Admins
Donnie Creek wildfire in northeast B.C. now the largest recorded in province’s history
Blaze remains out of control, 2023 season now 3rd worst on record The Donnie Creek wildfire in northeastern British Columbia has now surpassed the 2017 Plateau fire as the largest individual fire, by area burned, ever recorded in the province’s history. It was sparked on May 12 by lightning, according to the B.C. Wildfire Service (BCWS), and covers an area of 5,343.88 square kilometres as of 10 a.m. PT on Sunday. It is still not responding to suppression efforts and remains out of control, according to the BCWS. Before this yearRead more
Canada’s small airlines are disappearing into WestJet. What does that mean for travellers?
Fewer airlines could mean less choice — but it could also mean better service, experts say Some people are questioning the future of air travel in Canada after WestJet confirmed this weekend that it’s planning to wind down Sunwing Airlines. The news comes on the heels of the airline’s decision to fold its budget subsidiary Swoop into its main operation. Here’s what some experts think WestJet’s moves could mean. What does WestJet’s move mean for travellers? It depends who you ask, and what you value as an airline passenger, such as value,Read more
Notre-Dame-des-Neiges cemetery in Montreal to remain closed for Father’s Day
Cemetery, workers unable to reach agreement after months of work stoppage Despite opening on Mother’s Day, the Notre-Dame-des-Neiges cemetery, shuttered since January due to a labour dispute, will remain closed on Father’s Day. The cemetery opened last month for a single day to allow relatives to visit their loved ones’ graves but large lineups formed at the only open entrance. It was the first time the cemetery had been open to the public in months. “For sure it was really popular but it was a disaster,” said Éric Dufault, the presidentRead more
B.C. is burning through its wildfire budget well before the season even peaks
Total budget for 2023 season at $204M, as province transitions B.C. Wildfire Service to year-round service The B.C Wildfire Service (BCWS) has now spent $105.3 million fighting fires so far this season, burning through half of its allocated budget well before the start of the peak fire season. The service provided the figures in a statement to CBC News on Monday. The BCWS’s total budget for the 2023 fire season is $204 million. In 2022, the budget was $199 million. “However, B.C. Wildfire Service has the authority to spend as required over those amounts for suppression activity,Read more
The U.S. uses a food stamp program to tackle food insecurity. Should Canada?
In 2022, more than 41 million people in the U.S. purchased food with SNAP benefits West Virginian Meghan Hullinger is a single mother of four who, despite working a full-time job, says she has only about $45 left over each month after paying most of her basic living expenses. So for the past six years, Hullinger has been using a government issued debit card at her nearby grocery to purchase food for her family. She is one of the millions of Americans who use that card as part of the U.S. Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) — a federal food security program run byRead more
Rescued child says mom survived 4 days after plane crash in Colombian jungle before dying
4 children spent 40 days in jungle before rescue; expected to remain in hospital The four Indigenous children who survived 40 days in the Amazon jungle after their plane crashed have shared limited but harrowing details of their ordeal with their family, including that their mother survived the crash for days before she died. The children, aged 13, 9 and 4 years and 11 months, are expected to remain for at least two weeks in a hospital receiving treatment after their rescue on Friday, but some are already speaking andRead more
5 arrested at tense faceoff between group protesting ‘gender ideology’ and counter-demonstrators
Hundreds of protesters on both sides led to temporary closure of Broadview Avenue Five people were arrested on Broadview Avenue in Ottawa on Friday, where hundreds of demonstrators gathered to “drown out” and counter a man who was protesting what he calls “gender ideology.” The two groups chanted slogans like “protect trans rights” and “leave the kids alone” at each other, at times separated by a line of police officers. Three schools and a medical centre sit along or near Broadview Avenue close to where the demonstration was held. OnRead more
Northern B.C. wildfire on the edge of Tumbler Ridge townsite has more than doubled in size
Fire is ‘not receptive to any sort of suppression activities’: official The West Kiskatinaw River wildfire burning in northern B.C. — now an estimated 230 square kilometres in size, up from 96 square kilometres on Thursday — is pushing closer to the evacuated town of Tumbler Ridge. Forrest Tower, an information officer with the B.C. Wildfire Service (BCWS), said Friday morning the blaze is four to five kilometres away from Highway 52, which runs through Tumbler Ridge. Meanwhile, the District of Tumbler Ridge is reporting the fire as being “aboutRead more
The Calgary affordable housing idea that divides conservatives, federal and local
Pierre Poilievre’s MPs shout ‘NIMBY’ at the councillors they typically call allies Two things are traditionally true of many (if not most) Calgary city councillors. They want to address the lack of affordable housing. They also want to avoid giving discomfort to the many homeowners who love how far away they live from lower-cost duplexes, row houses or apartments, and how hard it is for anyone to build those types of homes near them. These two values clashed loudly this week, and the results at city hall were rather messy.Read more
Canada attends first-of-its-kind UFO briefing at the Pentagon
Amid extraordinary new claims, U.S. office delivers its first briefing to allied nations The Canadian government has confirmed its participation in a first-of-its kind international meeting on unidentified flying objects hosted at United States military headquarters. The gathering at the Pentagon late last month comes amid a burst of activity in Washington and eye-popping news reports related to so-called Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena (UAP). It featured a U.S.-led briefing to visitors from nations of the Five Eyes intelligence-sharing alliance, which includes Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia and New Zealand. The Canadian DepartmentRead more