Elgin County prepares for Monday’s solar eclipse

Communities along the north shore of Lake Erie continue to prepare for the unprecedented eclipse event Monday, where the only thing expected is large crowds.

“We've been preparing for this for some time. Like other communities, it's not just Port Stanley. We have Port Glasgow to the west, Port Burwell, Port Bruce to the east. So I think our county as a whole will be an attractive location to see the eclipse,” said Central Elgin Mayor Andrew Sloan

On the east shore of Lake Erie in the community of Port Colborne, they are advising potential boaters who want to get an even closer look at totality to stay on shore, as the town has announced all boat launches will be closed from Sunday night until Tuesday morning.

“Our boat launches are kind of tied right to our park system,” Mayor Bill Steele explained. “So with the amount of cars and people coming down where we want people to park and enjoy, in our case Lakeview Park, with the watching of the of the eclipse, it's just it's better for us that we that we close the boat launch and just keep that area clear and have our emergency services [just] worry about what's going on dry land.”

In Port Stanley, not only are the boat launches open, but three vessels, one from the OPP, one from the fire rescue services, and a third from the Auxiliary Coast Guard, will be launched during the afternoon Monday.

The Port Colborne boat launch will be closed April 8, 2024, due to the solar eclipse. (Marek Sutherland/CTV News London)

“We're pre-positioning some fire apparatus in different areas of the municipality as well as actually down in Port Stanley to help in the event that something does occur,” said Central Elgin Fire Chief Raymond Omerod.

There will be some significant changes to how you move around Port Stanley on Monday afternoon that you should be aware of if you're coming down for the eclipse event.

“What we have is two-way traffic on Sunset Road for those in and around Port Stanley that recognize East Road. East Road will be closed for the day to allow for emergency traffic only. And when you get down into Port Stanley, as you leave the main beach area, you will only be able to exit out through Carlow Road, which turns into Union Road,” said Omerod

Road closures and detours will be in place on April 8, 2024 in Elgin County to assist emergency responders on the day of the solar eclipse. (Source: Elgin County)

“There will be some road closures,” added Sloan. “You can check our websites for up to the minute information. Be patient. If there are some lineups, we're going to have parking. It'll be free parking where we're looking to welcome as many people as we can to have a great day between 12:00-6:00 p.m.”

There is also a notice to not park on the side of the road, as emergency vehicles will need access to respond to any situation that arises, and with that to be mindful of vehicles with green strobe lights, as they are volunteer firefighters responding to a call for help.