ATHABASCA — Aspen View Public Schools issued a notice late Thursday afternoon that all bus routes will be cancelled the morning of Friday, Feb. 24 due to the extremely low temperatures expected throughout the region.
Despite cancelling buses in the morning, all schools will remain open and buses will run as scheduled in the afternoon.
Within the Pembina Hills School Division, bus drivers are directed not to operate their bus when the temperature is -40C or colder at the start of a route.
In rare instances, such as when a major storm is on the way, the director of transportation will make that call based on reports from drivers and weather updates.
Environment Canada currently has an extreme cold warning in effect for Westlock, Barrhead and Athabasca, as well as many neighbouring communities and municipalities like Woodlands County and Thorhild County.
The warning states that the wind chill will moderate during the day, but extreme cold will persist until the weekend.
During such conditions, frostbite can develop within minutes on exposed skin.
