Cleanup continues in Nova Scotia after massive multi-day winter storm
CBC
Schools, offices and non-essential businesses remain closed today in hard-hit Cape Breton as crews attempt to make headway clearing snow-covered streets following a historic multi-day storm that pummelled parts of Nova Scotia.
Cape Breton Regional Municipality is under a local state of emergency after the low-pressure system dumped 150 centimetres of snow in some areas. Other communities from Halifax to the island were hit with anywhere from 40 to 100 centimetres.
Premier Tim Houston has warned it could be days before some rural roads are cleared, but help is on its way from New Brunswick and P.E.I. The federal government is also providing assistance with snow-clearing gear from Cape Breton Highlands National Park.
There were only about 1,000 Nova Scotia Power customers still in the dark Tuesday morning, but some restoration times aren't until Wednesday afternoon.
Cape Breton Regional Police Const. Gary Fraser said the main roads in CBRM are mostly clear and passable, while some side roads are starting to open up.
He said people should stay off the roads, unless they absolutely must travel.
"We're getting calls for drives, to and from hospitals and other businesses, by employees," Fraser told CBC's Information Morning Cape Breton. "We have to stress that we can't transport people to and from their place of business and tie up our resources."
Guy Deveau, executive director of maintenance and operations with the provincial Department of Public Works, said most roads cleared by provincial plows will be open later Tuesday tonight or Wednesday morning.
However, it might be Friday before isolated, gravel roads are plowed.
"A road with significant drifting can take a lot more time than expected," Deveau told Information Morning Cape Breton.
John Phalen, CBRM's manager of public works, said some gas stations in the Sydney area are running out of fuel.
He said the bulk plant where the municipality gets its diesel from has been closed since Friday.
"We've got some fuel that's in storage that we're using, but that's all being depleted now," he told Information Morning Cape Breton. "We're using a lot of fuel for this operation."
As cleanup continues around much of the province, it may also be a good idea to look up and check your roof.
While his party has made a cause célèbre out of its battle with the Speaker, Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre has periodically waxed poetic about the House of Commons — suggesting that its green upholstery is meant to symbolize the fields of the English countryside where commoners met centuries ago before the signing of the Magna Carta.