Police have confirmed the body of an employee who died at a Walmart in Halifax over the weekend was found in a walk-in oven.
Cuba fights to come back from a nationwide blackout, then a storm that killed 7
A small town in Cuba was recovering Tuesday from flooding that killed at least seven people after Oscar crossed the island鈥檚 eastern coast as a tropical storm with winds and heavy rain.
Cuba's capital was partially illuminated after a large-scale blackout generated a handful of protests and a stern government warning that any unrest would be punished.
President Miguel D铆az-Canel said on state television that rescue and recovery work continued in the town of San Antonio del Sur and officials hadn't yet entered some flooded areas. On Tuesday, he confirmed another death in the small town of Imias in the province of Guantanamo.
People in Havana collected subsidized food Tuesday and said the country faced an intensive recovery period.
鈥淭here are lines everywhere you go,鈥 city resident Carlos L贸pez said. 鈥淵ou get to a place and there are obstacles and obstacles.鈥
Tropical Storm Oscar disintegrated as it headed toward the Bahamas after making landfall in Cuba as a Category 1 hurricane. The remnants were expected to drop up to 4 inches (10 centimeters) of rain across the southeastern Bahamas and the Turks and Caicos Islands.
Modesto Hern谩ndez, who lives in central Havana, said Tuesday that he and others 鈥渄on鈥檛 know anything about what is going on.鈥
鈥淭hese problems need to be solved now,鈥 he said. "We are in bad shape.鈥
D铆az-Canel warned on national television Sunday that 鈥渨e're not going to allow any vandalism, or let anyone disturb people's tranquility."
A woman buys soup from a street vendor during a power outage in Havana, Monday, Oct. 21, 2024. (Ramon Espinosa/AP Photo)
The prolonged nationwide blackout that followed a massive outage Thursday night was part of countrywide energy problems that led to the largest protests in Cuba in almost 30 years, in July 2021. Those were followed by smaller local protests in October 2022 and March 2024.
All are part of a deep economic crisis that has prompted the exodus of more than half a million Cubans to the U.S., with thousands more heading to Europe.
The Cuban government and its allies blame the United States' 62-year-old trade embargo on the island for its economic problems but White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said Monday that the Cuban government鈥檚 鈥渓ong-term mismanagement of its economic policy and resources has certainly increased the hardship of people in Cuba.鈥
Power remains relatively cheap but increasingly unavailable. The Cuban government on state television Monday night said that it鈥檚 producing 1300 megawatts when peak demand can hit 3 gigawatts. Authorities said by Monday afternoon that about 80 per cent of Havana had intermittent power but people remained fearful. Classes remained closed through at least Thursday.
Energy Minister Vicente de la O Levy said Oscar would bring 鈥渁n additional inconvenience鈥 to Cuba's recovery since it would affect key Cuban power plants, such as Felton in the city of Holgu铆n, and Rent茅 in Santiago de Cuba.
Many of Havana's two million people resorted to cooking with improvised wood stoves on the streets before their food went bad in refrigerators. People lined up to buy subsidized food and few gas stations were open.
The failure of the Antonio Guiteras plant on Friday was the latest problem with energy distribution in a country where electricity has been restricted and rotated among different regions at different times.
The blackout was considered to be Cuba鈥檚 worst since Hurricane Ian hit the island as a Category 3 storm in 2022 and damaged power installations. It took days for the government to fix them.
Local authorities initially said the outage stemmed from increased demand from small- and medium-sized companies and residential air conditioners. Later, the blackout got worse because of breakdowns in old thermoelectric plants that haven鈥檛 been properly maintained, and the lack of fuel to operate some facilities.
Associated Press writer Josh Boak in Washington contributed to this report
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Man charged after attempting to force his way into the House of Commons: police
On the tenth anniversary of the shooting on Parliament Hill, a man was arrested and charged with trespassing as he attempted to push past security guards into the House of Commons.
'We all got through it': Canadian family stuck in Cuba recalls ordeal amid massive blackout
Ellen Francis says she and her family were having a great time at one of Cuba's famously stunning beaches and exploring the popular tourist town of Varadero when the situation turned into something like a scary movie.
Kevin Vickers says 'not a day that goes by' he doesn't think about Parliament Hill shooting
On the 10-year anniversary of the deadly Parliament Hill shooting, former sergeant-at-arms Kevin Vickers says there's 'not a day that goes by' where he doesn't think about it.
Cooldown expected across Canada before above-seasonal temperatures return
Canada is getting served a smorgasbord of weather this week. The West saw its first sign of winter, while the eastern half of Canada experienced summer-like temperatures on Tuesday.
No Canadians in Cuba have requested consular assistance, Global Affairs says
None of the more than 1,600 Canadians currently registered in Cuba have requested consular assistance in returning to Canada, Global Affairs Canada confirmed to CTVNews.ca.
One dead in multistate E. coli outbreak tied to McDonald's Quarter Pounders, CDC says
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued a food safety alert Tuesday regarding an E. coli outbreak that it says is linked with McDonald's Quarter Pounders.
Former Conservative leader says Trudeau 'should move on' amid efforts to oust him
Former Conservative leader Erin O'Toole says Prime Minister Justin Trudeau 'should move on,' as he faces growing inner-caucus turmoil.
At least seven large-scale butter thefts have been reported in Guelph, Ont. over a 10-month period, including two hauls in just the last month.
Local Spotlight
Residents of Ottawa's Rideauview neighbourhood say an aggressive wild turkey has become a problem.
A man who lost his life while trying to rescue people from floodwaters, and a 13-year-old boy who saved his family from a dog attack, are among the Nova Scotians who received a medal for bravery Tuesday.
A newly minted Winnipegger is hoping a world record attempt will help bring awareness for the need for more pump track facilities in the city.
A Springfield, Ont. man is being hailed a 'hero' after running into his burning home to save his two infant children.
Hortense Anglin was the oldest graduate to make her way across the platform at York University's Fall Convocation ceremony this week. At the age of 87, she graduated with an Honours degree in Religious Studies.
Looking for a scare with good intentions this Halloween season? The ghosts and ghouls of Eganville, Ont. invite families to tour the Haunted Walk at Lekbor Manor.
The image of a sleepy Saskatchewan small town with 'not a lot going on' is a well-known anecdote. However, one Saskatchewan company is hoping to change that 鈥 and allow communities both on and off the beaten path to share their stories and advertise what they have to offer.
A Moncton, N.B., home has been donated to the Friends of The Moncton Hospital Foundation and will be transformed into a resource hub for people living with cancer.
A Nova Scotia man crossing Canada on foot is passing through southwestern Ontario. Trevor Redmond is perhaps better known as the 鈥楩ellow in Yellow.鈥