Council holds emergency meeting to discuss fatal snowmobile crash in N.S.

Cumberland Municipal Council held an emergency about a fatal snowmobile crash in Poison Lake, N.S.

Cumberland Municipal Council held an emergency three-hour meeting in Amherst, N.S., Tuesday to discuss last week’s fatal snowmobile incident in Poison Lake, N.S.

The Nova Scotia RCMP says a 28-year-old man, the lone rider of the snowmobile, was struck by a fire truck and died at the scene on a roadway next to the lake.

The man from Springhill, N.S., crashed into a snowbank late Friday night and first responders had been called to the rural area.

The RCMP told CTV News on Monday they don’t believe drugs or alcohol were a factor.

“Investigators who were there certainly didn’t detect any suspicion of impairment of the firefighter that was driving the truck,” said Cpl. Guillaume Tremblay of the Nova Scotia RCMP. “I suspect they were likely as well in shock of the incident.”

The driver of the fire truck has stepped aside from his duties with the Collingwood and District Volunteer Fire Department.

Tuesday’s meeting at the Upper Nappan Service Centre, which was closed to the public, was held to discuss the role of the Collingwood and District Volunteer Fire Department in Friday’s incident and in the days afterwards.

Council will meet again on Wednesday at 2 p.m. to consider a resolution discussed during Tuesday’s emergency meeting.

That meeting will be open to the public and livestreamed.

CTV News requested an interview with Cumberland County Mayor Rod Gilroy and Scott Lockhart, the councillor for the Poison Lake area, but no one was made available after the meeting.

The Nova Scotia RCMP said the investigation is ongoing and there are no updates at this time.

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