Snow stresses structures in Quebec

Schools in Quebec had to be evacuated in mid-March, owing to concerns that their structures would not be able to sustain the weight of snow on their roofs. At one point, 90,000 children in Montreal were not allowed to go to school and elsewhere students were ordered to leave school buildings after the local fire departments found cracks in buildings’ walls and ceilings. Staff were having to physically clear the roofs, which in some cases held three metres of snow.
A 55-year old man died in Shawinagan after the roof of his home collapsed under the weight of snow, and three women died after a snow-laden roof fell at a warehouse in Morin Heights.