A backburn set between the Thomas ranch and the wildfire on the first night of the fire.

A rangeland up in flames

Another record-breaking summer of wildfires in B.C. suggests the need for a new approach to fire prevention and management

The wildfires that upended Chris Haywood-Farmer’s world last summer are likely still smouldering this winter, deep in the roots of the charred rangeland. For safety reasons, parts of this vast Crown range were closed for public recreation throughout the fall, a reminder of what the fourth-generation rancher and his family faced earlier that year. “We […] Read more

(Dave Bedard photo)

CP conductors, engineers taking strike vote

Teamster-led workers' deal expired at end of 2021

Unionized conductors, engineers, trainmen and yardmen for Canadian Pacific Railway are getting their ballots for a strike vote this month, as contract talks have again wound up in dispute. The Teamsters Canada Rail Conference (TCRC), which represents about 3,000 CP employees in those categories, said strike ballots were being distributed to members starting Feb. 1, […] Read more


Canadian Drought Monitor map of drought conditions and intensity in Canada at Nov. 30, 2021. (AAFC)

Precipitation eases drought conditions on Prairies

Hardest-hit Manitoba sees 'modest' improvements

MarketsFarm — Varied amounts of precipitation are either maintaining or alleviating drought conditions in much of the Prairies, according to the latest nationwide drought map from Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada’s (AAFC) Canadian Drought Monitor (CDM). The latest assessment for the period ended Nov. 30 showed very few areas of worsening drought in the region with […] Read more

Cattle grazing at Kingsclere Ranch in the Columbia Valley of B.C. Jeff Braisher produces beef and timber on the land he own and manages, balancing between forestry and beef production.

Into the woods

A focus on balance required to get the most from grazing forested areas, producers say

On Kingsclere Ranch, the balance between forestry and beef production is mutually beneficial for both its business model and the environment.  “The cows have a role to play in the total balance of the equation, and that’s a pretty significant role,” says Jeff Braisher, who produces high-end timber as well as raising cattle at Golden, B.C.  Here […] Read more


Ten-year-old Balsam fir trees on Nov. 12, 2021 at Downey Tree Farm and Nursery at Hatley, Que., about 30 km south of Sherbrooke. (File photo: Reuters/Christinne Muschi)

B.C. floods may tighten market for real Christmas trees

'We're basically shut down until the water recedes'

Ottawa | Reuters — Finding the perfect real Christmas tree will be harder and more expensive this year. Canada, the world’s top exporter of natural Christmas trees, is grappling with a shortage that will likely be exacerbated by historic flooding in British Columbia, where some tree farms are underwater. A phenomenon known as an atmospheric […] Read more

Thousands in B.C. still stranded by flood waters

'We are not out of this by a long shot'

Abbotsford | Reuters — Rescuers and workers in British Columbia were still trying to reach 18,000 people stranded on Thursday after floods and mudslides destroyed roads, houses and bridges in what could be the costliest natural disaster in the country’s history. Receding flood waters were helping rescue efforts, but the downpour blocked off entire towns […] Read more


An aerial view shows a damaged road as a flood sweeps through, near Lytton, B.C. on Nov. 15, 2021. (Handout photo from B.C. Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure via Reuters)

B.C. rains shut CN, CP mainlines and Highways 1, 7

Repairs already underway, CN says

The effects of rainstorms pelting southern British Columbia’s Interior have reached into the Prairies by effectively cutting off grain traffic to Vancouver. Canadian National Railway said Tuesday that heavy rainfalls in the region have led to mudslides and washouts on its network. Crews are inspecting affected areas and “carrying out repairs which are critical to […] Read more

Flooded roads are seen near Chilliwack, B.C. on Nov. 15, 2021 after rainstorms lashed parts of the province, triggering landslides and floods and shutting highways. (Photo: Reuters/Jennifer Gauthier)

Severe B.C. rainstorms spur landslides, shut roads

Ottawa | Reuters — Canadian helicopters carried out multiple missions on Monday to rescue hundreds of people trapped in their vehicles on a highway after huge rainstorms sparked landslides in British Columbia. The rainstorms that started on Sunday triggered landslides, shut roads, prompted the evacuation of an entire community, forced an oil pipeline to close […] Read more


An eastward-facing view from the north edge of the crossing at Mile 98.14 of CN’s Ashcroft subdivision, where BCWS suspected the Lytton fire began. (TSB photo)

No evidence trains sparked Lytton fire, TSB says

Transportation Safety Board now stepping out of ongoing fire probe

There’s no proof the fire that largely destroyed a British Columbia village, damaged a key rail bridge and led to cuts in rail speed limits in high-risk areas was sparked by train traffic, the federal Transportation Safety Board says. The TSB on Thursday said its investigation, launched in early July, “has not revealed any evidence […] Read more

A tract of Amazon jungle burns as it is cleared by farmers at Rio Pardo in Brazil’s Rondonia state on Sept. 15, 2019. (File photo: Reuters/Ricardo Moraes)

Brazil’s JBS bought 301,000 cattle from ‘irregular’ farms in Amazon, audit finds

Prosecutors 'negotiating improvements' with companies

Sao Paulo | Reuters — Nearly a third of the cattle bought by JBS SA in the Brazilian Amazon state of Para came from ranches with “irregularities” such as illegal deforestation, prosecutors found in a 2020 audit of the world’s largest meatpacker released on Thursday. In a presentation, federal prosecutors said they were “negotiating improvements” […] Read more