Snow fell most of the day across mid-Vancouver Island Sunday, keeping roads slick and making travel tricky.
In Campbell River, most people stayed indoors on this snowy Valentine’s Day but for some, it was a chance to get out and see the city painted in white.
“Oh yeah, it’s a novelty to us so I just wanted to go out and enjoy it, go for a walk,” said Marissa Clark who was out for a stroll on Shopper’s Row.
Another resident, Daniel Clark, says he was shocked to see how much snow fell overnight.
“We went out last night and cleared the truck and when we went back out this morning to clear the truck there was just as much snow as the night before,” said Clark.
MainRoad North Island is a highway maintenance company that looks after roads outside municipalities from Cooke Creek to Port Hardy.
Mainroad says they’ve only been able to keep the highways and main roads clear during this one-two punch of winter storms two days in a row.
“Patience is key,” said General Manager Chris Cowley. “If you live on what’s classified as a rural side road or a B-class road under the Ministry specifications it might be a little bit before we get there, but we will get there. We’ll endeavour to get there as soon as well can.”
Mainroad has about 45 trucks plus subcontractors out clearing the snow and the trucks are going around the clock right now.
They’re also asking for the public’s patience and co-operation.
“The public is generally pretty good but you always get a few who are in a hurry to get somewhere and they’ll pass you on the right and they’ll finger you and off they go waving and all you can do is smile,” said Graham Jones who has been a snowplow operator for 21 years.
People spent the day clearing their driveways and clearing their shelters covering things like trailers and boats.
“Yeah, and the snow has turned from the lighter stuff that fell yesterday to the heavier stuff which is really dangerous for my canopy here for my RV so I was up there clearing that,” said Comox resident Richard Bedard.
The cold snow is set to ebb off Sunday evening, turning into rain.
Dean Stoltz
