CBC's 10 biggest news days of 2016
From the Fort McMurray fires to the P.E.I. school shutdowns, here are the days you read the most
Here are CBC's 10 biggest news days of 2016, when millions of Canadians turned to our website for the latest.
March 22: Rob Ford's death reverberated with Canadians well outside the city where he'd served as mayor.
Ford polarized voters with his brash, uncompromising political style and became an international celebrity for his drug and alcohol use while in office.
He was equally defined by his apparent contradictions: a millionaire with a working-class attitude; a cost-cutting crusader who promoted subway expansion over less expensive transit solutions; and a man who, while serving as Toronto's mayor, often seemed more interested in coaching high school football.
May 4-6: Wildfires in Fort McMurray dominated CBCNews.ca for three days straight.
On May 4, it became obvious that the wildfires were catastrophic, forcing the entire city of about 80,000 to be placed under an evacuation order.
On May 5, we got a glimpse into the terror and chaos with the stories of some evacuees who had fled ahead of the flames, as it dawned on officials that the fire was far from over.
- Fort McMurray wildfire evacuees inundate Edmonton airport
- Battling the Beast: The story of the fight to save Fort McMurray
On May 6, tragedy piled on tragedy as 15-year-old Emily Ryan and Aaron Hodgson were killed in a car crash while fleeing the fires. Ryan was in an SUV with Hodgson, her stepmother's nephew, who was also killed. The story was visited more than 860,000 times that day.
Readers were also interested in what some evacuees took with them when they fled.
July 15: A sombre day as two tragic stories captivated Canadians.
In Nice, France, 84 people were killed when a man plowed his truck through the crowd at Bastille Day celebrations on the seafront.
Here at home, police found the body of missing five-year-old Calgary girl Taliyah Marsman just days after her mother was found murdered.
Sept. 21: P.E.I. shut down all 62 schools across the province after receiving a threat of multiple bombs at unspecified institutions.
The threat coincided with similar ones in Nova Scotia, forcing thousands more students out of class for the day. Police later deemed all of the threats "not credible."
This is what happens when there's a school evacuation during morning break. Students had to act fast <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/getoutofdodge?src=hash">#getoutofdodge</a>! <a href="https://t.co/dMjYqetE8x">pic.twitter.com/dMjYqetE8x</a>
—@stoneparkschoolUPDATE: The University of Prince Edward Island is closing for the day effective immediately.
—@UPEINov. 7: The day before the U.S. election, it was the opinion of a Canadian many readers checked out.
In an interview with The National's Wendy Mesley, author Malcolm Gladwell spoke candidly about the candidates and the most contentious presidential race most of us can remember. Read the story and watch the video here.
Nov. 8: The day brought so much news that traffic was nearly evenly spread among our top 5 stories.
There was the election, of course, but also a report on more than 10,000 breaches of document security in Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's first year, and the Brangelina custody agreement.
Then there was the story that nearly broke the internet: Prince Harry issued a rare statement to criticize the media for intruding into the private life of his new girlfriend, Toronto-based American actress Meghan Markle.
Nov. 9: The day after the election, Hillary spoke.
Reaction to Donald Trump getting elected had all the traffic on Nov. 9, and the stock markets went for a ride, Trump received congratulations from Justin Trudeau and by midday, Hillary Clinton gave a concession speech.
Nov. 10: A little girl went missing in Saskatchewan and a Canadian music legend died.
Less than 12 hours after an Amber Alert was issued for Nia Eastman, she was found dead and more than 750,000 people read the story.
The death of Leonard Cohen was the next most read story for that day.
And less than 48 hours after the election, American politics were still on people's minds, when Trump met Obama.
