Latest news with #Maritimes
CTV News
14 hours ago
- Climate
- CTV News
Haze of wildfire smoke hangs over Maritimes; sunnier and hotter weather ahead this week
A haze of smoke from the wildfires in Saskatchewan and Manitoba is currently hanging above the Maritimes. A high-pressure area develops by mid-week and gives the Maritimes some sunnier and warmer days for early June. Smoke satellite On this satellite image from the College of DuPage cloud is shown in the brighter whites and greys. Wildfire smoke is the fainter grey haze most visible over Nova Scotia and PEI. Wildfire smoke It's too faint and high in the atmosphere to impact air quality but smoke from the Prairie wildfires arrived on Sunday, trailing behind the weekend low pressure system that gave the Maritimes a rainy Saturday. This current plume of smoke is expected to clear east of the Maritimes tonight. Further wildfire smoke is likely to arrive from the west Tuesday night and Wednesday of this week. Smoke outlook Further haze from wildfire smoke is expected over the Maritimes by Wednesday. Parts of Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, and Northern Ontario will likely remain under Air Quality Statements and Air Quality Warnings this week. There is little rain in the forecast for the areas where the larger fires are burning. Extreme fire danger ratings continue for parts of northeastern B.C., the Northwest Territories, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba and northern Ontario. High pressure and sunshine for the Maritimes High pressure is forecast to build along the U.S. eastern seaboard and over the Maritimes Tuesday into Wednesday. The high pressure will produce sunnier days and temperatures will rise for the Maritimes. Wednesday through Friday will be the hottest stretch of the week with widespread high temperatures in the mid-to-high 20's and some near 30. High pressure is forecast to build along the U.S. eastern seaboard and over the Maritimes Tuesday into Wednesday. The high pressure will produce sunnier days and temperatures will rise for the Maritimes. Wednesday through Friday will be the hottest stretch of the week with widespread high temperatures in the mid-to-high 20's and some near 30. Wednesday Early June heat hits the Maritimes Wednesday and is likely to extend through Friday. A weak weather front from the west will bring scattered showers with a risk of thunderstorms to New Brunswick on Thursday. Scattered showers for both Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island are expected Thursday night into Friday morning. Be sure to monitor provincial and municipal fire restrictions this week. Sunnier, drier days can quickly elevate the fire danger rating. Another soggy Saturday looks likely While we certainly want some rain in June it would be nice if it fell on another day of the week instead of Saturday or Sunday for a change. Alas, long range guidance projects a slow-moving area of low pressure moving out of the northeastern US and into the Maritimes on Saturday. Saturday Once again a low pressure system is expected to give the Maritimes a soggy start to the weekend. The low pressure will bring cloudy conditions accompanied by periods of rain and showers on Saturday. As a result, temperatures will cool on Saturday after the Wednesday through Friday stretch. The wet weather is good for rivers, streams, agriculture and reduces fire risk.
CBC
a day ago
- Business
- CBC
Liberal lobbyists line up to influence Holt government
Social Sharing New Brunswick's registry of lobbyists has seen a wave of new filings from Liberal-connected consultants looking to influence Premier Susan Holt's Liberal government on behalf of paying clients. Since Holt took power last fall, two former Liberal premiers, Brian Gallant and Shawn Graham, have taken on new clients seeking to influence government policy. Three former Liberal cabinet ministers and two former advisers have also registered new clients since Holt was sworn in. Progressive Conservative Opposition Leader Glen Savoie highlighted Gallant's Feb. 28 registration to lobby for Aecon Group Inc., a major construction company that has worked on nuclear power and natural gas projects, among others. In his filing, Gallant said he wanted to organize meetings with Infrastructure Minister Chuck Chiasson and N.B. Power CEO Lori Clark to promote Aecon's "corporate brand awareness and capabilities." Holt worked for a job-creation secretariat created by Gallant when he was premier. "Her former boss Brian Gallant said at every turn that perception matters," Savoie said. "So now here he is lobbying his former employee as a lobbyist. What's the perception on that?" Gallant forced out one of his MLAs, Donald Arseneault, in 2017 for taking on lobbying work while sitting as a backbencher. Lobbying rules allowed it, but Gallant said it would be seen as a conflict of interest. Savoie suggested Gallant might help Aecon secure a contract to build a new N.B. Power natural gas power plant in Scoudouc that was announced last December. Holt said she did not know whether Aecon had the contract and said she had never met with the company. WATCH | 'What's the perception on that?': Opposition on Liberal lobbyists Liberal lobbyists take on new clients after Holt election win 1 hour ago Duration 2:39 "Our ministers meet with community groups, not-for-profits, citizens, certainly staff of the government, front-line workers, without lobbyists at all," Holt told reporters. "The presence of a lobbyist does not determine who gets what meeting when. "If a company wants to ask [for a meeting] themselves, or pay somebody to ask for them, it's still treated the same." Asked in that case why a company would need to pay lobbyists, the premier said, "It's a great question. I'm not sure." In a written statement to CBC News, Gallant said he became "an advisor" to Aecon in early 2024, before the Liberals won the election. "Aecon has done work in Atlantic Canada and has the capabilities to do more in the region, including in New Brunswick," he wrote. Aecon did not respond to a request for comment. Gallant's February registration is his first ever in the public lobbyist registry, which has existed since 2017. Former Liberal premier Shawn Graham, a longtime lobbyist, added two new clients to his roster since Holt took power last year. He now represents Fertility Partners Inc., a Moncton clinic, and Global University Systems Canada, a for-profit chain of universities that operates three medical schools in the Caribbean. Graham said in an email his work with Fertility Partners is to help establish a research centre at the Université de Moncton and is unconnected to Holt's recent announcement about funding for one round of in vitro fertilization for New Brunswickers. In his registration for Global University Systems Canada, Graham says he would meet with Health Minister John Dornan about an initiative to "help address the family physician shortage by offering fully funded medical school education to provincial citizens." Graham turned down a request for an interview. Holt said in question period Friday that she itemizes all her official meetings in social-media videos she releases every Monday. She questioned whether there's a link between a Liberal government taking office and Liberal-connected consultants taking on new clients. "You'd have to look at the history to see if that's the case," she said. "I'm sure somebody could probably do the data to see if there's correlation between new registrations and changes in governments." The premier suggested having Liberal connections may actually be a disadvantage, because her office may hesitate over how it might look to help someone with connections. Savoie also flagged Holt's links to Jordan O'Brien, a former chief of staff to Gallant with a long list of current and former lobbying clients. Since Holt was elected, O'Brien has started lobbying for Populus Plus, a health technology company, and the Fredericton International Airport. Last fall, Liberal insider Maurice Robichaud, a former communications adviser to Graham and to an earlier Liberal premier, Frank McKenna, registered as a lobbyist for the Convenience Industry Council of Canada. The organization opposed a Liberal bill to repeal the "cost of carbon adjustor" surcharge on gasoline put in place by the Blaine Higgs government that passes the cost of federal clean-fuel regulations to consumers. The council argued repealing the surcharge would leave gas wholesalers and retailers absorbing the cost instead. A week after Robichaud registered, the Liberals put the bill on hold. Greg Byrne, a former Liberal cabinet minister and one-time chief of staff to Gallant, also registered to lobby for the council, the records show. Robichaud, meanwhile, is also registered to lobby for Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners, a wind energy company, and the New Brunswick Pharmacists Association. Another former Liberal minister, Doug Tyler, who also worked in Graham's office when he was premier, filed paperwork last month for two new lobbying clients. He is working for the Northern Group of Companies, a Grand Falls-based asphalt company, meeting with officials including Holt's chief of staff, Katie Davey, "to promote the importance of a safe and modern Highway Network in New Brunswick." He is also representing another Grand Falls company, Greystone, which he says in his filing is a new company in the power line maintenance and restoration business. Donald Arseneault, a Liberal cabinet minister in Graham and Gallant Liberal governments, has registered four new clients since the start of 2025. They include the Energy Alliance of the North, an organization of regional service commissions and First Nations that Arseneault says in his registration is seeking changes to provincial laws so it can bid to launch renewable energy projects to supply N.B. Power. Another of his clients is Groupe Lebel, a company that owns a sawmill in Tobique Valley that "has planned various capital projects and is looking for government financial assistance, along with increased Crown wood allocations," the filing says. The two other new clients are the University of Fredericton, a private institution, and the Northern New Brunswick Airport Authority Inc., which operates the Bathurst airport. Holt promised in last fall's election campaign to "modernize and strengthen the lobbyist registry to enhance transparency and accountability." Holt revealed Friday that her government is ending its $19,000 US a month contract with lobbyists in Washington who were hired earlier this year to lobby the Trump administration and members of Congress on tariffs. She said the contract, which began Feb. 3, had served its purpose. "The relationships and the connections have now been made."
CTV News
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- CTV News
How to watch the 41st IWK Telethon
Watch the 41st annual IWK Telethon for Children on CTV and support Maritime children and families in need. Service is temporarily unavailable. Please try again later. [5005/500] It's a weekend of giving in the Maritimes. The IWK Foundation returns with its children's telethon Sunday to support the most urgent priority needs at the IWK Health Centre, which is the region's largest children's hospital. 'This is an amazing weekend. It's a year's worth of work to get to this weekend, but we're all ready and I hope our community, as always, will tune in. I think they're in for a real treat this year,' said IWK Foundation President and CEO Jennifer Gillivan in an interview on CTV Morning Live. The fun begins Saturday night with a Telethon Tribute from 7 to 9:30 p.m. The show is hosted by CTV's Katie Kelly alongside actor, TV personality and Maritimer Jonathan Torrens. The broadcasts features several Maritime performers, including Heather Rankin, JRDN, DeeDee Austin, Cassie and Maggie, Irish Mythen, as well as Rankin MacInnis and the Broken Reeds. 'This is a heartfelt, amazing show with some fantastic talent and surprises that I'm not going to tell people about. You're going to have to tune in to find out,' said Gillivan. The 41st IWK Telethon for Children then airs Sunday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Many familiar faces will host the eight-hour broadcast, including CTV Atlantic Chief Anchor Todd Battis and CTV News at Five Host Maria Panopalis. The telethon is the IWK Foundation's largest fundraiser of the year. It will feature stories from patients and families who have received care at the health centre, as well as donors from around the region. 'People are extremely generous, they care deeply about their children, and about the health of their families, and they show it,' she said. Both the Telethon Tribute and IWK Telethon for Children will be broadcast on CTV Atlantic, the CTV Atlantic website and the CTV app. People can donate all weekend by visiting or calling 1-800-595-2266. Last year, the telethon raised more than $7.5 million. 'Every donation counts, and we know times can be tough and we understand that, and we really appreciate that if you can donate, please do, because we really need it,' said Gillivan.
CBC
3 days ago
- Climate
- CBC
N.S. wildfire season off to a slow start after cool, wet spring
The wildfire season in Nova Scotia has been off to a "slow" start, according to the manager of forest protection with the province's natural resources department. Wildfire season in Nova Scotia runs from March 15 to Oct. 15 and Scott Tingely told CBC News that so far, the number of fires and the amount of hectares burned are both below average at this point. "We had a pretty cool, wet spring so far, so that has certainly helped kind of mitigate the conditions and the risk," Tingley said. As of Thursday, 39 fires have burned about 35 hectares across the province so far. Changing weather conditions This past week, however, has been somewhat concerning because of the hot and windy conditions, he said. There was a small fire in West Gore on Wednesday evening that burned through about 1.5 hectares. The wildfire situation in Nova Scotia has changed rapidly over the last week, according to data from Natural Resources Canada. On Tuesday, the department listed the fire danger across most of the province as low. And as of Thursday, that classification was raised to high for the bulk of the mainland and Cape Breton. Tingley said this week's low humidity and high temperatures, along with breezy winds, do create favourable conditions for wildfires, but we're now in a "green up" period. That's important for bringing shade and moisture to dry areas. "We're starting to see a lot of the trees starting to leaf out," he said. "The trees greening up are kind of mitigating some of that risk as well." CBC meteorologist Ryan Snoddon said this year, the biggest issue is how long it's been since the last rainfall. "With leftover dead grass and shrubs from the winter, it doesn't take long for things to dry out," Snoddon said. "On that note, we've had a pretty good May with some rain every few days." Mitigation since record wildfire year Tingley said in the two years since after the province's most devastating wildfire season on record, the Department of Natural Resources has implemented all the recommendations that were in a report about the department's response in 2023. Some of those changes include updating equipment, renewing the helicopter fleet and improving internal communication procedures. He said the department has also worked on adding more personnel to the teams that deal with wildfires. "That was a recognized gap and we've done a lot adding capacity to our ability to respond, particularly around incident management teams and getting more people trained to respond and support the efforts," Tingley said. The wildfires of 2023 tore through areas of Shelburne County and the Upper Tantallon area just north of Halifax, destroying more than 200 homes and burning 25,000 hectares of forest. Last year, things shifted dramatically, with the province seeing its least active wildfire season on record, with 83 wildfires burning about 47.5 hectares of land. Tingley said some of that change could be due to residents changing their behaviour when it comes to burning since 2023. A fine of $25,000 was temporarily put in place for illegal burning in the province. That fine was made permanent earlier this month.
CTV News
3 days ago
- General
- CTV News
Evening in the Maritimes
Ottawa Watch CTV's Shaun Vardon has the details on this year's Evening in the Maritimes event, in support of ABLE2.
