Snow and icy temperatures were factors in seven weather-related crashes in the Nanaimo area by mid-afternoon Wednesday, five of them on the Trans-Canada Highway.
There were no serious injuries, said RCMP Reserve Const. Gary O’Brien, who estimated that about 12 centimetres of snow had fallen in parts of the region by that time.
The B.C. Highway Patrol issued a warning about slippery road conditions in the Nanoose area Wednesday morning. Oceanside RCMP Sgt. Shane Worth said the area including Nanoose, Parksville and Qualicum saw at least 12 relatively minor crashes by 2:30 p.m. Wednesday — all of them linked to the weather.
Despite the icy roads, Parksville did not have a lot of snow accumulation through the early afternoon, he said.
Environment Canada called for accumulations of five to 15 centimetres of snow from Duncan to Nanaimo and Nanoose Bay to Fanny Bay. The snow was expected to ease overnight Wednesday followed by clearing on Thursday, and a return to snow overnight Friday and into Saturday.
Amid dropping temperatures and snowy conditions, the City of Nanaimo is providing about $300,000 in funding to help local groups extend their hours of service to vulnerable people.
“Without housing, staying warm on a cold and often wet night in Nanaimo is a terrible challenge,” said Mayor Leonard Krog. “By providing extra services, the City of Nanaimo and service providers are helping to ensure the unhoused are cared for during the extreme cold.”
The funding, which is good to March 31, has been provided to the 7-10 Club Society, Risebridge and the Nanaimo Unitarian Shelter.
The 7-10 Club society, located in St. Paul’s Anglican Church on Chapel Street, will be open an extra three hours per day, from 7 a.m.- 7 p.m. on Thursday and Friday, and can help 30 to 40 people at one time. Usual daily hours begin at 10 a.m.
Risebridge, a service agency at 520 Prideaux St., is providing overnight services and additional warming time from 7:30 p.m.- 7:30 a.m. through Friday, while the Unitarian Shelter at 595 Townsite Rd. provides 27 overnight shelter beds and has daytime warming centre services for shelter guests only.
The Nanaimo funding comes through a Union of B.C. Municipalities Strengthening Communities’ Services program grant. As well, the city applies for funding for increased hours of service during extreme-weather events through the Ministry of Emergency Management and Climate Readiness.
Also available for those in need in the Nanaimo area are 35 overnight shelter beds at the Salvation Army (19 Nicol St.), five extra shelter beds at Samaritan Place (702 Nichol St.) to go with the existing 14, and 35 beds at St. Peter’s winter shelter (301 Machleary St.) from 8 p.m.-7:30 a.m.
A full list of area drop-in and meal services is at nanaimo.ca/goto/supports.
Victoria’s extreme-weather alert continues, with shelters open at St. John the Divine Church at 1611 Quadra St. and the Salvation’s Army’s 525 Johnson St. location. Both have 30 co-ed mats.
The Malahat was bare and the downtown area had light snow on Wednesday afternoon. The capital region is expected to see clearer conditions on Thursday, with the morning wind chill possibly reaching -10 C.
After a sunny Friday, there could be a mix of snow and rain on Saturday.
