Massive elm tree in one downtown neighbourhood will be axed next week
Toronto Watch
The elm has been a staple for generations, but next week it will be coming down after city officials determined it has reached the end of it's life. CTV's Beth Macdonell reports.
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CBC
an hour ago
- CBC
Winnipeg dog owner describes 'unnerving' encounter with aggressive deer
Social Sharing A moment of fascination turned into discomfort and fear for a Winnipeg dog owner who encountered a deer Thursday. "At first it seems like it's really kind of this magical moment, this really interesting animal that we're making a connection with," Marlowe Hiebert told CBC News. "Then the next thing the deer gets aggressive. It's like, 'OK, this script is going off.'" Hiebert and his eight-year-old Sheltie dog, Macy, were walking down Browning Boulevard in the city's Westwood neighbourhood on Thursday morning when a deer darted out from in front of a group of parked cars. The deer came to a full stop almost two metres from them and locked eyes with Macy, before it started to stomp its hooves aggressively, Hiebert said. Hiebert and Macy began walking up the sidewalk, trying to get away for their own safety, but the deer tagged along, following them down the front lawns. "This little girl would probably be really hurt if a deer would attack," Hiebert said, referring to his dog. Left to their own, with no one else around to distract the deer, Hiebert stopped and stomped his own feet, trying to give the deer an aggressive posture, but the animal didn't flinch. "It wasn't until we came past pine trees and got some visual break between us that she did let us go," Hiebert said. It's not unusual to see a deer coming through the neighbourhood, Hiebert said. During the winter he has seen up to four deer laying under a pine tree on his front lawn. "They don't seem that big when you're standing near them," he said. "But you begin to look at the length of those legs and the speed with which they could likely move them. "It was a little unnerving to have an animal like that be that aggressive." A spokesperson for the province said they received several reports about the deer aggressively defending its fawn in the area, but there have been no reports of the animal making contact with residents. The protective behaviour of the deer is expected to be short-lived, lasting a few weeks until the fawn can move on its own, the spokesperson said. Relocation will only be used as a last resort, the province said, given it can cause stress to the deer and the fawn. In the meantime, warning signs have been installed by the province, and the public is urged to be cautious and avoid the area or use an alternate route. Deer sightings on the rise Wildlife encounters like this are very rare, only happening once every year or two, the province said. But Winnipeg is not isolated from having wildlife, especially when considering the city's design, said Barret Miller, manager of education and programming at Assiniboine Park Conservancy. Developments around the city are being built to co-exist with forested areas in open grasslands that sit along river streams, he said, making Winnipeg an ideal habitat for whitetail deer. "It's no longer just open yards and big houses, it's now a mix of shrubs, trees," he said. "It's not necessarily that the numbers are increasing. We're just seeing them more widespread across the city." Any animal species, regardless of how docile it might seem to be, can be aggressive, Miller said. Deer have tight and muscled legs designed to help them jump, but they can also be used to kick, Miller said. The same amount of force they use to jump three metres in the air can be used to kick. That's the reason Miller said it's best to be at least five to 10 metres away from a deer while keeping a smaller posture and making as little noise as possible. But if the deer starts "taking an unhealthy interest in you" and it is becoming a rather unsafe situation, he recommended to be large, loud and back away. "Just talk to that animal in a very deep, bassy voice. Puff up your shoulders, pull the dog in on the leash and skirt around that animal," said Miller. It is also important not to approach the fawn when the deer isn't around. People might think the animal has been abandoned, but the fawn was, in most cases, only left behind while its mother looked for something to feed it, Miller said. "Give them the space to be the mom they need to be, and they're going to give us the space we need to be human, and we'll get along," he said.
CBC
2 hours ago
- CBC
Drink it, dip it or bake it — rhubarb season is here: Jasmine Mangalaseril
Whether tumbled with strawberries for pies, cooked down for sauces or chutneys, or simply eaten raw, dipped in sugar (or salt), rhubarb is here. The cold-hardy perennial vegetable — it's not a fruit — begins to grow when the soil temperature reaches about 10 C. Jeannette French of Lennox Farm in Melancthon, Ont., said the lingering winter and ice storms caused delays. "Usually we're done [harvesting field rhubarb] by the beginning of July. But this year, because it's been so cool, it's pushed the season back," French said. Lennox Farm was established in Etobicoke in the 1880s. They moved to Melancthon about a century later and have been growing forced rhubarb since 1916. Where once there were dozens of forced rhubarb growers in the province, many gave up after power rates spiked during the energy crisis in the 1970s. Brian and Jeannette French are Ontario's last commercial forced rhubarb growers. Forced vs field Today, field rhubarb is grown on just less than a third of Lennox Farm's 121 hectares, with five forcing sheds (greenhouses to grow off-season plants) growing forced rhubarb. They harvest 155 to 175 metric tonnes annually, or about half of Ontario's commercial crop, supplying restaurants and stores. Harvested from January to March or April, forced rhubarb grows in the dark, like white asparagus. Because the plant's sugars concentrate in the stalks it's often sweeter than field grown. "Rhubarb that's growing [in forcing sheds] is a nice bright pink or sometimes a reddish colour. The leaves are really tiny and yellow because photosynthesis isn't really taking place, so the chlorophyll is not in the leaves or in the stalk," said French. Garden stalks If you're looking to grow your own rhubarb and you're starting with new roots, plant in heavy, rich soil, and keep the soil fertilized and moist. Resist the urge to harvest for the first two or three years, to avoid stressing the root. Avoid companion planting with cucumbers, melons and sunflowers. Instead, rhubarb grows well with brassicas like broccoli and cabbage or herbs like chives and thyme. You can grow it alongside garlic as well. Rhubarb bolts send up astilbe-like flowers when temperatures rise above 20 C. Bolting can also happen if the plant is stressed or when it should be divided. To keep harvesting stalks, cut flower stems so the plant's energy focuses on stalks. A bit of crunch "It should hold firm," said Chef Darnell Gregg, executive chef at the Boathouse DTK. "By the time it starts getting a little bit soft and kind of flaccid looking, the best days are behind it.' He also suggested choosing rhubarb stalks with strong pink or green colouring, without brown spots. Leaves and flower stems contain oxalic acid, which is poisonous to people and animals, so discard them. If you're not using the rhubarb immediately, wash well, cut the ends and wrap them in damp toweling before refrigerating. And if you're looking for something to pair the rhubarb with other than strawberries, Gregg said to play off it's sour components. "Anywhere that you think about using something like a lemon ... you have the options of either adding sweetness like sugar to it, to tone down those things, or you add some acid ... and all of the sudden it becomes an amazing pickle for a charcuterie board." On the savoury side you can pickle rhubarb with ginger or mustard, to go with rich or fatty cheeses, meats or fish. You can also cook it with mint and basil. Consider adding pink peppercorn, fenugreek, cinnamon or cardamom if you're making chutneys or sauces. On the sweet side, roast it with sugar or make a thick syrup for ice cream or pancakes. Pour it in a glass Rhubarb juice can be drunk like lemonade or mixed into cocktails. Katrina Salmon, bar manager at Bardō Guelph, suggested making spritzes with rhubarb juice, but alcohol pairings could include gin, vodka or rum. She also said you can find inspiration in pie. "You could do [something] caramelly, if you want to use bourbon. A sour would be nice as well, it still has a richness, and it'll bring that little tart aspect," Salmon said. Katrina Salmon's Rhubarb Mule Cocktail 4 lime wedges 4 basil leaves 2 oz London dry gin 1 oz Rhubarb syrup Ice Ginger beer Muddle lime and basil in a tall Collins glass. Add gin, rhubarb syrup, and ice. Top with a splash of ginger beer. Garnish with a fresh lime wheel and fresh basil leaves.
CBC
4 hours ago
- CBC
N.L. fishery advocate Jack Troake dies at the age of 88
He will be remembered for his love — and decades spent — on the water. Jack Troake was an outspoken figure in the fishing industry, and a fierce supporter of the seal hunt. The CBC's Troy Turner visited Troake's hometown of Twillingate to hear how he will be remembered.
