Thousands are still in the dark in N.S. and P.E.I. a week after Fiona
More than 66,000 customers remain without power in Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island Saturday afternoon, as the provinces recover from post-tropical storm Fiona.
NOVA SCOTIA
Just after 2 p.m., more than 37,000 Nova Scotia Power (NSP) customers did not have electricity, according to the company’s outage map.
In a Saturday news release, NSP said over 1,500 people are continuing to work to restore power in the province, as crews remove large trees in their path.
“We are seeing trees five feet in diameter on the ground and across roads,” said Mark Sidebottom, Cape Breton emergency operations centre lead.
NSP says, in many cases, the trees being moved are so large that heavy equipment and cranes are the only way they can be moved.
“This heavy equipment is essential to help clear the way so our crews can do the work that needs to be done to get customers reconnected,” said Sidebottom. According to the company, this type of work makes restoration “very complex.”
With thousands of downed trees and hundreds of broken poles in the province, NSP says many lines and wires remain on the ground. The company is asking residents to treat all downed lines as if they are live, and to stay back from them the length of a bus.
“We understand it has generated a great deal of interest and customers have questions about when their power will be restored,” said Lia MacDonald, northeast emergency operations centre lead. “It’s really important to keep a safe distance from crews and allow them to focus on their work.”
NSP says residents should be aware of trees that are either touching or tangled in overhead lines. “Do not attempt to cut them down yourself,” the company said.
PRINCE EDWARD ISLAND
As of 2 p.m., more than 29,000 Maritime Electric customers on P.E.I. did not have power. The communities of Charlottetown, Stratford and Cornwall had the highest number of outages.
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.