Latest news with #CBC News
CBC
7 hours ago
- Climate
- CBC
As wildfires burn, officials warn cabin owners to vacate area near Chance Harbour
A weekend of hot temperatures in Newfoundland has sparked several new wildfires across the island. According to provincial fire duty officer Mark Lawlor, eight wildfires are currently burning. One in Chance Harbour, near Terra Nova National Park, started early Monday afternoon. "That fire is growing. I don't have an estimate on size, but I think it's going to be substantial," Lawlor told CBC News. Fire crews tried to reach the blaze, he said, but conditions are not favourable and some cabins are at risk. "The air tankers have been taken off," said Lawlor. "They just can't do anything with that fire." The Department of Fisheries, Forestry and Agriculture is advising anyone in the Chance Harbour resource road cabin area to immediately leave. This follows the provincial government's decision to issue a provincewide fire ban on Friday. The majority of the island is reaching temperatures in the high 20s and some into the 30s. Two fires that started in eastern Newfoundland on Sunday are labelled as burning out of control, with the Northwest Brook fire estimated to be 9.2 hectares and the Maccles Lake South fire estimated to be four hectares. A wildfire burning near Bonavista Bay started on Saturday and is estimated to be one hectare. It's considered as under control. In central Newfoundland, two more fires are considered under control, including the largest wildfire active in the province near Pamehac Brook North. Located near Badger, the Pamehac Brook North fire is estimated to have burned 1,034 hectares. It started on June 17 and prompted the provincial government to issue a temporary evacuation order for residents. The Bellman's Pond fire is also under control. It started last Wednesday and is estimated to be just under one hectare. In western Newfoundland, the two Burnt Dam fires continue to burn. They started on July 5. The first is estimated to be 131 hectares and is being held. The second is estimated to be 2.5 hectares and is under control.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Artist slams Manitoba government's 'completely tone deaf' donation request for 'buy local' gift bags
A Winnipeg artist said she's disappointed by the Manitoba government's request for a local small business owner to donate their products for an upcoming "buy local" themed event. In a July 7 email obtained by CBC News, a representative from Manitoba Finance asked a local maker to consider donating some of their products to be included in gift bags for a "buy local"-themed event. CBC News is not identifying the maker because they fear retribution in their professional career. About 30 government representatives from all of Canada's provinces and territories are expected to attend the event, which is a government taxation conference the province plans to host in September, the email said. "Should you choose to donate, we will happily share any additional advertisements with our guests, who in turn will take them back to their provinces and territories," the email reads. The representative's request was made on behalf of the event's host chair, Paul Olafson, who is also an assistant deputy minister for the province's Finance Department. Olafson, in a July 8 email to the business owner who voiced concerns about the request, said he wanted to offer the gift bags as a way to showcase Manitoba "as a terrific and unique experience," and to give local business owners "the opportunity to display their great products." Attendance fees pay for the costs to host the meeting, Olafson said. "Unfortunately, the event budget does not include products we're including in our 'welcome to Manitoba' kits." Meg Greenlay, a ceramic artist in Winnipeg, says the province's initial request and Olafson's response were shared among a group chat of local artists, including her, who found it "disappointing." While being asked for freebies isn't new for small businesses, Greenlay said it's "completely tone deaf" for the province to do so in the current economic climate. Heightened trade tensions between Canada and the United States prompted a "buy local" movement across the country earlier this year. But Greenlay says the province is "weaponizing" that tagline, and that the government needs to find a better way to connect with and promote local businesses. "I don't think that this is the time to be putting together goodie bags for government representatives," she told CBC News on Friday. "Trying to disguise it under the guise of 'buy local' — but at the same time being told that no one will be financially compensated for their time or materials, or for the product themselves — seems almost unbelievable." The province did not make Olafson available for an interview. A statement from the province, which wasn't attributed to any individual, said there was "never any obligation" for the businesses contacted to participate in the donations. "The province has received multiple positive responses from businesses and entrepreneurs that appreciated the opportunity to showcase their work to a potentially new market," the statement emailed Friday said. But Greenlay thinks the province should apologize to the businesses that received the request. "This is profiting off the backs of hard-working businesses and creatives, and using it to make themselves look good and generous during a conference," she said. "No one's being properly compensated or represented in something like a swag bag, and no one ever has been."
CBC
3 days ago
- Business
- CBC
Artist slams Manitoba government's 'completely tone deaf' donation request for 'buy local' gift bags
A Winnipeg artist said she's disappointed by the Manitoba government's request for a local small business owner to donate their products for an upcoming "buy local" themed event. In a July 7 email obtained by CBC News, a representative from Manitoba Finance asked a local maker to consider donating some of their products to be included in gift bags for a "buy local"-themed event. CBC News is not identifying the maker because they fear retribution in their professional career. About 30 government representatives from all of Canada's provinces and territories are expected to attend the event, which is a government taxation conference the province plans to host in September, the email said. "Should you choose to donate, we will happily share any additional advertisements with our guests, who in turn will take them back to their provinces and territories," the email reads. The representative's request was made on behalf of the event's host chair, Paul Olafson, who is also an assistant deputy minister for the province's Finance Department. Olafson, in a July 8 email to the business owner who voiced concerns about the request, said he wanted to offer the gift bags as a way to showcase Manitoba "as a terrific and unique experience," and to give local business owners "the opportunity to display their great products." Attendance fees pay for the costs to host the meeting, Olafson said. "Unfortunately, the event budget does not include products we're including in our 'welcome to Manitoba' kits." Meg Greenlay, a ceramic artist in Winnipeg, says the province's initial request and Olafson's response were shared among a group chat of local artists, including her, who found it "disappointing." While being asked for freebies isn't new for small businesses, Greenlay said it's "completely tone deaf" for the province to do so in the current economic climate. Heightened trade tensions between Canada and the United States prompted a "buy local" movement across the country earlier this year. But Greenlay says the province is "weaponizing" that tagline, and that the government needs to find a better way to connect with and promote local businesses. "I don't think that this is the time to be putting together goodie bags for government representatives," she told CBC News on Friday. "Trying to disguise it under the guise of 'buy local' — but at the same time being told that no one will be financially compensated for their time or materials, or for the product themselves — seems almost unbelievable." No obligation to contribute: province The province did not make Olafson available for an interview. A statement from the province, which wasn't attributed to any individual, said there was "never any obligation" for the businesses contacted to participate in the donations. "The province has received multiple positive responses from businesses and entrepreneurs that appreciated the opportunity to showcase their work to a potentially new market," the statement emailed Friday said. But Greenlay thinks the province should apologize to the businesses that received the request. "This is profiting off the backs of hard-working businesses and creatives, and using it to make themselves look good and generous during a conference," she said.
