Many Maritimers had to dig themselves out of a fresh dump of snow Monday morning as the region continues to grapple with a storm that left many schools, universities and government offices closed.
Cape Breton got some of the worst of it over the weekend, with some spots potentially receiving upwards of 80 centimetres of snow. On Sunday, the Cape Breton Regional Municipality declared a state of local emergency to address the snowfall in the area.
“Residents are directed to shelter in place and advised to clear snow from their home’s entryways, walkways and driveway to facilitate home access,” a news release from the municipality read. “Residents should also remove snow from ventilation points at your home.
“Do not travel. Roadways are being cleared for emergency response and travel of essential workers. The process is slow and plows require several passes to deal with the significant accumulation.”
The municipality noted city hall and municipal services will be closed Monday. Transit Cape Breton will also not be operational.
Byelection postponed
In a news release, Elections PEI said the ordinary polling day for the District 19 byelection will be postponed Monday due to the storm. It will instead happen from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesday.
“We want voters to exercise their right to vote, but in a safe manner,” said Tim Garrity, CEO of Elections PEI, in the release. “We also keep in mind the safety of our election workers.”
Cars are buried in the snow in P.E.I. (Source: Jack Morse/CTV News Atlantic)
Weather warnings
According to Environment Canada, winter storm warnings are still in effect for Kent County, Kouchibouguac National Park, and Moncton in New Brunswick, Minas Shore and Cumberland County North and Cobequid Pass in Nova Scotia, and Prince and Queen counties in P.E.I.
Outages
Nova Scotia Power’s outage map reported 174 outages impacting 4,278 customers as of 1:30 p.m. Monday while Maritime Electric noted 84 customers in the dark in Prince Edward Island.
NB Power only reported 12 customers without power.
Closures
Health PEI says surgeries, procedures and clinics at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital will be cancelled Monday, while the administrative office in Charlottetown will be closed. The Kinlock Medical Home will also be closed.
The City of Charlottetown said in a social media post city hall and administrative offices will be closed Monday. The provincial P.E.I. government also noted civil services will be closed for the day. Several community mental health and addictions services will be closed as well.
Nova Scotia provincial government offices in Pictou, Antigonish, Inverness, Guysborough, Victoria and Richmond counties, along with offices in the Cape Breton Regional Municipality will be closed Monday.
Airports in Halifax, Moncton and Charlottetown are advising passengers to check with airlines about the status of their flights.
The Kings Transit Authority, which services the Kings, Annapolis and Digby counties, announced it will be closed on Monday.
Marine Atlantic said the 11:45 a.m. ferry trips between Sydney, N.S., and Port aux Basques, N.L., are cancelled.
Nova Scotia courthouses in Pictou, Antigonish, Port Hawkesbury and Sydney will be closed Monday. The Shubenacadie Provincial Court delayed its opening until noon and the Kentville and Windsor provincial courts postponed matters until 11 a.m.
Mail delays
Canada Post has issued delivery service alerts for the Maritimes, due to the weather.
Prince Edward Island and Nova Scotia are under a red service alert, which means delivery has been suspended for the day. All P.E.I. post offices are also closed for the day.
New Brunswick is under a yellow service alert. Canada Post says that means the postal service will do its best to complete deliveries, but there may be delays.
Parking bans
The Halifax Regional Municipality is extending its overnight winter parking ban in both Zone 1 — Central and Zone 2 — Non-Central for Tuesday from 1 a.m. to 6 a.m. Vehicles are not allowed to park on municipal streets during the hours of the ban.
Check out photos on snowfall across Atlantic Canada here.
