Ferocious winter weather grounded flights and stranded nine Via Rail trains between Ontario and Quebec on Saturday as snow, freezing rain, high winds and rain hammered much of the country and plunged Christmas Eve and Day travel plans into chaos.
In a tweet Saturday early evening, Via Rail said a CN train derailment forced the cancellation of all trains between Toronto and Ottawa and Toronto and Montreal scheduled for Christmas Day.
“We’ve had some panic attacks and then we have some people with diabetes. We have a two-month-old baby, we have a bunch of elderly people,” Grunda said in a telephone interview. “They haven’t turned the lights off … so no one slept. Everything’s just tense.” Some passengers said on social media that they were stranded aboard trains for more than 18 hours without food or water.
In a statement, Mark Strahl, Conservative shadow minister for transportation, said bad weather is not an excuse for the government's inaction when cold weather and winter storms are the norm and not the exception. "Going out could put you in jeopardy and peril as emergency first responders may not be able to respond to calls," said Wainfleet Township in a tweet.
Parts of southern and northeastern Ontario would likely see snow squalls coming off the Great Lakes over night and into Christmas Day, she said. Hydro One said just under 50,000 customers were without power in Ontario as of Saturday late evening. "Please, check-in with your loved ones if they live alone. Be careful on the roads, as well, the conditions are not ideal. For those who want to warm up, places are ready to receive you in many cities and municipalities."
"We have some owners who aren't going to make it back, but they're happy their pets are safe here for Christmas with us," said Tallis Kostuik, operations manager at Royal Pets Hotel and Enrichment.
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