As a once-in-a-lifetime solar eclipse closes in on portions of eastern Canada, several cities across Ontario, Quebec and New Brunswick are gearing up for an influx of sightseers that plan on standing in utter darkness across the path of totality on April 8.
The celestial event will first hit Ontario from the south just before 2 p.m. EDT on Monday and depart Newfoundland just after 5 p.m. EDT, or 6:30 p.m. NDT.
Hot spots like Niagara Falls and Kingston, Ont., Montreal, Que., and Fredericton, N.B., will get maximum coverage with some experiencing it for as long as three and half minutes as the moon passes between the sun and Earth.
High-res. model pointing at cloud cover breaking up in Niagara area by max. totality this afternoon (fingers crossed!). Thicker, more widespread cloud cover for Toronto with some breaks possible in Kingston and Eastern ON too! #SolarEclipse2024pic.twitter.com/Z17xoBr7cg
Should weather conditions cooperate, provincial and local police services are bracing for packed roadways and potential bumper-to-bumper traffic.
Here’s more on what to expect at the most popular spots hosting viewing events.
Expected Maximum Totality (maximum coverage of the sun): 3 mins. 43 secs. between 3:18 p.m. to 3:21 p.m. EDT
Fort Erie, Ont., will be the Ontario municipality with the best sightline for the path of totality, equating to the longest time under darkness: close to four minutes.
The northeastern shores of Lake Erie and southeastern Niagara Peninsula will also have totality lasting three-plus minutes.
The last time Fort Erie area saw a solar eclipse was in 1925 and another one won’t be back until 2144.
Expected Maximum Totality (maximum coverage of the sun): 1 min. 47 secs. between 3:18 p.m. to 3:20 p.m. EDT
Hamilton, Ont., will be right on the north edge of the path and will see the first piece of the moon’s shadow just before 2:04 p.m. and experience totality at 3:18 p.m. for about two minutes.
Hamilton has designated four large parks, some conservation areas and Tim Hortons Field as ideal viewing sites. While an numeric estimate is not available, a city official said “large crowds” are expected and, as of Friday, all of the 10,000 allocated seats at Tim Hortons Field had been accounted for.
Another total eclipse will not be seen in Hamilton for another 120 years.
Niagara Falls
Expected Maximum Totality (maximum coverage of the sun): 3 mins. 32 secs. between 3:18 p.m. to 3:21 p.m. EDT
The eclipse will begin its partial phase in Niagara Falls, Ont., at 2:04 p.m. Monday and hit totality at 3:18 p.m. lasting about three and a half minutes.
With the city being a reasonable distance from half the population of North America, the spot is an attractive location that could potentially draw in hundreds of thousands of visitors.
Whether clouds clear in time for totality was still up in the air as of 9 a.m. Monday. Global News Chief Meteorologist Anthony Farnell said low mid-level clouds will develop late in the morning before clearing in the afternoon — the question remains exactly when that clearing will occur.
The last time Niagara Falls saw a solar eclipse was in 1925 and another one won’t be back until 2144.
5:37 How Niagara is preparing for the Solar Eclipse
Expected Maximum Totality (maximum coverage of the sun): 2 mins. 52 secs. between 3:22 p.m. to 3:23 p.m. EDT
Kingston, Ont., will see the first partial phase of the event at 2:09 p.m. on Monday with the path of totality arriving at 3:22 p.m. lasting just under three minutes.
Between 70,000 and 500,000 people are expected to travel to the community of about 170,000, depending on the forecast.
Residents have been asked to avoid driving on Monday and planned road-closures will be in effect to make sure routes to the hospital remain open.
Expected Maximum Totality (maximum coverage of the sun): 1 min. 26 secs. between 3:26 p.m. to 3:27 p.m. EDT
Montreal, Que., will also be right on the north edge of the path of totality with a partial phase beginning at 2:14 p.m. on Monday before making it to total darkness just before 3:27 p.m. lasting about a minute and a half.
The city’s Espace pour la Vie, which consists of five natural museums has teamed up with Parc Jean-Drapeau to host what could be up to 80,000 people.
According to the city, the last total eclipse in Montreal happened in 1932.
Other Quebec municipalities in the path of totality include Sherbrooke, Lac-Mégantic, and Cap-aux-Meules with the total solar eclipse taking place between 3:25 and 3:40 pm. depending on the region.
Fredericton
Expected Maximum Totality (maximum coverage of the sun): 2 min. 12 secs. between 4:33 p.m. to 4:35 p.m. ADT
The first sighting in Fredericton, N.B., starts with a partial phase emerging 3:23 p.m. local time on Monday with the path of totality checking in at 4:33 p.m. lasting just over two minutes.
Other areas that will experience 100 per cent totality include Woodstock, Florenceville-Bristol and Miramichi.
Each of those venues will see the sun’s light covered by the moon for just over three minutes.
— With files from Global News’ Shane Gibson, Annabelle Olivier and Rebecca Lau.
EDMONTON – RCMP say a second suspect has been arrested in the killing of an Alberta county worker.
Mounties say 28-year-old Elijah Strawberry was taken into custody Friday at a house on O’Chiese First Nation.
Colin Hough, a worker with Rocky View County, was shot and killed while on the job on a rural road east of Calgary on Aug. 6.
Another man who worked for Fortis Alberta was shot and wounded, and RCMP said the suspects fled in a Rocky View County work truck.
Police later arrested Arthur Wayne Penner, 35, and charged him with first-degree murder and attempted murder, and a warrant was issued for Strawberry’s arrest.
RCMP also said there was a $10,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of Strawberry, describing him as armed and dangerous.
Chief Supt. Roberta McKale, told a news conference in Edmonton that officers had received tips and information over the last few weeks.
“I don’t know of many members that when were stopped, fuelling up our vehicles, we weren’t keeping an eye out, looking for him,” she said.
But officers had been investigating other cases when they found Strawberry.
“Our investigators were in O’Chiese First Nation at a residence on another matter and the major crimes unit was there working another file and ended up locating him hiding in the residence,” McKale said.
While an investigation is still underway, RCMP say they’re confident both suspects in the case are in police custody.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 13, 2024.
RICHMOND, B.C. – The Integrated Homicide Investigation Team says the 26-year-old son of a man found dead on British Columbia’s Sunshine Coast has been charged with his murder.
Police say 58-year-old Henry Doyle was found badly injured on a forest service road in Egmont last September and died of his injuries.
The homicide team took over when the BC Coroners Service said the man’s death was suspicious.
It says in a statement that the BC Prosecution Service has approved one count of first-degree murder against the man’s son, Jackson Doyle.
Police say the accused will remain in custody until at least his next court appearance.
The homicide team says investigators remained committed to solving the case with the help of the community of Egmont, the RCMP on the Sunshine Coast and in Richmond, and the Vancouver Police Department.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 13, 2024.
VANCOUVER – Mediated talks between the union representing HandyDART workers in Metro Vancouver and its employer, Transdev, have broken off without an agreement following 15 hours of talks.
Joe McCann, president of Amalgamated Transit Union Local 1724, says they stayed at the bargaining table with help from a mediator until 2 a.m. Friday and made “some progress.”
However, he says the union negotiators didn’t get an offer that they could recommend to the membership.
McCann says that in some ways they are close to an agreement, but in other areas they are “miles apart.”
About 600 employees of the door-to-door transit service for people who can’t navigate the conventional transit system have been on strike since last week, pausing service for all but essential medical trips.
McCann asks HandyDART users to be “patient,” since they are trying to get not only a fair contract for workers but also a better service for customers.
He says it’s unclear when the talks will resume, but he hopes next week at the latest.
The employer, Transdev, didn’t reply to an interview request before publication.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 13, 2024.
