Eclipse brings excitement, tourism to Eastern Townships
The total solar eclipse is coming with plenty of safety warnings, but in the Eastern Townships, there's excitement about the fact that the celestial event is becoming a tourist attraction.
For most, it's a once-in-a-lifetime experience.
"A solar eclipse, a partial one, happens every few years, but a total [eclipse], this is what is super rare. The last one, for example, over Montreal was in 1932," said Julie Bolduc-Duval, executive director of Discover the Universe.
While there are school closures and warnings about protecting people's eyesight, many across eastern Canada are mostly excited.
"I had the chance to see a total solar eclipse in 2017 in the United States, and it's really something," Bolduc-Duval said.
On April 8, the eclipse is slated to cross Mexico and the U.S. before heading into Canada.
The spots directly under this shadow are called the path of totality, where viewing the eclipse will be the best.
Quebec's Eastern Townships are right centre.
"It goes straight through Sherbrooke and Astrolab du parc national du Mont-Mégantic above two dark sky reserves," explained Lysandre Michaud-Verreault, a spokesperson for Tourism Eastern Townships.
Magog, Sherbrooke and Coaticook should have the best seats in the house for the celestial show.
The Eastern Townships tourism board says it is expecting around 75,000 people at 50 watch parties.
That's not counting those who will be coming to watch on their own.
The region says it is especially good for tourism because it's happening in what would normally be a quiet time of year.
"After Easter, it's not as crowded as it could be, but for the eclipse, it is. So it brings a lot of people," said Michaud-Verreault. "We are pretty busy. The occupation rate is pretty high."
There are also events in Montreal, with hundreds or even thousands expected to pack into Parc Jean Drapeau for a viewing party.
"It's just an amazing experience. You kind of feel part of this universe," said Bolduc-Duval.
If you miss this one, there's always next time but for eastern Canada, there's no other eclipse anticipated for at least 50 years.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Couple randomly attacked, 1 stabbed, by group of teens in Toronto, police say
A man has been transported to hospital after police say he was stabbed in a random attack carried out by a group of teens in Toronto on Friday night.
Ron Ellis, who played over 1,000 games with Maple Leafs, dead at 79
Ron Ellis, who played over 1,000 games with the Toronto Maple Leafs and was a member of Canada's team at the 1972 Summit Series, has died at age 79.
Fort Nelson, B.C., wildfire doubles in size as 3,000-plus ordered to evacuate
The wildfire that sparked Friday and caused evacuation orders for more than 3,000 people in Fort Nelson, B.C., and the nearby Fort Nelson First Nation, has grown to nearly 1,700 hectares in size, according to a Saturday morning update from the BC Wildfire Service.
Dutch contestant kicked out of Eurovision hours before tension-plagued song contest final
The Netherlands' contestant in the Eurovision Song Contest was expelled from competition hours before Saturday's final of the pan-continental pop competition, which has been rattled by protests over the participation of Israel.
IN PHOTOS Northern lights dance across the night sky in southern Ont.
From London, to Mildmay, Collingwood and St. Thomas, here are some highlights of Friday night and Saturday morning's northern lights display.
Haitians demand the resignation and arrest of the country's police chief after a new gang attack
A growing number of civilians and police officers are demanding the dismissal and arrest of Haiti's police chief as heavily armed gangs launched a new attack in the capital of Port-au-Prince, seizing control of yet another police station early Saturday.
opinion How to use your credit card as a powerful wealth-building tool
Irresponsibly using a credit card can land you in financial trouble, but personal finance columnist Christopher Liew says when used properly, it can be a powerful wealth-building tool that can help grow your credit profile and create new opportunities.
Which Canadian cities have the highest and lowest grocery prices?
Where you live plays a big factor in what you pay at the grocery store. And while it's no secret the same item may have a different price depending on the store, city or province, we wanted to see just how big the differences are, and why.
'We have no judge for you': Man's assault charges dropped weeks before trial due to lack of judges in Toronto
A man who was accused of sexually and physically assaulting a woman had his charges dropped in April, just weeks before he was set to stand trial in Toronto, due to a lack of judges in the region.