Update Jan. 6 at 12:30 p.m.:
The road near Sargeant Bay Provincial Park is now reopened.
BC Transit is noting alerts for routes #90, #1, #2, #3 and #4. Check the BC Transit alerts page for up-to-date details.
Update Jan. 6 at 9:20 a.m.:
Sunshine Coast RCMP temporarily close the road near Sargeant Bay Provincial Park, due to slippery conditions near Redroofs Hill. The closure will be reassessed once the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure is engaged, an update from the police said.
Update Jan. 6 at 8 a.m.:
School District 46 announced that all district schools and departments will be closed Thursday, Jan. 6 because of inclement weather.
"The snow is causing unsafe road conditions for our staff and family vehicles all along the Sunshine Coast. We care about the safety of students, staff, and families and always want to make the best decision given the conditions," said the school district's notice.
Original story Jan. 5:
As the Sunshine Coast prepares for more snowfall to begin on the evening of Wednesday, Jan. 5, several services and facilities have announced early closures.
Environment Canada's winter storm warning for the Sunshine Coast predicts 15 to 25 centimetres of heavy snow, turning to rain on Thursday morning. There is a potential for freezing rain.
"Rapidly accumulating snow could make travel difficult over some locations. Prepare for quickly changing and deteriorating travel conditions. Surfaces such as highways, roads, walkways and parking lots may become icy and slippery. If visibility is reduced while driving, slow down, watch for tail lights ahead and be prepared to stop," Environment Canada's weather statement says.
Transit
On the Coast, BC Transit will be ending service early on for buses leaving Sechelt and Langdale. As of 10 a.m., service on Halfmoon Bay's Route 4 was affected by slippery conditions.
The last buses leaving Sechelt will be: #1 Langdale Ferry at 5:18 p.m., #2 West Sechelt at 9:36 p.m., #3 Sechelt Arena at 5:30 p.m. and #90 Langdale Ferry at 7:55 p.m.
The last buses leaving from Langdale will be the #1 Sechelt at 6:30 p.m. and the #90 Sechelt Express at 8:50 p.m.
The company said service may also be impacted on Thursday morning, Jan. 6, and may be delayed until road conditions improve. As of an afternoon update, the first bus service of Jan. 6 will be at 8:10 a.m. for both the #2 West Sechelt and #90 Langdale Ferry. The #1 Langdale Ferry route will depart Sechelt at 8:22 a.m. while the #3 Sechelt Arena will leave at 8:35 a.m. From Langdale, the first bus on #1 Sechelt will leave at 9:45 a.m. and the #90 Sechelt Express at 9:02 a.m. The first bus for Halfmoon Bay's Route 4 will be at 10:09 a.m. Changes and more updates can be found at www.bctransit.com/sunshine-coast/schedules-and-maps/alerts or the SCRD's social media pages.
Waste
Curbside collection service-s may be interrupted by the weather, and residents can find out if their pick-up will be impacted through the SCRD's channels or SCRD Collects App. Questions can be answered by the SCRD's subcontractor Salish Soils at [email protected] or 604-885-5383.
Operations at the Pender Harbour Transfer Station and Sechelt Landfill may be affected by overnight snow. Update will be available at www.scrd.ca or on the SCRD's Facebook page if operating hours change.
Recreation
Temporary changes to the SCRD's recreation facilities hours began earlier today, when the Pender Harbour Aquatic & Fitness Centre closed at 1 p.m. in anticipation of the snow. It will not reopen for the evening.
All SCRD rec facilities will open on Thursday at the later time of 9 a.m. to allow safer travel for staff and facility visitors.
