Winter storm covers Waterloo region in ice

Waterloo region was covered in sheets of ice Thursday as a winter storm rolled into the area.

The severe weather prompted closures and cancellations across southern Ontario and created a mess on the roads.

Waterloo regional police say 16 crashes were reported to collision reporting centres in the region as of 5 p.m. They warn that number could grow into the evening hours as snowy conditions move into the region.

“As the weather changes from freezing rain, to a flash freeze, to snow, we're anticipating a significant number of collisions to start coming in," Staff Sgt. Scott Griffiths told CTV News around noon Thursday.

At the collision reporting centre in Waterloo, staff say most of the calls have been about black ice, particularly on rural roads.

“We've been getting call-ins about people hitting black ice and going into the ditches, so a lot of single-motor vehicle accidents,” Chandele Cormier, manager of Waterloo Region Collision Reporting Centres, said.

Cormier said drivers following too closely has also been a cause of collisions.

"We also have a lot of rear ends… so [drivers] need to make sure they're giving the other vehicles space because you don't know when you'll hit that ice and slide right in," Cormier said.

Many drivers in Waterloo region woke up Thursday to their cars covered in sheets on ice. (Alison Sandstrom/CTV Kitchener)

Near Simcoe, a single-vehicle crash knocked out power to the area. Ontario Provincial Police say officers responded to a car that left the roadway and struck a hydro pole just before 8:30 a.m. The driver suffered minor injuries.

“If you are travelling, the OPP is urging everyone to make sure you reduce your speed and drive according to road and weather conditions,” Const. Ed Sanchuk said in a video posted to Twitter.

To the southeast in St. Catharines, at least 17 vehicles were involved in a pileup on the Garden City Skyway Thursday morning.

ICE CAUSES PROBLEMS FOR LRT

LRT ION train service was also halted for most of Thursday.

"When there's a sudden freezing rain and a significant amount, if the ice builds up too quickly on the power line then the train can lose connection through the overhead catenary,” explained Neil Malcolm, acting director of transits services for Grand River Transit.

Despite no passengers being on board, ION trains kept running throughout the day in an effort to keep overhead lines clear of ice. Service had fully resumed by 3:30 p.m.

Ice coats a field at Barrie's Asparagus in Cambridge, Ont. on Dec. 15, 2022. (Dan Lauckner/CTV Kitchener)