Quebec public safety minister visits storm-beaten Magdalen Islands
Quebec Public Safety Minister Geneviève Guilbault flew to the Magdalen Islands Sunday morning to see the extent of the damage left in the wake of post-tropical storm Fiona.
"On Friday, we had sent additional reinforcements, so people from the Sûreté du Québec, Hydro-Québec, the Ministry of Transport, Civil Security and the Ministry of Public Security. We are going to meet with these people and take stock of the situation. These people are tired and we can understand it, they have been in intense preparation and intervention for three to four days. So, we will go to thank them and see with them the damage on site," said Guilbault in a press scrum before boarding the plane.
The Magdalen Islands were hit hard by Fiona on Saturday, which also devastated Nova Scotia and other parts of the Atlantic.
"The wind storm ended around 10 p.m. in the Magdalen Islands and is still ongoing this morning in the Lower North Shore, particularly in Blanc-Sablon. The combination of waves and storm surge there leads us to believe that there could be coastal overflows, but so far, so good," Guilbault said around 9 a.m. Sunday morning.
Only 255 customers were without power in the Magdalen Islands at about 10:30 a.m. Sunday. That number was about 1,714 the day before.
"There were no deaths. There were no injuries. It's always the main thing to make sure people are safe. The road network in the Magdalen Islands was restored last night as well," the public safety minister added.
The municipality also announced Sunday morning that most residents could continue consuming drinking water as usual.
"The situation regarding municipal drinking water wells has returned to normal, with the exception of L'Île-du-Havre-Aubert, where the wells are still not operating at full capacity. We therefore ask the citizens of the sector to limit as much as possible their consumption of drinking water," reads a statement posted to Facebook.
AID FOR VICTIMS
At least 37 islanders were evacuated to one of the four temporary accommodation centers in the region, according to the latest information.
"These people were redirected to commercial accommodation because it is always more comfortable than a collective shelter and, as there were not many evacuees, we were able to do so with the collaboration of the Red Cross," Guilbaut explained.
She said an official disaster assistance office will open at the beginning of the week for those with damaged private property to "inform them about our financial assistance programs" and assist them directly.
Guilbaut, who is also the deputy premier of Quebec, said she should have a better idea of the extent and nature of the damage by the end of the day.
"What I'm hearing preliminarily this morning is that there is a lot of damage to the road system or municipal infrastructure and critical infrastructure. Obviously, some damage to private property is expected from some citizens, so we're going to go through that today, now that it's safe to do so."
ARMY SERVICES NOT REQUIRED
The Quebec government will not call for military assistance, as was done in Nova Scotia.
"We don't need the army. Our operational capacity has not been exceeded at all. The teams were ready for at least four days. All week, we prepared for Fiona's arrival," said Guilbault.
It is still unclear whether the Quebec government will submit a request for financial assistance to the federal government.
It should also be noted that the state of emergency, declared by the municipality on Friday, is in effect for a period of five days.
"It will then be up to them to see if they still need it," Guilbault said.
ADVANCE POLLS CHANGED
Unsurprisingly, advance voting was cancelled Sunday on the Magdalen Islands in light of the storm.
Weather permitting, electors will be able to vote at the advance polls on Monday from 9 a.m to 10 p.m., according to Elections Quebec.
Advance polls will also be held at the office of the returning officer from Sept. 27 to 29.
This report was published in French by The Canadian Press on Sept. 25, 2022.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'A beautiful soul': Funeral held for baby boy killed in wrong-way crash on Highway 401
A funeral was held on Wednesday for a three-month-old boy who died after being involved in a wrong-way crash on Highway 401 in Whitby last week.
'Sophisticated' cyberattacks detected on B.C. government networks, premier says
There has been a "sophisticated" cybersecurity breach detected on B.C. government networks, Premier David Eby confirmed Wednesday evening.
Police handcuff man trying to enter Drake's Toronto mansion
Toronto police say a man was taken into custody outside Drake's Bridle Path mansion Wednesday afternoon after he tried to gain access to the residence.
Biden says he will stop sending bombs and artillery shells to Israel if they launch major invasion of Rafah
U.S. President Joe Biden said for the first time Wednesday he would halt shipments of American weapons to Israel, which he acknowledged have been used to kill civilians in Gaza, if Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu orders a major invasion of the city of Rafah.
Canucks claw out 5-4 comeback win over Oilers in Game 1
Dakota Joshua had a goal and two assists and the Vancouver Canucks scored three third-period goals to claw out a 5-4 comeback victory over the Edmonton Oilers in Game 1 of their second-round playoff series Wednesday.
Nijjar murder suspect says he had Canadian study permit in immigration firm's video
One of the Indian nationals accused of murdering British Columbia Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar says in a social media video that he received a Canadian study permit with the help of an Indian immigration consultancy.
Pfizer agrees to settle more than 10K lawsuits over Zantac cancer risk: Bloomberg News
Pfizer has agreed to settle more than 10,000 lawsuits about cancer risks related to the now discontinued heartburn drug Zantac, Bloomberg News reported on Wednesday, citing people familiar with the deal.
Quebec premier defends new museum on Quebecois nation after Indigenous criticism
Quebec Premier Francois Legault is defending his comments about a new history museum after he was accused by a prominent First Nations group of trying to erase their history.
U.S. presidential candidate RFK Jr. had a brain worm, has recovered, campaign says
Independent U.S. presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. had a parasite in his brain more than a decade ago, but has fully recovered, his campaign said, after the New York Times reported about the ailment.