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CTV News
2 days ago
- Climate
- CTV News
Environment Canada issues heat and air quality warnings over Prairie wildfires
A wildfire in the Sherridon, Man. area is shown in a government handout photo on Tuesday, May 27, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/HO - Manitoba Government Environment Canada issued heat and air-quality warnings Thursday as wildfires burn in the northern Prairies. The entirety of Manitoba and parts of Saskatchewan are under a state of emergency order. The weather across the country continues to evolve. Here's what to know: Heat warnings Most of Alberta is under a heat warning, spanning from Willow Creek Provincial to Colin Lake, as well as the City of Lloydminster, Sask. According to Environment Canada, daylight temperatures could surpass 30 C, posing an elevated risk of heat stroke and or heat exhaustion. 'This afternoon a cold front will begin to move eastward across the province, bringing an end to the heat,' the warning reads. Individuals are asked to consider rescheduling outdoor activities to cooler hours of the day, stay hydrated and to monitor for symptoms like high body temperature, lack of sweat, confusion, fainting and unconsciousness. Poor and special air quality warnings Wildfire smoke from northern Manitoba and Saskatchewan are causing poor air quality and reduced visibility, both in those provinces and in parts of Ontario, Alberta and Northwest Territories. Poor air quality has been issued for areas like Cumberland House and Seabee Mine in Saskatchewan and Lynn Lake and Shoal Lake Reserves in Manitoba. Also in Manitoba, special air quality warnings cover areas like Amisk Park Reserve down to Berens River. In Ontario, the special air quality warnings cover areas up from Peawanuck to Dinorwic, with some fog advisories as well in areas like Pickering, Oshawa and Cobourg. The special air quality will also affect some areas of the Northwest Territories, near Fort Liard, Sambaa K'e and Blackstone Territorial Park. 'Warm and dry conditions will continue to support wildfire activity as the weekend approaches. Relatively light winds will cause smoke to linger for a prolonged period near the source region of the fires,' the notice reads. The poor air quality can cause eye, nose and throat irritation, headaches or a mild cough, with more severe symptoms like wheezing, chest pains or severe cough. Individuals are being asked to limit time outdoors and protect indoor air quality from wildfire smoke, such as keeping windows and doors closed as much as possible. Severe thunderstorm In some parts of southern British Columbia, there is a severe thunderstorm watch. Conditions are favourable in developing thunderstorms that could cause strong wind gusts, large hail and heavy rain that can cause significant reduction in visibility and possible damage and injury.
Straits Times
3 days ago
- Business
- Straits Times
Manitoba urges thousands to evacuate as Canada wildfires spread
FILE PHOTO: Smoke rises from wildfire WE023 near Wanless, Manitoba, Canada May 27, 2025. Manitoba Government/Handout via REUTERS/File Photo FILE PHOTO: Smoke rises from the WE017 wildfire, which has prompted a state of emergency and evacuation of Sherridon, Manitoba, Canada May 27, 2025. Manitoba Government/Handout via REUTERS/File Photo Smoke rises from wildfire WE023 near Wanless, Manitoba, Canada May 27, 2025. Manitoba Government/Handout via REUTERS. Smoke rises from wildfire WE024 which has prompted a pre-evacuation notice in Flin Flon, Manitoba, Canada May 27, 2025. Manitoba Government/Handout via REUTERS WINNIPEG, Manitoba - Manitoba declared a state of emergency and urged thousands of people in northern and eastern parts of the province to evacuate on Wednesday, as wildfires spread in Central and Western Canada. Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew said at a news conference that 17,000 people needed to move quickly, including from the city of Flin Flon. Many will be put up at soccer fields and community centers in Winnipeg and other cities, and federal armed forces were arriving to help transport evacuees, he said. "This is the largest evacuation in many Manitobans' living memory and this will require significant resources and co-operation from all levels of government, Kinew said in a statement. Separately, wildfires in Alberta province have prompted a temporary shutdown of some oil and gas production and forced residents of at least one small town to evacuate. Oil producer Cenovus Energy said it was scaling back nonessential workers at its Foster Creek facility in response to the wildfires in northern Alberta. Cenovus' Foster Creek operation is among a number of oil sands facilities operated by companies with assets in the Bonnyville-Cold Lake region. That region was affected on Wednesday by wildfires spanning 2,900 hectares (11.2 square miles) near Chipewyan Lake, a small community in the northern part of the province approximately 130 km (81 miles) west of the oil sands hub of Fort McMurray. Cenovus said it was closely monitoring the evolving wildfire situation and the staffing measure was a precaution. Alberta government officials said on Wednesday there was no current threat to Chipewyan Lake, but residents have been placed on a one-hour evacuation notice as winds could shift. Another blaze, nearly 1,600 hectares in size, is burning out of control about 7 km north of Swan Hills, also in the province's north. The approximately 1,200 residents of Swan Hills were ordered to evacuate on Monday evening. One oil and gas producer in that area, Aspenleaf Energy, said on Monday it had temporarily halted operations as a precaution and shut in approximately 4,000 barrels per day of oil equivalent production. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
CTV News
5 days ago
- Business
- CTV News
Upgrades coming to Virden airport
Winnipeg Watch Virden's airport is getting $1.6M from the Manitoba government to upgrade its facilities.
Winnipeg Free Press
20-05-2025
- Climate
- Winnipeg Free Press
Welcome to fire weather: there's more on the way
Opinion Last year I attended a talk given by author John Vaillant whose award-winning book Fire Weather documented the intense climate-driven wildfires that decimated the Alberta town of Fort McMurray. During his lecture, Vaillant made the ominous prediction that what happened there could easily happen again, in almost any given city in on the planet. Vancouver narrowly dodged the fire bullet just last year when buildings in two city neighbourhoods caught fire. According to Vaillant, the flames were so intense and spread so quickly that had the wind been just 10 knots higher, a significant portion of the city would have burned. Photo courtesy Manitoba Government A wildland fire burns in the RM of Lac du Bonnet on May 14. Then there were the January 2025 Los Angeles fires, which decimated more than 18,000 homes and burned through more than 23,000 hectares, leaving an estimated US$250 billion in damages. So, the question is — could the same thing happen in Winnipeg? Based on the recent Transcona grass fire which threatened both homes and businesses, it could indeed happen here. Thirty fire crews battled in the heat and high winds for hours before finally containing it. Had a nearby chemical plant gone up in smoke, who knows what might have happened? And Transcona isn't alone. As of May 14, a number of Manitoba towns like Libau were perched precariously on the edge of wildfires, evacuation orders had already been issued for Broken Head Ojibway Nation, and two people trapped by the wildfires at Lac du Bonnet had lost their lives. In addition to that, Nopiming provincial park was closed due to out of control wildfires, as was the Whiteshell. At Ingolf's Long Pine Lake, which borders the Whiteshell, water bombers, helicopter 'air tankers' and firefighters were still struggling after three days to contain a wildfire that exploded then raced across 23,000 hectares, 43 kilometres to the north, prompting evacuation warnings across the region. It was with the announcement of the Ingolf fire on May 12 that the ominous but still somehow abstract idea of 'climate-driven wildfires' suddenly hit home for me. Long Pine is where my grandfather, a railway machinist, started building his log cabin in 1919, and where my parents built ours in the early fifties. At the moment I have no idea whether either cottage is still standing. The circumstances that caused the Ingolf fire to explode with such intensity were not unlike those in Fort McMurray — temperatures in the mid 30 C. range, extremely dry conditions and a relative humidity below 18 per cent. This when the May average is usually 19 C with a relative humidity of 48 per cent. This month's unusually hot, dry conditions are what create the perfect storm for bigger more intense wildfires that rapidly increase in size. Climate-warmed blazes that are a nightmare for firefighters, who are hard pressed to get boots on the ground, because the combined heat makes the conditions almost impossible to withstand. And if the carbon emissions driving climate change and global warming remain largely unchecked, those conditions are predicted to become the norm in Manitoba. Which means that our fire season will start earlier, the wildfires will be bigger and more intense, and the loss of life and property will likely escalate. To make matters worse, as vast tracts of forest burn, global CO2 levels will rise even higher. So what can we do to mitigate this? Well, the first thing our government should definitely not do is sell off so-called 'surplus' water bomber planes, as did the previous provincial conservative government. Then we need to ensure that the province adopts a multitiered approach to firefighting, which begins with a clear and achievable plan to reduce the emissions that are driving bigger more intense forest fires. Next up, the province and city need to look at ways to increase our resiliency by discouraging residential expansion near fire-prone forests and grasslands as well as setting higher standards for building codes that feature better fire resistant designs and materials. Even more obvious the province needs to beef up its firefighting and fire prevention capacity on all levels which may have finally begun with the recent repurchase of three new water bombers. Winnipeg Jets Game Days On Winnipeg Jets game days, hockey writers Mike McIntyre and Ken Wiebe send news, notes and quotes from the morning skate, as well as injury updates and lineup decisions. Arrives a few hours prior to puck drop. Other good ideas — assign someone to keep the province's fire tracking and alert websites up to date and create a climate resiliency portal where Manitobans can learn about and plan for the climate risks in their areas. Finally, developing recovery plans before fires hit and implementing those plans quickly is also key. In the meantime, all of us need to remember that the fires we're seeing now could happen anywhere given the right conditions. So let's ensure that our governments are protecting us by being as well prepared as possible. Erna Buffie is a writer and environmental activist. Read more @
CBC
09-05-2025
- Business
- CBC
Manitoba opens 67 new housing units for people living in tents
The Manitoba government is celebrating the opening of 67 new housing units, at a cost of $6.4 million, as part of its goal of gradually eliminating chronic homelessness in the province.
