From the CBC vault: Winnipeg's blizzard of '86

When Winnipeg was hit with 35.2 centimetres of snowfall on Nov. 7 of 1986, Bill Norrie was still the city's mayor and those lucky homeowners with snowblowers were the envy of the neighbourhood.

The city issued advisories to Winnipeg drivers to stay off the streets and to instead opt for taking Winnipeg Transit.

Knowing Winnipeggers are suckers for a good bargain, Norrie tried to entice drivers in the city to take the bus by eliminating transit fares for a day.

“As a result of our real concern to get people to use the transit system, we’ve authorized free transit for Monday.”

Although it, too, was short-lived, the city even authorized the emergency use of snowmobiles on city streets for a time.

Those with 4x4s were asked to volunteer their services to local police departments in an effort to help with the delivery of meals on wheels to elderly people and others dependent on the service.

It was the largest snow fall to hit the city since 1935. Flights were grounded, city services interrupted, and it took almost a week to plow all of the city’s streets.