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SNOW DAY: No school in Surrey, Delta; ‘avoid all but essential travel,’ transportation ministry says

Overnight snow storm
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Posted posted to Jordan Tinney’s Twitter page on Wednesday.

Schools are closed today (Wednesday) in Surrey and Delta due to heavy overnight snowfall.

“All sites in Surrey School District will be closed today. Staff in critical roles please report to work to help us prepare for tomorrow. Thank you,” Jordan Tinney, superintendent of schools in Surrey, posted to his Twitter account just before 6 a.m.

Because of extreme winter weather, motorists are advised to avoid all but essential travel throughout the Metro Vancouver region today, including the Fraser Valley, warns the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure.

“Persistent snow, high winds and cold temperatures are causing poor road conditions,” the ministry said in a news release at 7:30 a.m. Wednesday. “Those who must travel are asked to use extreme caution and drive to the conditions. The ministry advises travellers to expect winter conditions for the rest of the week.”

TransLink said there will be “significantly slower service” on the transit system Wednesday, according to spokesperson Ben Murphy.

“Customers are asked to consider whether they need to travel today, and if there is a need, whether they could consider travelling outside of rush hours, as commutes will take significantly longer than usual,” Murphy said in a news release at 6:45 a.m. Wednesday.

“The inclement weather may also result in some crowding on board trains and at SkyTrain stations, as was seen during afternoon rush hours yesterday. Station attendants will be on board trains to monitor guideways and limit emergency braking on the system, which can be caused by heavy snowfall or ice build up.

“Customers using the bus system are asked to check transit alerts before travelling. Some routes may be adjusted given road conditions and we do expect that there will be significantly longer travel times. HandyDART will be operating at essential service levels only until further notice.

“Our priority is to ensure transit services continue to operate, even if they are operating more slowly or with reduced capacity. We thank the media for sharing this message with our customers.”

On Tuesday evening, Tinney warned of fake Twitter accounts that sometimes spring up to report fake school-closure news.

In Delta, schools are also closed Wednesday, according to a website post.

Surrey district’s winter weather procedures are posted to the Surrey Schools website.

READ MORE: Surrey drivers tailgating, speeding despite icy roads



Tom Zillich

About the Author: Tom Zillich

I cover entertainment, sports and news stories for the Surrey Now-Leader, where I've worked for more than half of my 30-plus years in the newspaper business.
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