White sand dunes, gem of P.E.I.'s central coast, severely damaged in Fiona
Post-tropical storm Fiona changed the coastline of Prince Edward Island forever, however nowhere is more obvious than the P.E.I. National Park on the island’s north shore.
The storm destroyed entire swaths of it, and with recovery efforts now underway, it’s slow going as crews deal with the devastation.
Across the park, between 10 and 30 feet of iconic shoreline is gone.
Huge dunes and white sand beaches -- a stark contrast from P.E.I.’s normally red soil -- disappeared into the sea.
There had been significant efforts to preserve the dunes in recent years, but now many are gone.
“We don’t necessarily have a full picture of what that means for these ecosystems,” said James Eastham, Parks Canada Information Officer. “That’s one of the questions that our park ecologists here will be studying over the weeks, months, and years ahead.”
The destruction extends beyond the beach. There’s been significant damage to the trees, many of which were knocked down blocking roads, slowing assessment and cleanup efforts.
“The complexity of the tree removals, and how intricate the trees were, the quantity of them, and all the attention and compression forces that are at play,” said Parks Canada Safety Officer Sebastien Marcoux.
Eleven national crew and 34 local staff, along with specialized contractors to operate heavy equipment, are working to untangle the mess and clear debris.
“We don’t see the scale of this many downed trees, but we definitely see many strong winds that will pile trees like that in a smaller scale,” said Marcoux.
The park has been closed because of Fiona and there’s no timeline yet as to when it can reopen.
“Erosion at Cavendish, and blown down trees at Stanhope,” said Eastham. “A lot of the shoreline will look quite different when visitors return.”
The devastation is clear, but staff don’t yet have enough information to compare this to previous storms. They say that work is ongoing.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Canadian gov't proposes new foreign influence registry as part of wide-spanning new bill
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's government is proposing a suite of new measures and law changes aimed at countering foreign interference in Canada, amid extensive scrutiny over past meddling attempts and an ever-evolving threat landscape.
Boeing Starliner capsule's first crewed test flight postponed
The long-awaited first crewed test flight of Boeing's new Starliner space capsule was called off for at least 24 hours over a technical issue that launch teams were unable to resolve in time for the planned Monday night lift-off.
Teacher charged in historical sexual assault of Calgary teenage girl
Calgary police have charged a teacher with the alleged sexual assault of a teenage girl more than 20 years ago.
Winnipeg man admits to killing four women, argues he's not criminally responsible
Defence lawyers of Jeremy Skibicki have admitted in court the accused killed four Indigenous women, but argues he is not criminally responsible for the deaths by way of mental disorder – this latest development has triggered a judge-alone trial rather than a jury trial.
Man banned from owning animals after fatal Calgary dog attack
The owner of three Calgary dogs that got loose and mauled a woman to death in 2022 has been ordered to pay a $15,000 fine within one year and banned from owning any animal for 15 years.
East-end Ottawa family dealing with massive rat infestation
Residents in Ottawa’s Elmridge Gardens complex are dealing with a rat infestation that just won’t go away. Now, after doing everything they can to try to fix the issue, they are pleading with the city to step in and help.
Mediterranean staple may lower your risk of death from dementia, study finds
A daily spoonful of olive oil could lower your risk of dying from dementia, according to a new study by Harvard scientists.
An El Nino-less summer is coming. Here's what that could mean for Canada
As Canadians brace themselves for summer temperatures, forecasters say a weakening El Nino cycle doesn’t mean relief from the heat.
Newfoundland and Labrador latest province to tighten rules on Airbnbs
Newfoundland and Labrador is the latest jurisdiction to bring in stricter rules for short-term rentals, with a coming set of regulations that will force operators to register with the provincial government.