A powerful Arctic front sweeping from the Prairies to Atlantic Canada plunged temperatures below –40 °C and buried major hubs under snow, grounding 598 flights and cancelling 98 between 2 and 3 January 2026. Toronto Pearson alone recorded 229 delays and 34 cancellations as de-icing queues stretched past 90 minutes. Vancouver, Calgary, Montréal-Trudeau and Halifax also reported rolling disruptions as ground crews rotated in 15-minute shifts to avoid frostbite.
The storm hit just as corporate travellers headed out for post-holiday kick-off meetings, prompting widespread itinerary changes. Travel-management companies told clients to move non-essential trips online and re-route critical travel through U.S. gateway hubs such as Seattle or Detroit, where weather impacts were milder. Airlines waived change fees but warned that re-bookings could take up to four days because aircraft and crews were out of sequence.
![Arctic blast triggers 600-plus flight disruptions across Canada, derailing first business week of 2026]()
For travellers scrambling to rearrange international itineraries, the online visa and passport specialist VisaHQ can shave crucial hours off the recovery process. Through its Canadian portal (https://www.visahq.com/canada/), users can verify entry requirements, fast-track urgent visa applications, and schedule courier pick-ups even when consular counters are closed by severe weather—services that prove invaluable when last-minute rerouting is the only option.
Cargo bellies were equally affected, with exporters of automotive parts from Ontario and seafood from Atlantic Canada reporting missed connections to European markets. Logistics analysts estimate that every 24 hours of snow disruption at Pearson costs the supply chain roughly C$87 million in delayed goods.
The Canadian Association of Business Travel has urged Transport Canada to review de-icing-equipment resilience amid climate-change-driven weather volatility. Companies with duty-of-care programmes are reminded to document communication with stranded employees for compliance purposes.
The storm hit just as corporate travellers headed out for post-holiday kick-off meetings, prompting widespread itinerary changes. Travel-management companies told clients to move non-essential trips online and re-route critical travel through U.S. gateway hubs such as Seattle or Detroit, where weather impacts were milder. Airlines waived change fees but warned that re-bookings could take up to four days because aircraft and crews were out of sequence.
For travellers scrambling to rearrange international itineraries, the online visa and passport specialist VisaHQ can shave crucial hours off the recovery process. Through its Canadian portal (https://www.visahq.com/canada/), users can verify entry requirements, fast-track urgent visa applications, and schedule courier pick-ups even when consular counters are closed by severe weather—services that prove invaluable when last-minute rerouting is the only option.
Cargo bellies were equally affected, with exporters of automotive parts from Ontario and seafood from Atlantic Canada reporting missed connections to European markets. Logistics analysts estimate that every 24 hours of snow disruption at Pearson costs the supply chain roughly C$87 million in delayed goods.
The Canadian Association of Business Travel has urged Transport Canada to review de-icing-equipment resilience amid climate-change-driven weather volatility. Companies with duty-of-care programmes are reminded to document communication with stranded employees for compliance purposes.
