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‘Shock of my life': Downburst rips through Chatham-Kent destroying barns and buildings

‘Shock of my life': Downburst rips through Chatham-Kent destroying barns and buildings

CTV News19-05-2025

A barn was destroyed on 6th Line E. in Chatham-Kent, Ont. when a downburst ripped through the area on May 15, 2025 (Source: Brent Lale/CTV News London)

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Smoke blankets Alberta as fight against western wildfires continues
Smoke blankets Alberta as fight against western wildfires continues

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Smoke blankets Alberta as fight against western wildfires continues

Social Sharing Smoke from wildfires burning across Alberta has blanketed much of the province, including the Edmonton region. Edmontonians woke up to worsening air quality — the distinct smell of burning wood and morning skies cloaked in an orange haze. Environment Canada has issued special air quality statements for the city and surrounding regions, while air quality warnings remain in effect for a swath of communities across the northern portion of the province. Air quality and visibility due to wildfire smoke could fluctuate from hour to hour and as smoke levels increase, so do the health risks, Environment Canada cautioned. As of Tuesday morning, the Air Quality Health Index for the Edmonton region was rated at 10+, meaning that residents are at a very high risk from the current levels of air pollution. Environment Canada is urging people to limit their time outside and to monitor themselves for symptoms of prolonged exposure, including difficulty breathing, wheezing, chest pains or severe cough. Environment Canada meteorologist Steven Flisfeder said that from B.C. to Quebec, Canadians could likely see and smell wildfire smoke. "We're seeing smoke present almost everywhere," Flisfeder said. "When we look at satellite imagery, we can see the presence of smoke stemming from these wildfires making their way across the Atlantic toward the U.K. and parts of Europe." He said the haze isn't dangerous when it remains in the Earth's upper atmosphere but when it descends, it becomes a health risk. Flisfeder added that winds are expected to shift in the coming days. A scorching season Smoke is drifting in from the northwest from fires burning in northern Alberta as well as northeastern B.C. 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Red Sky at night, sailor's delight: N.S. launches Canada's first cider appellation
Red Sky at night, sailor's delight: N.S. launches Canada's first cider appellation

CTV News

time2 hours ago

  • CTV News

Red Sky at night, sailor's delight: N.S. launches Canada's first cider appellation

The Nova Scotia Cider Association has launched Canada's first cider appellation. Dubbed 'Red Sky,' the association says the cider celebrates the distinct flavours and characteristics of Nova Scotia's world-class apples. 'An appellation really is about the area,' Poet Comeau, owner of Lake City Cider and president of the Nova Scotia Cider Association, explained during an interview on CTV Morning Live Tuesday. 'So really, when we are celebrating appellations and our ciders here, we're talking about Nova Scotia in particular.' All ciders must be made from 100 per cent Nova Scotia-grown apples in order to obtain the Red Sky designation. 'What it strives for is to say, this is a little bit of Nova Scotia in a glass,' Comeau said. The Red Sky appellation is the first appellation to be recognized in North America. In order for a cider to be recognized as a Red Sky in Nova Scotia it has to meet certain standards. 'It has to go through a blind tasting of its peers, no one from the association or who owns, or produces can be on that tasting panel,' Comeau said. The association partnered with Nova Scotia Community College's food and hospitality program for the tastings. 'It really just creates a standard. So you can only have a certain amount of sugar, acid has to be in balance, it does need to be carbonated and filtered,' the Lake City Cider owner said. The cooler nights and warmer days help to make the apples red to produce the Red Sky appellation, she said. 'We have this specific soil, we have this specific climate, we get the right weather, we get the right change in weather,' Comeau explained. The association says the goal is for Nova Scotia cideries to produce Red Sky ciders that share similarities, but still have their own expressions depending on the different apples used. 'We want the different Red Skies to be more like siblings,' she said. The Red Sky name is an ode to the weather proverb that suggests a red sky at night indicates good weather is coming, while a red sky in the morning signals bad weather. The association notes Nova Scotia's cider history is rooted in its maritime heritage, from the arrival of apples and seeds via ships to the role of cider in supporting sailors and coastal trade. Red Sky Red Sky by Dartmouth's Lake City Cider is pictured. For more Nova Scotia news, visit our dedicated provincial page

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