Winter storm forces school closures in central Ontario

CTV's Rob Cooper reports from Barrie about the dumping of snow that forced closures across Simcoe County.

Poor visibility, treacherous driving conditions – and more snow on the way – has forced the closure of most schools in central Ontario on Thursday.

First came the school bus cancellations, but about an hour later, all schools with the public and Catholic boards in Simcoe County were closed to staff and students. School boards cited the poor road conditions and severe weather as factors in the decision.

York Region public and Catholic boards also closed due to inclement weather, and Trillium Lakelands District School Board took pre-emptive action announcing school closures Wednesday night.

Georgian College closed several of its seven campuses, including the downtown Barrie location, and all in-person classes at Lakehead University’s Orillia campus were cancelled for Thursday.

Environment Canada expects snow squalls to increase by Thursday night, bringing another 20 to 40cm with snowfall rates up to five centimetres per hour.