Prince Edward County is getting set for an increase in tourism in the area as Monday’s total eclipse draws closer.
The county will be in the path of totality when the moon blocks off the sun.
The schedule of the eclipse in Prince Edward County is as follows:
- Start of partial eclipse: 2:08 p.m.
- Start of total eclipse: 3:21 p.m.
- Maximum eclipse: 3:22 p.m.
- End of total eclipse: 3:24 p.m.
- End of partial eclipse: 4:33 p.m.
Speaking on The Lorne Brooker Show on 800 CJBQ, Prince Edward County Mayor Steve Ferguson says the county has been preparing for an influx of people coming into the region since fall of 2023.
“The thing that I’ve tried to impress on our staff members and other people in the community is because it’s on a Monday, a lot of people are going to make this a long weekend,” Mayor Ferguson tells The Lorne Brooker Show.
“So we’re not just preparing for Monday. We are mindful of the fact that people may start arriving in the county today, Friday.”
Ferguson says while he doesn’t have a specific number, the county has been tracking hospitality businesses and their occupancy. He says the occupancy has been “filling up for quite some time.”
The municipality is not planning to host any events related to the eclipse.
Work has been underway to develop a traffic management plan between the OPP and the county’s operations department when the eclipse arrives.
“We’ve developed a traffic management plan to ensure that our emergency response vehicles in particular have access to any place they have to get to, but our staff are going to be monitoring our roads by performing regular checks and road patrols,” Ferguson says.
More information about the eclipse from the county’s perspective can be found on their website.
