SASKATOON — Saskatchewan RCMP and provincial highway crews are facing heavy demands as the season’s first major winter storm sweeps across the province, creating icy highways, poor visibility and dangerous driving conditions.
RCMP and the Ministry of Highways held a media briefing via video conference Wednesday afternoon to outline the provincial response as severe weather caused freezing rain, blowing snow and near-zero visibility across much of Saskatchewan.
Saskatchewan RCMP spokesperson Keely Grasser and Highways Ministry senior communications consultant Dan Palmer emphasized public safety, emergency response pressures, and the importance of monitoring road conditions before travelling — or staying home if travel is not essential.
RCMP officers have been deployed in affected regions, responding to calls involving hazardous road conditions caused by a mix of freezing rain, blowing snow and winds gusting up to 51 km per hour with gusts expected to get to over 100 km per hour in some areas. The storm created increasingly dangerous conditions for motorists already on the highways, with RCMP reporting a rise in calls as roads became slippery and visibility dropped to zero in some areas.
Grasser said between midnight and 2 p.m. Wednesday, RCMP received 29 weather-related calls, including collisions, vehicles stuck in ditches requiring tow trucks, and traffic hazards such as motorists pulling over due to poor visibility and icy conditions. She noted response times vary depending on urgency, officer availability and proximity.
“It could be the urgency of the call as well as other calls for service that are being received at that time, so I want to be able to speculate what I can say is that when someone has an urgent need, the police service will be there. I don’t have today's call numbers. But what I can tell you is that we have a team of dedicated police officers who are out there in the weather like today, responding to calls for service,” said Grasser, adding that urgent and life-threatening situations remain the top priority.
Several serious incidents were reported, including a collision on Highway 1 near Highway 21, where motorists could expect delays and potential lane closures. RCMP continue to respond to multiple calls as conditions rapidly deteriorate. Freezing rain, snow and strong winds are expected to continue overnight and into Thursday, particularly in southern Saskatchewan.
Palmer said motorists should rely on the provincial Highway Hotline for the most current road condition updates, noting information comes directly from highway operators working on the roads.
“In cases like this, during severe weather, the roads are often updated as much as possible. I mean, with our crews out there, it's updated throughout the day. So, it's your best source of the latest available road conditions," Palmer said.
The information is coming from plow operators, who are out there clearing the roads, trying to get highways passable for motorists.
"Saskatchewan has the largest per capita [fleet] in highways in all of Canada. There are obviously 300 snowplow operators, we have 300 pieces of equipment out there, and the weather is so different across the province, so it just depends on where you are in the conditions at the time,” Palmer said.
RCMP also reminded the public not to call 911 or local detachments for highway condition updates or flight cancellations. Emergency lines are reserved for urgent incidents and crimes in progress, and misuse could delay critical assistance.
If travel is not essential, RCMP advise waiting until conditions improve. If travel is necessary, drivers are urged to stay on recently maintained routes.
