Nova Scotia Premier Tim Houston says the province is mourning a Cape Breton Island woman who died during widespread flooding across the region.
RCMP say the body of a 46-year-old woman from Cleveland, N.S., was recovered Saturday afternoon after she was reported missing earlier that day.
The Mounties say the Richmond County office received a report the woman was missing after her vehicle was found parked near her residence on the far side of a flooded bridge.
Police, volunteers and local fire services started searching for the woman, and her body was later recovered in the area at about 2:30 p.m. on Saturday, according to a news release.
RCMP said Sunday the death is not believed to be suspicious. A spokesperson for Nova Scotia RCMP added they would not provide any more information.
Cape Breton Island and parts of the northeast mainland have been battered by rainfall for several days due to a slow-moving weather system.
The province’s Department of Emergency Management said Sunday morning that roads across the region continued to be affected by flooding.
John Burke of River Bourgeois takes photos from an ATV bridge over the flooded River Tillard, in Richmond County, Cape Breton, N.S., Saturday, Sept. 5, 2026.THE CANADIAN PRESS/Steve Wadden
The province’s road conditions service still reported several closures Sunday afternoon.
Meanwhile, Environment and Climate Change Canada changed its Saturday orange level rainfall warning to a special weather statement Sunday morning.
The weather service’s advisory, limited to just a few areas of northern Cape Breton Island, warned that some areas could experience 10 to 20 millimetres of heavy rain.
The notice also forecasted that rain would taper off to showers by Sunday evening.
Houston on Sunday repeated a request by officials that people in the affected areas avoid unnecessary travel.
“Stay off the roads while the weather is bad. Your safety is our priority,” he said in a statement.
Three Nova Scotia counties on Cape Breton Island have declared a local state of emergency.
Prime Minister Mark Carney said in a social media post on Saturday night that his thoughts were with everyone in eastern Nova Scotia and Cape Breton Island affected by the rain and flooding.
“Thank you to the first responders who are working around the clock to keep people safe. Our government is in close communication with the provincial government and remains ready to provide any support needed,” Carney’s post said.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 6, 2026.
— By Eli Ridder in Fredericton
Copyright 2026, The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.