Halifax harbour bridges reopen but many Fiona-related closures remain in effect
Halifax Transit services will remain suspended Saturday
Closures remain across Nova Scotia in the wake of Hurricane Fiona, but there is some good news.
Both bridges connecting Halifax and Dartmouth were closed Saturday morning, but reopened Saturday afternoon.
The Canso Causeway, which links Cape Breton to mainland Nova Scotia, reopened to all vehicles on Saturday, the Department of Public Works said in a tweet.
The department said the Canso Causeway canal closed to boat traffic at 6 p.m. Friday and will reopen at 6 a.m. Sunday.
- CBC Radio is providing live updates on Hurricane Fiona around the clock. Listeners are invited to call in to share their storm experiences and any emergency updates from their communities at 1-800-565-5550. Listen online via CBC Lite, which uses less data, or over the air (90.5 FM in Halifax, 92.1 FM in Sydney, 96.1 FM in Charlottetown or check your local frequency here).
Transportation
Halifax Transit, including buses, Access-A-Bus and ferry services, will remain suspended for all of Saturday, and there will be no bus or ferry service until a further announcement is made, Halifax Transit said in a tweet.
All flights in and out of the Halifax Stanfield International Airport resumed Saturday. All Saturday flights in and out of the JA Douglas McCurdy Sydney Airport are cancelled.
WestJet has suspended operations out of Halifax until Sunday morning. Air Canada has also warned of service disruptions in the region and has asked travellers to check ahead.
Bay Ferries and Northumberland Ferries have cancelled some crossings over the next few days, including the Cat high-speed ferry between Yarmouth, N.S., and Bar Harbor, Maine, which will not run on Saturday.
All Saturday sailings of the MV Confederation and MV Saaremaa 1 between Wood Islands, P.E.I., and Caribou, N.S., have been cancelled, and the MV Fundy Rose service between Saint John and Digby, N.S., on Saturday is also cancelled. That cancellation has now been extended through Sunday, according to Northumberland Ferries.
Marine Atlantic has cancelled several departures between North Sydney, N.S., and Argentia, N.L., and Port aux Basques, N.L., including:
- Argentia to North Sydney on Saturday at 5 p.m. AT.
- North Sydney to Port aux Basques on Saturday at 11:45 a.m. and 11:15 p.m. AT.
- Port aux Basques to North Sydney on Saturday at 11:45 a.m. and 11:45 p.m. AT.
- North Sydney to Port aux Basques on Sunday at 11:45 a.m. AT.
- Port aux Basques to North Sydney on Sunday at 11:45 a.m. AT.
Health care
Nova Scotia Health warned the storm will likely cause closures, which people can find on its website. It urged people to cancel schedule appointments if it's unsafe to travel.
In an emergency, people can still call 911 or reach the mental health and addictions crisis line at any time at 1-888-429-8167.
Beaches, campgrounds and parks closed
Provincial beaches, campgrounds and day-use parks were closed as of noon Friday. The parks will be evaluated after the storm passes and will reopen when it is safe. Anyone with reservations at provincial parks will be contacted to provide refunds.
Parks Canada closed camping accommodations at Cape Breton Highlands National Park at noon on Friday. The Fortress of Louisbourg National Historic Site will be closed Saturday and Sunday, and the Alexander Graham Bell National Historic Site is closed Saturday, though it expects to reopen for Sunday.
Kejimkujik National Park and National Historic Site and Kejimkujik Seaside were closed as of noon Friday.
Lunenburg said all town trails, parks and facilities will be closed Saturday until further notice.
Sports
Several Quebec Major Junior Hockey League games scheduled for coming days will be postponed, including:
- Halifax vs. Charlottetown on Saturday.
- Acadie-Bathurst vs. Saint John on Saturday.
- Cape Breton vs. Moncton on Sunday.
The Halifax Wanderers' home game planned for Saturday has been rescheduled for Sunday at 3 p.m. AT.
The AUS postponed a series of games that were due to be played between Sept. 25-27. They include soccer, football and rugby.
Cultural events
The Hants County Exhibition, featuring events, livestock shows and a midway, has been cancelled this weekend in Windsor. Organizers hope to reschedule some elements of the weekend's programming, including the demolition derby and beef show.
The Halifax Oyster Festival, scheduled to run Friday and Saturday, has been postponed. Organizers are working to find new dates for the festival.
The Trevor Noah show scheduled for Saturday at the Scotiabank Centre in Halifax has been rescheduled to Oct. 14 at 7:30 p.m. Organizers say ticket holders have until Oct. 3 at 3 p.m. to request a refund if they cannot attend on the new date.
