Some residents stranded due to washouts in one of Cape Breton’s counties may now travel, but people are still asked to take caution as recovery from this weekend’s severe flooding continues.

Trevor Boudreau, the MLA for Richmond, said on Facebook Tuesday that “significant headway” had been made on West Bay Road between St. George’s Channel and Roberta, N.S.

“All residents that have been stranded can now pass with caution in and out of the impacted area from St. George’s Channel side only through to as far as the major washout on the Roberta side,” Boudreau wrote. “There is still a major washout on the side coming from St. Peter’s and that fix will take some time.”

Nova Scotia’s Department of Public Works said in a post on X that they’ve reopened dozens of roads on the island, but more work is underway.

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Public Works Minister Fred Tilley said hundreds of provincial employees and local contractors are working to restore the entirety of the island’s road network within the coming days.

“We are hoping to get all those folks that may be stranded access to the road network very soon,” Tilley said in an interview.


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As that work continues, several schools in parts of Cape Breton are also closed on Tuesday.

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Cape Breton-Victoria Regional Centre for Education said on Monday night that all schools in Victoria County would be closed Tuesday due to the ongoing local state of emergency.

The Strait Regional Centre for Education said schools in Richmond and Inverness counties would also be closed Tuesday due to local states of emergency in those counties. The centre also said classes at Tamarac Education Centre and SAERC were cancelled.

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Nova Scotia Community College says its Strait Area Campus and Wagmatcook Learning Centre are also closed, though online classes and sessions will still continue as scheduled.

Parts of the island saw heavy rain this weekend after a slow-moving storm dumped more than 200 millimetres over less than two days. Areas of the northern mainland also received heavy rains.

The flooding has also been linked with one death after a 46-year-old woman from Richmond County was found dead on Saturday, several hours after her abandoned vehicle was discovered near a flooded bridge.

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N.S. authorities warn of increased flooding in Cape Breton

RCMP said the death was not believed to be suspicious. Premier Tim Houston on Sunday said the province was mourning the woman’s death following the flooding.

Lois Landry, warden of the hard-hit Richmond County, said a Zodiac rescue boat operated by a local fire department and a provincial helicopter were used to carry out daily wellness checks for any residents completely cut off by flooding.

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At the peak of the flooding, according to a spokesperson for the province’s Department of Public Works, there were more than 120 closed or damaged roads on the island. Another 200 culverts were also washed away from driveways and major routes.

Officials say two damaged bridges will also need replacement.

More rain fell on the region on Monday, though Environment Canada reports amounts ranging from two to 20 mm, with the most amount in Cape Breton being seen in Ingonish Beach of about 20 mm reported.

—with files from The Canadian Press