By Canadian Press

The latest developments on the major winter storm moving across much of Canada

Dec 23, 2022 | 1:45 PM

A major winter storm is hitting Ontario and Quebec, causing flight cancellations, power outages and road closures. Bad weather is also expected in many other parts of the country. Here are the latest developments (all times Eastern): 

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2:30 p.m. 

Federal Transport Minister Omar Alghabra says he understands the frustrations of those who’ve had holiday travel plans upended by the storm. 

Bad weather in regions across Canada is causing flight cancellations and delays. 

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WestJet has cancelled all flights at airports in Ontario, Quebec and British Columbia today while Air Canada has also cancelled “a number of flights” in Ottawa, Montreal and Toronto.

Alghabra says the government is working with airports, airlines and industry partners to ensure everyone remains safe.

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1:30 p.m.

Metrolinx, the parent company for GO Transit, says the winter storm is affecting bus and train service for its routes in the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area. 

It says there will be no early homebound service due to the storm and advises customers to check a modified storm schedule on its website.

The Toronto Transit Commission has issued a number of alerts for multiple routes affected by weather conditions. 

It says it took out of service 41 bus stops in hilly areas that are difficult to navigate in snowy and icy conditions, while the Line 3 subway in Scarborough is also down.

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1:15 p.m.

Ontario Provincial Police say up to 100 vehicles have been involved in multiple collisions on the busy Highway 401 in southwestern Ontario.

Sgt. Kerry Schmidt says a stretch of the highway is shut in both directions between Tilbury and London due to worsening road conditions. 

Highway 402 has also been shut down in sections near London due to multiple collisions as a major storm moves across the province. 

Schmidt says in an online video that the OPP is also seeing collisions near Cambridge as wind and snow cause whiteout conditions.

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12:40 p.m.

Environment Canada is forecasting freezing rain for much of British Columbia’s south coast, with the agency warning of icy accumulations between five and 25 millimetres.

Vancouver International Airport says the freezing rain will arrive on top of as much as 14 centimetres of snow that fell overnight.

BC Hydro says more than 5,000 customers are without power across the province, with the largest outages concentrated across Vancouver Island and on the Lower Mainland.

Forecasters are eyeing the potential for flooding as temperatures nudge 10 C this weekend and 50 to 80 millimetres of rain is expected to drench the region by Saturday night.

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12:20 p.m.

Roughly 300,000 customers are without power as a major winter storm hits Ontario and Quebec. 

Hydro-Québec says over 241,000 customers are without power as of noon, with the largest outages affecting the Capitale-Nationale, Outaouais, Estrie, Laurentides and Montérégie regions.

Meanwhile, Hydro One says more than 50,000 customers are without power across most of southern Ontario, while Hydro Ottawa says outages are currently affecting 11,500 customers.

About 30,000 customers are without power in central Ontario, with outages stretching from north of Peterborough to south of Algonquin Provincial Park.

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11:45 a.m.

Ontario Provincial Police are urging drivers to avoid unnecessary travel, saying motorists should stay off the roads if they can. 

OPP say roads are slick and slushy and littered with downed trees and power lines. 

The force says some areas are experiencing low to zero visibility due to the snow.

A stretch of the busy Highway 401 has been closed in both directions between London, Ont., and Tilbury, Ont., with multiple crashes reported. 

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11:15 a.m.

Toronto Pearson International Airport and Ottawa International Airport are advising travellers to check their flight status before leaving for the airport.

WestJet has cancelled all flights at airports in Ontario, Quebec and British Columbia, with affected airports including those in Toronto, Ottawa, London, Ont., Waterloo, Ont., and Montreal.

Air Canada says it has cancelled “a number of flights” in Ottawa, Montreal and Toronto today, including all its flights out of Toronto’s downtown island airport.

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11 a.m.

Hydro-Québec says the Outaouais, Laurentian and Capitale-Nationale regions are currently the most affected by the winter storm.

It says crews are working to restore power to more than 200,000 customers.

Hydro One, Ontario’s largest electricity utility, says crews have already responded to “significant” power outages this morning as high winds hit regions across the province. 

The utility’s outage map shows nearly 37,000 customers without power as of 10:40 a.m.

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10:30 a.m.

Environment Canada is predicting strong winds, heavy snowfall and possible flash freezing from the major winter storm that’s hitting Ontario and Quebec today. 

The agency has issued weather warnings for much of the two provinces. 

Meteorologist Mitch Meredith says he has “only seen a couple of storms like this in the last 20 years.” 

Rain was followed by plummeting temperatures this morning in parts of southern Ontario, which the weather agency says could result in flash-freezing conditions.

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This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 23, 2022. 

The Canadian Press