WINNIPEG — A baleful front of face-freezing Arctic air delivered a winter wallop across Canada’s midsection Friday, with temperatures so frosty in parts it was too cold to ski.
The Windsor Park Nordic Centre in Winnipeg advised cross-country skiers that its trails would be closed through the weekend.
“It’s extremely cold and we don’t expect a lot of people to be out skiing,” said Karin McSherry, executive director of the Cross-Country Ski Association of Manitoba, which oversees the centre.
“It just doesn’t make sense to staff the facility for the next few days while this extreme cold has descended upon us.”
The centre is scheduled to stay open for clubs doing programming but will remain closed to the public.
McSherry said it’s not unusual for the centre to close early or for the day due to weather, but shutting down for an entire weekend is unusual.
“At the end of the day, it does come down to safety,” she said.
From New Brunswick through to Alberta, residents were hunkering down to wait out the bone-chilling cold snap, with some regions expected to reach lows of -50 C with the wind chill.
Environment Canada issued orange weather alerts for all of Saskatchewan and Manitoba, as well as most of northern Ontario, warning that severe conditions were likely to cause significant damage, disruption or health impacts.
In Regina and parts of Manitoba, officials closed schools and cancelled buses and field trips.
In Toronto, extra outreach teams were dispatched to encourage people to seek shelter indoors.
In Montreal, police, firefighters and community groups scrambled to check on those who are unhoused and help them as needed.
Once the weekend hits, all of New Brunswick is expected to see temperatures between -30 C and -37, with the coldest temperatures expected in the northwestern part of the province.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 23, 2026.
Brittany Hobson, The Canadian Press
