How CBRM is managing its tinder-dry conditions
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CTV News
17 minutes ago
- CTV News
Several GTA communities have now issued fire bans. Here is why.
A fire ban sign is seen in this undated photo. (City of Vaughan) Two more municipalities in the Greater Toronto Area have put in place a fire ban as the region continues to see prolonged dry conditions. On Tuesday, Vaughan and Burlington issued the bans. They join Ajax, Aurora, Newmarket, Oakville, Richmond Hill, Oshawa and Peterborough in prohibiting open-air burning. The municipalities said the bans are in response to the dry and hot weather conditions, limited rainfall and smoke from wildfires. The last time the region saw more than 10 millimetres of rain was on July 20. Since then, the GTA has been under two multi-day heat events. While conditions in some areas are expected to slightly improve this evening as a cooler air mass is forecast to arrive, hot and humid conditions could persist in the GTA through Wednesday. There is a chance for thunderstorms between 2 p.m. and 10 p.m. on Tuesday, according to the Toronto and Region Conservation Authority, which could bring much-needed precipitation. The use of outdoor wood-burning appliances, like fire pits and fireplaces, bonfires, chimineas and campfires, is prohibited until further notice. In Vaughan, existing fire permits are cancelled and no new permits will be issued as a result. The City of Burlington warned that those who do not comply with the ban may be fined or invoiced. 'This burn ban applies to the entire city, including properties with approved burn permits. The ban will remain in effect until further notice. This measure is consistent with burn bans currently in place in many municipalities across Ontario, due to ongoing dry conditions and increased fire risk,' Burlington Fire Department Chief Mathew Williamson said in a statement. Fire tables or bowls and other burning devices that use propane or natural gas as fuel are allowed, and the ban does not apply to small, confined fires used to cook food on a grill, barbeque or pit. Crews battle forest fires in Kawartha Lakes The fire bans come as crews battle two active forest fires in Kawartha Lakes. One is in the Burnt River area, involving 27 hectares of forest and the other is around Kirkfield, involving 33.5 hectares. Kawartha Lakes fire The Kirkfield area forest fire in Kawartha Lakes is seen from the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry flight. (City of Kawartha Lakes) Officials said evacuation is not necessary at this time but are warning the public to avoid the areas so crews can safely work on knocking down the fires. A fire ban is also in effect across the City of Kawartha Lakes. 'With fire resources fully engaged in these fires, resources are constrained. Any fire complaints for open-air burning will be treated with zero tolerance,' the city said.
CTV News
an hour ago
- CTV News
East Coast drought fuels wildfires, but also dries up farm crops and wells
Young apple trees are seen in Nova Scotia's Annapolis Valley during a drought on July 28, 2025. (Jonathan MacInnis/CTV Atlantic) HALIFAX — An East Coast drought that's fuelling wildfires is also drying up farmers' fields, and has homeowners scrambling to refill empty wells. Nova Scotia, eastern Newfoundland, southeastern New Brunswick and portions of Prince Edward Island shifted into moderate to severe drought conditions over the past month, says an Agriculture Canada update released Tuesday. Rainfall has plummeted to roughly 60 per cent of normal levels in Halifax, with 270 millimetres falling from April to the end of July, compared to average levels of 460 mm for the same period, the federal agency says. In Newfoundland and Labrador, where wildfire smoke is swirling within sight of the capital St. John's, rainfall over the same period is down about one-third from normal levels. 'It looks to be one of the driest Augusts on record (to date) … preceded by one of the driest months of July to date,' Environment Canada forecaster Brian Proctor said in a recent interview. Trevor Hadwen, a specialist with Agriculture Canada, said that while the drought conditions aren't unprecedented in the Atlantic region, 2025 has been an 'abnormally dry' year. 'The drought in some regions has come on strong and we're seeing some pretty severe impacts from the drought, such as water supply losses and shortages and drying up of surface water supplies,' he said Monday. Farmers impacted Farmers in Nova Scotia are describing the water shortages as the most severe in recent memory. Jordan Eyamie, the manager of Webster Farms Ltd. in Cambridge, N.S., says she and her field staff are fatigued from 12-hour days spent hauling irrigation gear onto strawberry, raspberry, bean and rhubarb fields. The beans aren't growing to normal size, while it's a struggle to keep the berries and rhubarb from withering, she said in a recent interview. Some wells are drained to the point where she wonders if they'll last through the summer. 'Our yields are certainly going to be down … and everyone is exhausted trying to keep the irrigation systems going due to the lack of rain, and it doesn't seem like there's any hope in sight.' Proctor said the forecast calls for only light precipitation in the region by Friday, adding, 'at this point it's probably best to anticipate continuing warm and dry conditions across Atlantic Canada.' As of Tuesday morning, five of Newfoundland and Labrador's active wildfires were considered out of control, while two out-of-control fires were burning in New Brunswick. Both New Brunswick and Nova Scotia have banned activities like hiking and fishing in forested areas. Josh Oulton, co-owner of TapRoot Farms in Windsor, N.S., said in a recent interview that water is being pumped from his wells to irrigate crops but the 'apples are suffering badly.' The beets and carrots he planted earlier in the summer aren't growing. 'Everything is just barely holding on. At the same time the prices from suppliers are going up … and we're slowly dying,' he said. Water conservation measures As the hot, dry days continue, some rural residents are scrambling to ensure their wells are kept full. In Nova Scotia, about 42 per cent of residents are on private well water. Garth Higgins, owner of Water Unlimited — a water delivery firm in eastern Nova Scotia — said he's seeing the highest demand for his services since he began operating 19 years ago. The 54-year-old resident of Cooks Brook, N.S., recalls that there was a dry season late in the summer in 2016, but it wasn't as severe. When reached on Monday morning, he had a list of 33 deliveries booked and orders coming in every few minutes. 'There are people calling me daily, saying my well just ran out — it just ran out,' he said in an interview. 'It means no running water in the house. No baths, no showers, no flushing toilets.' Higgins said the shortages are mostly happening in smaller communities, which aren't able to access the reservoirs serving cities. The Halifax Regional Municipality has voluntary water conservation measures in effect, but many smaller, rural towns in northern Nova Scotia and the Annapolis Valley have brought in mandatory limits as their reservoirs run low. Jennifer MacNeil, a spokeswoman for New Brunswick's Environment Department, said stream flows at sites in the northeast, southeast and along the Fundy Coast are at 'all time lows.' Groundwater levels at eastern and southeastern monitoring sites 'are well below normal.' 'With no significant precipitation in the near-term forecast, water resource conditions are expected to continue to gradually decline. A slow and steady rainfall over several days is needed to improve water levels,' said MacNeil. Gordon Check, a hydrogeologist with Nova Scotia's Environment Department, said in an interview Monday there is a cycle in groundwater, where levels rise in autumn and winter but drop in summer. However, he said that this summer the levels have fallen to their lowest annual point earlier than usual. 'Where last year the lows may have occurred more towards August and September, this year they're about a month earlier,' he said. By Michael Tutton, The Canadian Press This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 12, 2025.
CTV News
2 hours ago
- CTV News
The Do's and Don'ts of lawn care during hot, dry weather
If your grass is brown, dry and feels like straw you are not alone. An expert joins us to help revive our lawn. The hot weather combined with a lack of precipitation is causing many lawns in Ottawa to dry out. Maintaining a lawn during a drought or a heatwave requires some maintenance, Nutri-Lawn Ottawa founder and owner Thom Bourne told CTV Morning Live, and there are some common mistakes to avoid. He says if you've been watering your lawn already, you'll want to continue, but if you haven't started yet, don't expect instant results. 'The best plan right now is if you have been watering, stay with it, water deeply, not too frequently, then your lawn will look great,' he said. 'If you haven't been watering, however, and you haven't been cutting it too short, just let it go dormant, and as soon as the rains start back, the grass will start to come back.' Bourne says it can take several days for grass to revive once it starts getting water again. 'When you start watering, don't expect it to come back immediately. It's going to take about 21 days for it to grow to something that looks reasonable again.' Some municipalities in the region, such as Carleton Place, are asking residents to refrain from using sprinkler and irrigation systems to water their lawns because of the lack of rainfall. Local conservation authorities are also asking people who live in several areas to reduce their overall water consumption because of the lack of rainfall. What if my lawn has died? Bourne said some lawns in Ottawa might be beyond saving at this point, given the conditions. 'Every year seems to have a little bit of a drought, but this one is excessive. We're seeing signs of lawns that are not going to come back because they've dried up, they've shed their roots, the crowns have died, and that's it, they're toast, so people are going to have to get some overseeding done in the fall,' he said. And fall is quickly approaching, despite how it feels outside right now. Dry grass in Ottawa Dry grass seen in Ottawa. Aug. 3, 2025. (CTV News Ottawa) 'In the next few weeks, when the night temperatures start coming down, we want to start getting seed on people's lawns, so it recovers well for the fall. If they don't do that, they're going to find out that they have a lawn that's very thin, very sparse, and it's not going to last through the winter,' he said. 'By getting some overseeding done in the next few weeks into the fall, letting it grow for 21 days to harden, then it goes into winter mode… you're going to have a great lawn in the spring. So, maintenance now is important for later on.' Common mistakes There are a couple of common mistakes people might make with their lawns. 'The number one mistake is they cut the lawn too short. They think they should cut it right down to nothing; they shouldn't,' he said. 'Let it grow up to about three inches, and right now, if it's anything below three inches, don't cut it, just let it go.' Keeping the grass at around three inches, or between seven and eight centimetres, will help shield the roots from the sun, Bourne said, which will keep them from drying out. The next common mistake is infrequent or improper watering. 'It tricks it into thinking the rain is here, it starts to grow, it doesn't have water, and then it either goes dormant or sheds and dies again. It's important not to water too little at any particular time,' said Bourne. The weather forecast for this week includes low chances for precipitation and temperatures remaining above average on most days. The last significant rainfall that was reported in Ottawa was on July 24, with some trace amounts or short, localized bursts since then.
