People in northern New Brunswick have been spending hours digging out after the storm that started Thursday and continued into Saturday’s early morning hours.
Several stores shut down early Friday evening as a result of the winter storm. While locals are no strangers to the snowy weather, it still made its presence felt.
“A storm like that affects our business quite a bit because, I mean, people are not coming in as much, getting stuck at home or throughout their driveways,” says Scott Legacé, a sports manager at Canadian Tire in Atholville.
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Meanwhile, the 48th Arnold Maisey Memorial Hockey Tournament had to cancel its Friday games as a result of the weather, with teams coming from around New Brunswick and across the Quebec border.
“It was a difficult decision,” says René Haché, president of the Restigouche North Minor Hockey Association. “We had to change the format so that things were more compressed and took less time, but at the end of the day, we’re just happy to have a tournament and have everybody come and come visit us.”
While games were going ahead Saturday, there was still an impact on accommodations in the area, according to one motel employee.
“The motels were fully booked, and now they’re pretty much empty now,” says Joey Albert, who works at the Super 8.
Still, Campbellton Mayor Stephanie Anglehart-Paulin says there was just a “minimum” impact.
“We haven’t had as much snow as last year yet, so budgets are on track,” she said in an emailed statement.
READ MORE: Icy conditions force closure of all public schools in Nova Scotia on Friday
It was even slow at Sugarloaf Provincial Park on Friday, with many opting to stay inside. But things were picking up again as people made their way to the slopes and trails Saturday.
“What normally happens is, the first part of the day is normally quiet because people are shovelling out of their yards and getting ready to get here,” says Mark Ramsay, the assistant manager of the park. “For us, it gives us a chance to catch up on the storm. But normally, the day after, the next day also, can be pretty significant for us here at the park.”