Fire Chief Chris Ferry made the announcement Sunday, says meeting of emergency control group is slated for Monday morning
Orillia Fire Chief Chris Ferry says the city is declaring a significant weather event as of 6 p.m. Sunday night.
He said all city buildings will be closed for the remainder of the night.
“We will delay the opening of the city buildings tomorrow morning until 11 a.m.,” said Ferry.
There is a meeting of the city’s emergency control group slated for 8:30 a.m. Monday morning “to discuss any changes that may happen overnight and if further actions are required.”
Ferry made the declaration as Orillia Mayor Don McIsaac is in Florida on vacation. McIsaac told OrilliaMatters he could return to Orillia tomorrow if necessary.
In a media release issued at 7:08 p.m., the city urges people to avoid travel at this time and should be aware of the potential for deteriorating conditions both in the city and area wide.
“City of Orillia winter control crews currently remain operational and are addressing conditions on main routes,”notes the media release.
“As a result of this declaration, all road, sidewalk, and bicycle lane infrastructures are deemed to be in a state of repair until such time as the significant weather event declaration is ended and municipally serviced roads, sidewalks, and bicycle lanes have been subsequently addressed for snow accumulation and/or ice formation,” says the release.
The following facilities are closed as of 6 p.m. today (Dec. 28):
- Gill Street Community Complex
- West Orillia Sports Complex
- Barnfield Point Recreation Centre is currently closed Dec. 25 to Jan. 1
- Orillia Recreation Centre
- Orillia Youth Centre
These facilities will have a delayed opening of 11 a.m. on Monday, Dec. 29, weather dependent.
Bus services and waste collection may be interrupted on Monday, Dec. 29. The city will provide updates based on changing weather conditions.
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ORIGINAL STORY (4:30 p.m.)
As the freezing rain pours down, making roads slippery, the City of Orillia has pulled all Orillia Transit buses off city roads.
However, despite making that move at 4 p.m. Orillia has not declared a significant weather event in the city.
This is despite Environment Canada upgrading the area to an “orange” level freezing warning at about 3 p.m.
Orillia weather watcher David Brain says due to the colder air, the region should brace for 15-20 mms of ice accretion.
“If this occurs it will be a significant damaging event with long duration power outages” possible. They may “pose a risk to public safety.”
It’s why almost all the surrounding areas have declared a significant weather event for their areas.
Severn Township was the latest to declare a special weather event. The township made the move earlier this afternoon, saying freezing rain is expected to continue overnight, possibly changing to rain Monday morning as temperatures rise slightly above freezing.
During a significant weather event, all roadways and sidewalks are considered to be in a state of repair and may be unsafe to use, notes the township on its website.
“This declaration is not necessarily a notice of a reduced level of service or a road closure. The declaration is to notify the public that due to the current and forecasted conditions, caution should be used if travel is necessary, and that it may take longer than usual to bring the condition of the roads to a state of repair,” says the township’s notice on its website.
“Please avoid any unnecessary travel, and if you must travel, please use extra caution.”
Earlier today, both Ramara and Oro-Medonte declared a significant weather event. The City of Barrie, the City of Kawartha Lakes and the District of Muskoka have each also declared significant weather events for their jurisdictions today.
Earlier this afternoon, a portion of Highway 400 near Vaughan was shut down due to numerous accidents. The highway has reopened but the OPP are urging people to stay off roads and only travel if necessary.
