A winter storm system moving along the eastern seaboard hit parts of Atlantic Canada Wednesday with snow and high winds.

Environment Canada meteorologist Jean-Marc Couturier said the storm has two distinct phases – the first dumped anywhere from three to five centimetres of snow during the overnight hours in western Nova Scotia and the Halifax area.

Couturier says the second, later in the day, brought heavier snowfall amounts of between 15 to 30 centimetres to Nova Scotia and 15 to 25 centimetres for southeastern New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island, while blizzard conditions were also expected for northern and central Newfoundland.

Winds also increased with gusts expected to reach anywhere from 70 kilometres an hour on mainland Nova Scotia and up to 90 kilometres an hour in parts of Cape Breton.

Schools and some universities in Nova Scotia cancelled classes for the day, while a number of flight cancellations are being reported at Halifax Stanfield International Airport.

Closures and Cancellations

Schools/Daycares

Halifax Regional School Board schools and offices are closed. A decision on tonight’s board meeting will be made by early afternoon

Annapolis Valley Regional School Board schools, regional offices and work sites closed

Chignecto-Central Regional School Board closed

Tri-County School Board closed

South Shore Regional School Board closed

Strait Regional School Board closed

Cape Breton-Victoria Regional School Board closed

Conseil Scolaire Acadien Provincial (CSAP) closed

Halifax Grammar School closed

Sandy Lake Academy closed

Sacred Heart School of Halifax closed

St. Joseph’s Children’s Centre closed

Bean Sprouts Learning Center closed

Edward Jost Children’s Centre closed

WeeCare Developmental Centre closed

Veith House closed

My Smart Hands classes cancelled

Lower Sackville Nursery School closed

YMCAHD South Park & Purdy’s Wharf Child Care Centres closed

Universities/Adult Education

Dalhousie University, including the Agricultural College in Truro, closed at noon

Saint Mary’s University closed, will update situation at 1 p.m.

Mount Saint Vincent University closed

All NSCC Campuses in N.S. closed

The Centre for Arts and Technology and the Centre for Health Studies in Halifax is closed

NSCAD closed

Skills Nova Scotia closed

Acadia University closed

Université Sainte-Anne Halifax campus closed

Maritime Business College closed

Dartmouth Learning Network closed

International Language Institute in Halifax all classes cancelled

Antigonish County Adult Learning Association all classes cancelled

Hair Design Centre school and salon closed

Transportation

Marine Atlantic has cancelled all crossings for today

Kings Transit in the Annapolis Valley has taken all buses off the road until further notice

Bernie’s Shuttle Service has cancelled all shuttles from Yarmouth to the HRM and all shuttles from the HRM returning to Yarmouth

Airport

There are a number of delays and cancellations, which are expected to get worse as the day continues due to the storm here and in the Eastern U.S. Check ahead before heading to the airport.

Municipal Services/Programs

HRM administrative offices closed at noon; HRM Customer Service Centres close at 1pm

Curbside collection of garbage, organics, and recyclables is cancelled for Wed. Jan. 22, and will be re-scheduled for this Sat. Jan. 25

All branches of the Halifax Public Libraries closed

Halifax Water offices closed. Essential personnel will maintain critical infrastructure

HRM’s Committee of the Whole meeting scheduled for this morning has been cancelled

Municipal Offices in Chester closed

Municipal Offices in Annapolis Royal and Lawrencetown closed

Municipal Offices in Kings County

Municipal Offices in East Hants

Provincial Services/Programs

All Nova Scotia Courthouses except for Halifax Law Courts closed

Night traffic court in Halifax and Dartmouth is cancelled

All Access Nova Scotia, Registry of Motor Vehicles, Land Registration Offices, as well as the 1-800-670-4357 inquiries line are closed.

The Museum of Natural History and Maritime Museum of the Atlantic closed

Some court sittings have been rescheduled

Nova Scotia Barristers Society offices are closed and the Barristers’ Library at The Law Courts is not staffed

Immigrant Settlement & Integration Services offices closed. All classes and workshops are cancelled

Worker’s Compensation Board closed

School review consultation meeting scheduled tonight for the Conseil scolair acadien will now happen next week, Thurs. Jan. 30

The provincial Auditor General was to release his January report this morning, but that has been cancelled. That update will now be given Thurs, Jan. 23

Halifax Divorce Session, scheduled for Wed. Jan. 22, has been cancelled

Other Government Services/Programs

Canada Post says the blizzard may impede mail delivery and some people may not receive their mail today

Halifax Passport Canada office is closed

Healthcare Services

Endoscopy clinic at Cobequid Community Health Centre closed today

Western Kings Memorial Health Centre walk-in x-ray clinic closed

Prenatal class scheduled for 6:30 p.m. tonight (January 22) at the IWK Health Centre has been cancelled

Capital Health pre-natal classes scheduled for this evening are cancelled

Cardio-Pulmonary Hearts in Motion and Hearts in Motion sessions at Mumford Road are cancelled this afternoon

Power Outages

There are minimal outages at this time

Recreational Closures/Cancellations

Emera Oval closed

Canada Games Centre closed for the day

Dartmouth Sporsplex closed

Business Closures

Most NSLC stores are closed

Sunnyside Mall closed

Dartmouth Crossing: The Village Shops will delay opening until 5:00 p.m. and will reassess by 3:00 p.m.

Mic Mac Mall closed

Halifax Shopping Centre closed at 1pm

Mills Halifax closed until noon, will update then

Mayflower Mall closed until at least noon, will reassess

Halifax Shipyard is closed today for day and evening shift

Stewart McKelvey law firm closed

Wagners law firm closed

All Yoga closed until at least noon

Petes Frootique, all locations closed until noon, will update through the day

SKYBOX Hair Cuts closed

La Frasca closed for lunch, will update this afternoon

Frame Plus Art closed

Salyzyn & Associates Debt Professionals offices closed

Waterfront Development Corporation office closed

Better Business Bureau office closed

World Tea House closed until noon, will reassess then

Insight Optometry closed

The Halifax Seaport Market closed

BH Morash Insurance and Veinot Insurance closed

enVie Halifax closed until noon, will reassess then

Sailor Bup’s Barbershop closed

The Old Triangle closed

Halifax Dance closed for the morning, will reevaluate at 1:00 p.m.

Preamble Shoes closed

The Ikebana Shop closed

NovaScotian Crystal closed

Inkwell Boutique closed for the morning, will re-evaluate this afternoon

Sweet Ride Cycling closed

Saege Bistro closed for lunch

Dee Dee’s Ice Cream closed

*Numerous other businesses continue to close. Check ahead before heading out today*

Other Closures/Cancellations

Tonight’s performances at @NeptuneTheatre are cancelled. Patrons can call Box Office 429-7070 to rebook

The Discovery Centre is closed

YWCA Halifax offices and child care centres on Barrington and in Spryfield closed

United Way Halifax office closed

IWK Foundation’s office in Halifax closed

Bryony House Administration Office & Urban Closet closed. Shelter remains open

Easter Seals Nova Scotia’s Halifax office closed

Prescott Group closed

Laing House closed

The Youth Project closed

Centre for Entrepreneurship Education and Development closed

Clothing bank at Dartmouth First Church of the Nazarene closed

Special Membership meeting for members of East Coast Credit Union scheduled to take place this evening at 6:00 pm at 155 Ochterloney Street is cancelled



