Lengthy clean-up ahead in Prince Albert after brief but powerful storm
A crash alerted Karen Cyr’s family to a large ash tree that had blown over in her driveway and on top of her car on Wednesday morning.
“I’ve never seen that in my life ever,” said Cyr. “The winds were so bad, I thought the hail would have damaged my vehicle, not a tree.”
Cyr says she’s thankful no one was hurt.
Her next door neighbour, Joyce Cook, was at work during the storm but came home to check on her children and deal with the fallen tree.
“I called my insurance and they said to call the city to see if they’d take the tree down,” said Cook. She called the city but hired a private arborist to come and remove the tree.
City Hall in Prince Albert fielded more than 100 calls from the public about the storm and damages.
Prince Albert city manager Jim Toye says multiple crews from different departments were dedicated to the clean-up. Many trees along River Street, Sixth Avenue and the Rotary Trail were broken.
“It’s going to take us well into next week to do what we need to do, to clean up the trees to make sure that they’re safe,” said Toye.
He says winds of up to 60 km/h are forecast for the evening, so they’re going to triage the calls and make sure the trees that threaten property will be taken down first.
“There’s a lot of priority trees that will be taken down today or hopefully by tomorrow,” Toye said.
The city closed many facilities when power was lost. Cook Municipal Golf Course, Alfred Jenkins Field House and the city water parks are closed for the remainder of the day.
Toye said the Prince Albert Fire Department had 23 calls for service due to fires caused by down power lines.
The most notable was a call of people being trapped in their vehicle due to flooding near a toppled powerline.
Students from Ecole St. Mary High School were evacuated to Sacred Heart Cathedral around 10 a.m. due to a small electrical fire.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Quebec nurse had to clean up after husband's death in Montreal hospital
On a night she should have been mourning, a nurse from Quebec's Laurentians region says she was forced to clean up her husband after he died at a hospital in Montreal.
Cuban government apologizes to Montreal-area family after delivering wrong body
Cuba's foreign affairs minister has apologized to a Montreal-area family after they were sent the wrong body following the death of a loved one.
What is changing about Canada's capital gains tax and how does it impact me?
The federal government's proposed change to capital gains taxation is expected to increase taxes on investments and mainly affect wealthy Canadians and businesses. Here's what you need to know about the move.
'Anything to win': Trudeau says as Poilievre defends meeting protesters
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is accusing Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre of welcoming 'the support of conspiracy theorists and extremists,' after the Conservative leader was photographed meeting with protesters, which his office has defended.
Northern Ont. lawyer who abandoned clients in child protection cases disbarred
A North Bay, Ont., lawyer who abandoned 15 clients – many of them child protection cases – has lost his licence to practise law.
'One of the single most terrifying things ever': Ontario couple among passengers on sinking tour boat in Dominican Republic
A Toronto couple are speaking out about their 'extremely dangerous' experience on board a sinking tour boat in the Dominican Republic last week.
Boeing's financial woes continue, while families of crash victims urge U.S. to prosecute the company
Boeing said Wednesday that it lost US$355 million on falling revenue in the first quarter, another sign of the crisis gripping the aircraft manufacturer as it faces increasing scrutiny over the safety of its planes and accusations of shoddy work from a growing number of whistleblowers.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
Fair in Ontario, flurries in Labrador: Weather systems make for an erratic spring
It's no secret that spring can be a tumultuous time for Canadian weather, and as an unseasonably mild El Nino winter gives way to summer, there's bound to be a few swings in temperature that seem out of the ordinary. From Ontario to the Atlantic, though, this week is about to feel a little erratic.