Waterloo Region schools closed due to extreme cold
Both the Waterloo Region District School Board and the Waterloo Catholic District School Board have closed all schools due to Friday's extreme cold.
Both boards made the announcement Friday morning after Environment Canada issued an extreme cold warning for Waterloo Region as temperatures hovered at -25 C and the windchill made it feel like -35.
Waterloo Region District School board spokesperson Lynsey Meikle told CBC News Thursday that last fall the board revised its procedures in order to cancel all classes in the event that the temperature or windchill is forecast to be -35 at 7 a.m.
The Catholic École élémentaire Saint-Noël-Chabanel in Cambridge is open and École élémentaire l'Harmonie in Waterloo is open, however buses to the school are cancelled.
All Upper Grand District schools and Wellington Region Catholic District School board schools are open and buses are running.
Environment Canada predicts the windchill will be -36 at 7 a.m. on Friday morning.
An extreme cold warning is in effect for Waterloo Region and Wellington County, and Environment Canada warns frostbite could occur on exposed skin in as little as 10 minutes.