A mix of snow and freezing drizzle have made for slippery conditions in Prince Albert. (File Photo/paNOW Staff)

By Rob Mahon

Seniors And Snow

Prince Albert seniors slowed by icy conditions

Nov 17, 2021 | 8:00 AM

Icy rain and heavy snow from the storm that passed through this week are making it harder to commute just about anywhere, whether it’s on foot or in a vehicle. The senior population of Prince Albert is having an especially tough time of it, however.

Hannelore Fryters with the Prince Albert Seniors Advocacy Centre is a senior herself and said she was completely snowed in at her home on Tuesday morning, with both the front and back doors blocked.

“What if I had an appointment this morning?” said Fryters. “If I would’ve had an appointment I would’ve had to cancel. I cannot get out. I can’t even call a cab to get out because I’m totally snowed in, front and back. Walking is very hard in the snow, slippery.”

Fryters said she’ll need help to get out of her home, and while she had help on the way, she wasn’t sure exactly when it would arrive. After all, there were other people in the exact same boat.

“I have some people coming to dig me out, but I don’t know when I’m on the list,” Fryters said. “They do a good job, but we have to wait because they have a big list and have to help a lot of other people to.”

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Senior’s homes, meanwhile, have been hard at work making sure there aren’t any slips, trips, or falls coming their way. After the initial dump of snow on Monday night, there was a respite in which they were able to clear their walkways.

“Conditions are wet, soggy snow,” said Rob Fahlman with the Columbian Centre. “But so far there haven’t been any incidents as far as ice and slipping. We try to keep our walkways as clear as possible as early as possible before our residents start moving on around.”

Fahlman said they actually had more trouble with the first snowfall, at least as of Tuesday morning. First thing that day, their maintenance person was out clearing away the snow and ice. But not everywhere in the city was so easily accessible, especially on the sidewalks.

“A lot of our seniors go to use the mall on foot because not everyone drives in here,” said Fahlman. “A lot of them don’t have vehicles in here so we have to keep access as open as possible.”

The storm was initially forecasted to last through the day on Wednesday, but Environment Canada updated their forecast to say it would conclude well before that.

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rob.mahon@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter: @RobMahonPxP