Latest news with #LabradorHydro
Global News
4 days ago
- Climate
- Global News
New wildfire near Newfoundland's largest city puts 20K on evacuation alert
About 20,000 people living on the outskirts of St. John's, N.L., were preparing to evacuate their homes and businesses Tuesday as a new wildfire burned near the province's largest city. Premier John Hogan issued a precautionary evacuation alert late Monday for parts of two towns southwest of St. John's — Paradise and Conception Bay South. New alerts were issued Tuesday for Galway and Southlands, neighbourhoods on the western edge of the port city. Sharlene Johnson, a single mother living in Conception Bay South, said she could see the fire from her home. 'I'm kind of just a sitting duck right now, waiting to see and reading news updates,' she said in an interview Tuesday. Johnson and her two children live close to a wooded area. To prepare for an evacuation, they sprayed their home with water. They also took pictures of the property in case they need to file an insurance claim. Story continues below advertisement 'I do worry about things like if I have to leave here or if my home was to burn down. It's something that is now very real to me and it's terrifying,' she said. In the early morning hours, photos shared on social media showed long lineups at some local gas stations. 'It was like the onset of COVID, where everybody was rushing to get essentials and toiletries,' Johnson said. 'It was like mass chaos. I think that amped up the panic as well.' 2:33 Dry weather deepens Newfoundland's wildfire emergency The new wildfire erupted Monday near Paddy's Pond, about 15 kilometres south of downtown St. John's. The fire quickly grew to about two square kilometres and four water bombers were dispatched to douse the flames. Get breaking National news For news impacting Canada and around the world, sign up for breaking news alerts delivered directly to you when they happen. Sign up for breaking National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy Provincial officials said the Paddy's Pond fire was burning near electricity transmission lines maintained by Newfoundland and Labrador Hydro. They said one line was affected by the flames but no power outages were reported. Story continues below advertisement As of Tuesday morning, five of the province's active wildfires were considered out of control — three in Newfoundland and two in Labrador. A fire that started just over a week ago near Kingston, N.L., on the northwestern shore of Conception Bay, is by far the largest at 52 square kilometres. As of Saturday, the flames had forced about 3,000 people in the area from their homes. Hogan has said officials don't know how many homes or other buildings have been destroyed by the fire because the smoke has been too thick to get an accurate tally. In New Brunswick, two out-of-control wildfires were burning Tuesday, with residents north of Moncton told to prepare for evacuation. The province's wildfire dashboard map shows that an out-of-control wildfire reported Monday south of Bathurst had been contained by Tuesday morning. Despite parched conditions in much of New Brunswick, there have been no evacuations and no homes or other structures have been lost. 2:00 Wildfire near Moncton grows to 54 hectares as evacuation order possible Still, 14 air tankers and three helicopters are part of the firefighting effort. As well, five firefighters from P.E.I. and five from Maine have arrived to help. Another 20 firefighters were expected to arrive Wednesday from Nova Scotia. Story continues below advertisement The out-of-control wildfire north of Miramichi had grown to 11 square kilometres by Tuesday, and the one near Irishtown, north of Moncton, had burned less than a square kilometre. Meanwhile, Environment Canada confirmed that almost every corner of the Maritimes suffered from a lack of rainfall in June and July. The department produced a precipitation anomaly map showing dry conditions were particularly pronounced in northeastern and southern New Brunswick, especially around Saint John. As well, a large area surrounding Halifax has seen very little rain. In those three areas, the two-month rainfall total was between 100 and 120 millimetres less than average. Agriculture Canada released a drought assessment Tuesday that shows 56 per cent of Atlantic Canada is classified as abnormally dry, with 90 per cent of Nova Scotia in a moderate drought. The statistics also show that St John's has received only a third of the rain it usually gets between April and July. In Halifax, the figure is about 40 per cent. — By Michael MacDonald in Halifax, with files from Sarah Smellie in St. John's, N.L., and Keith Doucette in Halifax.
Winnipeg Free Press
10-07-2025
- Politics
- Winnipeg Free Press
Hydro-Québec suspends work at planned electric station in Labrador amid protests
ST. JOHN'S – Quebec's hydro utility says it has suspended work at the site of a planned hydroelectric station at Gull Island in Labrador amid protests by some residents. A Hydro-Québec spokesperson says the utility is monitoring the situation with a commitment to understanding the demonstrators' concerns. Lynn St-Laurent says in an email that Hydro-Québec recognizes the cultural and historical importance of the Gull Island area for Innu communities. The utility announced a tentative agreement last year with Newfoundland and Labrador Hydro to build a hydroelectric generating station at Gull Island, a site on the Churchill River in Labrador. Hydro-Québec said earlier this week it was set to begin geotechnical and environmental studies in the area, in preparation for future construction work. Wednesdays Columnist Jen Zoratti looks at what's next in arts, life and pop culture. A news release said the studies are to collect environmental and other data to inform final negotiations on the project between the two state-owned utilities. This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 10, 2025.
CBC
21-02-2025
- Business
- CBC
$4B Labrador iron ore mine can't break ground without more housing, power, GM says
Social Sharing An iron ore mine in western Labrador is inching closer to becoming a reality, but the project's general manager says the lack of infrastructure and housing in the region may stymie the opportunity altogether. Kami Project general manager Kevin Foley says he expects the $4-billion mine to begin operating by 2030 at the earliest. The project still requires a feasibility study and an environmental assessment, then construction by 2027, if it's deemed profitable. He's estimating the mine's lifespan at 25 years. "We're really excited about the employment opportunities, to have a local workforce," Foley said, noting the company intends to "work with the communities in Labrador and Newfoundland to make sure that we're maximizing the value for the province." The mine itself — owned by Australian company Champion Iron Ore — is poised to be the third in the Labrador West region. The site plans, Foley says, include a concentrator for ore processing, a crushing system and pit, and a railway connection to the Quebec North Shore and Labrador Railway. But a project that large needs fuel. Foley, who was among industry heads and politicians at this week's MINEx conference in Labrador West, was joined by other mining industry leaders who say they would require new, reliable power from Churchill Falls to operate. Without that extra infrastructure, Foley says Kami won't be possible. "To be very clear, we will rely on Newfoundland and Labrador Hydro to provide power for Kami," he said. And it's not just power, land and infrastructure the project needs to break ground. The 600-plus workforce the company anticipates will also requires its own human resources. "Now you're talking about an ecosystem," Foley said: one that includes warehousing, health care, and education. "Those parts of the ecosystem have to come." He insisted, after repeated questioning from a Radio-Canada reporter on Thursday, that the company prefers a local workforce as opposed to a cadre of rotational workers that will only reside in the area during their shifts. "That means that we need to put effort into — we all need to put efforts into — attracting and retaining the required people," Foley said. Housing a sticking point for mine Labrador West is currently facing a housing crunch, however, with no room in the near future for adding hundreds of new residents. "We understand that there's challenges and opportunities in the region today and around workforce, around infrastructure and housing," he said. "Our commitment is to work with the different levels of government and the other companies to make sure that those opportunities get addressed in a timely manner." Housing Minister John Abbott told CBC News on Friday there are almost no rental vacancies in Labrador West, with the region experiencing one of the worst housing crises in the province. "We are very concerned," Abbott said. In the long term, though, the minister says there's only one solution: working with mining companies to hammer out numbers and build new homes. "We need a master plan here," Abbott said. "What are your expansion plans? What are your requirements? And I think with the companies, with the towns and with the provincial and federal governments, to make sure we can accelerate new housing construction — that's the only solution that we see, and that is something that's going to take the time to put in place." The Kami Project's future depends on whether governments can help solve the housing and power problems in time, Foley says. "There's definitely risk ... with the resident workforce," he said. "We do have six years in front of us. A lot can happen in six years, but there is some risk that the infrastructure and the housing in the area won't be available for 600-plus new people to the community."
