Two people died in Saskatchewan as a result of a nasty blizzard that stretched from northeast B.C. down to Regina.
The 18-year-old man and 38-year-old woman were found dead by the roadside near Onion Lake, north of Lloydminster, the RCMP said Wednesday.
They were 200 metres from their home and were found without their jackets or some of their clothes -- evidence they were suffering from hypothermia.
"It appears these two people failed to negotiate a turn, got stuck on the side of the road and tried to walk home," said Sgt. Brad Kaeding.
Blizzard conditions shut down airports in Prince Albert and Saskatoon, while the highway was shut down through North Battleford.
Authorities recommended travel be avoided between Regina and Saskatoon.
However, there was some good news, as 450 striking Saskatchewan snowplow operators went back to work after hitting the picket lines on the weekend.
The operators said they were concerned the public would be in danger if they didn't return to their jobs.
In Alberta, the Alberta Motor Association said highways were in rough shape from Peace River south to Red Deer and east to the Saskatchewan border. The RCMP advised motorists to stay off the roads.
Rescuers near Dawson Creek in northeastern B.C. struggled to get to blizzard-stranded motorists. They eventually reached 27 vehicles, rescuing 35 people.
"We've actually got vehicles stuck in the entrance of the Petro-Canada station,'' said Grant Wert of the Northside Petro-Canada station in Grand Prairie, Alta. to the southeast of Dawson Creek.
However, when the blizzard ended, hardy Edmontonians shrugged it off.
"I expected much worse. It's good for castles -- ice castles, anyway," said ice sculptor Matt Vest.
"We get one of these every year ... I don't mind it," said Ron Kelly, who took a break from shovelling.
Manitoba will see its turn on Thursday as the system moves eastward.
B.C.
Snow also blanketed the southwest of B.C., from Victoria up the Fraser Valley to Hope, B.C.
The snow caught some off-guard. A training helicopter took off into blue skies then had to land beside a highway near Abbotsford as a result the rapidly worsening weather.
In Hope, at the far eastern end of the valley, the small town's equivalent of Vancouver's Stanley Park took a beating.
Trucks and cars sliding off the roads were a common sight.
At Simon Fraser University in Burnaby, a Vancouver suburb, the poor weather trapped about 2,000 people on campus Wednesday night as the RCMP closed the road leading up Burnaby Mountain to the school.
Power outages were still reported along the Sunshine Coast, some of the Gulf Islands, the Lower Mainland and Fraser Valley.
A high risk of avalanches left the Trans Canada highway closed between Golden, B.C. and the Alberta border. Road advisories abounded throughout the B.C. interior.
With files from CTV Edmonton, CTV Vancouver and The Canadian Press
