Latest news with #Tomlinson
Montreal Gazette
20 hours ago
- Climate
- Montreal Gazette
It might have felt like it, but May wasn't the coldest on record
By May's weather had a bit of a bad reputation. But according to Environment Canada, it wasn't quite as gloomy as it seemed. Montreal received 118 millimetres of rain during the month of May, which is about 38 per cent above average, according to Environment Canada meteorologist Eric Tomlinson. While May was slightly rainier than average, it was nowhere near record-setting. 'As far as Quebec goes, it was actually a pretty typical month,' Tomlinson said in an interview. 'Usually, when we're talking about the top five rainiest months of May for Montreal, we're looking at 140 mm, 135 mm or more for the month. We're at 118, so we're not quite there.' One reason May felt gloomy is that nearly every weekend was rainy, Tomlinson said. About half the month's total rainfall fell on Saturdays or Sundays. 'When they add up like that, especially on weekends, it creates the impression of a really, really bad month,' he said. The cool, rainy days were also spread out compared with some record-setting rainy years. Tomlinson said this was the rainiest May since 2017. But unlike that year, which saw single-day downpours of 37 mm and 22 mm, no day in May this year topped 14 mm. 'Unfortunately,' he said, 'a lot of those days landed on the weekend.' The month started off warm and sunny, with the first 10 days often reaching above 18C. A brief warm spell from May 13 to 16 saw temperatures above 25C. Tomlinson noted that the El Niño weather oscillation is currently neutral and not having an influence on Quebec weather. 'It wasn't that we were getting major systems, but just a lot of small systems moving through, bringing those little days of rain with about 15 mm,' he said. He said June 1 fell within the coldest 10 per cent of June 1sts on record. This week is following a familiar pattern: the warmest, sunniest days are at the beginning, with temperatures expected to reach 27C on Tuesday and 32C on Wednesday, according to the Environment Canada forecast. Things will cool down later in the week, with chances of rain on Thursday and over the weekend.
Yahoo
5 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Mac's Law: New bill would prohibit insurance discrimination against dog breeds
PENNSYLVANIA (WTAJ) — A proposed law, named after a dog, will soon be introduced in the Pennsylvania House and will work to prevent discrimination against different breeds. Mac's Law would prevent homeowners from being discriminated against solely based on the breed of dog they own. In a memo, Representative Kathleen Tomlinson shared that a constituent in her area spoke up on issues that they had with getting homeowners insurance due to the fact that they owned a pitbull. ''Mac' the pit bull never had a history of being aggressive, and to be perfectly clear, he wouldn't hurt a fly. He was judged by an insurer purely because of his breed,' Tomlinson wrote. Pennsylvania parking ticket fines could change under new bill The proposed legislation would prohibit this type of discrimination. The stereotype against pitbulls isn't something that's new as it's estimated that nearly 800 cities and towns have Breed-Specific Legislation (BSL). Things like breed discriminatory legislation are the result of misinformation, stereotypes and irresponsible ownership that can reinforce it. BSL most often impacts Pitbulls, Staffordshire Terriers, English Bull Terriers, but it's been known in other areas to include Rottweilers, Mastiffs, Dalmatians, Chow Chows, German Shepherds and Doberman Pinschers. It can also affect mutts or other dogs that resemble them. The American Veterinary Medical Association estimates that there are 4.7 million dog bites each year and 800,000 will require medical attention. It's also worth noting that critics argue that 100% of locations that have BSL will continue to see reports of bites as 'safety is not a breed-specific issue.' Tomlinson goes on to argue in her memo that while prohibiting discrimination, her legislation would also take into account if a dog has an aggressive history. You can read the full memo here. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Scotsman
27-05-2025
- Health
- Scotsman
Scottish council plans to order takeaways to shrink fish supper portions to tackle obesity
A raft of measures are being looked at to tackle obesity levels. Sign up to our Politics newsletter Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... A Scottish council is looking to shrink the size of fish suppers in a bid to tackle rising obesity levels. Fife Council and NHS Fife are working together on a raft of measures to tackle obesity in the region, including telling takeaways to reduce their portion sizes. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Other plans include 'excluding unhealthy food' from being advertised on billboards and to 'explore the feasibility of advertising healthy foods'. Have a look through our photo gallery to see 15 chippies in Edinburgh where you can get a cheap fish supper. Photo: Pixabay | Pixabay This comes as the Scottish Government looks at proposals to reduce the amount of high salt items on sale, potentially banning buy-one, get-one-free deals on sweets and crisps, and ending meals deals with high-fat products. Dr Joy Tomlinson, director of public health at NHS Fife, said the health board wanted to 'explore' the potential for 'place-based approaches to planning and collaborative working to create healthy places and spaces'. She said: 'Evidence from the Scottish burden of disease study shows us that the health of Fife's population would be improved if everyone were to eat a healthier diet and stay as active as possible. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'Portion sizes tend to be bigger, resulting in greater caloric intake when eating out of home compared to eating at home. Takeaways and full-service restaurants have lots of scope for calorie reduction and helping communities achieve a healthy weight." In a report, Dr Tomlinson said a 'lack of confidence and poor cooking skills and lack of food knowledge' was contributing to 'lower fruit and vegetable intake and higher intake of high fat, high sugar foods and processed foods by people in Fife'. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad She said: 'Improved access to affordable healthy food is crucial to making improvements in what people eat.'
Scotsman
27-05-2025
- Health
- Scotsman
Scottish council plans to order takeaways to shrink fish supper portions to tackle obesity
A raft of measures are being looked at to tackle obesity levels. Sign up to our Politics newsletter Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... A Scottish council is looking to shrink the size of fish suppers in a bid to tackle rising obesity levels. Fife Council and NHS Fife are working together on a raft of measures to tackle obesity in the region, including telling takeaways to reduce their portion sizes. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Other plans include 'excluding unhealthy food' from being advertised on billboards and to 'explore the feasibility of advertising healthy foods'. Have a look through our photo gallery to see 15 chippies in Edinburgh where you can get a cheap fish supper. Photo: Pixabay | Pixabay This comes as the Scottish Government looks at proposals to reduce the amount of high salt items on sale, potentially banning buy-one, get-one-free deals on sweets and crisps, and ending meals deals with high-fat products. Dr Joy Tomlinson, director of public health at NHS Fife, said the health board wanted to 'explore' the potential for 'place-based approaches to planning and collaborative working to create healthy places and spaces'. She said: 'Evidence from the Scottish burden of disease study shows us that the health of Fife's population would be improved if everyone were to eat a healthier diet and stay as active as possible. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'Portion sizes tend to be bigger, resulting in greater caloric intake when eating out of home compared to eating at home. Takeaways and full-service restaurants have lots of scope for calorie reduction and helping communities achieve a healthy weight." In a report, Dr Tomlinson said a 'lack of confidence and poor cooking skills and lack of food knowledge' was contributing to 'lower fruit and vegetable intake and higher intake of high fat, high sugar foods and processed foods by people in Fife'. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad She said: 'Improved access to affordable healthy food is crucial to making improvements in what people eat.'
Otago Daily Times
24-05-2025
- General
- Otago Daily Times
Tool safety taught
Learning how to safely operate carpentry equipment are Outram School pupils (from left) Liam Kruger, 9, Indie Buchan, 10, Katrina Pollock, 10, Luke Wallace, 10, Tyson Hayes, 9, Lane Todd, 9 and Arlo Thomson, 9. Photo: Sam Henderson Young children have been enjoying hands-on activities that build positive self-esteem. The Edge Workshop, run by BB New Zealand, is an initiative that enables children aged 8 to 11 to gain confidence with hand tools. South Island development manager Warwick Tomlinson, assisted by Graham Knauf, has been visiting Outram School to deliver the six-week programme. A mobile workshop stocked with equipment and materials lets children learn to use basic tools, including saws and hammers, as well as power tools such as drills and jigsaws. "It is about having fun and learning as we go," Mr Tomlinson said. The children build simple items such as phone holders, stools or wooden toy cars. "We use pallet timber for the most part." As well as making items, the programme helps build confidence and social skills. "The kids we are dealing with are at an age where they are learning things that will carry them on through their lives. "Their personalities are being set up, how they interact with each other and how they understand how things go." The aim was to give children an early chance to think about their future, he said. The programme is offered at no cost to schools thanks to local and national community sponsors. Outram School principal Kim Allan said it was very lucky to have Mr Tomlinson bring the programme to the school. "Warwick and Graham work alongside our tamariki to create their projects, but [the pupils] gain so much more from their participation." As well as practical skills, the pupils gained confidence, positive self-esteem and qualities of becoming constructive role models and future leaders. The children developed key competencies and values in resilience, creativity, caring, responsibility and independence. Previous groups completed projects for the whole school, including a seat, a pallet car for juniors and a cornhole game, she said.
