Dubbed in the newspapers as the “Great Snowstorm of ‘44”, historic Mississauga was hit hard by snow on December 11-13, 1944. Areas were blanketed by 50 to 60 cm of snow (nearby Toronto recorded between 48 and 66 cm of snow accumulation!) The storm crippled transportation, as most roads, streetcars, train service and busses were shut down, or at least hindered, for three to five days.

The storm began on December 11, and intensified through December 12, and petered out on December 13. Most stores and businesses were closed, including Dominion Small Arms Ltd. In Lakeview, which was significant given that the Second World War was ongoing. They did not resume operations until December 14 as workers simply could not get to the factory. Some 200 workers at Malton’s Victory Aircraft, looking to get home in the evening, were stranded for over 12 hours as roads were blocked with snow drifts over 6 feet high. Workers at the oil refinery in Port Credit, as well as six buses and several transport trucks, were marooned by snow drifts for over 24 hours and found shelter in a school. The Malton Airport ceased activities through December 12 and into December 13.

Areas also lost power and other services for days. Reportedly Cooksville and Streetsville were without phone service for several days. Part of the challenge for digging out of the snow, during the Second World War, was snow clearing machinery and manpower were in short supply. This was highlighted in the December 14 issue of the Port Credit Weekly newspaper:

How do you like the snow? Is the red bus running? How about the schools? Is the baker or milkman going to get around? How about the garbage collection? Why hasn’t the village got the snow away from the main streets? In conversation with councillor John Reid … “We have tried to obtain a snowplow from the Small Arms, Long Branch Army Training Camp, the St. Lawrence factory … in fact we have tried almost everywhere to hire one, but it is impossible to hire a plow.”

The Province issued an order banning all non-essential vehicles from any streets. The blocked roads to and within the rural areas around Toronto prevented almost all milk, other food and coal from being delivered. People were requested to restrict bread and milk consumption. On December 14, most schools and businesses had reopened, but only by December 16 were all roads considered passable.

While the Great Snowstorm of ’44 was covered extensively in newspapers, we lack specific local imagery depicting this impactful storm. If you have any pictures from historic Mississauga, please let us know!