Hundreds of Maritimers still dealing with burst pipes, power outages following record-low temperatures
Hundreds of Nova Scotians are still without power on Monday following frigid temperatures and high winds over the weekend.
The freezing temperatures broke cold weather records in all four Atlantic provinces Saturday, with temperatures feeling like -40C to -50C, before they went up significantly Sunday.
The cold snap caused frozen pipes and broken water lines across the region, displacing around a dozen people.
The manager of Ermen Plumbing and Heating Ltd in Moncton, N,B., says they received over 80 service calls over the weekend, mostly for pipes bursting due to the extreme cold.
"On Saturday, we had four technicians working. On Sunday, we had seven technicians working," said Jeff Leech.
"It got to the point on Saturday where our emergency service line got so backed up that they had to call in further resources to deal with the amount of calls we were getting."
One of those calls came from the Superior Propane Centre – a multi-purpose arena in Moncton – where pipes burst in a bathroom causing the arena to shut down on Sunday.
Leech said a repair job can take anywhere from an hour to a couple of days depending on the situation.
"The pipe is quite often damaged from the freezing and then there's a resulting flood," he said. "So, that's why it's important to get a hold of us right away so that we can mitigate any of that flood damage."
In Dorchester, N.B., Bill Steel has been working the phones to find someone to help him with repairs at his eight-unit apartment building near Sackville, N.B.
"I phoned at least 10 people and two got back to me," he said.
"One guy kind of laughed at me and said, 'Good luck,' and the other guy is going to meet me this afternoon. It's tough to find anybody. Tough to get anyone to pick up the phone. Everyone's busy."
A pipe burst flooded Monica Nyers and her two children out of their Saint John, N.B., apartment.
For now, they're staying with family, unsure if they have a home to go back to.
"I have no water, no toilet, no bathtub for my kids to go in. Now I'm stranded, my floors are covered with water damage, it's lifting up from the floors, it's cracking. It's getting bad," said Nyers.
Water was flowing out of the Sir Louis Henry Davies Law Courts in downtown Charlottetown Monday. All court proceedings were cancelled.
A news release from the province late Monday afternoon said the Law Courts will remain closed to the public until 12 p.m. Tuesday, with a further announcement expected Tuesday morning "once overnight inspections are complete."
The courthouse in Sydney, N.S., was also closed Monday for the similar reasons.
Halifax Water was fielding many calls Monday about frozen pipes. The utility is only responsible for infrastructure leading up the property line.
"Our infrastructure fared pretty well. We had four water main breaks that took place over the course of the four days that will require very localized water shutdowns," said Jake Fulton with Halifax Water.
The Board Room Game Cafe in Halifax looked like a wading pool on Sunday.
"A pipe burst upstairs and pretty much rained down on us," said café manager Brittney McIsac. "Later on in the day, another burst."
"I mean, it's bad time to be in the cardboard business. It's hard to say right now, we're still assessing the damage."
POWER
More than 16,000 households and businesses were without power during Saturday’s extreme cold conditions.
By Sunday afternoon, more than 2,300 customers were without power in Nova Scotia and about 1,800 were in the dark in New Brunswick.
As of 7 a.m. Monday, that number went back up to 3,500 power customers in Nova Scotia.
As of 6 p.m. Monday, the number of Nova Scotia Power customers without electricity was at 1,452 – most of which were in the Sydney area.
According to the Nova Scotia Power outage map, the outages began early Monday morning due to high winds and damage to overhead equipment.
On P.E.I., two customers were without electricity as of 6 p.m., while three customers were affected by power outages in New Brunswick at that time.
SCHOOLS
Power outages in Cape Breton closed École Beau-Port in Arichat, N.S., and Pleasant Bay School in Pleasant Bay, N.S., Monday.
Several other schools in Nova Scotia were closed due to water and heating issues. A handful of schools in New Brunswick were also closed due to water issues.
Schools in Prince Edward Island were open.
Poor road conditions delayed schools in Nova Scotia’s Pictou County from opening by two hours and Strait Regional Centre for Education buses were travelling on paved roads only, also due to road conditions.
With files from The Canadian Press, Nick Moore and Derek Haggett
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
DEVELOPING Live updates as Stormy Daniels testifies at Trump hush money trial
Adult film star Stormy Daniels will take the stand a second time Thursday as former U.S. president Donald Trump’s hush money case continues in Manhattan. Follow live updates here.
NEW Why these immigrants to Canada say they're thinking about leaving, or have already moved on
For some immigrants, their dreams of permanently settling in Canada have taken an unexpected twist.
Here are the ultraprocessed foods you most need to avoid, according to a 30-year study
Studies have shown that ultraprocessed foods can have a detrimental impact on health. But 30 years of research show they don’t all have the same impact.
NEW Capital gains tax change 'shortsighted' and 'sows division' business groups tell Freeland
Forging ahead with increasing Canada's capital gains inclusion rate 'sows division,' and is a 'shortsighted' way to improve the deficit, business groups are warning Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland.
Ontario man frustrated after $3,500 paving job leaves driveway in shambles
An Ontario man considering having his driveway paved received a quote from a company for $7,000, but then, another paver in the neighbourhood knocked on his door and offered half that rate.
Defence attacks Stormy Daniels' credibility as she returns to the stand in Trump's hush money trial
Stormy Daniels will return to the witness stand Thursday in Donald Trump's hush money trial as the defence tries to undermine the credibility of the porn actor's salacious testimony about their alleged sexual encounter and the money she was paid to keep quiet.
With contactless screening tech, this Toronto startup hopes to catch breast cancer early — and save lives
Amid evidence of rising breast cancer rates among young women in Canada, one Toronto startup is offering a contactless and radiation-free device that can help doctors identify suspicious changes in breast tissue. The company, Linda Lifetech, says this can lead to earlier detection of breast cancer.
Tornadoes tear through southeastern U.S. as storms leave 3 dead
Forecasters warned a wave of dangerous storms in the U.S. could wash over parts of the South early Thursday, a day after severe weather with damaging tornadoes and large hail killed at least three people in the region.
Police handcuff man trying to enter Drake's Toronto mansion
Toronto police say a man was taken into custody outside Drake's Bridle Path mansion Wednesday afternoon after he tried to gain access to the residence.