Many GTA schools, campuses closed Thursday after snowstorm hits Ontario

February 13, 2025 Canuck

Several school boards in the Greater Toronto area have closed their schools on Thursday after a winter storm blanketed the city with snow overnight.

The following boards have closed their schools: the Toronto District School Board, Toronto Catholic District School Board, York Catholic District School Board, Durham District School Board, Durham Catholic District School Board, Halton District School Board, Halton Catholic District School Board, Peel District School Board, and Dufferin Peel Catholic District School Board.

Also, the following college and university campuses are closed: Centennial College, Humber Polytechnic, George Brown College and University of Toronto Mississauga.

York University, Toronto Metropolitan University and the University of Toronto St. George campuses remain open. Seneca Polytechnic remains open but in-person day classes are shifting online.

The University of Toronto’s Scarborough campus is cancelling all in-person and virtual morning classes from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. on Thursday, including tutorials, labs and tests, the university said in a social media post. On-campus events will also be cancelled, officials said.

The Legislative Assembly of Ontario is also closed and will reopen Friday.

Toronto public libraries will open at 12:30 p.m. on Thursday.

The city is collecting garbage Thursday, though there are some delays, a spokesperson said in an email.

In Mississauga, all community centres and cultural facilities will be closed until at least 4 p.m, the city said in a news release. Libraries will be closed until at least 5 p.m.

Mississauga City Hall will remain open, though public services including service counters will be closed. Outdoor rinks will be closed until it’s safe to open, the city said.

Balcony railing with snow on top — An additional two to five centimeters of snow is expected in Toronto on Thursday morning, Environment Canada says. (Adam Carter/CBC)

Environment Canada said the storm, which hit parts of southern Ontario overnight, may have a “significant impact on rush hour traffic in urban areas.” Snow is expected to taper off Thursday morning after the heaviest snow fell Wednesday night, it said.

In its latest update, the federal weather agency said the city would receive two to five centimetres of snow on Thursday morning.

There is also a risk of freezing rain on Thursday near Lake Ontario, it said.

People are advised to take frequent breaks and avoid strain while clearing snow, Environment Canada said.

Some GO Buses, trains cancelled Thursday

GO Transit is operating on a special schedule on Thursday, which means some GO Train trips have been cancelled or modified, Metrolinx said.

Most trains are operating on schedule with few additional modifications or delays, spokesperson Andrea Ernesaks said in an email.

Photo of cars in downtown Toronto covered in snow — Snow in Parkdale on Thursday morning. People are advised to take frequent breaks and avoid strain while clearing snow, Environment Canada said. (Adam Carter/CBC)

GO Buses have been most impacted by the weather, particularly west routes operating in the Kitchener, Milton, Georgetown and Hamilton areas, she said.

Bus delays have mostly been around 15 minutes or less, but some trips have been cancelled due to municipal road conditions, she said.

The UP Express remains on its regular schedule, Ernesaks said.

Passengers can view modified travel schedules on the GO Transit website.

22 cm of snow fell at Pearson airport

Toronto Pearson International Airport accumulated 22 centimetres of snow as of 6:30 a.m., the airport said in a social media post Thursday morning. Several flights have been cancelled, officials said.

“This is the heaviest snowfall of the season, taking the record from the 15 cm of snow we saw on Feb. 8,” the post said.

Most of the snow in the GTA has already fallen, said Daniel Sheldon, a meteorologist with Environment Canada.

Light snow is expected to continue for the next few hours and there could also be blowing snow as winds pick up, he said.

Conditions on the roads “are pretty treacherous,” Sheldon said. Freezing rain in parts of the GTA could also cause slick conditions, he said.

The GTA largely escaped freezing rain, Sheldon said, though it did fall in parts of Burlington, Hamilton and Niagara.

The plows are working to clear the roads, the snow continues to fall. Please help the snow clearing operations by staying off the roads. <a href=”https://twitter.com/hashtag/OnStorm?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>#OnStorm</a> ^ks <a href=”https://t.co/taq7wefJ5O”>pic.twitter.com/taq7wefJ5O</a>

—@OPP_HSD

Ontario Provincial Police posted a video on social media Thursday morning showing cars stuck in snowbanks on a stretch of Highway 401 at Islington. Plows are working to clear the roads, officials said.

“Please help the snow clearing operations by staying off the roads,” the post said.

Dozens of vehicles were stuck or stranded in snowbanks overnight, said OPP Sgt. Kerry Schmidt.

Thursday morning traffic is slowing down snow-clearing efforts and more collisions are happening – though there have not been any serious injuries as a result collisions, he said.

“If you do need to be out on the roads, stay in control. No aggressive steering, no aggressive breaking. Give yourself space behind traffic in front of you,” Schmidt said.

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