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CBC
a day ago
- Climate
- CBC
Evacuation alert issued for Alberta town of Slave Lake as wildfire draws near
Thousands of people in the northern Alberta town of Slave Lake have been put on notice to prepare for a possible evacuation due to the threat of a wildfire. An evacuation alert now in effect includes everyone in the town, as well as some properties northeast of the townsite in the surrounding municipal district. According to the alert issued at 9 p.m. Sunday, people living within the town should be prepared to leave their homes within eight hours of the notice being issued. Those living within the evacuation zone in the surrounding Municipal District of Lesser Slave River, including properties along Devonshire Road North, should be prepared to evacuate within four hours. According to the alert, a wildfire burning northeast of Slave Lake and east of Highway 88 has put the town under threat. Forestry crews are actively working to contain the wildfire, but conditions remain volatile and can change quickly, and smoke has drifting toward the community, town officials cautioned in an update to residents on Sunday. While no evacuation is necessary, people should prepare to leave by packing essentials including medication, important documents, pet supplies, water and clothing, and by keeping their vehicles fuelled and ready, officials said. Around 7,000 people live in the town, surrounded by forest 255 kilometres northwest of Edmonton. The community is no stranger to the danger posed by wildfires. A wildfire burned about one-third of the town in May 2011, destroying nearly 400 homes and businesses. According to Alberta Wildfire's provincial dashboard, the fire northeast of Slave Lake began Sunday, sparked by a lightning strike. As of Sunday afternoon, the flames had burned across 44 hectares of forest and continued to burn out of control, northeast of Lesser Slave Lake. According to Alberta Wildfire, the blaze is among 11 now burning in the Slave Lake wildfire district. The wildfire danger in the region is considered very high, with officials monitoring closely for new fire activity amid hot and dry conditions and a cluster of lightning strikes over the weekend. While the fire near Slave Lake puts residents on edge, another cluster of fires in the district has already brought devastation to the region. One of the fires, now covering more than 137,000 hectares, moved in on the remote community of Chipewyan Lake in in late May, burning nearly half of the structures in the community, including its health centre and water treatment plant, to the ground. As the community, about 450 kilometres north of Edmonton, assesses the damage and faces the challenges of a long rebuild ahead, the 100 residents who call Chipewyan Lake home have remained under evacuation since May 28.
Irish Independent
a day ago
- Business
- Irish Independent
‘I've never seen it so bad' – Tipperary councillor raises alarm over social housing crisis
At the July meeting of the Thurles Municipal District, independent councillor Jim Ryan said that he had 'never seen it as bad', and had been getting numerous representations from his constituents about social housing and not being able to find a place to live. Speaking at the meeting, Cllr Ryan said that he has people calling into his office every day, ringing and reaching out to him on social media every day on the issue of housing. "There are people receiving notices to quit, people who are homeless, people who are couch surfing, living with families and overcrowded living situations, people suffering from severe anxiety as a result of the current state that they're living in,' Cllr Ryan said. "I never thought in today's day in age, with so much money out there that we'd be in a situation where people can't sleep at night, stressed out to the last, they're on medication in some instances as a result of the situation they find themselves in through no fault of their own. "We need an action plan, we need to give some hope to these people, I know we are building houses, but it's not enough, any time there's houses listed on CBL (Choice Based Letting) there's a huge number of people expressing an interest in these houses, the demand for houses far exceeds the supply,' Cllr Ryan said. Choice Based Letting is a system used by Tipperary County Council so those who are on the social housing list and have been approved for homes can express their interest in homes when they become available. Responding to Cllr Ryan's calls, representatives from Tipperary County Council's housing section said that the local authority are aiming to surpass their social housing target this year, and that they are always on the lookout for sites in the district to develop new social housing developments. "We are hoping to exceed our target by 2026 in relation to the provision of new units, there is some units coming on stream in Thurles this year, that's what we're working on,' a representative of the housing section said. Another representative said that the local authority are 'always looking for new sites for new housing developments'. "In Thurles maybe it looks a bit skewed, but they're definitely on the list, we have another greenfield site that we'd be hoping to work on soon, and that's going through to the stage one application at the minute, and we're constantly looking for new sites, it's a huge priority for us,' he added.
Irish Independent
6 days ago
- Politics
- Irish Independent
Add language conditions to Cork Gaeltacht planning approvals
Cllr Gobnait Moynihan made the call at this week's meeting of Cork County Council as the councillors considered the Chief Executive's report on a proposed housing development in the West Cork village of Ballyvourney. 'This housing development is in Ballyvourney and that's in the Gaeltacht. A Gaeltacht is only there because people speak Irish on a daily basis. If the level of Irish isn't kept, then the status can be gone like that or the boundary of the Gaeltacht can be cut in half. So it's very important,' Cllr Moynihan said. 'The problem I have with it [the proposed development] is that there's no language conditions on the planning. A language condition is that you would put a certain percentage of these houses aside for people who speak Irish on a daily basis.' The Fianna Fáil Councillor said the requirement for Councils to put language conditions in place in Gaeltacht areas came into effect back in 2000: 'This is not something new, this is something that's happening all around the country and all the other Gaeltachts, except in Cork County Council.' Cllr Gearoid Murphy supported Cllr Moynihan's call: "Unfortunately, we are, as far as I'm aware, the only local authority that doesn't have specific language surrounding Gaeltacht and Irish language requirements in relation to multi-residence developments in the Gaeltacht. And I think that's something that we need to look at remedying as a matter of urgency." Cllr Michael Creed said that when the Macroom Municipal District was briefed on the proposed development in Ballyvourney, 'we got a commitment from the people that were at the meeting that they would seriously consider native Irish speakers.' Responding to Cllr Moynihan's call, Cork County Council Chief Executive Moira Murrell said that language conditions in relation to planning permission would need to be specified within the County Development Plan. 'It would require a specific percentage being assigned within the plan to a particular part of the Gaeltacht that would say that X percent of houses built in this area, public or private, would be allocated for Irish speakers,' she said. The Chief Executive said she will come back to the Council with information on how best to alter the County Development Plan so that it allows language conditions going forward.
Hamilton Spectator
08-07-2025
- Business
- Hamilton Spectator
St. Stephen considers downtown facade improvement program
The downtown core of St. Stephen could benefit from a new program that enhances business facades. Jeff Renaud, the chief administrative officer for the Municipal District of St. Stephen (MDSS), said he's been working on this project in collaboration with the Southwest New Brunswick Regional Service Commission (SNBSC), adding it is very much a 'working draft.' 'The discussion around the downtown facade program has been around for a long time,' he said. 'It used to live on the fringes of the Business Improvement Association (BIA), but quite frankly that wasn't the right place for it to try and live.' Renaud said it also isn't part of their mandate. Any draft policy discussed at the Committee of the Whole does not take effect as a standing policy until it is formally brought before the council for debate and a vote. 'What we've discovered and what we're proposing is that it be run from the municipal district itself,' he said. They set a maximum rate of about $7,500 per project, he explained to the council. The municipality has also identified partnerships with the Canadian Business Development Corporation if needed. A business could apply to the program to give much-needed upgrades to the facade, or front-facing area, of a business in the downtown. An example in the presentation includes a variety of things that could be done to improve the look and feel of the downtown. Each project would be brought before the council for a vote and approval. Properties within the Downtown Business Zone are eligible, but those that fall under the New Brunswick Register of Historic Places are not. Renaud said the proposal plan would be presented to the BIA membership to get feedback. Mayor Allan MacEachern asked whether there could be control over facade colours, allowing for depth in the range of storefront colours. Meanwhile, Coun. Wade Greenlaw questioned what area would encompass the program. Renaud explained it would be the area under the BIA, but also the historic district of Milltown. 'To try and rejuvenate that area as well,' Renaud said. Renaud said waterfront properties, the side facing Calais, ME, could also be eligible under the program. 'We're doing some stuff that is outside the box for facade improvements but I think with the nature of our community, they are attempts to do interesting things,' he said. Coun. Emily Rodas asked about buildings that are rented. 'Would the landlord be able to apply for the $7,500 for each unit, or would the tenant be applying for the funds with the landlord's permission?' she asked. Renaud said multi-unit buildings may need further consideration within the policy, but a tenant could apply with the landlord's permission. He said he would take it back to the working group for consideration on how it might handle large multi-unit businesses, like the ones nearest the border on Milltown Blvd. Coun. Joyce Wright said it could consider allowing one facade improvement per address, to avoid impediments to future owners of multi-unit businesses. Council has sent the proposal off to the BIA for consideration. The Courier reached out to the BIA, but did not receive a response by publication time. Error! Sorry, there was an error processing your request. There was a problem with the recaptcha. Please try again. You may unsubscribe at any time. By signing up, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy . This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google privacy policy and terms of service apply. Want more of the latest from us? Sign up for more at our newsletter page .
Irish Independent
04-07-2025
- Sport
- Irish Independent
Funding difficulties delay work on Wicklow sports park
In May 2024 plans for the new facility were unanimously welcomed by the elected members of Bray Municipal District, following a presentation by county council officials on how the project would proceed. During the public consultation process, Ardmore Rovers supporters made over 1,300 submissions, with 11 filed by Ballywaltrim United. There wasn't unanimous support of providing adult exercise equipment, however many acknowledged the need for an upgrade to facilities and an all-weather surface, running track, sand pitches, cycling connections and tracks, and different walks to link up with other areas. There was a call for the new facility to be 'multi-sport' and include everything from soccer and GAA to cycling. The project which will be delivered over five separate phases hit a setback last November, when it failed to secure funding under the Large-Scale Sport Infrastructure Fund (LSSIF). None of the projects for the Garden County were approved. Wicklow County Council was allocated funding in September under the Sports Capital Grant. However, it received just of €153,648 of an estimated €250k to €300k needed to pay for that early stage of the project. The LSSIF would have helped to cover a large part of phase two, which was costed at approximately €1.2m, required to cover just one section of the project, the hugely anticipated running track. Meanwhile, the estimated expenditure for phase three, which includes cycle and BMX tracks, is in the region of €200k. Further pitch upgrades are also included in phase three, at an estimated cost of €120k. Plans for phases four and five have not been fully progressed but are understood to include changing facilities and common area exercise facilities. Speaking during the July meeting of Bray Municipal District, Cllr Dermot Daisy O' Brien said it was important that momentum is not lost in working to get the project off the ground. In agreement Cllr Erika Doyle insisted that residents must not be left feeling like they are being left behind. 'We need to help push this forward.' she added. In response, executive engineer Stephen Fox said it would be premature to provide a timeline on the works. 'The latest update I have is that we're looking at getting a sample lighting design ready for consultants to review.' Funded by the Local Democracy Reporting Scheme
