Latest news with #Flannigan
Yahoo
12-08-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
This is our second-worst wildfire season on record — and could be the new normal
This year's wildfire season is already the second-worst on record in Canada, and experts are warning that this might be the new normal. More than 7.3 million hectares have burned this year so far, more than double the 10-year average for this time of year, according to the latest figures from the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre (CIFFC) and Natural Resources Canada. "It's the size of New Brunswick, to put it into context," Mike Flannigan, a professor of wildland fire at Thompson Rivers University, told CBC News. The last three fire seasons are among the 10 worst on record, according to a federal database dating back to 1972, with 2023's devastating blazes taking the top spot. "I've never seen three bad fire seasons in a row," Flannigan, who has been studying fires since the '70s, said. "I've seen two in a row: '94, '95. I've never seen three. This is scary." Manitoba and Saskatchewan account for more than half the area burned so far, but British Columbia, Alberta and Ontario are all also well above their 25-year averages. Fire bans have been announced in multiple provinces, including a total ban on going in the woods in Nova Scotia. Meanwhile, the military and coast guard were called in to help fight fires in Newfoundland and Labrador this week. Around 1,400 international firefighters have also helped fight Canadian fires so far this year, according to the CIFFC. Scientists say that climate change, driven by the burning of fossil fuels, has created longer fire seasons and drier landscapes, sparking more intense and widespread forest fires. "I used to always say… some years are cooler and wetter and we will get quiet years," Flannigan said. "But maybe every year's going to be a bad fire year now." Dry conditions across the country have allowed fires to quickly balloon this fire season. "The forests of Canada are too dry, too hot," Environment Canada climatologist David Phillips told CBC News. "This year… there's no kind of reprieve from what we've seen." This year has seen notable blazes in regions where we haven't historically, such as Newfoundland and Labrador, where one fire has grown to over 5,200 hectares. Yan Boulanger, a research scientist in forest ecology at Natural Resources Canada, says Newfoundland "is not used to [seeing] huge fires." "But we will have to get more and more used to it, because those ecosystems are also projected to see an increase in fire activity in the upcoming decades." The other outlier is Quebec, which was one of the hardest-hit provinces in 2023, when an estimated 4.5 million hectares burned. This year, the province has had a much milder fire season, thanks to frequent precipitation in the spring and early summer, Boulanger says. But a sudden bout of dry conditions in August, usually a quiet fire month for the province, has experts recommending vigilance. Consequences of repeated fires Bad back-to-back fire seasons can have huge consequences. Fire is a natural part of the lifecycle for many tree species, but a forest can become damaged to the point where trees cannot regrow in the area for years, or even decades. It's called "regeneration failure." "The problem is when we have too much fire and we are getting out of what we are calling the natural variability of the system," Boulanger said. "When such things happen… the forest can lose its resilience." Scientists are already seeing it in regions of Quebec that were heavily damaged in 2023, and in parts of the Northwest Territories and Alberta, Boulanger says. Right now, around 300,000 to 400,000 hectares are affected by regeneration failure in Quebec. Fewer trees means less carbon being stored, exacerbating the problem of increased emissions that occur during widespread forest fires. The 2023 fires produced nearly a quarter of the year's global wildfire carbon emissions. Meanwhile, wildfire smoke has been linked to a myriad of health complications, including a higher risk of dementia. WATCH | Calls picking up for a national wildfire agency: With intense wildfires becoming an annual problem in Canada on a new scale, we need more strategies, experts say. The Canadian Association of Fire Chiefs (CAFC) has called on Ottawa to establish a national forest fire co-ordination agency to ensure that personnel and equipment can be distributed across the country when different regions are seeing heavy fires, and that fire chiefs are at the table when national policies are made. The government has been studying the possibility of creating a national disaster response agency since 2023, and met with CAFC to discuss it in December. But it's time to move beyond the planning stage, according to Ken McMullen, the organization's president and fire chief in Red Deer, Alta. "All parties are saying that they think it's a good idea. The reality is nobody's helped pick up the ball and get it across the finish line," he said. Flannigan, at Thompson Rivers University, supports the idea, but believes we need to go further and create a robust national emergency management agency that would be able to provide training for fighting wildfires, forecast where fires are likely to occur and whether they're a danger, and then move resources there proactively. "Yes, it's going to cost money, but if it prevents one Jasper, one Fort McMurray, it pays for itself," he said, referring to the Alberta communities ravaged in recent years by fires. "The status quo doesn't seem to be working. We're spending billions and billions of dollars on fire management expenditures, but our area burned has quadrupled since the 1970s."
12-08-2025
- Climate
This is our second-worst wildfire season on record — and could be the new normal
This year's wildfire season is already the second-worst on record in Canada, and experts are warning that this might be the new normal. More than 7.3 million hectares have burned this year so far, more than double the 10-year average for this time of year, according to the latest figures from the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre (CIFFC) and Natural Resources Canada. It's the size of New Brunswick, to put it into context, Mike Flannigan, a professor of wildland fire at Thompson Rivers University, told CBC News. The last three fire seasons are among the 10 worst on record, according to a federal database dating back to 1972, with 2023's devastating blazes taking the top spot. I've never seen three bad fire seasons in a row, Flannigan, who has been studying fires since the '70s, said. I've seen two in a row: '94, '95. I've never seen three. This is scary. Manitoba and Saskatchewan account for more than half the area burned so far, but British Columbia, Alberta and Ontario are all also well above their 25-year averages. Fire bans have been announced in multiple provinces, including a total ban on going in the woods in Nova Scotia. Enlarge image (new window) Source: Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre Photo: CBC See interactive chart here (new window) Meanwhile, the military and coast guard were called in to help fight fires in Newfoundland and Labrador this week. Around 1,400 international firefighters have also helped fight Canadian fires so far this year, according to the CIFFC. Scientists say that climate change, driven by the burning of fossil fuels, has created longer fire seasons and drier landscapes, sparking more intense and widespread forest fires. I used to always say… some years are cooler and wetter and we will get quiet years, Flannigan said. But maybe every year's going to be a bad fire year now. Dry conditions across the country have allowed fires to quickly balloon this fire season. Enlarge image (new window) Wildfires burn near Sherridon, Man., on May 27. Photo: Gouvernement du Manitoba The forests of Canada are too dry, too hot, Environment Canada climatologist David Phillips told CBC News. This year… there's no kind of reprieve from what we've seen. This year has seen notable blazes in regions where we haven't historically, such as Newfoundland and Labrador, where one fire has grown to over 5,200 hectares. Yan Boulanger, a research scientist in forest ecology at Natural Resources Canada, says Newfoundland is not used to [seeing] huge fires. But we will have to get more and more used to it, because those ecosystems are also projected to see an increase in fire activity in the upcoming decades. The other outlier is Quebec, which was one of the hardest-hit provinces in 2023, when an estimated 4.5 million hectares burned. This year, the province has had a much milder fire season, thanks to frequent precipitation in the spring and early summer, Boulanger says. But a sudden bout of dry conditions in August, usually a quiet fire month for the province, has experts recommending vigilance. Consequences of repeated fires Bad back-to-back fire seasons can have huge consequences. Fire is a natural part of the lifecycle for many tree species, but a forest can become damaged to the point where trees cannot regrow in the area for years, or even decades. It's called regeneration failure. Enlarge image (new window) A firefighter works on the Wesley Ridge wildfire, burning about 60 kilometres northwest of Nanaimo, B.C., on Sunday. Photo: La Presse canadienne / BC Wildfire Service The problem is when we have too much fire and we are getting out of what we are calling the natural variability of the system, Boulanger said. When such things happen… the forest can lose its resilience. Scientists are already seeing it in regions of Quebec that were heavily damaged in 2023, and in parts of the Northwest Territories and Alberta, Boulanger says. Right now, around 300,000 to 400,000 hectares are affected by regeneration failure in Quebec. Fewer trees means less carbon being stored, exacerbating the problem of increased emissions that occur during widespread forest fires. The 2023 fires produced nearly a quarter of the year's global wildfire carbon emissions. Meanwhile, wildfire smoke has been linked to a myriad of health complications, including a higher risk of dementia. WATCH | Calls picking up for a national wildfire agency: With intense wildfires becoming an annual problem in Canada on a new scale, we need more strategies, experts say. The Canadian Association of Fire Chiefs (CAFC) has called on Ottawa to establish a national forest fire co-ordination agency (new window) to ensure that personnel and equipment can be distributed across the country when different regions are seeing heavy fires, and that fire chiefs are at the table when national policies are made. The government has been studying the possibility of creating a national disaster response agency since 2023, and met with CAFC to discuss it in December. But it's time to move beyond the planning stage, according to Ken McMullen, the organization's president and fire chief in Red Deer, Alta. All parties are saying that they think it's a good idea. The reality is nobody's helped pick up the ball and get it across the finish line, he said. Flannigan, at Thompson Rivers University, supports the idea, but believes we need to go further and create a robust national emergency management agency that would be able to provide training for fighting wildfires, forecast where fires are likely to occur and whether they're a danger, and then move resources there proactively. Yes, it's going to cost money, but if it prevents one Jasper, one Fort McMurray, it pays for itself, he said, referring to the Alberta communities ravaged in recent years by fires. The status quo doesn't seem to be working. We're spending billions and billions of dollars on fire management expenditures, but our area burned has quadrupled since the 1970s. Alexandra Mae Jones (new window) · CBC News Alexandra Mae Jones is a senior writer for CBC News based in Toronto. She has written on a variety of topics, from health to pop culture to breaking news, and previously reported for CTV News and the Toronto Star. She joined CBC in 2024. You can reach her at With files from The Canadian Press
Winnipeg Free Press
06-08-2025
- Climate
- Winnipeg Free Press
Summer not nearly over, but some wildfire-weary Thompson residents can't wait for winter
For the first time in her 50-plus years in Thompson, Mayor Colleen Smook is hearing residents ask when winter is coming, even though there's still plenty of summer left. Some wildfires in northern Manitoba may not be extinguished until snow begins falling later this year, if higher temperatures and dry conditions continue, she said. 'This could go on until we get some decent snowfall and colder temperatures,' Smook told the Free Press Wednesday. RUTH BONNEVILLE / FREE PRESS FILES Thompson Mayor Colleen Smook is hoping for significant rainfall, and no lightning strikes, in the coming days. Mike Flannigan, a wildfire scientist at Thompson Rivers University in Kamloops, B.C., said the scenario is highly possible because there are numerous large fires. Some could survive the winter by smouldering underground, and resurface in 2026 when temperatures increase and snow melts, he said. 'I expect the fires will burn right into fall, and some of them will burn possibly right through winter and wake up next spring,' Flannigan said. 'I'm sure the mayor and people up north don't want to hear that, but it's a distinct possibility.' Known as overwintering or zombie fires, they burn deep into the organic layer, typically peat. 'If it's a really wet fall and wet winter, (Mother Nature) may extinguish all the fires, but given the scope of the number and size of these fires, I wouldn't be surprised to see five, maybe 10 fires survive the winter into next spring,' Flannigan said. More than 100 overwintering fires were detected in Alberta and B.C. in early 2024. A wildfire that began near Fort McMurray, Alta., in May 2016 — eventually sweeping into the community — overwintered, and was not declared extinguished until August 2017. Flannigan described 2025 as a 'horrific' wildfire season for Manitoba. Two people died in a fire northeast of Lac du Bonnet in May. More than 130 structures have been confirmed destroyed across the province. More than 1.5 million hectares of land has burned, which is the highest total since a record three million-plus hectares burned in 1989, Flannigan said. About 14,000 Manitobans are currently displaced from their homes, a provincial spokesperson said. Since the start of the fire season, more than 31,500 evacuees have registered with the Canadian Red Cross. The Manitoba Wildfire Service reported 162 active fires Tuesday — mostly in the North — with 403 fires detected since April. The Manitoba government has not yet said if a 30-day provincewide state of emergency, due to expire Friday, will be extended. It is the second wildfire-related state of emergency this year. Thompson recently extended a state of local emergency for another 30 days to Sept. 5. An out-of-control blaze, caused by lightning, has been burning north of the city since July 4. The 18,365-hectare fire was 14 kilometres away from Thompson as of Tuesday. Smook hailed ground and aerial crews who've been keeping fires away from northern Manitoba's largest city and Highway 6, the region's primary trade and travel corridor. Thompson residents were previously told to prepare a 'go-bag' and keep their vehicles fuelled up in case a mandatory evacuation order is issued. Smook says the city has been lucky with wind conditions and cooler temperatures. MIKE DEAL / FREE PRESS FILES The Manitoba Wildfire Service reported 162 active fires Tuesday — mostly in the North — with 403 fires detected since April. 'We've basically dodged a bullet for a month now. It's still touch-and-go,' she said. Smook is hoping for significant rainfall, and no lightning strikes, in the coming days, along with favourable wind conditions and high humidity. 'We're still under a lot of pressure if we don't get that rain,' she said. Environment and Climate Change Canada scientist Christy Climenhaga said 10-15 millimetres of rain was possible in parts of Manitoba Wednesday. Higher amounts were possible in thunderstorms. Climenhaga said a second low-pressure system could bring 20-40 millimetres of rain across much of the province, except far northern areas, this weekend, when cooler temperatures are expected. An air-quality warning was in effect for northern Manitoba and some eastern areas. Heavy smoke or heat grounded firefighting aircraft in some places this week. In a social-media post, the Town of Leaf Rapids said fire crews extinguished a few hot spots inside the evacuated community this week. A house and about a half-dozen vacant buildings were destroyed when flames swept into the town last month. Firefighters continue to protect Snow Lake from flames. Three fires near the evacuated community merged Tuesday, after a pyrocumulus cloud and weather system were spawned by extreme heat, the town said on social media. Wednesdays A weekly dispatch from the head of the Free Press newsroom. The rare and dangerous system posed a significant risk, creating localized winds and storm-like conditions before it collapsed, the town said. A mandatory evacuation for Mathias Colomb Cree Nation (Pukatawagan), home to about 2,200 people has been in place since late May, initially due to fire and later due to a power outage. Manitoba Hydro spokesman Scott Powell said initial damage included about 100 poles, many of which have been or are currently being replaced and restrung. 'Unfortunately, other sections of the line feeding the community recently became part of a new active wildfire area and will require inspection for damage before being re-energized,' Powell wrote in an email. 'The rapidly evolving wildfire situation means we haven't been able to complete a full assessment. As such, we can't offer a specific timeline for when power will be fully restored.' Chris KitchingReporter Chris Kitching is a general assignment reporter at the Free Press. He began his newspaper career in 2001, with stops in Winnipeg, Toronto and London, England, along the way. After returning to Winnipeg, he joined the Free Press in 2021, and now covers a little bit of everything for the newspaper. Read more about Chris. Every piece of reporting Chris produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print — part of the Free Press's tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press's history and mandate, and learn how our newsroom operates. Our newsroom depends on a growing audience of readers to power our journalism. If you are not a paid reader, please consider becoming a subscriber. Our newsroom depends on its audience of readers to power our journalism. Thank you for your support.
Yahoo
18-06-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Hopes of fatherhood: UBC scientists on frontier of high-tech male infertility research
A team of researchers at the University of British Columbia (UBC) is using artificial intelligence in an effort to detect hard-to-find sperm and 3D bioprinting technology with the ultimate goal of growing sperm in the lab — technologies they say could eventually help men with infertility become parents. The research, led by Dr. Ryan Flannigan, a urologist and associate professor at UBC, is aimed at addressing a "severe form" of male infertility called non-obstructive azoospermia (NOA), in which the body produces little to no sperm. It's a condition that affects about one in 100 men, many of whom are survivors of childhood cancer, according to Flannigan. "There's a big problem with infertility: it's so common," he told CBC's The Early Edition. "Something that I see time and time again is just how much of an emotional toll having challenges with infertility is." According to a UBC media release, about two thirds of male pediatric cancer survivors will face infertility in adulthood, due to the effects of radiation or chemotherapy. Globally, one in six couples struggles to conceive, and male infertility, broadly, plays a role in about half of those cases. Currently, the only treatment for NOA involves surgically extracting testicular tissue and searching for hard-to-find sperm under a microscope — a tedious process, says Flannigan, that can take hours and still might end in failure. "It's ... looking for a needle in a haystack," he says. "Right now, we're able to find sperm about 50 per cent of the time. We ideally need to find at least one sperm per each egg, among millions of other cells, which takes hours." LISTEN | UBC researchers use AI and 3D bioprinting in effort to tackle male infertility: To improve the odds, Flannigan says he and UBC engineering professor Hongshen Ma have developed an AI-powered tool that scans microscopic images to flag viable sperm for use in in vitro fertilization (IVF). The technology is still a long way from being available for people struggling with male infertility — Flannigan expects clinical trials for the AI tool could begin within the next three to five years. But for people who produce no sperm at all, including children who undergo cancer treatment before puberty and are unable to store sperm, a more experimental avenue is underway: lab-grown sperm. In what the UBC media release calls a world-first, Flannigan and team have bioprinted a model of human testicular tissue using stem cells and a specialized gel-like "bio-ink." The printed structure replicates the tiny tubes in the testes where sperm are normally produced. These bioprinted 'mini testicles' are encased in a special gel filled with specific nutrients and vitamins to help them mature. According to researchers, some of the cells have already begun showing signs consistent with the early stages of puberty — "a time when sperm production starts occurring in the human body." "What we're trying to do with 3D bioprinting is recreate what's happening in a healthy testicle as accurately as we can," said Flannigan. "If we can determine what the cells need to progress through all the phases of sperm production, we can use that knowledge to figure out how to create sperm for a patient with NOA," says Dr. Flannigan. The work is being supported by experts in microfluidics — a system that manipulates a small amount of fluids — and cancer biology at UBC and the University of Victoria, who are helping identify the molecular conditions required for sperm to develop. Still, researchers acknowledge there are significant challenges ahead. According to the UBC release, sperm production is a "highly complicated process" involving multiple cell types, complex anatomical structures, making it a task that demands collaborative, multidisciplinary research. Laura Spencer, a fertility coach in Vancouver, has experienced the emotional toll of infertility first-hand in her own family. "I've gone through infertility — male factor infertility in particular — and it's devastating," she told CBC News. "There's nothing quite like it." She said this latest development in treating male infertility could potentially be life-changing for many couples. WATCH | An at-home test is in the works to measure male fertility: "This shows a lot of promise for people who might not have the ability to try and conceive … they might actually be able to have a baby." Spencer says male infertility remains a taboo subject, despite being a factor in about half of all couples struggling to conceive. She hopes this research not only opens new medical doors, but also breaks down stigma. "There is a lot of shame and sometimes guilt around that," she said. "I'm always grateful when the conversation turns to infertility and when it's normalized." While Spencer believes most people would welcome these technologies, she says it's important to acknowledge the complexity involved, particularly with lab-grown sperm. "There will definitely need to be education around this," she added. "We don't know what the long term consequences are of this technology. Are there any birth defects that are possible? What about when they grow up? Like we don't know. This is just so new." As for concerns about the safety of AI or stem cell-based procedures, Flannigan says the research team is taking a cautious approach. "It's one of these things that we need to ensure that we follow all the guidelines to ensure there's no biases," he said.
National Observer
17-06-2025
- Politics
- National Observer
In 'serious omission,' G7 leaders release wildfire charter with no mention of climate change
G7 leaders released a joint statement on Tuesday about wildfires that did not include any reference to climate change. Climate change — fuelled primarily by burning fossil fuels like coal, oil and gas — is driving warmer and drier conditions and increasing the likelihood of more frequent and severe wildfires. The Kananaskis Wildfire Charter is 536 words long. None of them are "climate change." 'They're missing the whole point in that we're seeing more fires, a longer fire season, more intense fires, more severe fires, because the climate is changing due to human activities,' said fire and climate professor Mike Flannigan of Thompson Rivers University. 'It's a serious omission, and that's being very polite.' The charter published talks about everything related to wildfire but climate change: firefighting equipment, data collection, information sharing, restoring ecosystems, building resilient infrastructure, to name a few. 'It's saying many of the right things,' Flannigan says — aside from the glaring omission — but he notes that even the actions laid out in the agreement are light on detail. 'How are they going to do it? Easier said than done. It's going to cost money.' 'We're seeing more fires, a longer fire season, more intense fires, more severe fires, because the climate is changing due to human activities ... that's a serious omission, and that's being very polite," said fire expert Mike Flannigan. The discussions that led to the statement's specific wording were not public. But governments of most G7 nations recognize the role of human activity in climate change, as well as the role of climate change in wildfire, with one notable exception. Since the inauguration of US President Donald Trump, climate change has been scrubbed from government websites; grants for research on climate have been cut; the Environmental Protection Agency, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the Department of Energy and many others have had their climate capacity slashed, among other devastating anti-climate moves. 'For [G7 leaders] to avoid it — probably for political reasons; I don't know that for sure, but that's a guess — it's a serious shortfall,' Flannigan said. 'This was a wasted opportunity as Canada ducked away from a confrontation with Trump,' said Keith Stewart, senior energy strategist with Greenpeace Canada. 'Canada is literally a country on fire.' The Canadian environmental group the Climate Action Network lambasted the charter in a statement within hours of its release. 'What's the point of a coalition of like-minded countries if it isn't even capable of mentioning the existential crisis facing humanity?" wrote Caroline Brouillette, the Climate Action Network's executive director. Canada is experiencing what may be its second-worst fire season on record, and the frequency of bad years has been increasing due to climate change. 'You can talk all you want about fire guards and resilient communities. But at the end of the day, if you're in a flammable landscape and things are extreme enough, fuel is fuel is fuel — it will burn,' Flannigan said. Trump received record donations from the oil industry during his election campaign. In his current bill working its way through congress is a billion-dollar tax break for the oil and gas industry. Last year, with Joe Biden as US president, the G7 summit ended with a communiqué that specifically mentioned climate change among the priorities countries agreed to focus efforts on. Not so this year. 'It's sad but not surprising,' Bloc Québécois MP Patrick Bonin said in an interview with Canada's National Observer. Another Bloc MP Xavier Barsalou-Duval echoed Bonin, saying the joint statement is consistent with the federal government acting 'as if climate change did not exist anymore' and is very worrying. NDP MP Leah Gazan agreed the failure to reference climate change is 'highly problematic' and given the global impact of extreme weather events this issue should be front and centre. 'We were expecting that the quick departure of Mr. Trump will bring the other countries, including Canada, to show more leadership and to talk about climate change and to come up with some statement and commitment in order to recognize that they need to do more and that they commit to do more,' Bonin said. Conservative MP Shannon Stubbs declined to comment because she had not read the statement, saying, 'I couldn't speak for the thought process of the people who put the document together.' Minister of Environment and Climate Change Canada Julie Dabrusin was not immediately available to comment; this story will be updated with comment if it becomes available. Talking about wildfires without talking about how climate change is making wildfires more frequent and intense is 'just like putting their head in the sand,' Bonin said. 'We need to have a real discussion about the root cause of what we're seeing,' he said. While Canada burns, the prime minister is 'just ignoring the smoke,' he added.
