Latest news with #LisaDempster
CBC
4 days ago
- Climate
- CBC
Out of control fire still burning near Churchill Falls
An out of control wildfire east of Churchill Falls continues to burn. As of Friday morning, the Newfoundland and Labrador active wildfire dashboard shows the fire located near Churchill Falls is estimated to be roughly 170 hectares — the same size recorded on Thursday. The provincial fire rating hazard map ranks many parts of the province as at high, very high and extreme risk for wildfires. Environment Canada forecasts rain over the course of Friday and the following several days. In a statement on Thursday afternoon, Forestry Minister Lisa Dempster said two fires near Churchill Fires merged into one, which is actively burning one kilometre east of Churchill Falls on the north side of the Trans-Labrador Highway. Forestry officials say winds are blowing the fire away from the community, leaving a smouldering ground fire which allows crews to get water on hot spots further into the woods. Second fire burning A second fire also ignited in western Labrador on Thursday in the area of Faden Siding by the Menihek Lakes. As of Friday morning, the provincial wildfire map calculates its area at an estimated 1,875 hectares. Craig Coady, the forestry department's wildfire program director, said they are currently monitoring the fire. "The good thing about the location of that fire, at the moment right now, is that there aren't any values at risk," Coady told CBC News on Thursday evening. "So there isn't any significant infrastructure — homes, cabins, you know, those types of things — in that area. So right now we're not too concerned with that fire." There is a fire burning on Newfoundland's west coast but it is under control. Need resources Wabush Mayor Ron Barron said he's worried about a lack of fire fighting resources in the region, something he's seen dwindle over the years. "I have to stress as a community leader, in the past we've had resources here on the ground. You know, just the local forestry department had, I think, five full-time people," he told CBC Radio's Labrador Morning on Thursday. He said it's now down to two people in the area. Barron said a water bomber was stationed at the Wabush airport for 30 years, which is no longer the case. Last year Wabush was on stand-by when Labrador City was evacuated due to wildfires. "Fires are unpredictable. We've seen that here in 2013. We've seen it again here in 2024," said Barron. "The only thing that puts fires out is boots on the ground and resources in the air to help combat those fires. You can have all the signs you want but Mother Nature don't comply with that, sometimes, and she does her own thing." Since Thursday the town has been under a boil water advisory.
CBC
5 days ago
- Climate
- CBC
Most of Labrador under high to extreme risk of wildfires
Most of Labrador is under a high to extreme risk of wildfires, according to the province's fire hazard map on Wednesday. Jordan Brown, the NDP MHA for Labrador West, says residents in his area aren't surprised to see their region under an extreme warning on the map. "The whole winter, we commented on how little snow we're getting," Brown said in an interview Wednesday. Environment Canada data shows that only 257.1 centimetres of snow has fallen in Labrador throughout the 2024-25 season, compared to about 388 centimetres last year. Approximately 412.2 centimetres fell in Labrador during 2020-21. The data indicates a trend of diminishing snowpack in the area. Snowpack is a compressed accumulation of snow that melts over time — sometimes months after the last snowfall — moistening the ground underneath it and providing water to vegetation when the weather is typically dry. The drier the ground is, the higher the risk of it burning. Brown said Forestry Minister Lisa Dempster called him shortly after the interview and informed him that a water bomber will be in Labrador West for the next three days. "It doesn't take much to set a fire in the forest at this time of year," he said. He's urging residents to "learn from last year" by being cautious and preparing to evacuate if the time comes. Brown nearly lost his own home in the fires last summer. "I'm like anybody who should be prepared," he said. "We're completely surrounded by forest." Western Canada, too, is feeling the force of this fire season. More than 4,000 Saskatchewan residents evacuated their homes due to wildfires this week. Several communities in Manitoba have declared states of emergency or have evacuated. Labrador City Deputy Mayor Mitchell Marsh says his community feels more prepared to deal with fires this year than they were last year. This time, Marsh said, there is a complete evacuation plan expected to be in place by mid-June. "We all know last year was a little hectic," Marsh told CBC News. "I still am very proud of how we did, but five hours of hecticness, we can definitely control that a little better." The deputy mayor said the western portion of Labrador is more vulnerable when the ground is "yellow and crunchy," so he's hoping for some rain and green vegetation before a fire can break out. Like other officials, Marsh is urging residents to be proactive. There is a complete fire ban active in Labrador City, but Marsh also says it's important to be mindful of heat coming from ATVs and other vehicles, and to be careful when in the woods. On the island, Justice and Public Safety Minister John Haggie attended an event at the Gander Fire and Rescue Training Grounds Wednesday morning. He says education is an essential part of preparing for potential wildfires, and that firefighters are prepared. The minister said the province has the resources to handle multiple significant fires simultaneously. "I think there is a real desperate need for people to realize just how risky it can be to have an uncontained fire in the province anywhere at the moment," Haggie said.
CBC
02-04-2025
- Politics
- CBC
Minister 'extremely frustrated' over PUB rejection of diesel generating station in southern Labrador
Labrador Affairs Minister Lisa Dempster is voicing her frustrations after the province's Public Utilities Board rejected a proposed diesel power generating station in southern Labrador — saying the provincial government might need to intervene. On Monday the PUB rejected an application made by Newfoundland and Labrador Hydro to build a $110.9 million regional diesel generating station and interconnection in southern Labrador. "I am so, quite frankly, fed up. Out of patience," Dempster told CBC Radio's Labrador Morning on Wednesday. She says the rejected plan hits close to home. Dempster lived near Charlottetown's diesel-powered generating plant, which burned down in 2019. The towns in the area now rely on mobile generation. "I cannot believe that instead of opening up a new plant, giving residents reliable power, that [Monday] we came to a full stop again. I'm extremely frustrated," Dempster said. The proposed plant, which would have operated in Port Hope Simpson, would power and interconnect six communities in the region. It also would have replaced several existing small diesel plants. Dempster said N.L. Hydro and the PUB need to get to a table to talk and get beyond the impasse. She says she's also frustrated that, more than a year ago, N.L. Hydro submitted thousands of pages of documents for the PUB to review on the proposed generating station, but the rejection only just now happened. Green energy The PUB's decision noted it had a lot more commentary from the public than usual, and that people wanted environmentally responsible solutions. Dempster understands where those concerns are coming from. She was recently named the minister of Environment and Climate Change during a cabinet shuffle over the summer. Still, she said, the region needs a reliable source of power, pointing to the area's volunteer firefighters who feel the pressure when power outages happen. She says outages occur four times more than on the Avalon Peninsula. "I believe we've got to look to get reliable power back in a community that's been on mobile units, a temporary fix, for almost six years," she said. In the meantime, Dempster says she has spoken with N.L. Hydro president Jennifer Williams, but a meeting she requested with the PUB was rejected. "We cannot continue to be at this impasse for an indefinite period of time," she said. NunatuKavut 'pleased' But Todd Russell, president of the NunatuKavut community council, wrote in a statement on Wednesday that he welcomes the PUB's decision, pointing to a section that says N.L. Hydro should satisfy its duty to consult with the NCC. "We are pleased that the PUB recognizes N.L. Hydro's responsibilities stemming from Canada's Constitution and as set out in the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples," wrote Russell. The NCC claims to represent about 6,000 self-identifying Inuit in southern Labrador, including Dempster. The NCC isn't recognized as Inuit by any other federally recognized, rights-holding Inuit collective, including the Nunatsiavut government in northern Labrador and Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami — the national organization representing Inuit across Canada — who both say the group is a settler organization.
