Closures continue Wednesday after record snowfall in Cape Breton

The Cape Breton Regional Municipality (CBRM) will continue its state of local emergency on Wednesday, according to a news release.

The municipality continues to ask people to shelter in place.

“Public works plows and crews have been actively clearing the way to get first responders on the job and functional — police, fire, Emergency Health Services, medical personnel,” the municipality says in the release.

The CBRM received upwards of 150 cm of snow in some areas over the weekend and the start of this week. The municipality declared a state of local emergency on Sunday.

The CBRM says it is making progress to restore critical services, but many services will be affected for days. Schools and most stores won’t be open, either.

Wednesday closures for municipal services:

• solid waste curbside collection and solid waste facilities

• municipal facilities including city hall, arenas, etc.

• Transit Cape Breton

The next priority is widening main roadways and “making first passes” to clear side roads, but that will take days, the municipality says, as plows have to make multiple passes for this volume of snow.

“The equipment that we’re using -- we are using buckets and have to go back and forth across the road and just try to dump (the snow) on the sidewalks,” says John Palen, manager with CBRM Public Works.

“The focus in the day ahead is to clear roads for the passage of emergency vehicles and facilitate emergency response,” the release says.

The municipality requests non-essential services remain closed until the roads are “considered safe to travel.”

People can call Emergency Health Services at 1-888-346-9999 to coordinate transfers for scheduled medical appoints, the release says.

Const. Gary Fraser with the Cape Breton Regional Police Service says while the city is under the state of emergency, police have the power to control traffic.

“If you are out driving around for no purpose, you can be charged under the motor vehicle act,” says Fraser.

Police say they have had more than 600 calls for assistance over the weekend and have handed out tickets to people in the way of plowing operations.

As cleaning efforts continue, the municipality says more machinery and contractors will be available to help clear driveways of snow.

Palen says they are always trying to get more equipment.

“But right now, we haven’t received anything,” says Palen.

Other levels of government will provide equipment, the release says, but that equipment will take time to travel large distances.

People are encouraged to clear their own driveways, if they can, to assist others nearby and to clear fire hydrants, as well.

If people require assistance with their property, the municipality asks them to contact 311 by entering their information here.

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