Extreme weather conditions have caused chaos in much of Canada, especially in the east of the country.
Major storms have forced many companies to cancel flights and trains. Nine VIA Rail trains were immobilized in Quebec and Ontario on Saturday.
As of 2 p.m., only one province and territory were not affected by an Environment Canada weather warning: Nunavut and Nova Scotia.
Vee Grunda, a passenger stranded without food and water on a VIA Rail train in Cobourg, said the convoy stopped “in the middle of nowhere” around 11 p.m. Friday. Eventually, the passengers, who were transferred to another train, were given a granola bar, a bottle of water while having the choice between a cup of coffee or tea.
She said firefighters came to help passengers change trains.
VIA Rail has indicated that more than 20 trains have been canceled in the Quebec City-Windsor corridor. The service is expected to experience significant delays.
“Some suffered from an anxiety attack. Some passengers suffered from diabetes. We had a two month old baby, elderly, listed Mme Grunda in a phone interview. VIA Rail did not turn off the lights. Nobody could sleep. The situation was tense. »
Passengers have even jumped off the train to venture outside. “They were trying to go to people’s yards, to go to a street,” said M.me Grunda.
The company said it has focused its efforts on trying to keep its passengers as comfortable as possible given the circumstances and getting them to their destination as quickly as possible. “We are making every effort to find solutions to reach the stalled trains,” read a statement.
This service malfunction at VIA Rail greatly displeased federal Transport Minister Omar Alghabra.
The current situation with VIA Rail is unacceptable. We are in contact to solve the problems in a safe way. Weather conditions have caused delays in our transportation system and the safety of passengers and crew is our priority.
Omar Alghabra, Federal Minister of Transport, on social networks
In Ontario, Hydro One reported that 69,853 customers were still without power around noon. That number soared to more than 76,000 by 2 p.m. The company has indicated that some customers will have to wait several days before having electricity again.
Several airports were affected by the storms. WestJet says it has canceled 60 of its 500 flights scheduled for Saturday. The company has canceled 1,307 flights since December 18.
In the Maritimes
Environment Canada was forecasting heavy rain and strong winds throughout Christmas Eve in the Maritimes. The storm could reach Newfoundland and Labrador on Saturday evening.
In northern New Brunswick, some communities were also preparing to receive storm surges, especially during the high tide on Saturday afternoon. In Nova Scotia, gusts reached 115 km/hour.
By late afternoon less than 35,000 Maritime utility customers were without power. They were more than 90,000 earlier in the day.
There were approximately 23,000 in New Brunswick, 9,600 in Nova Scotia, 2,000 in Prince Edward Island and 600 in Newfoundland and Labrador.
In southwestern Newfoundland, the town of Port aux Basques, which is still trying to recover from the effects of the post-tropical storm Fiona, was hit by flooding caused by the storm surge. Mayor Brian Button said roads, playgrounds and a community park were overrun with water after Saturday morning’s high tide.
Fiona destroyed about 100 homes in Port aux Basques in September.
“Today, when the sea roughs us up, it approaches our houses. The water level today was unbelievable,” he said.