CAA were called out around 400 times from Christmas Day to January 4. (File photo/paNOW Staff)

By Rob Mahon

CAA Calls Up

Cold snap leads to nearly 400 calls for CAA in Prince Albert

Jan 4, 2022 | 4:00 PM

If you spent part of your Christmas or the days after waiting for a battery boost, you’re not alone. In fact, you were one of hundreds of drivers who needed to call for roadside assistance in that span.

From Christmas Day to today, CAA Saskatchewan received hundreds of calls for service in Prince Albert alone. The temperature being consistently below -20 C and often below -30 C in that span helped contribute to that.

“From Dec. 25 of 2021 to Jan. 4, we’ve completed around 400 calls for roadside assistance in Prince Albert,” said Christine Niemczyk, director of corporate communications for CAA Saskatchewan. “This compares to last year significantly, probably because of the cold spell. From Dec. 25, 2020 to Jan. 4 of 2021, we received 105 calls for roadside assistance.”

Battery boosts were the most common call for assistance, but not the only one. They made up just over half of the calls for service in that time frame.

“215 of those calls were for battery boosts,” Niemczyk said. “Forty-five were for light service, and light service means tire changes, air for the tires, delivery of fuel and vehicle lockouts. We also had 35 winches, which means pulling them out of a snowbank and that sort of thing.”

Made in Saskatchewan

Find My Plus One: The Canadian App for Getting Out and Living Your Best Life

Mar 09, 2026

Riderville

Ask Not for Whom the Ed Hervey Tampering Window Opens!

Feb 02, 2026

Seniors Scene

New Year - New Habits

Feb 02, 2026

Several of those calls, including four calls for winches, came today. With about four times as many calls for service this year as at the same time last year, there were some delays.

“There has been a delay, and again, thank you to all of our CAA members for their patience,” Niemczyk said. “We do let the member know what the wait time would be.”

Niemczyk also said she wanted to remind drivers to be visible on days like today when blowing snow and an early sunset can make them harder to spot.

“What we want to remind drivers is not to be the driver of a phantom vehicle,” Niemczyk said. “I drive to work in the morning when it’s dark, and I go home at the end of the day when it’s dark, like most people, just because of the time of year. What we call phantom vehicles are vehicles that do not have lights on.”

Niemczyk added clearing snow off of your car and driving according to the conditions of the road are good safety tips for the winter that she hopes people will treat like second nature as we’re now well into the season.

—

rob.mahon@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter: @RobMahonPxP