Nova Scotia, and the rest of Atlantic Canada, is bracing for Hurricane Fiona, a storm that the Canadian Hurricane Centre says is shaping up to be a potentially severe event for the region.

The Hurricane Centre says the latest forecast guidance brings Hurricane Fiona North towards Nova Scotia waters Friday night, passing through eastern Nova Scotia and Cape Breton Saturday.

Severe winds and rainfall will have major impacts for eastern Nova Scotia.

Most regions, including Pictou County, will experience some hurricane force winds which will begin impacting the region late Friday and will continue on Saturday.

We’ll also see heavy rains as forecast guidance is suggesting widespread amounts of 100 to 200 mm, but closer to the path of Fiona, in eastern Nova Scotia, more than 200 mm is likely.

Flooding, road washouts and erosion are possible.

 

 

Forecasters are urging Nova Scotians and all Atlantic Canadians not to leave preparations to the last minute as Hurricane Fiona approaches the region.

You’re being urged to prepare emergency kits that contain enough food and water for up to 72 hours.

 

 

Nova Scotia Power will be activating its emergency operations centre Friday at 8am ahead of Hurricane Fiona.

Nova Scotia Power is moving power line technicians, forestry teams and others across the province to be ready to respond to outages.

The company’s Storm Lead says the Emergency Operation Centre is a central place to coordinate planning for responding to customers and restoring power.

 

 

New Glasgow Regional Police have charged a man in regards to an assault with a weapon at a home on MacLean Street in New Glasgow.

At about 2:30am on Wednesday, police received a report of someone screaming for help on MacLean Street.

When officers arrived on scene they found a 46-year-old woman who had been assaulted with bear-spray by a man who immediately fled the area.

Police were able to locate the 47-year-old Pictou County man who is facing charges that include Assault with a Weapon.

A search of the home on MacLean Street resulted in the 46-year-old woman from Pictou County being charged with Possession of Methamphetamine for the Purpose of Trafficking and Possession of Hydromorphone for the Purpose of Trafficking.

 

 

Antigonish County District RCMP and Pictou County District RCMP have charged two men in a break-in that occurred Sunday morning at a construction property on Hwy. 7 in Antigonish.

During the break-in, two suspects were seen stealing a white pickup truck and an enclosed trailer that was filled with tools. One fled the scene in the white truck towing the trailer, while the other fled in a red pickup.

Shortly after 10am, when officers spotted the two trucks speeding on Hwy. 347 in McPhersons Mills, the red truck went out of control and left the road.

The driver, a 30-year-old Pictou Landing man, suffered serious but non-life-threatening injuries and was taken to hospital by ambulance.

Once at the hospital, the driver was arrested.

A short time later, the RCMP allocated and arrested the other suspect, a 36-year-old Trenton man.  Both are facing numerous charges.

 

 

Nova Scotia’s police watchdog agency has charged an R-C-M-P officer with obstruction.

The independent Serious Incident Response Team says Constable Kwame Amoateng was charged after the team investigated an incident in May on Highway 104.

No other details were released.

The 37-year-old officer is scheduled to appear in Pictou provincial court on October 3rd.

 

 

The family of the 22nd and final victim in the Nova Scotia mass shooting is calling for a permanent moratorium on the sale of decommissioned R-C-M-P vehicles to the general public.

Jane Lenehan, who represents the family of Gina Goulet, told the federal-provincial inquiry into the killings that the revenue from auctioning off the vehicles can’t be worth the risk to public safety, as demonstrated by a gunman’s 13-hour rampage in April 2020.

The killer managed to evade police and deceive many of his victims because he was driving a fully marked replica R-C-M-P cruiser.

 

 

All adults in Nova Scotia can now book a bivalent COVID-19 vaccine appointment.

Public Health is recommending that everyone over the age of 18 receive a bivalent vaccine as opposed to the original vaccine for better protection against omicron strains.

Late last week Nova Scotia opened up bivalent vaccine appointments for people 65 years old and up.

Chief medical officer of health Dr. Robert Strang says the province now has capacity to offer the vaccine for all adults.