Classes are cancelled today at all schools in the Cape Breton-Victoria Regional Centre for Education as a winter storm hits the Island. Classes are also cancelled at Etoile de l’Acadie in Sydney. The Marconi and Wagmatcook campuses of the community college are closed for the day. The Cape Breton University campus is closed this morning and the status of afternoon classes will be announced by 11:30. Regional Police are asking people to avoid unnecessary travel this morning with roads snow-covered and limited visibility in blowing snow. All of today’s Air Canada flights at the McCurdy Sydney Airport are either cancelled or delayed. Marine Atlantic has delayed ferry crossings from North Sydney and Port aux Basques until at least tonight and possibly until Monday.

As predicted, the price of gas went down, overnight. Gas dropped by 2.9 cents a litre and now goes for a minimum of $1.13.1 in Cape Breton. Diesel took a big drop of five cents and now costs a minimum of $1.19.2 cents a litre on the Island.

A local doctor has been appointed as the province’s Deputy Health Minister. Dr. Kevin Orrell has practiced orthopedic surgery for 31 years in Cape Breton. He was once a critic of the way the health system was being run and joined a group of doctors in May 2017 to protest what they called a crisis after six doctors left the island. However, Orrell was later brought in to serve as the senior medical director for the Cape Breton Health Care Redevelopment project. He's held the position for the past year. The project will see major work done at the Regional and Glace Bay hospitals and the closure of the hospitals in North Sydney and New Waterford. Orrell will take up the Deputy Minister position on March 30^th.

The price of gas is predicted to go down again, this week. A dip of about 3 cents a litre is being forecast. Meanwhile, the price of gas in New Brunswick dropped 3.1 cents a litre, last night. Diesel there went down by 4.1 cents. The minimum price for a litre of gas in Cape Breton is now $1.16. Diesel now costs a minimum of $1.24.2 cents a litre on the Island.

Regional Police say a man showed up at the Regional Hospital in Sydney yesterday evening with a gunshot wound. They say his injuries are non-life-threatening, but he was later sent to Halifax for further treatment. Police say they believe it all started with a confrontation earlier in Whitney Pier, among people in two separate vehicles. They say the people all know each other. Police say they’ve seized the man’s vehicle and are looking for the driver of the other vehicle who’s believed to be the shooter.