Sask. Highway Hotline records record number of visitors
Saskatchewan's Highway Hotline digital platform was visited more than 60 million times over the last year, a new record for the road information service.
According to the province, the website had more than 40 million page views from April 2024 to March 2025, while the mobile app had more than 20 million.
The province said a contributing factor to the record was a higher number of storms this past winter than the previous one.
From April 2023 to March 2024, the website had more than 10 million views, while the mobile app had more than three million visits.
The Highway Hotline began as a telephone service more than 50 years ago. Road reports can still be accessed by phone to this date.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
CTV News
18 minutes ago
- CTV News
Multiple heat records broken across B.C. on Sunday
People try and beat the heat by enjoying the river in Lynn Valley in North Vancouver, B.C. Tuesday, July 10, 2012. (Jonathan Hayward/THE CANADIAN PRESS) Regions of British Columbia experienced the hottest June 8 on record this weekend, with some parts of the province shattering heat records over 70 years old. Twelve daily heat records were broken on Sunday, as the early season summer weather saw temperatures reaching as high as the mid to high 30s in some parts of the province. According to Environment Canada, Williams Lake, Whistler, Squamish, Princeton, Pitt Meadows, Pemberton, Lytton, Kamloops, Clinton and Abbotsford all broke the 30 C mark, with Lytton reaching temperatures of 39 C and Pemberton recording highs of 36 C. Abbotsford recorded temperatures of 31 C, marking the hottest June 8 in the city since 30 C was reached in 1955. The temperature in Pitt Meadows was so unseasonably warm at 31 C it broke a record over a hundred years old, with the heat rising a degree higher than its previous record in 1903. Environment Canada issued a warning Friday of an 'early season heat event' that would bring a sharp spike in temperatures to much of southern B.C. Over 20 special weather statements were made throughout the province. The weather agency forecasts the sizzling temperatures to continue throughout Monday, before the week peters off into cooler territory. 'High temperatures will persist into the week in Howe Sound, Whistler and Pemberton, and inland regions of Vancouver Island,' Environment Canada said in an update Monday. 'Temperatures will cool on Tuesday elsewhere in the Lower Mainland and southern Vancouver Island.'
CTV News
an hour ago
- CTV News
Funnel clouds, deluge of rain reported during Manitoba storm
A bolt of lightning appears in the sky over Sperling, Man. on June 7, 2025. (Ken Russell) Manitoba got a much needed spring downpour over the weekend. According to Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC), a low pressure system brought anywhere from 20 to 40 mm over a period of 36 hours starting overnight Saturday. Winnipeg recorded about 19 mm at The Forks, while closer to 10 to 15 mm fell in the Whiteshell. Similar totals were reported in Dauphin and Swan River, with about 15 mm of rain. However, precipitation was not quite so plentiful in the wildfire-ravaged north where it is sorely needed. The weather agency said only about 2 mm was recorded in Flin Flon, but other areas in the northwest noted a good deal more – about 15 mm worth, particularly in the Churchill area. Meanwhile, the storm produced two confirmed funnel clouds – in Steinbach and Gimli on Sunday afternoon. As a result, ECCC issued a special weather statement Sunday for much of the province, warning conditions were favourable for the development of funnel clouds, namely weak landspout tornadoes. ECCC said there is no indication the funnel clouds touched down or caused any damage. 'These are quite a common occurrence at times with single cell thunderstorms,' said ECCC meteorologist Stephen Berg. - With files from Thandi Vera
CBC
3 hours ago
- CBC
'We cannot slow down': wildfire efforts continue as cool temperatures and rain persist in northern Sask.
Cool temperatures and light rainfall has slowed down many of the wildfires burning in northern Saskatchewan and officials with the Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency (SPSA) said some residents may be able to return home in the coming days. However, firefighters continue to battle the flames and 24 wildfires are burning in the province. "We cannot slow down, and we're not going to slow down," said Marlo Pritchard, the agency's president and fire commissioner. As of Sunday afternoon, 33 communities have been evacuated. Weyakwin is the only community that has had their evacuation order lifted and that happened on Thursday. Meanwhile, overnight Saturday up to 24 millimetres of rain fell in parts of Saskatchewan, and with lower temperatures expected to continue, fire crews are looking to "take advantage of this small window of opportunity" while the fire intensity is lower, Pritchard said. The province has already hired some Type 3 firefighters, who are generally temporary workers with basic firefighting training, to assist in wildfire efforts. "I really want to call on community leaders, those community leaders that have Type 3 firefighters, to start getting names of those that have qualified," said Pritchard. Bryan Chartrand, SPSA executive director of land operations, said the growth of uncontained wildfires is beginning to ease. He noted the Shoe fire – which covers areas around East Trout Lake, Pipprell Lake and Lower Fishing Lake — received about 22 millimetres of rain and has not grown any further. It is just under 500,000 hectares in size. This comes days after nearby Candle Lake put a voluntary evacuation order into effect as fast-moving fires approached the community. The rainfall and continued firefighting efforts have dampened the fire, which is still about 10 kilometres west of the community. For now, Candle Lake authorities have said their community is out of danger. La Ronge, which is also nearby, had 24 millimetres of rain on Saturday, Chartrand said. Crews are observing hot spots and residents may be able to return in the coming days. "We continue to work and set up fire guards," Chartrand said, adding they want to make sure areas are protected in case there's more hot, dry weather and the fires pick up again. The province is hopeful the wildfire surrounding Pelican Narrows will soon be contained and that the community will be open for residents to return home. Chartrand said there haven't been any threatened areas for a number of days now. While many areas are beginning to see improvement, the Wolf fire affecting communities like Denare Beach and Creighton, is still a source of concern for the province. Temperatures have been lower in the area, but there has not been enough rainfall to decrease the intensity of the fire, he said. Crews remain in the community tending to hot spots and are actively working to repair the fibre optics affecting cellular service. The province has also said verification teams are expected to be deployed over the next couple of days to start "that challenging task and very sad task" of identifying what properties were lost due to the wildfires. Currently, the SPSA has confirmed 290 of the 400 so-called values, which refers to residents' lodges, equipment, boats, and trailers, have been reported as lost. There have been 254 wildfires in Saskatchewan so far this year, well above the five-year average of 143 for this date. The SPSA announced there have been no new human starts to fires. At the same time, the provincewide fire ban will remain in effect and be reassessed as weather conditions change. Financial assistance is being increased for wildfire evacuees in Saskatchewan, the province announced Saturday. In a SPSA news release earlier Saturday, the province said it is raising the daily amount provided to the head of each household to $40 per day, from $20. Additional members of a household will now get $20 per day, up from $10, the agency said, to a new daily maximum for evacuees of $200 per day.
