First snowfall met with mixed reviews by drivers, winter enthusiasts

Edmonton's first big snowfall of the year resulted in icy roads and a number of collisions, but also heralds the start of winter activities.

The first big snowfall of the season blanketed Edmonton Thursday night – creating icy road conditions for drivers, but perfect conditions for outdoor enthusiasts.

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Nearly 200 people arrived at the Collision Reporting Centre in the city’s north side before 3 p.m. on Friday to report damage to their vehicles.

“It’s pretty snowy and slippery. I saw lots of accidents happening,” Raffy Sy told CTV News Edmonton.

Sy was at the Collision Centre after his car was rear-ended on Thursday night. His blue Nissan Sentra was missing parts of its bumper following the crash.

“Whenever there’s a first snowfall, there’s going to be a lot of people lining up at the Collision Centre,” he said, adding that it was the first time he had been in a car accident.

Matthew Van Hecke was also at the Collision Centre after his car slammed into a wall under an overpass on Thursday.

“I went around the half-loop to merge on the (Anthony) Henday, and big piles of ice and everything was just piled up there,” Van Hecke said. “My truck lost control.”

He left his car at home in Morinville, Alta., while he was at the centre to file a report of the accident.

Both Van Hecke and Sy say road clearing is a problem in already challenging driving conditions.

“I just wrote off (the truck) because I couldn’t get through some clean roads,” Van Hecke said, saying the roads were “iced up” without being plowed.

“They need to do a better job,” Sy said. “We have a forecast that the snow is coming and … they should be aware of that.”

In a statement to CTV News Edmonton on Friday, officials said, “When it snows, City crews are ready.”

“Priority 1 roadways and active pathways will be cleared (Friday) and crews will continue at all hours throughout the weekend. This weekend will see roadway crews clear remaining freeways, arterial roadways, collector roadways and access to transit while active pathways crews will be focusing on City maintained sidewalks, accessibility ramps, shared pathways and related inventory,” the statement continued.

Maps with the clearing status of city roads and pathways can be found online.

City parks dept. embraces snowfall

The City of Edmonton said they are working hard to get designated ice surfaces, ski trails, and tobogganing hills ready for winter.

Braeden Holmstrom, with River Valley Parks and Facilities, said the warmer weather in November was “challenging” and the snow is welcome.

“Being out here today with snow on the trees is beautiful,” he said, while water trucks flooded the surface of Sir Wilfrid Laurier Park. “It’s really important that we’re able to take advantage of what some people would say is bad weather. To us, it’s perfect.”

Holmstrom says it takes several dozen loads from the water trucks to create the ice surface suitable for outdoor skating. The aim is to have the city’s outdoor rinks open in the next few weeks, with the Victoria Oval slated to be open at the start of December.

“We always look for the perfect scenario of a little bit of snow and then a lot of cold,” Holmstrom said. “The snow helps us get a really good base, and then the cold weather allows the water to freeze and allows us to continue working throughout the day.”

A full list of city-run outdoor skating rinks and facilities can be found online, with updates on conditions and opening times.

With files from CTV News Edmonton’s Marek Tkach