Halifax roads gridlocked amid holiday events, bridge closure
CBC
Some Halifax drivers found themselves stuck in traffic for hours Saturday as large events drew crowds into the downtown core, and the MacKay Bridge was closed for repairs.
Lorraine Simmons-Yerian said she was in bumper-to-bumper traffic for two kilometres leading up to the Macdonald Bridge.
"I'm shaking my head here because I've spent three hours in my car to get to a place that should have taken 40 minutes," she said Saturday afternoon.
"Shame on the municipality for making these decisions," she said of the bridge closure being scheduled for the same day as the annual Parade of Lights.
In an email, Halifax Regional Police said there were no major car accidents Saturday contributing to the gridlock.
"It seems the closure of the MacKay bridge is the contributable cause to increased traffic congestion in the city's core areas," police said.
The bridge closed Friday at 7 p.m. and it is scheduled to remain closed until Monday at 5:30 a.m.
The same schedule is expected next weekend, too.
Halifax Regional Municipality issued an advisory Friday warning that "significant crowds and traffic delays" on Saturday were likely because of the parade. The advisory urged people to consider public transit.
There was also a Sam Roberts concert scheduled at the Scotiabank Centre, a Jenn Grant concert scheduled at the Rebecca Cohn Auditorium, and the Nova Scotia Sports Hall of Fame induction ceremony scheduled at the Light House Arts Centre, all for Saturday night.
Together those events could draw several thousand people downtown, in addition to those lining the streets to watch the parade.
Fire crews responded to a transport truck fire on the Ambassador Bridge connecting Windsor and Detroit.
When the government touts that its auto insurance reforms might curb premiums by $400 come 2027, the ministers and premier don't readily mention what's to come in the three years leading up to that.
Who poses the greater threat to the free speech of Conservative MPs — the Speaker of the House of Commons or the leader of the Conservative Party?
As city council prepares to vote on a temporary shelter village for people experiencing homelessness in Thunder Bay, Ont., opposition is growing among the area's business community.
A Toronto centre for Black art is hosting an exhibition this weekend that exclusively features work by artists from across the African diaspora.
Click on the video player above on Saturday beginning at 1 p.m. ET to watch the 2024 Vanier Cup.
This story is part of CBC Health's Second Opinion, a weekly analysis of health and medical science news emailed to subscribers on Saturday mornings. If you haven't subscribed yet, you can do that by clicking here.
Some Canadian seniors say they're feeling abandoned by the Liberal government's latest inflation relief measure after learning they don't qualify for it.
WARNING: This article may affect those who have experienced sexual violence or know someone affected by it.
The weather has certainly been gloomy, damp and windy over the past 10 days in Nova Scotia and it's going to continue this weekend.
Premier Susan Holt says the federal tax holiday on some goods announced Thursday could cost New Brunswick $62 million in revenue.