Pickers in Sudbury report 'light' blueberry crop
The blueberry season is in full swing in Sudbury, with many vendors set up along highways and pickers busy in the bush.
Arthur Choquette is known as the Blueberry Guy and has a stand along highway 69 south. In the blueberry business for 40 years, he said the crop is light this year.
"The weather didn't cooperate we had a very cold month of June plus no rain," Choquette said.
"And we had we late frost at the end of May so it affected blueberries when they are in flower.
He said it's tough going this season, with pickers forced to travel further into the bush to find berries. The season should last another two weeks, he added.
"A big basket -- 11 quarts -- it takes you a whole day to pick that, normally you would pick that in three hours," said Choquette.
He said pickers are also competing with black bears.
"There is a lot of momma bears and cubs floating around out there," Choquette said.
"They eat a minimum of 75 pounds of blueberries a day, which is equivalent to three, 11-quart baskets of berries. And they have first pick at the berries, so when we get there we are wondering what happened."
Correction
Previous verision of the article mispelt Arthur Choquette's name as Arthur Chokuette.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
B.C. seeks ban on public drug use, dialing back decriminalization
The B.C. NDP has asked the federal government to recriminalize public drug use, marking a major shift in the province's approach to addressing the deadly overdose crisis.
More than 115 cases of eye damage reported in Ontario after solar eclipse
More than 115 people who viewed the solar eclipse in Ontario earlier this month experienced eye damage after the event, according to eye doctors in the province.
Orca calf that was trapped in B.C. lagoon for weeks swims free
An orca whale calf that has been stranded in a B.C. lagoon for weeks after her pregnant mother died swam out on her own early Friday morning.
Last letters of pioneering climber who died on Everest reveal dark side of mountaineering
George Mallory is renowned for being one of the first British mountaineers to attempt to scale the dizzying heights of Mount Everest during the 1920s. Nearly a century later, newly digitized letters shed light on Mallory’s hopes and fears about ascending Everest.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau on navigating post-political life, co-parenting and freedom
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
'I was scared': Ontario man's car repossessed after missing two repair loan payments
An Ontario man who took out a loan to pay for auto repairs said his car was repossessed after he missed two payments.
Trump's lawyers try to discredit testimony of prosecution's first witness in hush money trial
Donald Trump's defence team attacked the credibility Friday of the prosecution's first witness in his hush money case, seeking to discredit testimony detailing a scheme between Trump and a tabloid to bury negative stories to protect the Republican's 2016 presidential campaign.
U.S. flight attendant indicted in attempt to record teen girl in airplane bathroom
An American Airlines flight attendant was indicted Thursday after authorities said he tried to secretly record video of a 14-year-old girl using an airplane bathroom last September.
Powerful tornado tears across Nebraska, weather service warns of 'catastrophic' damage
Devastating tornadoes tore across parts of eastern Nebraska and northeast Texas Friday as a multi-day severe thunderstorm event ramped up in the central United States.