Maritime mining community shows solidarity with Sudbury, Ont. rescue effort
The whole country is watching the dramatic rescue of the Sudbury, Ont. miners with bated breath on Tuesday, but even more so in Maritime mining communities.
As the workers continue to resurface, so too, are some strong feelings.
"You're trying to put yourself in their place, the fear that they're going through," said Eric Spencer, a coal miner of 30 years in Glace Bay, NS.
Spencer says for any miner, not being able to get back to the surface is their worst fear realized.
"You wouldn't want to be there," Spencer said, "because your mind is flooded with so many thoughts. Are you going to see your family again?"
Terry McVarish is retired Cape Breton coal miner who was watching the rescue efforts in Northern Ontario closely.
"Being a miner, you know every time you go underground there's that possibility that you won't come out of that mine," McVarish said.
The camaraderie the job is well-known for would be more than a source of comfort when something goes seriously wrong - it would be a survival tactic," he adds.
"You're not only thinking about yourself, you're thinking about the group," McVarish said.
"You know in your heart that the only way you're going to survive this as an individual is if the group survives."
At the Cape Breton Miner's Museum, Executive Director Mary Pat Mombourquette says witnessing the rescue unfold in Sudbury was like watching the history they share every day come to life in modern times.
"It resonates an awful lot in the community, because you can just imagine what those families are going through," Mombourquette said.
She adds that while the mine at the museum was a slope mine, meaning you could walk in and out, the one in Sudbury is a shaft mine.
The only way out was a ladder system with rescue teams extending as far down as 1,200 metres - or about twice the length of the CN Tower.
"Can you imagine climbing a ladder for hours to get to the top of a shaft?" Mombourquette asked.
"I mean, for anybody like myself who's afraid of heights, this would be the worst thing in the world."
In Sudbury, one of the miners spoke about the ordeal shortly after being rescued.
"It was just long," said SRC Mining Supervisor Henry Bertrand. "But you stay positive and crack jokes and stuff like that."
Back in Glace Bay where a dozen lives were lost in the 1979 mine explosion, many are waiting as 33 or the 39 miners in Northern Ontario have been rescued so far.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Young people 'tortured' if stolen vehicle operations fail, Montreal police tell MPs
One day after a Montreal police officer fired gunshots at a suspect in a stolen vehicle, senior officers were telling parliamentarians that organized crime groups are recruiting people as young as 15 in the city to steal cars so that they can be shipped overseas.
'It was joy': Trapped B.C. orca calf eats seal meat, putting rescue on hold
A rescue operation for an orca calf trapped in a remote tidal lagoon off Vancouver Island has been put on hold after it started eating seal meat thrown in the water for what is believed to be the first time.
Man sets self on fire outside New York court where Trump trial underway
A man set himself on fire on Friday outside the New York courthouse where Donald Trump's historic hush-money trial was taking place as jury selection wrapped up, but officials said he did not appear to have been targeting Trump.
Sask. father found guilty of withholding daughter to prevent her from getting COVID-19 vaccine
Michael Gordon Jackson, a Saskatchewan man accused of abducting his daughter to prevent her from getting a COVID-19 vaccine, has been found guilty for contravention of a custody order.
Mandisa, Grammy award-winning 'American Idol' alum, dead at 47
Soulful gospel artist Mandisa, a Grammy-winning singer who got her start as a contestant on 'American Idol' in 2006, has died, according to a statement on her verified social media. She was 47.
She set out to find a husband in a year. Then she matched with a guy on a dating app on the other side of the world
Scottish comedian Samantha Hannah was working on a comedy show about finding a husband when Toby Hunter came into her life. What happened next surprised them both.
B.C. judge orders shared dog custody for exes who both 'clearly love Stella'
In a first-of-its-kind ruling, a B.C. judge has awarded a former couple joint custody of their dog.
Saskatoon police to search landfill for remains of woman missing since 2020
Saskatoon police say they will begin searching the city’s landfill for the remains of Mackenzie Lee Trottier, who has been missing for more than three years.
Shivering for health: The myths and truths of ice baths explained
In a climate of social media-endorsed wellness rituals, plunging into cold water has promised to aid muscle recovery, enhance mental health and support immune system function. But the evidence of such benefits sits on thin ice, according to researchers.