Latest news with #SydneyRiver
CTV News
10-08-2025
- General
- CTV News
What to do if you come across a stranded marine animal
Tonya Wimmer, executive director of MARS, discusses what people should do if they find a stranded marine animal on a Maritime beach. With the high heat across the Maritimes, many people are hitting the beaches, but in recent weeks that's also come with several reports of marine animals that have become stranded. On Thursday, the Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) alongside the Marine Animal Response Society (MARS) helped free a pilot whale that had become stuck in a bank on the Sydney River. 'It found itself way back in the Sydney River and had been there for a day or so and Fisheries and Oceans tried to encourage it to go back up the river but that didn't work so (Thursday) we were en route aiming to get there and work with DFO, they were able to get their hands on it and get it into what's called a whale rescue pontoon and then we worked together to take it as far out as we could and release it,' said MARS executive director Tonya Wimmer in an interview with CTV's Jesse Thomas. stranded dolphins Dolphins are pictured, trapped in the mud in the aboiteau in Canning, N.S., on Aug. 3, 2025. (Source: Facebook/The Valley Eye Photography) The rescue was not the first that week either, as a group of dolphins had also become stuck near Canning, N.S., on Sunday. 'That one was particularly challenging because it was a group of, in the end it was 13 Atlantic white-sided dolphins, that found themselves way up on the rivers in the back of the Minas Basin. Anyone who's in the area knows about those big tides in the Bay of Fundy and especially in this area it's an area filled with thick, seepy mud and a really deep incline down to where these dolphins were,' said Wimmer, adding that animal rescues are fairly common during the summer months. 'The other thing is we have more people out on water, on beaches and they also have access to things like cameras on their phones and things like social media so word gets out pretty quick,' she said. Rescuers Brave volunteers from Canning, N.S., are pictured in a canoe on the mudflats of the Minas Basin during a dolphin rescue on Aug. 3, 2025. (Source: Facebook/The Valley Eye Photography) While many people may feel the urge to go help if they see a stranded marine animal, Wimmer says people shouldn't intervene as it can be dangerous. Instead she recommends calling MARS. 'The big thing is really that people do make that phone call because the reality of what we're dealing with are animals that are in unpredictable situations and sometimes they're also in very dangerous situations, so we just don't want people to put themselves in harm's way or do things that may harm the animal.' MARS operates a toll-free hotline to report any stranded animals at 1-866-567-6277. For more Nova Scotia news, visit our dedicated provincial page
CBC
07-08-2025
- CBC
Cape Breton senior warns others after 'disturbing' encounter on park trail
Cape Breton Regional Police are investigating and a Sydney River, N.S., woman is warning others after a man exposed himself on a Cape Breton walking trail. Lynn Brewer, 71, said she was headed to the trail at Petersfield Park in the Westmount neighbourhood of Sydney around 10:30 a.m. on Aug. 2 when she first spotted a man in all-black clothing and wearing what looked like a skullcap. "I got a strange feeling from him," said Brewer, who thought the man was oddly dressed for a warm summer day. When she later stopped at a trail opening along Sydney harbour so her small dog could dip its feet in the water, she said the man suddenly appeared behind her and exposed himself. "I was really angry and I turned back and I said I can't effing believe this or I can't believe what I'm seeing kind of thing. You know, there's children in this park. And he goes, 'Oh, sorry.' And I just walked away." Brewer began telling others on the trail that a man had flashed her. She said at one point, someone confronted the man, who then ran toward a black pickup truck. "I feel like that's kind of like my park, you know? I'm not scared, but I'm leery. It was very disturbing. It has affected me, but the anger is still the main thing that I'm feeling about it." Brewer said she created a Facebook post about the incident to get the message out to others. That's when she learned other women in the community had reported similar interactions with a person they believed was the same man. Regional police are now asking for public assistance to identify the suspect in the park incident and another indecent act at a Sydney store on July 31. They say officers searched surrounding areas after both encounters were reported but did not locate a suspect. On Thursday, police released photographs of a man as part of their investigation. He is described as being in his late 20s to early 30s, approximately five feet 10 inches tall and weighing 190 pounds. Police say he was wearing black clothing and sunglasses and was spotted driving a black Dodge Ram truck with a decorative CAT licence plate. Anyone with information is asked to contact police or Crime Stoppers.
CTV News
30-06-2025
- CTV News
Cape Breton police find body in Sydney River
Cape Breton Regional Police found a body floating in the Sydney River last week. Officers responded to a report of a person spotting the body near the shoreline on Rose Street Friday evening, according to a police news release. Police say there is nothing to indicate foul play as a factor in the death, but an autopsy has been ordered to determine the identity of the deceased and the cause of death. For more Nova Scotia news, visit our dedicated provincial page
