Drivers in northern Ontario hit the road for the holiday weekend
It didn't take long for drivers to hit the road this holiday weekend -- and it doesn't appear many of them are worried about the price of gas.
With COVID-19 restrictions lifted, drivers flocked to the service centre in McKerrow, west of Sudbury, as they made the turn to Manitoulin Island or carried on along the TransCanada highway.
Maawdi Pitawanakwat lives in Whitefish River First Nation and was spending the long weekend at home.
"We were like in hibernation for two years, two and a half years and right now it's really, really exciting," she said.
"You get to see family, you get to see friends. You don't have to wear your masks, but I see a lot of people are wearing them just to be self-cautious … The May 2-4 weekend, it's here!"
Others were taking to the road.
Sudburian David Daoust and his wife have been making the pilgrimage to Manitoulin every May long weekend since they married. David said they're looking forward to cocktails and maybe a campfire.
"Well we gassed up on Tuesday before planning for today and uh, we know that we're probably going to fill up on the Island where it's a little cheaper before we leave," he said.
Bob was making his way from North Bay to Massey to meet with relatives.
"We're going to hit the road one way or the other -- it's nice that it dropped a little bit but yeah, it is what it is," he said about high gas prices.
Const. Robert Lewis of the Ontario Provincial Police said whatever people decide to do, they need to do it safely. They're hoping for a fatality-free weekend.
Lewis said police will be out in full force looking for speeders, drunk, aggressive and distracted drivers.
"Long weekends are always a concern because there's always a more high volume of traffic on our highways with people travelling to and from destinations," he said.
"Because of the high volume, the chances of violations happening are higher."
It's also Road Safety week and Boat Safety week, two campaigns designed to help ensure people get safely home from their holiday destination.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Spectacular aurora light show to be seen across Canada Friday night
A rare and severe solar storm is expected to bring spectacular displays of the northern lights, also known as aurora borealis, across much of Canada and parts of the United States on Friday night.
Which Canadian cities have the highest and lowest grocery prices?
Where you live plays a big factor in what you pay at the grocery store. And while it's no secret the same item may have a different price depending on the store, city or province, we wanted to see just how big the differences are, and why.
BREAKING McGill University seeks emergency injunction to remove pro-Palestinian encampment from campus
McGill University has filed a request for an injunction to have the pro-Palestinian encampment removed from its campus.
Swarm of 20,000 bees gather around woman’s car west of Toronto
A swarm of roughly 20,000 bees gathered around a woman’s car in the parking lot of Burlington Centre.
U.S. says Israel's use of U.S. arms likely violated international law, but evidence is incomplete
The Biden administration said Friday that Israel's use of U.S.-provided weapons in Gaza likely violated international humanitarian law but wartime conditions prevented U.S. officials from determining that for certain in specific airstrikes.
'State or state-sponsored actor' believed to be behind B.C. government hacks
The head of British Columbia’s civil service has revealed that a “state or state-sponsored actor” is behind multiple cyber-security incidents against provincial government networks.
Mother assaulted by stranger while breastfeeding baby in her car: Vancouver police
A person was arrested in East Vancouver Thursday after allegedly entering a car while a mother was breastfeeding her four-month-old boy.
More than half the Canadians once detained in Syrian camps for suspected ISIS family members have returned home
A total of 29 Canadians have been freed from detention camps in northeast Syria and brought back to Canada since human rights advocates began lobbying for their release years ago.
Canada abstains from Palestinian UN membership vote but supports two-state solution
Canada was one of 25 countries that abstained from a United Nations vote on Palestinian membership that passed with overwhelming support on Friday.