
Fire ban lifted in Kitchener
Kitchener says they will cancel their city-wide fire ban at 4 p.m. on Wednesday.
It began on Aug. 8 after the city cited the dry, hot conditions as being unsafe for any kind of outdoor fire.
Backyard fires and open burns were not allowed and no new permits were issued or approved.
The ban was lifted due to the cooler temperatures and wet weather.
Fire bans continue, as of Aug. 20, in North Dumfries, Wellesley, Wilmot and Woolwich.
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CBC
37 minutes ago
- CBC
Will regular power cuts soon be part of Canadian summer?
Welcome to our weekly newsletter where we highlight environmental trends and solutions that are moving us to a more sustainable world. Will regular power cuts soon be part of Canadian summer? Len Ens sits on his sunbaked porch in Princeton, B.C., overlooking the small town's busy sawmill, and wonders where he and his neighbours would find shelter from the heat if the power went out. "We won't have any protection … imagine trying to live without being able to stay cool, even inside a house, it's like an oven in there," he says, gesturing to his small rancher that sits in a semi-rural neighbourhood, with very little tree coverage. Ens recently learned that the local utility provider, FortisBC, has brought in a new wildfire prevention measure for his region of B.C.'s southern interior. The change allows the company to switch off power during extremely hot, dry and windy conditions to avoid sparking a fire. It's called a public safety power shutoff policy, or a PSPS. There is no record of this kind of outage being carried out by a utility in Canada, although it's common practice in the U.S. and these kinds of wildfire policies are rapidly becoming the industry standard as wildfire season grows more severe in Canada. In Alberta, two power companies also have active policies. B.C. Hydro and Newfoundland Power say they are both weighing the pros and cons of introducing similar wildfire safety measures. But electricity customers, especially those who can't afford generators, like Ens, say they fear for their lives. "Why would you take away, even for a day or two, people's only source of energy that they can use to survive such heat," he said. "The costs, just in human casualties alone, would be pretty high." The announcement of this policy has triggered local memories of the deadly heat dome of 2021 that killed over six hundred British Columbians. Many of those who died weren't able to cool their homes. 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Oliver says people in Kern County have been vocal about how frustrated and scared they are, as they adjust to living without power in the summer for longer periods of time. And, although his community doesn't have all the answers, he had some advice for Canadian communities trying to prepare for the possibility of a summer power cut. Oliver said generators or back-up batteries are the best option, but not everyone in his community can afford them. That's why they lobbied the California utilities to chip in. Now, both power companies in the county offer small grants for back up power units, this has also allowed Oliver's organization to purchase some to lend out. In Canada, FortisBC is not currently offering grants. Nicole Brown said the utility is consulting with the local health authority and emergency service providers about the need for community supports, and she advises vulnerable customers to register with the company for advance notice of planned outage. Californian power companies also regularly set-up cooling and charging stations in communities that don't have their own, and Oliver suggests asking utility companies to send people into remote communities during a PSPS to check on the most vulnerable. Ultimately, he says, planning for power cuts in hot weather is difficult and needs to go beyond individual homes, requiring a community level of preparation to try to keep people safe. Check out our podcast and radio show. From the Best of What On Earth:The coastal city of Aberdeen, Scotland, has long made its living off the North Sea, first from fishing then oil and gas. Now, a new transition is underway: offshore wind. But who wins and who loses? Laura Lynch has some surprising conversations on the windy shores. What On Earth drops new podcast episodes every Wednesday and Saturday. You can find them on your favourite podcast app or on demand at CBC Listen. 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The Big Picture: Life, uh, finds a way Dinosaurs may not be returning to fossil-rich Alberta, but greenery certainly is. This trail near Whistlers Mountain in Jasper National Park, Alta. — pictured on Aug. 14, 2025 — was hit particularly hard by the 33,000 hectare Jasper Wildfire Complex in 2024. But one year later, to the surprise of Parks Canada staff, the understory has mostly regenerated, showing "typical soil and ground cover," according to Marcia DeWandel, a vegetation restoration specialist with the department. "It is actually amazing how much green there is in a lot of the spaces that we thought we wouldn't see anything for a while," said DeWandel. This year's wildfire season is already the second-worst in Canadian history, passing last year's numbers by mid-July. But as fires burn more of Canada's forests, portraits of regrowth like this will also become more common. We may not see trees return for a while — reseeding after a fire is a multi-year process even with human help. 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CTV News
37 minutes ago
- CTV News
Manitoba thunderstorms cause downed lines, power outages
Manitoba Hydro power lines are photographed just outside Winnipeg on May 1, 2018. THE CANADIAN PRESS/John Woods Manitoba Hydro crews are working on repairs after major thunderstorms damaged power lines around the province. In a series of social media posts, the Crown corporation said overnight storms brought down lines in several parts of Manitoba, including in Winnipeg's River Heights neighbourhood, where 'considerable damage' has left 600 customers without power. Hydro added that its crews have been working throughout the night and will get the power restored as soon as possible. Manitobans are reminded to stay at least 10 metres back from downed lines.