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Around 2,500 people were told to evacuate the community of Tumbler Ridge in northeastern British Columbia on Thursday. A video distributed by the British Columbia fire service showed deserted streets in Tumbler Ridge, while nearby forests were ablaze. Smoke rises from a wildfire in Tumbler Ridge, British Columbia, Canada, in this screen grab taken from a video, June 8, 2023. Temperatures in parts of British Columbia soared to more than 30 Celsius (86 Fahrenheit) this week, nearly 10 C above the seasonal average. Additional reporting by Ismail Shakil in Ottawa, Nia Williams in British Columbia and Allison Lampert in Montreal; Editing by Stephen Coates, Jane Merriman, Chris Reese and Frances KerryOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Darcy Dober, Maite Blanchette Vezina, Gerald Cheng, Hicham Ayoun, Ismail Shakil, Nia Williams, Allison Lampert, Stephen Coates, Jane Merriman, Chris Reese, Frances Kerry Organizations: OTTAWA, British Columbia, Canadian Interagency Forest Fire, Canadian Broadcasting Corp, BC Wildlife Service, REUTERS, Environment, Transport Canada, Thomson Locations: Canadian, British, Quebec, North, Canada, Tumbler, British Columbia, Dawson Creek, Ridge, Ontario, Environment Canada, Alberta, Ottawa, Toronto , New York, Washington, New York, Montreal

BRITISH COLUMBIA/OTTAWA, June 9 (Reuters) - Wildfires spread in the western Canadian province of British Columbia on Friday, while hundreds of fires continued to burn on the other side of the country in Quebec, sending wildfire smoke billowing across North American cities. Around 2,500 people were told to evacuate the community of Tumbler Ridge in northeastern British Columbia on Thursday afternoon. Temperatures in parts of British Columbia soared to more than 30 degrees Celsius (86 Fahrenheit) this week, nearly 10 degrees above the seasonal average. [1/2] Smoke rises from a wildfire in Tumbler Ridge, British Columbia, Canada, in this screen grab taken from a video, June 8, 2023. Reporting by Nia Williams in British Columbia; Editing by Stephen CoatesOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Albertans, François Legault, Nia Williams, Stephen Coates Organizations: British Columbia, BC Wildlife Service, REUTERS, Canadian Interagency Forest Fire, Thomson Locations: BRITISH COLUMBIA, OTTAWA, Canadian, British, Quebec, North, Tumbler, British Columbia, Peace, Alberta, Ridge, Canada, United States, Ottawa, Toronto , New York, Washington, Ontario, South Africa, Australia, New Zealand, U.S

☆ Wildfires burn across Canada with little relief in sight
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-08 | by ( Nia Williams | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

June 8 (Reuters) - Forest fires continued to burn across Canada on Thursday as the country endured its worst-ever start to wildfire season, forcing thousands of people from their homes and sending a smoky haze billowing across U.S. cities. Hundreds of U.S. firefighters arrived in Canada to help and more were on their way. "These fires are affecting everyday routines, lives and livelihoods, and our air quality," Trudeau said on Twitter. Smoke-forecasting website BlueSky Canada showed wildfire smoke spreading across much of the country on Thursday. Reporting by Nia Williams in British Columbia; Editing by Cynthia OstermanOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Bill Blair, Justin Trudeau, Trudeau, Rob Schweitzer, Nia Williams, Cynthia Osterman Organizations: Twitter, BC, Thomson Locations: Canada, U.S, Quebec, Alberta, Nova Scotia, Pacific, British Columbia, Ottawa, Toronto, Cleveland, Pittsburgh, United States, New York

REUTERS/Blair GableOTTAWA, June 7 (Reuters) - Hundreds of uncontrolled forest fires blazed across Canada on Wednesday, threatening critical infrastructure, forcing evacuations and sending a blanket of smoky air wafting over U.S. cities. Quebec Premier Francois Legault earlier said the province was able to fight 40 fires at the same time. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said he spoke with U.S. President Joe Biden by phone on Wednesday to thank him for "critical support" in tackling the blazes. These fires are affecting everyday routines, lives and livelihoods, and our air quality," Trudeau said in a statement on Twitter. We will be facing more and more extreme weather events that will cost us a lot more," Prime Minister Justin Trudeau told the briefing.

Persons: Blair Gable OTTAWA, Bill Blair, Blair, Quebec Premier Francois Legault, Justin Trudeau, Joe Biden, Trudeau, Legault, Ismail Shakil, David Ljunggren, Nia Williams, Deepa Babington, Diane Craft Organizations: REUTERS, Quebec Premier, Canadian, U.S, Twitter, Residents, Thomson Locations: Centennial, Township, Greater Madawaska , Ontario, Canada, Quebec, U.S, New Brunswick, France, United States, Portugal, Spain, Mexico, Chibougamau, Ontario, Canada's, Ottawa, Toronto, British Columbia

☆ Exclusive: Canada's TC Energy laying off staff
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-06 | by ( Nia Williams | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

June 6 (Reuters) - Canada's TC Energy (TRP.TO) is cutting some jobs to "optimize value" a company spokesperson said on Tuesday, without giving details of how many positions have been impacted. News of the job cuts at TC Energy comes a week after Suncor Energy (SU.TO) told employees it would eliminate 1,500 jobs. Earlier this year, Imperial Oil IMO.TO cut the number of contractors working at its Kearl oil sands project. TC Energy said the company continually reviews its operations and as the business evolves some positions are reduced. "These decisions are difficult but necessary to optimize the value for our business," a TC Energy spokesperson said in an email.

Persons: Rich Kruger, Nia Williams, Denny Thomas, Lisa Shumaker Organizations: Canada's TC Energy, TC Energy, Suncor Energy, Imperial, Keystone, Thomson Locations: Calgary, Suncor, North America

☆ Explainer: Why are wildfires raging in Canada's eastern Nova Scotia province?
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-02 | by ( Nia Williams | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

[1/2] Smoke rises from a wildfire in Hammonds Plains, Nova Scotia, Canada, May 28, 2023 in this screengrab obtained from a social media video. HOW UNUSUAL ARE WILDFIRES IN NOVA SCOTIA? Atlantic Canada received low snowfall this winter, followed by an exceptionally dry spring. Weather forecasts show a period of cooler, wetter air is moving into Atlantic Canada on Friday, providing much-needed relief. The Weather Network's longer-term forecast expects Nova Scotia temperatures to be slightly warmer than normal for the rest of the summer.

Persons: Bill Blair, Michael Carter, Ellen Whitman, Whitman, Nia Williams, Michael Perry Organizations: REUTERS, Public Safety, Atlantic Canada, Halifax, Weather Network, Canadian Forest Service, Atlantic, Thomson Locations: Hammonds Plains , Nova Scotia, Canada, Nova Scotia, Nova, Acadian, Nova Scotia's, Halifax, Hurricane, Atlantic Canada, North America

☆ Nova Scotia: Why are wildfires raging in Canada's eastern province?
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-02 | by ( Nia Williams | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

OTTAWA, June 1 (Reuters) - The Canadian government is backing up to C$3 billion ($2.24 billion) in loans for Trans Mountain Corp (TMC), the crown corporation building an over-budget and long-delayed oil pipeline expansion to Canada's Pacific Coast. Last year Liberal Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's government, which bought the Trans Mountain pipeline in 2018 to ensure the expansion project got built, provided a C$10 billion loan guarantee to TMC. The Trans Mountain Expansion will nearly triple the flow of crude from Alberta's oil sands to Burnaby, British Columbia, to 890,000 barrels per day and is intended to boost access to Asian refining markets. Finance Ministry spokeswoman Marie-France Faucher said the loan guarantee was "common practice" and did not reflect any new public spending. TMC is paying a fee to the government for the loan guarantee, she said.

Persons: Justin Trudeau's, Chrystia Freeland, Marie, France Faucher, Faucher, Stephen Ellis, Keith Stewart, Ismail Shakil, Nia Williams, Daniel Wallis, Richard Chang Organizations: OTTAWA, Canadian, Trans Mountain Corp, Export Development, Liberal, TMC, Finance, Morningstar, Greenpeace Canada, Thomson Locations: Coast, Burnaby , British Columbia, France

Companies Equinor ASA FollowBp Plc FollowWINNIPEG, Manitoba, May 31 (Reuters) - Norway's Equinor ASA (EQNR.OL) said on Wednesday that it will postpone its Bay du Nord Canadian offshore oil project for up to three years, due to rising costs. Ottawa backed Bay du Nord saying that it would produce relatively low emissions. "Bay du Nord is an important project for Equinor. "The (Bay du Nord) economics are positive but if you play around with costs and risk more, it's not going to be the best opportunity in their portfolio," he said. Bay du Nord would be so far from shore - 500 kilometers (311 miles) - that it falls in international waters.

Persons: Justin Trudeau's, ”, Trond Bokn, Equinor's, Equinor, Newfoundland & Labrador Premier Andrew Furey, it's, Mark Oberstoetter, Wood Mackenzie, Rod Nickel, Nia Williams, Marguerita Choy Organizations: ASA, Bp, Equinor ASA, Ottawa, Newfoundland & Labrador Premier, BP, Wood, Sierra Club Canada, Columbia, Thomson Locations: WINNIPEG , Manitoba, du Nord Canadian, Bay, Nord, Newfoundland, Norway, Brazil, Winnipeg , Manitoba

[1/2] Danielle Smith of the United Conservative Party (UCP) gestures during her party's provincial election night party after a projected win in Calgary, Alberta, Canada May 29, 2023. Smith, leader of the United Conservative Party (UCP), defeated left-leaning New Democratic Party leader Rachel Notley on Monday, and immediately targeted Trudeau, threatening the country's ambitious climate goals. Some analysts have said deep emissions cuts are not possible without reducing oil production, which Smith fiercely opposes. "As premier I cannot under any circumstances allow these contemplated federal policies to be inflicted upon Albertans." "One of the challenges is there is a political class in Alberta that has decided that anything to do with climate change is going to be bad for them or for Alberta," Trudeau told Reuters in a January interview.

May 29 (Reuters) - United Conservative Party (UCP) leader Danielle Smith's election victory in Canada's main oil-producing province Alberta on Monday is likely to herald further friction with Liberal Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, particularly over climate change. The populist premier's win signals a further rightward shift in the traditionally conservative province, and comes despite a series of controversies and gaffes from Smith, 52, since she first became premier in October. In her victory speech, Smith was quick to take aim at Trudeau and what she described as the federal government's "harmful policies". "As premier I cannot under any circumstances allow these contemplated federal policies to be inflicted upon Albertans. In early 2022 she announced plans to run for leadership of the United Conservative Party, which was born in 2017 from a merger of the Progressives Conservatives and Wildrose Party.

☆ Factbox: Biggest issues in Canadian province of Alberta's May 29 election
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-29 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Below are the main issues in the election:HEALTHCAREIn the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, healthcare has become a big issue in Alberta. The UCP last month committed to keeping Alberta's publicly-funded healthcare system, contrasting with comments previously made by Smith about dismantling universal healthcare paid for by taxpayers. The UCP has pledged to lower taxes by creating a new 8% tax bracket on income under C$60,000 ($44,033.47). ENERGY AND CLIMATEBoth the UCP and NDP are supportive of the energy sector, recognising it as Alberta's main economic engine. ($1 = 1.3626 Canadian dollars)Reporting by Nia Williams; Editing by Paul SimaoOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Alberta heads to the polls with Canada's green agenda in balance
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-29 | by ( Nia Williams | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

[1/2] Alberta Premier Danielle Smith speaks during the Canada Strong and Free Networking Conference in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada March 23, 2023. The battle between populist Premier Danielle Smith's United Conservative Party (UCP), which is seeking a second consecutive term, and Rachel Notley's left-leaning New Democratic Party (NDP) is expected to be extremely close, pollsters say, even though Alberta is traditionally a conservative bastion. Alberta is Canada's highest-emitting province, largely due to vast oil sands operations in the northern boreal forest and produces 80% of the country's 4.9 million barrels per day of crude oil. She held another major rally in NDP stronghold and Alberta capital Edmonton on Sunday. Polls are open from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. local time and the result is expected to be called late Monday night.

☆ Cooler temperatures offer temporary reprieve for Alberta wildfires
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-09 | by ( Nia Williams | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

May 9 (Reuters) - Wildfires in Canada's main oil-producing province Alberta eased on Tuesday thanks to cooler weather, but thousands of people remained under evacuation orders and officials warned temperatures were expected to rise in coming days. The wildfires also forced oil and gas producers to shut in at least 319,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day (boepd), or 3.7% of the country's production. Officials said firefighters had made progress in southern and central Alberta where cooler temperatures and higher humidity slowed the blazes. The fire danger remains high in many parts of northern Alberta and the province is forecast to have high temperatures return by the end of this week. "We are not expecting the kind of winds we saw last week ... but certainly we are not taking it for granted," said Christie Tucker, information unit manager for Alberta Wildfire.

☆ Fire and flood: Record spring heat forces evacuations across western Canada
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-05 | by ( Nia Williams | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

May 5 (Reuters) - A week of record hot weather in western Canada has forced thousands of people to evacuate their homes, as wildfires rage in parts of Alberta and rapid snow melt triggers flooding across interior British Columbia. Until last week western Canada had been enduring a cold spring but the rapid onset of unseasonably high temperatures, in places 10C above the average for early May, is triggering both fires and flooding. In British Columbia, the flooding is expected to worsen over the weekend with heavy rain forecast across the south of the province. "Peak river levels are expected on Saturday through Monday," British Columbia's River Forecast Centre said in a flood warning issued late Thursday. Reporting by Nia Williams in British Columbia; Editing by Mark PorterOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Canada opens formal investigation into Imperial's oil sands tailings leak
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-04 | by ( Nia Williams | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

CALGARY, Alberta, May 4 (Reuters) - Canada's federal environment ministry on Thursday opened a formal investigation into a months-long tailings leak at Imperial Oil's (IMO.TO) Kearl oil sands mine in northern Alberta, signalling a potential prosecution. Tailings, a toxic mining by-product containing water, silt, residual bitumen and metals, have been seeping from Imperial's site since last May, angering local Indigenous communities who hunt and fish on the lands downstream from Canada's oil sands mines. The company first discovered discolored water on its Kearl site in May 2022 and informed the AER and some local Indigenous communities, but failed to update those communities when testing showed the water contained tailings. Canada's Tourism Minister Randy Boissonnault, one of only two Liberals lawmakers in Alberta, said the Kearl leak and poor communication was "simply unacceptable". "It's unjust for Indigenous communities that are living downstream to have questions about their drinking water table and the health of the natural environment."

☆ TC Energy says Keystone oil spill caused by fatigue crack
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-21 | by ( Nia Williams | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

April 21 (Reuters) - Canada's TC Energy (TRP.TO) on Friday said a 14,000-barrel oil spill from its Keystone pipeline in rural Kansas in December was primarily due to a progressive fatigue crack, which originated during the construction of the pipeline. The Calgary-based company released the findings after receiving an independent third-party root cause failure analysis (RCFA), as required by regulators. TC said the RCFA report found the fatigue crack came from a girth weld connecting a manufactured elbow fitting to the section of pipe constructed across Mill Creek. The girth weld was completed at a fabrication factory and met applicable standards. "This resulted in the initiation of a circumferential crack in the weld, which led to failure through operations after over a decade," TC said.

☆ Canadian police investigating C$20 million gold heist at Toronto airport
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-20 | by ( Nia Williams | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

April 20 (Reuters) - Canadian police are investigating the theft of a C$20 million ($14.84 million) cargo of gold and other valuables that was stolen from a holding facility at Toronto Pearson International Airport on Monday. The cargo was reported missing after arriving on an aircraft early Monday evening, Peel Regional Police Inspector Stephen Duivesteyn told a news conference on Thursday. Duivesteyn said after the aircraft landed the cargo was unloaded and taken to a holding facility, as per normal procedure, but disappeared some time afterwards. "Subsequent to its arrival this high value cargo was removed by illegal means from the holding facility," Duivesteyn told reporters. The cargo was reported missing to police a short time later.

☆ Canada's Suncor releases 5,900 cubic metres of water from oil sands site
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-18 | by ( Nia Williams | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

April 18 (Reuters) - Canada's Suncor Energy (SU.TO) has reported the release of 5,900 cubic metres (208,400 cubic feet) of water with more than twice the approved level of suspended solids from a sedimentation pond at its Fort Hills oil sands project in northern Alberta. The water came from a sedimentation pond, which collects and discharges surface run-off from the oil sands site, and not a tailings pond, Suncor spokesperson Erin Rees said in an email. Oil sands companies are under scrutiny for how they manage water on their sites, after Imperial Oil (IMO.TO) said in February that tailings ponds at its Kearl site had been seeping for months and another spill released 5,300 cubic metres of process water in late January. "This is not a tailings pond, but a water run-off pond that collects and discharges run off into Fort Creek ... in line with regulatory approvals," Rees said. The water discharges into Fort Creek roughly 800 metres upstream of the Athabasca River, the main waterway running through the oil sands region.

☆ Rough week for Alberta's ruling UCP casts shadow ahead of May election
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-02 | by ( Nia Williams | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Polls show Alberta's election, scheduled to take place no later than May 29, will be a tight two-way race between the UCP and left-leaning New Democratic Party, led by Rachel Notley. "I think it will make a difference (to voters), it's going to keep coming up," Bratt said of the recording. "It's going to be reluctant conservatives in Calgary who are concerned about the judgment and trustworthiness of Premier Smith and this adds to questions about that." Smith became UCP leader and premier last October, replacing Jason Kenney, by appealing to grassroots UCP members in the traditionally conservative province. read moreLast week's controversies come just days after two senior Alberta government minister, Finance Minister Travis Toews and Environment Minister Sonya Savage, said they would not seek re-election.

OTTAWA, March 30 (Reuters) - Canada's province of Alberta - the heart of the country's oil and gas industry - is expected to offer more support for carbon capture utilization and storage (CCUS) projects now that the federal government has its incentives in place, the federal natural resources minister told Reuters on Thursday. This week, Canada's federal budget expanded eligibility for CCUS investment tax credits over the next five years, by adding C$520 million to the C$2.6 billion program laid out in last year's budget. Natural Resources Minister Jonathan Wilkinson said he has had many conversations with the Alberta government on CCUS, including one earlier this week, and he hopes to see some of the major CCUS projects launched by end-year. In an interview with Reuters in January, Trudeau urged Alberta to contribute to CCUS. ($1 = 1.3526 Canadian dollars)Reporting by Steve Scherer and Nia Williams Editing by Marguerita ChoyOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Exclusive: Canada's ATCO gives Mexico troubled pipeline after damage award -sources
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-30 | by ( Dave Graham | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Lopez Obrador afterward met representatives from Canadian energy companies, including ATCO, and details of the transfer were concluded in late February, one of the sources said. Neither ATCO, CFE, the Canadian government or Lopez Obrador's office immediately replied to requests for comment. Arguing that past governments skewed Mexico's energy market in favor of private capital, Lopez Obrador has taken a series of steps to bolster state control of the sector. Last July the U.S. and Canadian governments launched formal dispute resolution talks with Mexico over energy. The company argued Mexico had not done enough to enable the pipeline's completion, and the London Court of International Arbitration agreed, Reuters reported.

☆ Reactions: Canada 2023/24 budget deficit to jump, Ottawa to boost spending
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-28 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +7 min

JULES BOUDREAU, SENIOR ECONOMIST, MACKENZIE INVESTMENTS"The surprise was more on the revenue side more than the spending side. Prior to this budget we were not eligible for the carbon capture utilization and storage (CCUS) investment tax credit, but they have now broadened the eligibility parameters." "The big open question, heading into this budget was how was Canada going to react to the Inflation Reduction Act ... MARK ZACHARIAS, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF CLEAN ENERGY CANADA"We thought today's budget was generally excellent and it sets Canada on a path for prosperity. "The investment tax credits for clean tech manufacturing positions Canada as a leader, particularly in zero-emissions vehicles."

[1/2] The processing facility at an oil sands operations near Fort McMurray, Alberta, September 17, 2014. The company joins Canada's biggest oil producers in urging policymakers to boost public funding for the costly technology that is seen as key to cutting emissions from the carbon-intensive oil sands. Until then, the company will pay Canada's carbon tax, set to rise to C$170 a tonne by 2030, Nicholson said. Canada's oil sands produced a record 3.15 million bpd in 2022 and are forecast to hit 3.7 million bpd by 2030, according to S&P Global. "The oil sands are long-life, low-decline assets," said Wood Mackenzie analyst Scott Norlin.

☆ Canada's B.C. province sets high emissions bar for new LNG projects
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-17 | by ( Nia Williams | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

[1/2] The entrance to Shell's LNG Canada project site is shown in Kitimat in northwestern British Columbia on April 12, 2014. While the tougher regulation will not impact the huge Shell-led (SHEL.L) LNG Canada project already under construction, a proposed export terminal adjoining the small-scale Tilbury LNG facility and the early-stage Ksi Lisims LNG project in northern B.C will fall under the new rule. The province will start exporting 14 million tonnes per annum (MTPA) when LNG Canada enters service in 2025. "That (net-zero requirement) is a very high bar and a high hurdle to pass," said Mark Zacharias, executive director of think-tank Clean Energy Canada, adding the new framework rounds out B.C. 's new regulations also include an oil and gas emissions cap and plans to accelerate the electrification of the economy.

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