
Tag Archives Wildfires

Comment: Trying to keep ahead of the fire
Back in May 2002, a guy was running a log skidder in some bush pasture on the north side of Turtle Lake, Sask. It was hot and dry, one of those days when the temperature was higher than the humidity. I’m not sure exactly what happened. Perhaps it was just a spark from the log […] Read more

Range Rider program helps B.C. ranchers threatened by wildfires
As more wildfires flare up in B.C., ranchers are forced to evacuate their cattle, and help their neighbours do the same
When the Shetland Creek wildfire started in the summer of 2024, T.J. Walkem waited and watched smoke smudge the sky. Dry, hot and windy conditions fed the fire, and overnight, it doubled in size. Walkem and his father rushed to evacuate their cattle, surrounded by walls of flames. “We’ve had a few (wildfires) the last […] Read more

Jasper fires force trains to go slow
CN has resumed service but at a reduced speed through the area
The Canadian National Railway line through Jasper, Alta,. is open, but trains are moving slowly due to the wildfire that destroyed a significant part of the community this week. The implications for grain movement are unknown, but unloads are already down at the port of Vancouver.

Canada forecasts hotter-than-average summer as peak wildfire season nears
Reuters – Canada is expecting a hotter-than-usual summer with slightly below-average precipitation in central Canada, government officials said on Tuesday, offering little relief from ongoing drought and the risk of another bad wildfire season. Last year, Canada experienced its worst-ever fire season, with more than 6,600 blazes burning 15 million hectares, an area roughly seven […] Read more

Nova Scotia farmers granted late AgriStability entry
Enrolment for 2023 now an option until Dec. 31, 2024
Nova Scotia farmers who aren’t in on AgriStability for 2023 and whose operations were hit hard by weather events this spring and/or summer now have until the end of next year to enroll. The Nova Scotia and federal governments on Friday announced enrolment for the ag income stabilization program, which ended on April 30, has […] Read more

Climate change made Quebec wildfires twice as likely, scientists say
Early snow disappearance led to earlier fires
London | Reuters — The fires that tore through the province of Quebec between May and July were made at least twice as likely by climate change, scientists said on Tuesday. Climate change, driven by the burning of fossil fuels, also made the fires as much as 50 per cent more intense, according to the […] Read more

B.C. wildfires intensify, evacuation orders double
Rain helping slow fires near Yellowknife
Kelowna | Reuters — Forest fires in British Columbia intensified on Saturday, with the number of people under evacuation orders doubling from a day earlier, as authorities warned of difficult days ahead. The province declared a state of emergency on Friday to access temporary authoritative powers to tackle fire-related risks, as out-of-control fires ripped through […] Read more

Alberta farmers granted late AgriStability entry
Enrolment deadline now Sept. 29
Any Alberta producers who were considering AgriStability — but only in hindsight — for the income stabilization plan’s 2023 program year now have until Sept. 29 to apply. Ottawa and the province announced Aug. 4 that they’ve reopened the jointly-funded program, as wildfires and/or “extremely dry” growing conditions have dragged on many Alberta producers’ work […] Read more

Canada’s record-setting wildfires could persist for rest of ‘marathon’ summer
Country's fires account for over a quarter of world's carbon for 2023
Ottawa | Reuters — Record-setting wildfires in Canada could potentially continue burning at an abnormally high rate for several more weeks, though the spread of blazes is likely to start diminishing in September, according to federal projections released on Friday. Forest fires have engulfed parts of nearly all 13 Canadian provinces and territories this year, […] Read more

Western Canada covered in smoke as wildfires loosen grip on Quebec
Over 200 of 449 wildfires now out of control
Ottawa | Reuters — Smoke shrouded Western Canada on Monday as wildfires flared again in the main oil-producing province of Alberta, while firefighters in Quebec doused some of the worst early-season blazes, allowing thousands of evacuees to return home. Canada is enduring its most destructive start to wildfire season, with about 4.8 million hectares — […] Read more