'We want everybody to be safe': Beefed up OPP presence for Monday’s eclipse
If you plan to watch the eclipse on Monday, public safety officials are warning you should leave a lot of time for travel and plan ahead.
Roads are expected to be busy, but emergency management planners don’t yet have a firm grasp on how many people will be coming to Windsor-Essex to watch the big event in the sky.
Officials say 500,000 to one million people are planning to watch the eclipse in the Niagara Falls area, prompting an emergency declaration there. But if the weather is cloudy or rainy, some could shift this way.
“Our guesstimating, between probably 6,000 on the very low end to potentially 50,000 to 70,000, depending on the weather,” said Dan Metcalfe, the community emergency management coordinator for the County of Essex.
Come Monday, it’s expected a few county roads will be packed with traffic with people on route to view the phenomenon.
“Make sure whatever you do on April 8, that you make sure you have plenty of time and leeway to make sure that you're not rushed, and that you're ready for the traffic that's going to ensue,” said Tourism Windsor Essex Pelee Island CEO Gordon Orr.
The Ontario Provincial police issued a bulletin Friday, letting the public know there will be road closures in Leamington to assist with the flow of traffic.
The following road closure will begin at 8:00 a.m. on April 8:
- Seacliff Drive West at Forest Avenue
- Seacliff Drive East at Erie Street South
- Bruce Avenue at Cherry Lane
- Cherry Lane at Robson Road
- Donald Avenue at Robson Road
- Bruce Avenue at Robson Road
Road closures planned for the solar eclipse on April 8. 2024 in Leamington, Ont. (Source: OPP)“There's probably going to be some impact especially in the south end of the county from Amherstburg through Essex Colchester, area through Kingsville and definitely in Leamington,” said Metcalfe.
OPP, firefighters and EMS will be up-staffing Monday and their presence will be notable to help direct traffic and respond to potential issues.
“We want everybody to be safe for this once-in-a-lifetime event. That's the big thing,” said Metcalfe.
Drivers are encouraged to plan their travel around the darkness, with police suggesting people don’t go out for a drive unless they need to.
But also if you do find you’re stuck on the road when darkness falls, police suggest you ensure your headlights are on, if you must pull over, put on your four-way signals.
But the would prefer if you don’t pull over just to watch the spectacle.
“Because if you're pulling to the right on the roadway, especially in the south end of the county, then other traffic can’t pull to the right and get out of a way of first response vehicles,” said Metcalfe.
Police also recommend people don’t try to wear solar filter glasses while behind the wheel.
“If you are sitting and enjoying the eclipse, please wear these for your safety, but do not wear these while you are driving,” said Const. Bianca Jackson of the Windsor Police Service.
Marine patrols will also be out on the water, with at least two large vessels hosting events on Lake Erie, as well as the possibility of an up-tick of recreational boaters.
Metcalfe suggests people drive with purpose that day, have a plan and leave lots of time.
“If you're going to view in the south end of the county, get to your viewing spot early,” he said.
“Maybe consider staying a little bit late so that you're not everybody's not exiting and getting on the roads at the same time.”
The eclipse is expected to start around 2:00 p.m. Monday April 8, with totality the full solar eclipse peaking between 3:12 and 3:15 p.m.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Large numbers of New York City police officers begin entering Columbia University campus
Large numbers of New York City police officers began entering the Columbia University late Tuesday as dozens of pro-Palestinian protesters remained on the campus.
Poilievre kicked out of Commons after calling Prime Minister Justin Trudeau 'wacko'
Testy exchanges between the prime minister and his chief opponent ended with the Opposition leader and one of his MPs being ejected from the House of Commons on Tuesday -- and the rest of Conservative caucus walking out of the chamber in protest.
Baby, grandparents among 4 people killed in wrong-way police chase on Ontario's Hwy. 401
A police chase which started with a liquor store robbery in Bowmanville Monday night ended in tragedy some 20 minutes later when a suspect fleeing police entered Highway 401 in the wrong direction and caused a pileup which killed an infant and the child's grandparents, as well as the suspect, investigators say.
Freeland leaves capital gains tax change out of coming budget implementation bill, here's why
Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland will be tabling yet another omnibus bill to pass a sweeping range of measures promised in her April 16 federal budget, though left out of the legislation will be the government's proposed capital gains tax change.
Sword-wielding man attacks passersby in London, killing a 14-year-old boy and injuring 4 others
A man wielding a sword attacked members of the public and police officers in a northeast London suburb Tuesday, killing a 14-year-old boy and injuring four other people, British authorities said.
Man dies after suffering cardiac arrest while waiting in ER, widow wants investigation
When an ambulance took David Lippert to the hospital in March of 2023, the 68-year-old Kitchener, Ont., executive was hoping to find out why he was feeling weak and unable to walk. Some 24 hours later, he was found unresponsive in the ER.
CSE says it shared information on Chinese hacking of parliamentarians in 2022
While several MPs and senators say they were only recently made aware of China-backed hackers targeting them, the Communications Security Establishment, one of Canada's intelligence agencies, says it shared information about the incident with parliamentary officials in June of 2022.
WATCH Arnold Schwarzenegger spotted filming in Elora, Ont.
The name of the project has not been officially released although it’s widely believed to be the Netflix series FUBAR.
Eviction for landlord's use was legitimate, despite owners' partial move, B.C. court rules
A B.C. judge has upheld the eviction of a family from their North Vancouver townhouse, finding that the landlords did not take an unreasonable amount of time to move into the home after the tenants vacated it.