Week after N.S. asked for more troops after storm, fewer on the ground

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HALIFAX — One week after Nova Scotia’s premier requested Ottawa for extra troopers to assist clear up the twisted mess brought on by post-tropical storm Fiona, there have been fewer troops on the bottom Friday than there have been earlier within the week.

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Daniel Minden, press secretary to Defence Minister Anita Anand, confirmed in an e-mail there have been about 550 members of the Canadian Armed Forces in Nova Scotia final weekend, however that quantity had dropped to 400 by Thursday.

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On Sept. 29, Premier Tim Houston stated the province wanted 1,000 members of the navy to assist with shifting bushes, clearing particles and different chores.

“In a province the place we’ve got one thing like 10,000 navy personnel stationed right here, it’s my private perception that just about each single a type of individuals would drop all the pieces to assist their fellow Nova Scotians, ought to they be requested,” he stated on the time.

Minden confirmed that the federal authorities had acquired a latest letter from the Nova Scotia authorities requesting extra troops.

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“We are going to proceed to deploy the correct variety of personnel to perform the duties requested of the Canadian Armed Forces, and we might be there for so long as it takes to revive essential providers,” Minden stated in an e-mail.

The e-mail didn’t point out something about further deployments.

Houston’s workplace issued an announcement Friday saying the premier was dissatisfied with Ottawa’s response.

“As we enter Thanksgiving weekend, there are nonetheless hundreds of Nova Scotians who’re with out energy 14 days after the storm,” the assertion stated. “The injury was devastating, and the cleanup is intensive. Extra individuals supporting these efforts could make an enormous distinction for Nova Scotians.”

The e-mail goes on to say there may be “no scarcity of duties” for the navy.

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“Anybody who has frolicked within the impacted areas can attest to our wants,” the assertion stated. “Had our request for extra personnel been actioned, we may have been additional alongside. It’s disappointing that the federal authorities didn’t see it that means.”

Later within the day, a federal official, who spoke on situation of anonymity as a result of they weren’t licensed to talk publicly, stated it will seem the province has moved right into a longer-term restoration part, having accomplished a lot of the emergency duties associated to restoration of energy and repairs to different essential infrastructure. What stays are duties that may be dealt with by the province and different our bodies, they stated.

The official additionally confirmed that on at the very least one event, navy members in northern Nova Scotia have been “primarily untasked” and ready for course.

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By Friday afternoon, about 2,300 Nova Scotia Energy prospects have been nonetheless with out electrical energy, about 90 per cent of them in northeastern Nova Scotia, the place Fiona was significantly fierce. On the top of the storm, early on Sept. 24, greater than 500,000 properties and companies in Atlantic Canada have been at nighttime, together with 415,000 in Nova Scotia. That’s about 80 per cent of Nova Scotia Energy’s prospects.

The most important communities nonetheless with out energy embody properties and companies in New Glasgow, Stellarton, Pictou and Trenton. And plenty of of those embody single-customer outages, which regularly require a number of work crews to repair.

“Progress is being made, though these outages do take extra time to revive because of the degree of harm that occurred,” Nova Scotia Energy stated in an announcement.

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“Nearly all of the purchasers throughout the province are anticipated to be restored by Sunday. It’s potential there might be particular person prospects remaining who we are going to proceed to work with one on one, given the intensive injury they’ve skilled.”

In Prince Edward Island, 82,000 Maritime Electrical prospects have been with out energy nearly two weeks in the past. That’s about 90 per cent of the utility’s prospects. On Friday, the variety of P.E.I. properties and companies with out energy gave the impression to be on the rise.

For a lot of the previous week, Maritime Electrical reported that about 9,000 of its 86,000 prospects have been nonetheless ready to be reconnected to the electrical grid — however that quantity jumped to 11,000 Friday morning.

There was no clarification on the utility’s web site, and firm spokesman Kim Griffin couldn’t be reached for remark.

In the meantime, the Manitoba authorities pledged Friday to ship 15 emergency personnel and extra gear to P.E.I. on the weekend. Amongst these headed to P.E.I. for as much as two weeks are chainsaw-certified employees members from Manitoba Parks, in addition to personnel and chainsaws from the Workplace of the Hearth Commissioner.

Manitoba Premier Heather Stefanson issued an announcement saying, “Manitobans and Canadians are well-known for serving to our neighbours in instances of nice want.”