and roads were completely shut down. For the first time in over 50 years a Montreal Canadiens National Hockey League game at the Montreal Forum was postponed. Seventeen people were killed in Montreal while there were several other injuries related to the storm. Fatalities were resulted by heart attacks or people stuck inside stranded vehicles. At least two people were killed in the Quebec City region and at least 30 fatalities were reported province-wide. It took at least 36 hours to clean up the worst of the storm and to resume regular traffic although snow clearing operations lasted for several days. Initial damage estimates were at about $1 million (1971 dollars) for central Quebec including 50 homes that received roof damage. Businesses also sustained window damage some due to flying debris particularly in the Limoilou area of Quebec City. Historical perspective The 1970–1971 winter season was the worst on record for many areas of eastern Ontario and southern Quebec in terms of all-time snowfall records. Ottawa had received up to of snow that year and Montreal just over , records that were nearly broken during the 2007–2008 season when Ottawa received and Montreal . Quebec City also had their worst season in 1970–1971 with before it was broken in 2007–2008 when just over fell. Storms in December 1969 left in three days across the city making that event the most significant snowfall event from one system. Other systems in 1954, 1955, and 2001 had higher total snowfalls for a single event making the 1971 even the fifth-heaviest single-event snowfall. The record snowfall may have been a contributing factor for a deadly mudslide in the town of Saint-Jean-Vianney in May 1971 when heavy rains combined with already saturated grounds because of heavy melting snow formed a large sinkhole of about wide and deep. Thirty-one people were killed by the mudslide. References External links CRIACC Commemorative report on the Montreal Storm of the Century Hourly Observations at Trudeau International Airport on March 4, 1971 Hourly Observations at Ottawa International Airport on March 4, 1971 Hourly Observation at Québec/Jean Lesage International Airport on March 4, 1971 Radio-Canada video of the Blizzard of 1971 1971 natural disasters Natural disasters in Quebec Natural disasters in Ontario Blizzards in Canada 1971 disasters in Canada