70 hour wait for a tow — cold snap continues to cause issues, service delays in Alberta

Cold snapping water pipes The cold snap is causing numerous water main pipes to burst across Calgary. Austin Lee has more.

All of Alberta remains under an extreme cold warning Wednesday morning with temperatures reaching as low as -37 C in the northern community of High Level.

And not only is it the coldest place in the province, High Level also cracked the Top 10 coldest places on earth.

The Alberta Motor Association (AMA) was reporting wait times of longer than 70 hours for towing or winching as well as a more than 40-hour waits for battery boosts, lockouts, flat tire assistance, and fuel delivery.

On top of the extended delays, AMA isn't currently offering roadside battery testing or replacement.

Aside from vehicle issues, the Calgary Fire Department has responded to more than 50 water-related calls in the past couple of days for things like burst pipes and flooding.

Many of those calls have come from downtown apartments and highrise buildings.

The Alberta Electric System Operator (AESO) says the cold snap has also resulted in a significant increase in power consumption.

"It got to a point where we had to dip into our reserves to maintain reliability across the province," said Mike Deising with the AESO.

"We're in a good spot for the rest of the week, but of course, that can change. Power systems are complex pieces of machinery."

The AESO declared a Level 2 energy emergency alert on Monday.

When it comes to the vulnerable population in Calgary, city council set aside $750,000 earlier this month to support homeless individuals.

There are more than 1,100 emergency spaces in the city for anyone needing to escape the cold and warm up.

If anyone sees a vulnerable Calgarian who is in distress due to the cold, the Alpha House's Downton Addictions Partnership Team (DOAP) is available to transport them to a nearby shelter.

The DOAP Team can be reached at 403-998-7388 or you can call 211.

If it is an emergency, or if an individual is non-responsive, call 911.

Calgary should be getting some relief from the bitter cold during the day this weekend before the forecast calls for temperatures to dip right back down to the -20 C range next week.