Some Halifax residents say they received confusing communication amid wildfire
As wildfires grew and traveled through the suburban area northwest of Halifax, some of the 16,000 evacuated residents say they received confusing advice about what to do.
Debbie Whyte and her family fled their Westwood Hills home in a rush Sunday afternoon after seeing smoke in their neighbourhood — before they received the Nova Scotia emergency alert with evacuation orders.
“I called the non-emergency fire number and they told me because of where we were to pack our things and get out,” Whyte said.
For fellow Westwood Hills residents Shobitha and Paul Grant, the message to evacuate was not immediately clear.
“I started to see chatter on the neighbourhood Facebook page in Westwood Hills and the next thing you know we saw smoke blowing in across our yard,” Paul said.
Shobitha said she called the RCMP, who told her that “at this stage it doesn’t like its hitting our end of Westwood Hills.”
As billowing smoke approached their home, Shobitha called RCMP back and was told that time to evacuate.
“If there’s a need to evacuate, get to everyone’s phone and TV ASAP,” Paul said. Some residents say that early evacuation maps were inaccurate and were shared too slowly.
Halifax Mayor Mike Savage, when asked about residents’ communication concerns, noted that the Halifax-area wildfire was quickly changing.
“Information is one thing, accurate information is a really important part of this as well,” Savage said.
Erica Fleck, Halifax EMO coordinator, said the city is working with its communication team to “try to get better information out there for residents.”
Nova Scotia Premier Tim Houston said that while the province’s focus remains on battling the out-of-control fires, the communication process will also be examined.
“In the very beginning it’s always going to be a challenge, but we’re doing the best we can,” Houston said.
Some parents say further confusion came from the Halifax Regional Centre for Education’s early dismissal of many students from schools in the Halifax area Monday.
Centre for education spokesperson Lindsay Bunn said the call for early dismissal came from Halifax Fire and emergency services in order to “get families and staff and kids in safe spaces” as firefighting efforts continued.
As of Tuesday morning, 14 schools in the Halifax area remain closed.
Approximately 200 homes or structures have been damaged by the wildfire that began burning Sunday in the Upper Tantallon, N.S., area, according to preliminary estimates.
The Halifax Regional Municipality released the estimate Monday night and said the number is based on initial visual inspections by first responders, though a full assessment of the damage cannot yet be confirmed.
At the same time, an out of control wildfire is burning in Shelburne County and has grown to more than 10,300 hectares.
For more Nova Scotia news visit our dedicated provincial page.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Quebec nurse had to clean up after husband's death in Montreal hospital
On a night she should have been mourning, a nurse from Quebec's Laurentians region says she was forced to clean up her husband after he died at a hospital in Montreal.
Northern Ont. lawyer who abandoned clients in child protection cases disbarred
A North Bay, Ont., lawyer who abandoned 15 clients – many of them child protection cases – has lost his licence to practise law.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
Maple Leafs fall to Bruins in Game 3, trail series 2-1
Brad Marchand scored twice, including the winner in the third period, and added an assist as the Boston Bruins downed the Toronto Maple Leafs 4-2 to take a 2-1 lead in their first-round playoff series Wednesday
Cuban government apologizes to Montreal-area family after delivering wrong body
Cuba's foreign affairs minister has apologized to a Montreal-area family after they were sent the wrong body following the death of a loved one.
'It was instant karma': Viral video captures failed theft attempt in Nanaimo, B.C.
Mounties in Nanaimo, B.C., say two late-night revellers are lucky their allegedly drunken antics weren't reported to police after security cameras captured the men trying to steal a heavy sign from a downtown business.
What is changing about Canada's capital gains tax and how does it impact me?
The federal government's proposed change to capital gains taxation is expected to increase taxes on investments and mainly affect wealthy Canadians and businesses. Here's what you need to know about the move.
New Indigenous loan guarantee program a 'really big deal,' Freeland says at Toronto conference
Canada's Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland was among the 1,700 delegates attending the two-day First Nations Major Projects Coalition (FNMPC) conference that concluded Tuesday in Toronto.
'Life was not fair to him': Daughter of N.B. man exonerated of murder remembers him as a kind soul
The daughter of a New Brunswick man recently exonerated from murder, is remembering her father as somebody who, despite a wrongful conviction, never became bitter or angry.