Lynn Lake wildfire update
Winnipeg Watch
Brandon Dulewich, mayor of Lynn Lake, shares the latest updates on the current wildfire situation.
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Winnipeg Free Press
43 minutes ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
Air quality warnings impacting Manitoba amateur, professional athletes alike
This year's Manitoba High School Athletic Association Provincial Track and Field Championships have been cancelled due to ongoing air quality concerns caused by wildfires in the province, making conditions unsafe. More than 1,500 athletes from grades 9 through 12 were set to compete in the three-day competition planned for June 5–7 at University Stadium on the University of Manitoba campus. The MHSAA had originally postponed all scheduled events on Thursday to Friday, hoping air quality would improve, but updated at 6:15 a.m. today that the event would be cancelled entirely. MIKE DEAL / FREE PRESS This is the first time the Manitoba Provincial Track and Field Championships have been cancelled over unsafe air quality levels from wildfire smoke. The MHSAA air quality protocol states, 'Poor air quality can impact the health and performance of outdoor sport participants, including athletes, coaches and sports officials. The MHSAA recognizes the potential short and long-term health effects of engaging in physical activity outdoors when the air quality is poor, and is fully committed to reducing the risk posed to outdoor sport participants to help contribute to safer outdoor activities and events.' Chad Falk, the executive director of the MHSAA, said that, unfortunately, rescheduling is not an option. 'The nature of the event and how many athletes, the unique venue, access to officials, access to venues, kids travelling from all over the province, it was just impossible to look at finding a way to reschedule it,' said Falk. 'Especially with time constraints heading into the end of June with exams, all those types of things.' The only other times the MHSAA track and field provincials were outright cancelled were during COVID years in 2020 and 2021. While there have been previous schedule changes and event condensing due to weather, such as severe rain or thunderstorms, there has never been a cancellation caused by smoke. 'I think this is definitely going to become a reality for us for outdoor sports moving forward,' said Falk. The MHSAA uses real-time data from PurpleAir sensors, which are spread across North America, to monitor air quality, including two located at Princess Auto Stadium. Data from Environment Canada and recommendations from Health Canada are also consulted. If the Air Quality Health Index (AQHI) reaches eight or higher at any point during an event, the MHSAA pauses competition. 'It's heartbreaking,' said Falk. 'Especially for the Grade 12s, this was their finale to high school sport… It's always a great wind up, in a sense, of a school year, celebration of high school sport, and it's sad not to see it move forward.' Other Winnipeg outdoor sports have been affected by wildfire smoke, including last week's Winnipeg Blue Bombers pre-season game against the Roughriders in Regina, which was delayed by an hour until air quality improved due to wildfires burning in Saskatchewan. And on Wednesday, Bombers practice was forced indoors to the WSF South building due to the poor air quality caused by the Manitoba wildfires. Next door at Princess Auto Stadium, Valour FC's 11 a.m. kickoff against Vancouver FC was pushed back 30 minutes as the AQHI was hovering around 12. On Sunday, Valour had a match that was pushed back two-and-a-half hours for the same reason. It's a situation the Valour and the Bombers may very well face this season if the issue persists. Ruth Bonneville / Free Press On Wednesday, the Winnipeg Blue Bombers practice was forced indoors to the WSF South building due to the poor air quality caused by the Manitoba wildfires. For the Bombers, under CFL regulations if the AQHI reaches eight or above using Environment Canada metrics during warmups or games, the onsite League Representative will enact the league's air quality procedure, which includes automatically stopping the game and sending teams to their dressing rooms. 'We've come up with some pretty good protocols and we observe it well,' said Bombers long snapper Mike Benson on Wednesday, a CFLPA representative. 'I don't think we get distracted by it at all. We just know we have to get our work done no matter where we are. It's a relatively new protocol, it's only been around for a couple of years.' 'We're always tinkering with it to find the best solution, the fastest results, so we're not debating on the phone up to a minute before the game. But unfortunately, just like any kind of weatherman, you can't predict what's going to go on. All we can do is adapt, persevere and be OK with it as a team.' Winnipeg Jets Game Days On Winnipeg Jets game days, hockey writers Mike McIntyre and Ken Wiebe send news, notes and quotes from the morning skate, as well as injury updates and lineup decisions. Arrives a few hours prior to puck drop. The Winnipeg Goldeyes have had no interruptions, playing yesterday at Blue Cross Park despite an air quality warning issued by Environment Canada and an AQHI index of 10 at game time, which began at 6:30 p.m. The Fish ended up losing the three-game series and the series finale against the Kane County Cougars 1-2. There is currently no air quality regulations in place for the Goldeyes, however, they do offer ticket exchanges for people who can't attend games due to health conditions. The Fish are scheduled to open their next homestand tonight against the Kansas City Monarchs with first pitch scheduled for 7 p.m. — with files from Taylor Allen
CTV News
an hour ago
- CTV News
Dog poop isn't allowed in Sudbury roadside litter containers
City officials are reminding the public that they don't want to see dog waste left in litter bins around Greater Sudbury. The city of Greater Sudbury has approximately 230 roadside litter containers across the municipality and staff want to remind residents dog waste is not allowed in them. Nataly Whissell, Manager of Collection and Recycling says its not uncommon for the city to do a mail blitz to send out reminders of where the waste should go instead. 'They should be bringing it home. A couple of options there. Mixing it with your regular garbage. So we do have a maximum amount of 10% volume in your garbage can, residents can also participate in a dog waste digester support program. They can flush their the dog feces in the toilet. They can consider hiring a company to remove the pet waste. And, of course, there's always the option to deliver the extra pet waste directly to a landfill site,' she said. Whissell tells CTVNews there are several reasons why people are not allowed to dispose of pet waste in the containers. 'Often, times when there's too much dog waste in a bin, it'll cause it to be overloaded, it becomes overweight and then we can't collect from it. So we have to send extra resources out to collect. It also makes roadside litter containers pretty dirty and smelly for anybody in the surrounding area and certainly increases the likelihood that the waste collector and surrounding properties and surrounding vehicles could be sprayed with the disease causing bacteria found in dog poop,' she said. Michel Babin walks his dog along Bancroft Drive sometimes up to three times a day. Often finding dog poop bags and trash on the side of the road. 'I've been putting it into the garbage bins with the last one. It says waste…I didn't even know. I had no clue," he said. Hope McKinlay has a 3-year-old dog and says it doesn't make sense. 'There's a garbage bin for garbage. You want me to put my Gatorade bottles, my food waste, stuff like that but I can't put actual waste like 100% not if it's human. Maybe not, but dog waste is kind of the one thing that the reason is the garbage. So it's not just strewn along the trails where people walk, where they hike. I wouldn't want to step in that. I'd rather it be in the garbage,' she said. For more information on pet waste visit
CBC
an hour ago
- CBC
State of emergency ends in Puvirnituq, Que., as water flows again
A state of emergency declared in Puvirnituq, Que., three weeks ago amid a severe water shortage is now over, officials in Nunavik say. But the chair of the Kativik Regional Government says the crisis has shown "that inexplicable living conditions still exist in this country," and that the region needs more resilient water systems. The emergency was declared in May amid a worsening water shortage in Puvrinituq, a community of about 2,100 people. The problem actually began weeks earlier, in mid-March, after a water pipeline that connects the pump station to the treatment plant froze. Severe weather conditions also made it difficult for trucks to collect water and deliver it to homes. The Quebec government ended up air-lifting 145,000 litres of bottled water to the community. The prolonged water shortage caused problems for the local hospital, which ran out of water at times and had to fly some patients south for care. Nunavik's chief public health officer also warned that illnesses like gastroenteritis (stomach flu) could spread rapidly as the water shortage impacted access to sanitation, and officials last month ended the school year early. In a news release on Friday, town officials said things have improved in the last couple of weeks after a temporary water pipeline bypass was installed with help from the Kativik Regional Government (KRG), restoring the flow of raw water to the treatment plant. "This is a stabilizing, interim solution until more permanent repairs can be completed throughout the summer," the release states. KRG officials say it's not the first time Puvirnituq has dealt with water distribution problems, and they blame "chronic underfunding of resilient water supply infrastructure" that can endure Nunavik's harsh winter weather. Puvirntuq mayor Lucy Qalingo said in a statement that she's relieved that things have stabilized and that "the worst of the water crisis has passed" in her community. "There remain steep obstacles to ensuring that Puvirniturmiut can rely on the current system when they need it most," she said. KRG chairperson Hilda Snowball also issued a statement, reassuring the community that the KRG is committed to addressing water infrastructure issues "by any and all means." "We are more determined than ever to make governments accountable for providing a resilient water system comparable to what people outside of Nunavik take for granted," she said.
