cancellations."

The snow is expected to taper off Monday evening, with sunshine in Ottawa's forecast for Tuesday.