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☆ In surprise move, Canada pauses talks on trade treaty with India
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-01 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

REUTERS/Chris Helgren/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsOTTAWA, Sept 1 (Reuters) - Canada on Friday unexpectedly said it had paused talks on a proposed trade treaty with India, just three months after the two nations said they aimed to seal an initial agreement this year. Canada and India have been talking off and on since 2010 about a comprehensive economic partnership agreement. India and Canada said in May they aimed to seal an initial agreement this year to increase trade and expand investment while setting out a mechanism to deal with disputes. Last month, a top Indian trade official said New Delhi planned to hold bilateral free trade talks with Canada and other nations on the sidelines of a G20 summit next week. Neither Trudeau's office or the office of Trade Minister Mary Ng were immediately available for comment.

Persons: Justin Trudeau, Chris Helgren, we've, Sanjay Kumar Verma, Trudeau, Mary Ng, David Ljunggren, Jonathan Oatis, Andy Sullivan Organizations: Canada's, Seventh Assembly of, Global Environment, REUTERS, Rights, Canadian Press, Ottawa, Trade, Thomson Locations: Vancouver , British Columbia, Canada, India, New Delhi, Delhi

☆ Canada to change how it counts foreign students, workers amid housing crunch
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-31 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

REUTERS/Jennifer Gauthier/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsOTTAWA, Aug 31 (Reuters) - Canada will change how it counts non-permanent residents, the main statistics agency said on Thursday, after an economist said the current methodology may have overlooked about a million foreign students, workers and others. Statistics Canada said it stood by its figures, but added that it will publish new, more detailed data on non-permanent residents next month using a revised methodology. Statscan's terminology for non-permanent residents covers people living in Canada with work or study permits and asylum seekers. Tal said Statscan's new approach would help to give a better sense of the actual numbers in the country. "A precondition for any policy in general, and housing policy in particular, is to know the size, the magnitude of the shortage," Tal said in a phone interview on Thursday.

Persons: Jennifer Gauthier, Benjamin Tal, Statscan, Tal, Ismail Shakil, Andrew Heavens Organizations: REUTERS, Rights OTTAWA, CIBC Capital, Statistics Canada, Thomson Locations: Vancouver , British Columbia, Canada, Ottawa

☆ When Your ‘Doppelganger’ Becomes a Conspiracy Theorist
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-30 | by ( Jennifer Szalai | More About Jennifer Szalai | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +4 min

Klein was trapped inside a hall of mirrors, and she was trying to find a way out. Before writing about her doppelgänger, Klein felt stuck. Klein told her what she was going through: “I used to fill notebooks, you know, everywhere I went. As much as Klein recoiled at what Wolf was saying, she also felt the sting of recognition. (In an email, Wolf declined to comment on “Doppelganger,” explaining that she hadn’t yet read the book, but said that some of her tweets “were poorly worded and were deleted.”)

Persons: Klein, Hurricane, ”, Biden, V, Eve Ensler, Harriet Clark, ” Clark, Joan Didion’s “, Covid, “, hadn’t, ” Klein, Philip Roth, Wolf, tweeting, Naomi, Tucker Carlson, nodded Organizations: Rutgers University Locations: New Jersey, British Columbia

☆ In a Storied River, Fish Are Dying in Droves as Climate Change Scorches Canada
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-30 | by ( Norimitsu Onishi | More About Norimitsu Onishi | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The salmon were once so plentiful in the river that old-timers talk about having been able to cross on the backs of fish so thick they were like steppingstones. Such was the renown of the Cowichan River, flowing east on Canada’s Vancouver Island, that its fly-fishing conditions were posted in fishing clubs in London. Local scientists suspect the bigger culprit is climate change, which has contributed to the decline of salmon populations in British Columbia by increasing droughts and heat waves. In a summer of global catastrophes for Canada, climate change has been felt across this vast country — from Cowichan Valley on the Pacific Coast to Halifax on the Atlantic, from the long border with the United States to the remotest towns above the Arctic Circle. But if the world has been consumed with the fires raging across Canada’s forests, turned into tinderboxes from the effects of climate change, the plight of the river has hit close to home in Cowichan Valley.

Persons: John Wayne, Bing Crosby Locations: Cowichan, London, Cowichan Bay ., Canada, British Columbia, Cowichan Valley, Halifax, United States, tinderboxes

☆ Totem Pole Taken 94 Years Ago Begins 4,000-Mile Journey Home
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-29 | by ( Emma Bubola | More About Emma Bubola | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

Almost 100 years ago, a hand-carved totem pole was cut down in the Nass Valley in the northwest of Canada’s British Columbia. The 36-foot tall pole had been carved from red cedar in the 1860s to honor Ts’wawit, a warrior from the Indigenous Nisga’a Nation, who was next in line to become chief before he was killed in conflict. A Canadian anthropologist, Marius Barbeau, oversaw the removal of the memorial pole in the summer of 1929, while the Nisga’a people were away from their villages on an annual hunting, fishing and harvesting trip, according to the Nisga’a government. Mr. Barbeau sent the pole to a buyer more than 4,000 miles away: the Royal Scottish Museum in Edinburgh — today known as the National Museum of Scotland.

Persons: Ts’wawit, Marius Barbeau, Barbeau Organizations: Royal Scottish Museum, National Museum of Scotland Locations: Nass, Canada’s British Columbia, Canadian, Edinburgh —

☆ Canada detects first case of highly mutated coronavirus variant BA.2.86
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-29 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

A sign for the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) test collection centre is seen at Vancouver International Airport in Richmond, British Columbia, Canada February 22, 2021. REUTERS/Jennifer Gauthier/File photo Acquire Licensing RightsOTTAWA, Aug 29 (Reuters) - Canada has detected its first case of coronavirus infection from the highly mutated BA.2.86 variant of Omicron in a person in British Columbia who had not traveled outside the Pacific province, health officials said on Tuesday. "It was not unexpected for BA.2.86 to show up in Canada and the province," they said. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said last week the BA.2.86 variant may be more capable of causing infection in people who have previously had COVID-19 or who have received preventive vaccines. Canadian health authorities have noted an uptick in COVID infections in recent weeks, though virus activity remains relatively low, Health Canada said in a weekly update earlier on Tuesday.

Persons: Jennifer Gauthier, Bonnie Henry, Adrian Dix, Ismail Shakil, Sandra Maler Organizations: International Airport, REUTERS, Rights OTTAWA, Health, U.S . Centers for Disease Control, Prevention, Thomson Locations: Richmond , British Columbia, Canada, British Columbia, Pacific, Denmark, United States, Switzerland, Israel, Health Canada

☆ Fact Check-Video of helicopter igniting treetops doesn’t show French government arson
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-28 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

French officials said the area was vulnerable to fires due to “intense heat, dryness and tumultuous winds of up to 180 kilometers/hour,” Reuters reported. On Aug. 20, the Pyrenees-Orientales Fire Department wrote on X that the fire had been extinguished (here). !”The Arduini Helicopters Facebook page credits the video to an individual named Paul Buxton-Carr (here). Reuters Fact Check has previously addressed similar videos showing firefighters employing controlled or prescribed burning to curtail the spread of wildfires (here). The video shows a 2018 prescribed burn in Canada, not the intentional ignition of wildfires in France in 2023.

Persons: ”, Paul Buxton, Carr, Read Organizations: Facebook, ” Reuters, Fire, Arduini Helicopters, Reuters Locations: Canada, France, Pyrenees, Canada’s Alberta, British Columbia, Narcosli

☆ China's Sinopec's interim profit down 20.1% on lower oil prices
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Chinese refiners overall benefited from cheap crude oil supplies from Iran, Venezuela and Russia, as Western sanctions forced those producers to sell oil at deep discounts to keep revenue flowing. Although state majors have shied away from Iranian and Venezuelan oil, Sinopec has been taking in Russian supplies, traders have said. Sinopec produced 139.68 million barrels of crude oil during the six months, up 0.02% year on year, while its natural gas output gained 7.6% to 660.88 billion cubic feet. Capital expenditure for the half-year came in at 74.67 billion yuan, versus 64.65 billion yuan a year earlier. Its Hong Kong-listed shares have risen 14.4% year-to-date, outperforming Hang Seng Index (.HSI) which has fallen 10.9% during the period.

Persons: Chris Helgren, Sinopec, Chen Aizhu, Judy Hua, Robert Birsel Organizations: China Petroleum & Chemical Corporation, REUTERS, Rights, China Petroleum & Chemical, Sinopec Corp, Thomson Locations: Vancouver , British Columbia, Canada, Iran, Venezuela, Russia, Sichuan, Hong Kong

☆ Canadian economy set to show marked slowdown in second quarter, giving central bank cause to pause
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-27 | by ( Fergal Smith | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/2] Condominium and office towers are seen on the mountain-backed skyline of Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada September 30, 2020. The GDP report will be the last major piece of domestic data before the Canadian central bank makes its next policy decision on Sept. 6. The central bank has said it would study economic data closely before determining whether it raises interest rates further. The BoC has projected 1.5% growth for the third quarter, matching its second-quarter estimate. Some argue that the composition of growth in the second-quarter data, including the split between internal and external demand, could also be a consideration.

Persons: Jennifer Gauthier, Carlos Capistran, Bank of America Merrill Lynch, Benjamin Reitzes, we've, Stephen Brown, Andrew Grantham, Fergal Smith, Denny Thomas, Jonathan Oatis Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Bank of Canada, BoC, Bank of America, BMO Capital Markets, Money, North, Capital Economics, CIBC Capital Markets, Thomson Locations: Vancouver , British Columbia, Canada, Canadian, Mexico, North America

☆ Wildfires devastate British Columbia interior communities
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-24 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

PicturesWildfires devastate British Columbia interior communitiesMore than 35,000 people were driven out of their homes as flames spread in the province during Canada�s worst wildfire season on record.

Locations: British Columbia, Canada

☆ Canada's Trans Mountain seeks last-minute route deviation on pipeline expansion
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-23 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

OTTAWA, Aug 23 (Reuters) - The Trans Mountain Expansion (TMX) project has asked Canadian regulators for a route deviation on a 1.3-kilometre (0.8 mile)section of pipeline in British Columbia, months before the 600,000 barrel per day project is due to start shipping crude. In the application TMC said it had encountered "significant technical challenges" micro-tunnelling through hard rock formations and requested to instead adjust the pipeline route and use a conventional open trench. Last week the regulator gave TMC until end of day on Wednesday to provide more information on its request. Now that it is nearing completion, the government has approached Indigenous groups looking at buying a stake in the pipeline. "We are confident that the business case for the Trans Mountain pipeline remains solid," he added, when asked whether the government would have to sell the pipeline for less than it cost to build it.

Persons: Justin Trudeau, We're, Trudeau, Prince Edward Island, Ismail Shakil, Steve Scherer, Nia Williams, Bill Berkrot, Sonali Paul Organizations: OTTAWA, Canada Energy Regulator, Canadian, Trans Mountain Corp, TMC, Thomson Locations: British Columbia, Kamloops, Columbia, Burnaby , British Columbia, United States, Charlottetown, Prince, Ottawa

☆ US wildland firefighter pay threatened by Republican feud in Congress
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-23 | by ( David Morgan | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

"Firefighters cannot be held hostage to congressional infighting," said Lucas Mayfield, president of the advocacy group Grassroots Wildland Firefighters. More than 10 million acres were affected in 2015 and 2017. Last year, the cost of suppressing wildfires across 7.6 million acres surpassed $3.5 billion, according to the center. "Now is not the time ... to be engaging in this kind of the political gamesmanship around something as important as the livelihood of our wildland firefighters," he told Reuters. Neguse and Senator Kyrsten Sinema, an independent from Arizona, have introduced legislation in their respective chambers that would avoid the pay cliff and authorize future pay increases for wildland firefighters.

Persons: Matthew A, Foster, Handout, Mike Simpson, Joe Biden, Lucas Mayfield, Mayfield, Joe Neguse, Kyrsten Sinema, David Morgan, Scott Malone, Alistair Bell Organizations: Force, U.S . Army National Guard, Staff, REUTERS, Rights, Interagency Fire, Idaho Republican, Reuters, Republicans, Democrats, Democratic, Biden, Grassroots, Firefighters, Republican, National Interagency Fire Center, Colorado Democrat, House, Thomson Locations: Lahaina , Hawaii, U.S, Washington, West, British Columbia, Idaho, United States, Neguse, Arizona

REUTERS/Chris Helgren/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsSINGAPORE, Aug 23 (Reuters) - Shell is considering a sale of its Singapore refining and petrochemical plants as part of a broader strategic review and has hired investment bank Goldman Sachs to explore a potential deal, said several sources close to the matter. "Our strategic review is ongoing and we are exploring several options including divestment," a Shell spokesperson told Reuters on Wednesday. Companies that are reviewing Shell's Singapore assets include Asia's largest refiner, China's Sinopec (600028.SS), as well as global trading companies Vitol and Trafigura, the sources said. For trading companies, the site is seen as a potential oil storage and distribution hub, some of the sources said. In March, Shell decided not to proceed with two projects it was studying to produce biofuels and base oils in Singapore.

Persons: Chris Helgren, Goldman Sachs, Wael Sawan, China's Sinopec, Shell, Trixie Yap, Chen Aizhu, Florence Tan, Tony Munroe, David Goodman Organizations: Shell, REUTERS, Rights, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Vancouver , British Columbia, Canada, Singapore, Jurong, Asia

☆ I Lived Through Canada’s Summer Wildfire Smoke - The New York Times
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-23 | by ( Serge Schmemann | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

Nothing like it had ever happened before — these wildfires began far earlier and spread far faster than usual, and they have burned far more boreal forest than any fire in Canada’s modern history. As of this writing, 5,881 wildfires have consumed 15.3 million hectares, about 59,000 square miles, dwarfing the 10-year average of 2.6 million hectares per summer. With the melting Arctic to their north and the immensity of their northern wilderness, Canadians are not strangers to climate anxiety. “Temperatures are rising at the rate we thought they would, but the effects are more severe, more frequent, more critical. China had its heaviest rains in 140 years; record wildfires devastated Greek islands, and the list goes on.

Persons: it’s, ”, Michael Flannigan Organizations: New, Globe, Mail, Thompson Rivers University, World Meteorological Organization Locations: infernos, New York, Canada, Kamloops , British Columbia, Maui, Hawaii, Lahaina, New England, Manatee Bay, South Florida, China

"It's pleasing that Woodside has made our members a strong offer without industrial action being taken," Gandy added in a statement. The project in Western Australia, along with the Gorgon and Wheatstone LNG facilities of Chevron Corp (CVX.N), account for about one-tenth of global supplies. Workers at Chevron's facilities are also considering industrial action, and the combined threats had supported LNG prices over the past few weeks. The Woodside workers unions had threatened to strike as early as Sept. 2 unless their demands for better pay and conditions were met. Asia spot LNG prices remained supported at above $14 per million British thermal units at Wednesday's close, with traders still cautious about LNG supplies from Australia.

Persons: Chris Helgren, Brad Gandy, Woodside, Gandy, Warren Patterson, Saul Kavonic, Renju Jose, Florence Tan, Sonali Paul, Stephen Coates, Miral Organizations: Woodside Energy, REUTERS, Rights, Woodside, North West Shelf, Workers, Chevron Corp, Chevron, North West, Australia . Energy, Thomson Locations: Vancouver , British Columbia, Canada, Rights SYDNEY, SINGAPORE, Western Australia, Woodside, Asia, Wednesday's, Australia, Sydney, Singapore

☆ British Columbia lifts most travel restrictions as Canada wildfires ease
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-23 | by ( Nia Williams | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The restrictions barred non-essential travel to communities in the province's interior including Kelowna, Vernon and Kamloops and were due to expire at midnight. The measure will remain in place for West Kelowna. Flames burned nearly 200 homes in Kelowna and West Kelowna, officials said, but conditions were slowly improving even though smoke continued to blanket the province. "I really am beginning to feel like we're turning the corner here on this fire," West Kelowna fire chief Jason Brolund told a news conference. "...The efforts in partnership with the federal government, with First Nations and others on recovery has started already," British Columbia Premier David Eby told a news conference in West Kelowna.

Persons: David Eby, Chad Hipolito, Jason Brolund, Columbia Premier David Eby, Nia Williams, Cynthia Osterman Organizations: British, REUTERS Acquire, West, Northwest Territories, Flames, Kelowna and, First Nations, Columbia Premier, Thomson Locations: Kamloops, Canada, British Columbia, Kelowna, Vernon, West Kelowna, Northwest, Yellowknife, Kelowna and West Kelowna, Hay River, Fort Smith, Alberta

☆ Canada to challenge extension of US softwood lumber duties
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Finished lumber is seen at West Fraser Pacific Inland Resources sawmill in Smithers, British Columbia, Canada February 4, 2020. REUTERS/Jesse Winter/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsOTTAWA, Aug 22 (Reuters) - Canada will challenge what Ottawa described as an "unfair, unjust and illegal" extension of U.S. import duties on Canadian softwood lumber products, the trade ministry said on Tuesday. The softwood lumber tariffs are the legacy of a decades-long trade dispute over the structure of Canada's timber sector that could not be resolved when a quota agreement expired in 2015. "For years, the United States has imposed unfair, unjust and illegal duties on Canadian softwood lumber, hurting Canadian industry and increasing housing costs in both countries," Trade Minister Mary Ng said in the statement. "We are prepared to discuss another softwood lumber agreement when Canada is ready to address the underlying issues related to subsidization and fair competition so that Canadian lumber imports do not injure the U.S. industry," a USTR spokesperson said in an emailed statement.

Persons: Jesse Winter, Mary Ng, Ismail Shakil, Susan Heavey, Devika Syamnath, Andy Sullivan Organizations: West Fraser Pacific Inland Resources, REUTERS, Rights OTTAWA, Ottawa, U.S . Commerce Department, Canada, Washington, Trade, United, U.S . Trade, Thomson Locations: West, Smithers , British Columbia, Canada, U.S, Mexico, United States, Ottawa, Bengaluru

☆ Sigma Lithium, eyeing buyout, sues ex-CEO and daughter-in-law over trade secrets
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-22 | by ( Jonathan Stempel | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

NEW YORK, Aug 22 (Reuters) - Sigma Lithium (SGML.V), , which produces metal used in electric vehicle batteries, has sued a former co-chief executive officer, accusing him of stealing trade secrets to undermine the company's effort to sell itself. The lawsuit said Cabral-Gardner and Gardner lead a fund, A10 Investimentos, with a 44% stake in the company, with Cabral-Gardner owning 76% of the fund and Gardner owning 24%. In a July 28 interview, Cabral-Gardner said Sigma has been looking to strengthen its "unique environmentally competitive position" in the global supply chain. The case is Sigma Lithium Corp v Gardner et al, U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York, No. Reporting by Jonathan Stempel in New York; Additional reporting by Tatiana Bautzer; Editing by Jonathan OatisOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Calvyn Gardner, Sigma's, Ana Cabral, Gardner, Luisa Valim, Gardner's, Valim, Cabral, Sigma, misappropriated, Jonathan Stempel, Tatiana Bautzer, Jonathan Oatis Organizations: Sigma, Bank of America, Sigma Lithium Corp, Court, Southern District of, Thomson Locations: Manhattan, Vancouver , British Columbia, Brazil, U.S, Southern District, Southern District of New York, New York

REUTERS/Dan Riedlhuber/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsLONDON, Aug 22 (Reuters) - The fires that tore through the Canadian province of Quebec between May and July were made at least twice as likely by climate change, scientists said on Tuesday. Climate change, driven by the burning of fossil fuels, also made the fires as much as 50% more intense, according to the analysis by World Weather Attribution group, a global team of scientists that examines the role played by climate change in extreme weather. "Climate change is greatly increasing the flammability of the fuel available for wildfires – this means that a single spark, regardless of its source, can rapidly turn into a blazing inferno," said Yan Boulanger, a research scientist at Natural Resources Canada. Scientists reviewed weather data, including temperature, windspeed, humidity, and precipitation, and used computer models to assess how climate change had altered fire weather this year, comparing it to preindustrial climate. The Quebec fires are just one sliver of what has been the country's worst wildfire season on record.

Persons: Dan Riedlhuber, Yan Boulanger, Philippe Gachon, Gloria Dickie, Devika Organizations: REUTERS, Natural Resources, University of Quebec, Canadian Interagency Forest Fire, Thomson Locations: Okanagan Lake, West Kelowna, British Columbia, Canada, Canadian, Quebec, Natural Resources Canada, Montreal, Yellowknife, Territories, London

☆ Quebec, Canada wildfires made twice as likely through climate change
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-22 | by ( Laura Paddison | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

The severity of Quebec’s fire season up to the end of July was also made 50% more intense by climate change, according to the report. French firefighters try to extinguish wildfires at Lac Larouche in Quebec, Canada, on June 28, 2023. It is by far the worst wildfire season Canada has ever experienced, and there are still more than two months left to go. They then used climate models to understand the role climate change played. Climate change also made the peak fire weather in Quebec during the same period at least twice as likely and 20% more intense, according to the report.

Persons: Friederike Otto, It’s, ”, Clair Barnes, Emma UIISC7, David Dee Delgado, “, James MacDonald, Kira Hoffman, ” Hoffman, Michael Flannigan, Otto Organizations: CNN, WWA, Grantham Institute, Anadolu Agency, Getty, Canada, Bloomberg, University of British, Research, “, Predictive Services, Emergency Management, Thompson Rivers University Locations: Canada, Quebec, Illinois, Canadian, Western Europe, Bronx, New York City, Northwest Territories, Yellowknife, British Columbia, Cameron, Port Alberni , British Columbia, University of British Columbia

☆ Cooler conditions bring some hope as Canada wildfires rage on
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Aug 21 (Reuters) - Wildfires ravaging Canada's British Columbia province are showing some signs of easing and the weather conditions should improve through Monday into Tuesday, through crews are still battling "epic" blazes, emergency officials said. Blazes are also raging further north as Canada reels from its worst wildfire season on record, which many experts have blamed on climate change. British Columbia, which sits on Canada's Pacific coast, could get some rains this week from Tropical Storm Hilary, which hit California on Sunday, forecasters have said. The air quality index in many fire-affected areas - including Central Okanagan, Eastern Fraser Valley, Kamloops - hit above 10 on Monday, signaling a high risk, the British Columbia government said. Fires continued to burn about 15 km from Yellowknife and it was unclear when they will reach the city, officials said.

Persons: Hilary, Jerrad Schroeder, Jason Brolund, Brolund, Denny Thomas, Michael Perry, Andrew Heavens Organizations: Canada's, U.S ., Tropical, Kamloops Fire, British Columbia, Government, Northwest Territories, Canada's Department of National Defence, Canadian Broadcasting Corp, Thomson Locations: Canada's British Columbia, Canada, U.S, U.S . Pacific Northwest, British Columbia, California, Kamloops, Central Okanagan, Eastern Fraser Valley, British, New York, U.S . East Coast, Yellowknife, Northwest, West Kelowna

☆ At Least 50 Buildings Have Burned in British Columbia Wildfires
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-21 | by ( Ian Austen | More About Ian Austen | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

At least 50 buildings were consumed by wildfires in and around Kelowna, British Columbia, over the past few days, officials said on Monday, warning that the final tally will be higher as their survey of the damage continues. “We’re not done yet, and the most damaged neighborhoods are still to come,” Jason Brolund, the chief of the fire service in West Kelowna, the suburban community most ravaged by fire, said at a news conference on Monday. Attempts by crews to assess the extent of the destruction have been slowed by melted street signs, destroyed address markers on houses and impassable roads, as well as by felled power lines and trees, Chief Brolund said. But since Saturday, he said, a variety of factors have lessened the intensity of the fire, making it easier for fire crews to keep the flames away from buildings. None have been destroyed by the fire for the past 24 hours.

Persons: “ We’re, Jason Brolund, Brolund Locations: Kelowna, British Columbia, West Kelowna

☆ Justin Trudeau blasts Facebook for blocking news as Canada’s wildfires rage
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-21 | by ( Catherine Thorbecke | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau blasted Facebook for “putting corporate profits ahead of people’s safety” as the social media platform continues to block news content while wildfires rage in Canada’s Northwest Territories and British Columbia. Also on Monday, Trudeau described the devastation wrought by the wildfires as “apocalyptic” and praised Canadians for stepping up to support evacuees. The Canadian legislation, known as Bill C-18 or the Online News Act, was given final approval in June. During his remarks Monday, Trudeau said Facebook’s move to block news content is “bad for democracy” in the long run. “But right now, in an emergency situation, where up-to-date local information is more important than ever, Facebook’s putting corporate profits ahead of people’s safety,” Trudeau said.

Persons: Justin Trudeau, ” Trudeau, Trudeau, Meta, “, Bill C, Facebook’s, Brian Fung Organizations: CNN, Canadian, Facebook, Northwest Locations: Canada’s Northwest Territories, British Columbia, Northwest Territories, Canada, Yellowknife, Kelowna

☆ Wildfire-hit British Columbia blanketed with hazardous smoke pollution
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-21 | by ( Nia Williams | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/4] A boat passes under the Lions Gate bridge to enter Vancouver Harbour, shrouded in a haze of wildfire smoke, as seen from Cypress Mountain in North Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, August 21, 2023. REUTERS/Chris Helgren Acquire Licensing RightsREVELSTOKE, British Columbia, Aug 21 (Reuters) - Millions of people in the western Canadian province of British Columbia were under air quality warnings on Monday as hundreds of wildfires filled the skies with smoke and turned the sun orange. In the cities of Kelowna and Kamloops, the air quality index (AQI) was above 350, a "hazardous" level, real-time air quality information platform IQAir showed. Wildfire smoke is a seasonal occurrence for much of heavily-forested British Columbia, but the number of wildfires and amount of land burned is trending higher as a result of climate change, increasing concerns about the impact on human health. "This type of extreme smoke event covering all of our province does not happen every year," said Jalena Bennett, smoke information specialist with BlueSky Canada, adding 2018 was the last time wildfire smoke was so widespread.

Persons: Chris Helgren, Jalena Bennett, Ash, Marie, Eve Hervieux, Bobby Sekhon, Nia Williams, Denny Thomas, Josie Kao Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, British Columbia, BlueSky, Environment, Thomson Locations: Lions, Vancouver, Cypress Mountain, North Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, Rights REVELSTOKE, Canadian, British, Kelowna, Kamloops, Lahore, Pakistan, BlueSky Canada, Shuswap Lake, Environment Canada, Metro Vancouver, Revelstoke

☆ Canada PM Trudeau says focusing on kids and future after separation from wife
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Canada's Liberal Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, accompanied by his wife Sophie Gregoire and his children Ella-Grace, Xavier and Hadrien watch the election coverage on a TV, in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, September 20, 2021. REUTERS/Carlos Osorio//File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsOTTAWA, Aug 21 (Reuters) - Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Monday said he is focusing on his children and the future in the first comments he has made since announcing earlier this month he and his wife, Sophie Gregoire Trudeau, were separating. At the end of last week Trudeau returned from a vacation with his family and his wife in the Pacific province of British Columbia. "I really, really want to thank Canadians for having been so incredibly gracious and incredibly generous in respecting our privacy and our space," Trudeau added. Trudeau, 51, and Sophie Gregoire Trudeau, 48, were married in May 2005 and have three children, Xavier aged 15, Ella-Grace, 14 and Hadrien, 9.

Persons: Justin Trudeau, Sophie Gregoire, Ella, Grace, Xavier, Hadrien, Carlos Osorio, Monday, Sophie Gregoire Trudeau, Trudeau, Sophie, Steve Scherer, Ismail Shakil, Sandra Maler Organizations: Canada's Liberal, REUTERS, Rights OTTAWA, Canadian, Thomson Locations: Montreal, Quebec, Canada, Pacific, British Columbia

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