Students in the Outaouais, who were given the day off Wednesday, are expected back in class Thursday, March 12, 2026 (ET). School boards in Laval and the Centre de services scolaire des Samares took opposite decisions that affect daily arrival routines, and transport scolaire remains a central, practical concern for families and staff.
Outaouais students and Hydro-Québec’s outage count
Many families in the Outaouais woke to a landscape left by freezing rain on Wednesday, March 11, 2026 (ET), and Hydro-Québec listed more than 21, 000 addresses without power early Thursday morning. For students in Outaouais schools, that number touched routines: local boards had declared Wednesday a day off, and the expectation for Thursday is a return to class once power and roads allow.
Transport Scolaire choices in Laval and the Centre de services scolaire des Samares
In Laval, the Centre de services scolaire de Laval (CSSL) said all its centres and schools will be open on Thursday, March 12, 2026 (ET), and that transport scolaire will operate as usual, though some delays could occur. The CSSL also kept daycare services, evening classes and room rentals active and asked staff to present for regular work shifts.
By contrast, the Centre de services scolaire des Samares announced closure of its establishments for Thursday, March 12, 2026 (ET), stating that transport scolaire could not be carried out safely given difficult road conditions. That decision extended to private schools in northern Lanaudière, including several named institutions, while the south of Lanaudière remained open under a different board.
OC Transpo and the O-Train disruption tied to freezing rain
In Ottawa, OC Transpo reported an O-Train service stoppage on line 1 after an overhead power cable broke when weather conditions worsened. OC Transpo set up a replacement R1 bus service between Lyon and Blair stations and provided shuttle buses between St-Laurent and Cyrville stations for affected riders the morning after the storm.
Across the region, forecasters warned of high winds and continued risk of power outages; Laval meteorologists flagged gusts that could exceed 70 to 80 km/h, and the CSSL explicitly warned of ongoing electrical risks for the day. Those technical details shaped decisions by the Centre de services scolaire des Samares and by individual school operators in Lanaudière.
For parents and students who rely on buses, the split in school board decisions produced a practical, immediate effect: in Laval, buses were to run and families were told to expect potential delays; in Samares, bus routes were canceled because of unsafe conditions. Each directive named a concrete outcome for travel on Thursday, March 12, 2026 (ET).
Outaouais students who missed classes on Wednesday because of the freezing rain now face a simple, confirmed next step: the majority are expected at school on Thursday, March 12, 2026 (ET). That return will arrive under the same storm aftermath that left Hydro-Québec with thousands of addresses impacted earlier that morning, and under transit adjustments from OC Transpo for commuters near the O-Train line.
