HALIFAX — Nova Scotia issued a directive Friday aimed at prohibiting those protesting against COVID-19 measures from blocking the Trans-Canada Highway near the New Brunswick boundary.
In a news release, the province said the directive under the Emergency Management Act would also apply to people who stop or gather alongside the highway, the provincial boundary or the Cobequid Pass toll area.
It said the prohibition is aimed at those who have threatened to block the highway near the provincial boundary Saturday in support of a trucker protest set for Ottawa.
"Allowing people to gather in those areas would put themselves and others at risk," the release said.
A severe storm is forecast for areas of northern Nova Scotia and southern New Brunswick on Saturday.
The Emergency Management Office said individuals and corporations could be fined for failing to comply with the directive, while individuals or other entities who finance, organize, aid or encourage blocking the highway could also be fined.
The office said the directive will remain in place for the duration of the provincial state of emergency, which was declared in March 2020 and has been extended until Feb. 6.
Fines for a summary conviction under the new directive range from $3,000 to $10,000 for individuals and between $20,000 and $100,000 for a corporation.
The government move follows comments made earlier this week by Premier Tim Houston.
"My message to anyone planning a blockade of a highway is don't do it," Houston said Wednesday. "Nova Scotians have no patience for highway blockades and personally ... I have even less, so just don't do it.''
A daylong blockade of the Trans-Canada Highway at the New Brunswick-Nova Scotia boundary last June resulted in three arrests.
Meanwhile, officials announced another COVID-19-related death Friday — a man in his 60s from western Nova Scotia. The province has recorded 32 deaths since the start of the Omicron wave of novel coronavirus on Dec. 8.
Officials reported 10 new hospital admissions and said a total of 327 people are in hospital with an infection, including 15 patients in intensive care.
They also identified 620 new lab-confirmed cases, and estimated 4,316 active cases in the province.
An outbreak was reported at the Victoria Manor long-term care facility in Amherst, N.S., where 21 residents and seven staff have tested positive for the virus.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 28, 2022.
The Canadian Press
