Free air conditioners for some B.C. seniors and vulnerable people announced in $10M program

CBC
Updated Tue, June 27, 2023 

The B.C. government is spending $10M to fund free air conditioners to help vulnerable populations deal with extreme heat events like the 2021 heat dome. (Darryl Dyck/The Canadian Press - image credit)

The province has announced it is investing $10 million to provide 8,000 free air conditioners to elderly, vulnerable and low-income residents in British Columbians.

The program will be administered by B.C. Hydro starting this year and lasting for three years.

Health Minister Adrian Dix said extreme weather is the reality now for British Columbians thanks to the effects of climate change, with extreme heat events expected to occur more frequently.

"Vulnerable people are most likely to experience effects of extreme heat," said Dix. "That's why this program targets lower income and vulnerable individuals who are at higher risk."

People applying for a free air conditioner will undergo a means assessment, or they can be referred to the program by community home health providers and health authorities, said Dix.

The announcement comes on the two-year anniversary of the June 2021 heat dome that killed 619 people in the province, according to a B.C. Coroners death review panel.

Ninety per cent of those who passed away were over the age of 60, and more than half lived alone. The majority had at least one chronic health condition, the report found.

One of the recommendations made in the report was for government to help citizens better prepare for future extreme heat events.

B.C. Hydro CEO Chris O'Riley said air conditioning can no longer be considered a luxury, citing the heat wave in May this year where temperatures reached between 10 and 15 C above normal.

"We know many people in B.C. are struggling with extreme heat and that there are often limited options available when it comes to cooling as our once milder springs and summers become warmer," he said. "It is so vital that we get air conditioning to those who really need it."

At least 50 per cent of the free air conditioning units are expected to be installed in apartment or multi-unit dwellings, said Dix, with the balance in single-family dwellings.

In a related program, B.C. Hydro is also offing residential customers $50 off the purchase of a qualifying air conditioner until July 28.

B.C. Green Party Leader Sonra Furstenau said she was relieved to see the NDP government implementing the program to help a portion of the population but said more needs to be done.

"Moving forward, I urge the government to act quickly and adopt clean air standards for indoor public spaces, which will further protect the health and well-being of British Columbians."

UK was ill-prepared for pandemic because resources were diverted to Brexit, ex-health chief says

Tue, June 27, 2023 



LONDON (AP) — Britain was ill-prepared for a pandemic partly because government resources had been diverted away from pandemic planning to brace for a possibly chaotic exit from the European Union without a deal, the U.K.'s former health secretary told an inquiry Tuesday.

Matt Hancock also said officials had to scramble to source protective equipment, set up mass testing and contact tracing systems “from scratch” once the coronavirus pandemic broke out because the U.K.'s planning attitude was entirely “geared towards how to clear up after a disaster, not prevent it.”

“The doctrine of the U.K. was to plan for the consequences of a disaster — can we buy enough body bags? Where are we going to bury the dead?” Hancock said.

“Large-scale testing did not exist and large-scale contact tracing did not exist because it was assumed that as soon as there was community transmission, it wouldn’t be possible to stop the spread, and therefore, what’s the point in contact tracing?” he added.

That assumption was “completely wrong” and a “colossal” failure, Hancock said.

Hancock acknowledged that an official pandemic preparedness board paused its work in 2018 to 2019 because resources were moved away to focus instead on the threat of a “disorganized Brexit.”

Britain's government was consumed in 2019 with the possibility of crashing out of the EU without a deal on the departure terms in place. A bitterly divided Parliament rejected then-Prime Minister Theresa May's Brexit plan three times.

The U.K. eventually left the trade bloc in 2020.

As health secretary, Hancock became one of the best-known politicians in Britain as he led efforts to halt the spread of the coronavirus before he was forced to quit in June 2021, when he was caught breaking social distancing rules with an aide. Pictures of him kissing the aide in government offices were splashed across front pages at the time.

Hancock has previously faced criticism about the U.K.'s COVID testing measures and how authorities failed to manage the spread of the pandemic in care homes for the elderly. The U.K. had one of the highest COVID-19 death tolls in Europe, with the virus recorded as a cause of death for almost 227,000 people.

Hancock said an emotional sorry Tuesday to all those who died and were affected.

“I’m profoundly sorry for each death that has occurred. I also understand why, for some, it will be hard to take that apology from me,” he said.

Earlier, Hancock was confronted by members of the group COVID Families for Justice who held up pictures of relatives who died in the pandemic as he arrived at the inquiry in central London.

The wide-ranging inquiry, led by a retired judge, aims to investigate the U.K.’s preparedness for the coronavirus pandemic, how the government responded and what lessons can be learned for the future.

Former Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who led the U.K. during the pandemic, agreed in late 2021 to hold the probe after heavy pressure from bereaved families.

Senior politicians have been called to face questions. Last week, former Prime Minister David Cameron testified that the U.K. had prepared for the “wrong” pandemic by focusing too much on the dangers of a flu outbreak. Former Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt echoed that argument when he admitted he didn't challenge “groupthink” based around preparing for a flu pandemic.

Sylvia Hui, The Associated Press

What is the UK Covid inquiry, and how long will the hearings last?

Charlie Duffield, Beril Naz Hassan and Rachael Davies
Tue, 27 June 2023 

Former health secretary Matt Hancock giving evidence to the UK Covid-19 Inquiry

 (UK Covid-19 Inquiry/PA) (PA Media)

Former health secretary Matt Hancock is appearing before the Covid inquiry today (June 27), answering questions about his and the government’s response to the pandemic.

The public hearings of the UK Covid inquiry began on June 13. The independent public inquiry is examining the UK’s response to the coronavirus pandemic, with the intention of improving preparedness for any future pandemic. It is chaired by Heather Hallett, a member of the House of Lords and a former Court of Appeal judge.

Earlier this month, former prime minister David Cameron was sworn in to become the first politician to appear.

The British Medical Association said Mr Cameron and former chancellor George Osborne — who appeared before the inquiry on Tuesday — should be “taken to task” at the Covid Inquiry over austerity-era decisions that “left us so unprepared” for the pandemic.

Fresh evidence of Tory events that broke Covid lockdown rules has also emerged in the form of a video that shows Conservative staff at a Christmas party in 2020.

Government decisions, as well as political reputations and the use of public funds, will all be examined via hundreds of thousands of documents to establish a truthful account of what happened during what was one of the biggest crises the UK has ever faced.
What is the Covid inquiry?

According to its official website, the Covid inquiry “has been set up to examine the UK’s response to and impact of the Covid pandemic, and learn lessons for the future”.

The inquiry is split into modules, which explore how prepared the UK was for the pandemic, how decisions were made during the pandemic and the impact that it had on the healthcare system and the people that work in it and use it.

When did the Covid inquiry begin?

The first module of the Covid Inquiry, which examines the UK’s preparedness for the pandemic, opened on July 21 last year.

The full hearings for the first stage of the investigation, however, began in London on June 13. For the next six weeks, witnesses will provide evidence.

You can watch the inquiry and hearings via a YouTube channel where they will be live streamed.

How are Boris Johnson’s texts involved?

Mr Johnson handed over his unredacted WhatsApp messages to the inquiry earlier this month. The former PM also called on the Cabinet Office to “urgently disclose” his notebooks to the inquiry.

The Cabinet Office had claimed it did not have access to Mr Johnson’s WhatsApp messages and private notebooks, which were demanded by Lady Hallett.

Ministers have so far objected to the release of “unambiguously irrelevant” material.

A spokesman for Mr Johnson said all the material requested by the Covid inquiry had been handed to the Cabinet Office and should be disclosed to Lady Hallett.

The Cabinet Office has now confirmed it has received the information and officials are looking at it.

How long will the inquiry last?

The inquiry has announced it aims to complete the public hearings by the summer of 2026 – although legal experts say it will probably last until 2027. It is expected to cost tens of millions of pounds.

You can find out more about the inquiry here.

Who is speaking at the inquiry?

Several key figures both inside and outside of Westminster are scheduled to speak at the Covid inquiry.

Former PM David Cameron gave evidence to the inquiry on Monday, where he fought accusations that austerity measures negatively affected the UK’s Covid preparedness.

On Tuesday, it was the turn of Oliver Letwin, the former Minister for Government Policy, and former chancellor George Osborne, who served in Cameron’s government from 2010 to 2016.

On Thursday (June 22), the inquiry heard from Sir Chris Whitty, the government’s current Chief Medical Officer, and Sir Patrick Vallance, the former Chief Scientific Adviser. The two were seen regularly on television screens across the country during the pandemic, addressing questions from journalists and the public.
What has the government said?

Housing Secretary Michael Gove apologised after the video surfaced of Conservative HQ staff having a Christmas party during lockdown in 2020.

He said: “The people who were there I’m sure feel contrite, I certainly hope they do.”

He added: “As I say there was a previous investigation into this and we now know more about it, but I can only say I’m very, very sorry that there were people who were working in Government very hard on [the public’s] behalf, not all of whom on every occasion will have made the right decision in policy terms, but all of the time we were thinking about how we could help [the public] and others.

“There’s a Covid Inquiry ongoing at the moment which will look at the decisions that Government made.”

OPP reinvestigating deaths of 13 Indigenous people in Thunder Bay, Ont., over 13-year period


CBC
Updated Tue, June 27, 2023 

Thunder Bay police officers are shown investigating a sudden death in May in the northwestern Ontario city. Ontario Provincial Police officers are now reinvestigating the deaths of 13 Indigenous people between 2006 and 2019. (Sarah Law/CBC - image credit)

Ontario Provincial Police are reinvestigating the deaths of 13 Indigenous people between 2006 and 2019 in Thunder Bay.

OPP spokesperson Bill Dickson confirmed Tuesday the independent reinvestigations are ongoing and have been undertaken at the request of the province's attorney general. The cases were previously investigated by the Thunder Bay Police Service (TBPS) and, in a report last year, were identified as being in need of being investigated again.

These new investigations have been assigned to OPP officers and are being led by a major case manager in the organization's criminal investigations branch.

"Our intention is to take a victim-centred, trauma and culturally informed approach to thoroughly investigate the circumstances leading to these 13 tragic deaths in Thunder Bay," Dickson said in a statement.

The reinvestigations may lead to new criminal charges, he said.

"We believe victims' families, friends, communities and the public deserve to know what happened."

Dickson declined to provide further details about which specific cases are being reinvestigated.

Thunder Bay police Chief Darcy Fleury previously told CBC News he was open to any reinvestigations and would co-operate with them.

"If there are the shortcomings that have been reported, then definitely I'm open to having them reinvestigated," he said in an interview on March 22, shortly after his hiring was announced.

A spokesperson for the TBPS on Tuesday said the service was unable to provide a comment.

Coroner review of 2 deaths also in confidential report

Tuesday's news comes just over a year after an investigative team looking into how the TBPS investigated sudden death cases recommended that 14 death cases be re-examined. The recommendations are contained in a confidential report leaked to media organizations, including CBC News.

The report also included one case recommended for a coroner's review of a missing-person death and another for a drug death.

It also found 25 unresolved missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls (MMIWG) cases from Thunder Bay should be reviewed.

The report was part of the final work of the Broken Trust committee, formed after the province's oversight agency, the Office of the Independent Police Review Director, found evidence of systemic racism in the city's police force in 2018.

The committee called for the reinvestigation of the sudden deaths of nine Indigenous people. Part of the process was to consider if other sudden death investigations undertaken by Thunder Bay police should be conducted again.

Since that report, the police service and its oversight board have undergone significant turnover: Fleury was hired as the new police chief and the oversight board has been under the control of a provincially appointed administrator for the past year.

Future infrastructure funding to require climate change be taken into account


The Canadian Press
Updated Tue, June 27, 2023


OTTAWA — Canada's new national climate adaptation strategy will tie future federal infrastructure transfers to the provinces to projects that incorporate adaptation efforts starting next year.

By 2025, provinces and territories will also have to build climate resilience into recovery efforts to get federal help after a disaster.

The strategy was finalized Tuesday, at a time when most Canadians have already directly experienced the changing weather patterns of global warming.

"We all recognize Canada is not ready to face the impacts of climate change," Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault said as he presented the final strategy at a news conference in Vancouver.

He said while Canada must do more to slow climate change by cutting down on greenhouse gas emissions, it also must accept that we need to adapt our lives to the changes that have already happened.

The costs to people and the economy are already steep.

In 2021, severe weather caused $2.1 billion in insured damages, which does not include costs related to public infrastructure or uninsured private losses. In 2022 that rose to $3.1 billion.

Natural Resources Canada said the cost of fighting wildfires has exceeded $1 billion in six of the last 10 years. The cost of this year is not known, but a record area of land has burned already in the first six months.

The Canadian Climate Institute warned last year that the country's annual disaster recovery bills will be $5 billion a year by 2025, and by then the annual cost to Canada's economy will exceed $25 billion.

The national strategy identifies the biggest risks, including floods, wildfires and extreme heat, and sets targets to make Canada more resilient to them.

Blair Feltmate, head of the Intact Centre on Climate Adaptation at the University of Waterloo, said the strategy rightly lists fires, floods and heat as the biggest risks, noting the first two are the most costly and the third the most deadly.

He said there are fears the government won't follow through, and he pointed out adaptation plans and promises made in both 2016 and 2018 went nowhere.

Still, he said things are different now because the reality of climate change has hit home.

"Even between 2018 and now the game has changed," said Feltmate. "I'm hoping now we will have follow-through."

Guilbeault said he understands that trepidation but said with buy-in from every level of government and a promise for regular updates on the targets, he believes there will be action this time.

The plan separates action into several different categories including disaster resilience, health and well-being, nature and biodiversity, infrastructure and the economy. It includes specific targets and timelines, including the new requirements coming for federal infrastructure and disaster aid.

Feltmate said the fact that more than a third of the targets have end dates over the next three years means the government can be held accountable soon if they're not met.

The targets include having plans to prevent heat-related deaths in 80 per cent of health regions by 2026 and eliminating such deaths entirely by 2040. Officials said this could include making sure there are adequate cooling centres available during heat waves or programs to help people install cooling systems.

Also in 2026, climate change resiliency will be factored into the three national codes for buildings, electricity and highway and bridge design.

By 2028 the government wants a plan in place to help communities recover more quickly following an extreme weather event, including rebuilding homes that were lost or allowing evacuees to return home faster.

That same year provinces and territories are to identify areas at highest risk for wildfires and have prevention and mitigation plans in place for 15 per cent of them. Two years later, those plans must cover all the highest-risk areas.

By 2030 the federal government also intends to establish 15 new national urban parks. Urban green space helps keep cities naturally cooler, the report said.

Ottawa has spent or set aside $6.5 billion for adaptation since 2015, including the $1.6 billion announced last fall when the adaptation strategy was published in draft form.

Guilbeault said he knows even more money will be necessary.

There are still bilateral agreements in the works between Ottawa and each province and territory that will be more specific about their individual risks and plans. But British Columbia Environment Minister George Heyman said the national strategy is a good start with "goals, objectives and targets."

B.C. has been hit repeatedly with major events, from the heat dome in 2021 that killed more than 600 people and led to wildfires that destroyed the town of Lytton, to the atmospheric river that caused catastrophic flooding in the southern parts of the province just a few months later.

"The impacts are escalating and unfortunately we can expect them to continue to escalate," he said.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 27, 2023.

Mia Rabson, The Canadian Press

Love story at Powwow Between the Lakes


Local Journalism Initiative
Tue, June 27, 2023 

A love story that began five years ago on the powwow circuit came full circle Saturday in a traditional Indigenous ceremony joining two people and two families together.

Joseph Pierre of the Penticton Indian Band officiated the wedding of band members Nicole Schellenberg and Tyrone Kruger at the special service held in front of hundreds of people on the second day of the Pow Wow Between the Lakes at the South Okanagan Events Centre.

“For Tyrone and Nicole to be able to come home to their own powwow and join together in front of their families and the powwow community is just an honour and a blessing and a grace for them as they move forward in their lives together,” said Pierre before the ceremony.

The wedding at the Four Seasons Cultural Society event was also especially fitting for the young couple who were earlier named the first man and lady of the festival.

“This is something we are so excited about,” said Nicole on her wedding day. “We met on the powwow trail and it was important that we customize this for us and what better way than a powwow.

“For us this is something we will never, ever forget. It means so much to both of us to celebrate our future together in this way.”

Her husband Tyrone agreed, “This is just awesome, I’m super excited about this. This (Penticton) was the first powwow we ever danced at and I am just so honoured to have our wedding here in front of all our people.”

As part of the ceremonies, Pierre gave each of them an eagle feather generally considered to represent a connection to the Great Spirit.

He also introduced them to each of the four directions to bless their journey in life and gave them a piece of each of the four food chiefs so they would not want for sustenance.

At the end the newlyweds were wrapped in a bison blanket by their mothers to represent their security and oneness.

The couple then performed their own version of a traditional wedding dance which ended with a hug and a kiss to start their new life together.

Penticton Indian Band Chief Greg Gabriel described the wedding of his young members as being, “Just fantastic to do it in front of our people, our nation. It is something that no one will ever

forget.”

The powwow got underway Friday at the SOEC and carried through with dancing and other special events throughout the weekend with attendees from Canada and the United States.

According to the organizing society, the theme’s intention was to bring together the eight bands of the Okanagan Nation Alliance to celebrate the Sylix culture and resilience.

“This is amazing,” said Chief Gabriel about the event itself. “To bring all our nations together for a good time, to celebrate our cultures and our traditions. Just amazing.

“Just seeing the little children carry on with these thousands-of-years-old traditions, it just warms my heart. These little guys are starting to already learn what it means to be who we are.”

Mark Brett, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Penticton Herald

Parks Canada highlights "On The Road Again" project

Parks Canada is drawing attention to its On The Road Again conservation project, aiming to improve reptile and amphibian habitats in eastern and central Ontario.


Local Journalism Initiative
Tue, June 27, 2023

The conservation effort is focused on the areas in and around Georgian Bay Islands National Park, Bruce Peninsula National Park and Thousand Islands National Park (about 50 minutes east of Kingston) and is particularly focused on turtles and their nesting season throughout May, June and early July.

Project Coordinator Katherine Welch says On The Road Again started officially in 2020 in response to the population decline of reptiles and amphibians due to dramatically altered landscapes.

Through the project's $1.8 million in funding, actions to be taken include installing new under-road animal passageways, that will help species safely cross roadways, supporting habitat restoration, and implementing large scale public engagement initiatives.

Through this program Parks Canada has partnered with municipalities, local stakeholders, and Indigenous community groups to protect the species at risk from habitat destruction and the dangers they face near roads.

Welch says while the efforts of Parks Canada staff are mainly focused on the parks themselves, collaborating with other partners is meant to inspire that awareness to reach further than just the park limits.

"It's very important to protect these species," Welch said.

"We're trying to do that within our boundaries but also outside of our boundaries... we want to try and be a resource for other groups so that we can work together for conservation and collaboratively improve the corridors that these animals use so that hopefully we can reduce the impact on their populations."

All species of turtles in Ontario are considered at risk, ranging from species of special concern to endangered, and are considered "keystone" species - meaning their role in the food web of their ecosystem is integral and and without them the ecosystem could collapse.

Welch says that the areas that house these three parks hold some of the greatest numbers of species at risk.

Turtles also play a pivotal role in transferring seeds, as well as keeping wetlands clean - and by doing so are key to keeping water systems in general clean.

As populations grow and cities expand, many wetlands are shrinking and wildlife face more danger than ever with roads all around them.

"There's more roads, there's more habitat fragmentation and habitat loss," Welch said.

"Habitat loss is the biggest threat to turtles and snakes and then the next is road mortality."

Welch says one of the biggest steps people can take to help protect wildlife is simply to slow down and be alert while driving.

Prime nesting spots often tend to be near roads, inherently putting already at risk species in more danger.

"I think the biggest thing is slow down, especially during this time," Welch said.

"If you're driving... take a look at what's on the road ahead of you, slow down and pay attention to those small things that are on the road."

Welch says other ways to help are joining local community science groups to work for nest protection, report turtle sightings through apps like INaturalist, and if you see an injured turtle on the road stopping and calling the Ontario Turtle Hotline at 705-741-5000 for directions on how to help.

Owen Fullerton, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, YGK News

Alberta First Nations criticize Federal UNDRIP Legislation


Local Journalism Initiative
Tue, June 27, 2023 

(ANNews) – The United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP) calls on governments to “consult and cooperate in good faith” with Indigenous communities “to obtain their free, prior and informed consent” for any law that impacts them.

Yet First Nations in Alberta say that the federal government’s law to implement UNDRIP was done without adequately consulting them.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s government endorsed UNDRIP in 2016 and passed legislation in 2021 to bring its laws into compliance with the declaration within two years.

Tsuut’ina Nation Minor Chief Regena Crowchild told the Edmonton Journal that while the government adopting UNDRIP was the right move, its ambition to treat First Nations the same as municipalities betrays a lack of understanding what First Nations are calling for.

“They talk to organizations, and we have some of our chiefs there, but there was no direct consultation with us to address the unfinished business of our treaties, and they’re moving away from the treaties,” Crowchild said.

Ttsuut’tina is one of 16 First Nations in Alberta and Saskatchewan that have signed an open letter protesting the feds’ approach to implementing UNDRIP. The others are:

The nations plan to rally at the Alberta Legislature in Edmonton on July 1.

The government unveiled its five-year plan to implement UNDRIP on June 21, which marks both National Indigenous Peoples Day and Summer Solstice. Federal Justice Minister David Lametti acknowledged the plans were imperfect, but that the government intends to conduct more consultation.

“There’s more work to be done, more consultation to be done,” he said in Ottawa.

The open letter characterizes the government’s timing of its announcement as “deceptive — while our people are celebrating our culture, language and existence.”

Onion Lake Cree Nation Chief Henry Lewis told the Journal that the feds’ plan is a “reboot of the failed 1969 White Paper.”

The White Paper, brought forward by then-justice minister Jean Chretien sought to abolish the Indian Act without a replacement.

The current plan, which includes 181 measures, seeks to gradually move away from the Indian Act.

Tsuut’ina Chief Roy Whitney told the Journal that Treaty rights must be respected throughout the entire process.

“Abolishing the Indian Act without returning to the path of treaty continues to violate our right to free prior and informed consent. Repeal of the act puts our land at risk and moves us into a municipal structure of land governance — in violation of our treaty,” Whitney said.

The national Congress of Aboriginal Peoples (CAP), which represents Indigenous people who live off reserve and includes the Indigenous Congress of Alberta Association, said the Liberals’ plan is “devoid” of their input.

“The exclusion of CAP and its recommendations are just another way to attempt to further colonize and assimilate our communities, who represent all Aboriginal distinctions, including off-reserve status and non-status Indians, Métis, and southern Inuit Indigenous peoples,” the congress said in a statement.

CAP vice president Kim Beaudin told the Brandon Sun that the plan ignores the needs of Indigenous people who aren’t affiliated with their band leadership.

“There are thousands of people who don’t have a voice — they don’t have a voice with their band, or they’ve actually been ignored by their First Nation band,” said Beaudin. “We’ve been fighting tooth and nail to make sure nobody is forgotten about — it doesn’t matter if you’re on- or off-reserve.”

Assembly of First Nations (AFN) Chief Roseanne Archibald, however, said that while some Indigenous groups may not be fully onboard with the plan, most support it.

Terry Teegee, the AFN’s British Columbia regional chief, said that the federal plan is a crucial step towards undoing 200 years of colonization, but it must be done properly at every step.

“We will hold the government accountable to ensure the work on this plan does not take a similar pace. It is essential that we establish clear accountability mechanisms and take tangible steps to ensure the implementation [of] this plan into meaningful change for First Nations,” Teegee said.

Jeremy Appel, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Alberta Native News

Smoke From Canada Wildfires Reaches Spain 

 

Smoke from Canada’s wildfires has reached Europe. Will it affect air quality?

Rebecca Ann Hughes
Tue, 27 June 2023 

Smoke from Canada’s wildfires has reached Europe. Will it affect air quality?


Canada is currently experiencing the worst wildfire season on record.

At least 75,000,00 hectares across the country have already burnt and there are still several months of peak wildfire season to come.

After covering the east coast of North America, clouds of smoke from the blazes have now drifted across the Atlantic to Europe.

Here’s how the smog has travelled and the effects it could have on the continent.

Smoke from Canadian wildfires has reached Europe

On Monday 26 June, smoke from Canada’s raging wildfires could be seen across western Europe using satellite imagery, the UK Met Office reports.

The smog travelled across the Atlantic Ocean via the jet stream - a fast flowing air current in the Earth’s atmosphere.

At the beginning of June, the smoke reached Norway and on Monday, it also arrived in the UK.

For the remainder of the week, the smoke will remain in the upper levels of the atmosphere over Europe, forecasts predict.

As the smoke enters the atmosphere at high altitudes, it is able to linger for longer and travel long distances.
Will the Canada wildfire smoke affect air quality in Europe?

Earlier this month, the wildfire smoke enveloped New York City in a hazardous orange haze.

Residents were advised to remain indoors as much as possible.

“This is detrimental to people’s health,” New York Governor Kathy Hochul warned.

But in Europe, the effects will not be the same. The smoke will not lead to any significant worsening of air quality for residents as it will remain in the upper layers of the atmosphere.

It could, however, lead to some picturesque scenes in our skies.

“Whilst the smoke is high up in the atmosphere, it may make for some vivid sunrises and sunsets in the next few days,” the Met Office wrote on Twitter.
Canada wildfires are the worst on record

In Canada, the blazes continue to rage across multiple provinces. On 26 June, there were 27 new wildfires, according to the National Fire Situation Report.

While air quality in Europe has not been affected, many areas of North America are seeing dangerous conditions.

In Ottawa, Canada’s capital city, the air quality was deemed as “high risk” over the weekend.

Residents experienced a slight reprieve on Monday thanks to stormy weather and wind changes, but the smoke is likely to return later in the week.

Air quality warnings have also been issued in the US including in Wisconsin, Michigan, and Indiana.

“We’re seeing more and more of these fires because of climate change,” tweeted Canada’s prime minister Justin Trudeau.

Canada travel warning: Everything you need to know about travelling during wildfires


Canada fires: Millions breathing hazardous air as smoke spreads south into US

“These fires are affecting everyday routines, lives and livelihoods, and our air quality. We’ll keep working - here at home and with partners around the world - to tackle climate change and address its impacts.”

Direct links between the wildfires in Canada this month and climate change have not been confirmed by scientists. But in general, the climate crisis is provoking more fire-inducing conditions.

A 2021 report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) found that dry, windy and hot weather conditions, which increase the chances of fire taking hold, will become more common in some places, including Atlantic Canada and the US, as climate change worsens.

TORONTO

First order of business? Affordable housing, mayor-elect Olivia Chow tells Metro Morning


CBC
Updated Tue, June 27, 2023 

Olivia Chow addresses supporters during her victory speech on election night at the Great Hall in Toronto on June 26, 2023, after winning the Toronto mayoral byelection. Chow eked out a win in the mayoral byelection against other candidates vying to replace scandal-departed John Tory, with former deputy mayor Ana Bailão coming in a close second. 

(Evan Mitsui/CBC - image credit)

Hours after being elected mayor of Canada's most populous city, Olivia Chow said her first order of business after taking office in nearly two weeks will be to focus on affordable housing.

"I'm so grateful for the opportunity to serve," Chow told CBC Radio's Metro Morning Tuesday. "I proposed to get sworn in in two weeks because I want to get started."

Asked what the first item on the agenda will be, Chow said she will work on approving proposed affordable housing plans, adding that she hopes to work with the deputy mayor and other councillors to speed up the process.

The mayor-elect will head to Toronto city hall a day after defeating 101 rivals to win the city's top job. She plans to take office on July 12, the city clerk confirmed in a statement Tuesday morning. John D. Elvidge said the official election results are set to be certified by Wednesday at the latest.

Chow's request to officially begin her tenure as mayor is "subject to the certification of the official results," he added.

One immediate challenge for the former NDP parliamentarian and past city councillor will be tackling a nearly $1-billion pandemic-related budget shortfall, partly driven by reduced transit revenue and increased shelter costs.

Chow will also have to tackle issues of housing unaffordability and public safety concerns.

The 66-year-old veteran politician and first person of colour to be elected as Toronto's mayor, who has pledged to bring change to the city, will be at city hall for meetings Tuesday.

"We need a city government that reflects the people they serve," Chow said.

She previously told CBC News that her mayoralty would be "people-centred" and focused on restoring core services.

Chow eked out a win in the mayoral byelection against other candidates vying to replace scandal-departed John Tory, with former deputy mayor Ana Bailão coming in a close second. She secured at least 37.2 per cent of the total vote share.

Josh Matlow, who was considered one of the top mayoral candidates throughout the campaign, came in fourth with 4.91 per cent of votes.

"I'm ready for a mayor who wants to take our challenges seriously," Matlow, who will remain city councillor, told CBC Radio's Metro Morning Tuesday.

"I look forward to helping her in any way I can."

Faith of Canadians in Biden, U.S. slipped in the spring, Pew survey suggests

The Canadian Press
Tue, June 27, 2023 



WASHINGTON — Canadians still have a more positive view of the United States and its current commander-in-chief than they did three years ago — but that faith is showing signs of slipping, a new survey suggests.

A new Pew Research Center survey of 23 countries released Tuesday found 57 per cent of Canadian respondents said they had a favourable view of the U.S., down from 63 per cent in 2022.

It's still a far cry from the Donald Trump-era low of 35 per cent in 2020, as well as the 20-year high of 72 per cent measured in 2002 in the wake of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks the previous year.

But there are clear signs — both in Canada and around the world — that early into his third year as the 46th U.S. president, the global euphoria that greeted Joe Biden's election win in 2020 has drifted from optimism to apprehension.

"This year, our research finds that international ratings of the U.S. are generally positive, but people in the 23 countries surveyed are critical of the U.S. on certain measures," said senior Pew researcher Janell Fetterolf.

"While many say American society is similar to other wealthy nations, notable shares say the U.S. is less tolerant and a more dangerous place to live."

The survey also found less Canadian confidence in Biden to do the right thing regarding world affairs: 58 per cent, down from 61 per cent in 2022 and 77 per cent in 2021.

Of those, 14 per cent expressed "a lot of confidence" and 44 per cent "some confidence," down from 25 per cent and 52 per cent, respectively, in 2021. At the other end of the ledger, 26 per cent said they had "no confidence at all," compared with 11 per cent two years earlier.

At the same time, however, 37 per cent said the U.S. takes Canada's interests into account when making international policy decisions, up from 34 per cent in 2021. It's the highest percentage recorded in Canada since the survey began in 2002.

Indeed, the median response from respondents around the world was almost evenly split 50-50 on that question, a marked shift in sentiment, the centre reported.

"The share who say the U.S. considers their interests on policy decisions at least a fair amount has increased significantly in many countries since the question was last asked," the survey found.

"The share saying this is larger now than at any point over the past two decades in 12 countries, including Poland, Germany and the U.K. — three key NATO allies of the U.S."

Those findings, among others, likely reflect the outsized influence of Biden and the U.S. in Ukraine's war with Russia, which began in February 2022. In Poland alone, those surveyed gave the U.S. an approval rating of 93 per cent.

"Poland's views of the U.S. improved dramatically last year after the start of the war in Ukraine and remain high this year."

Six in 10 of those surveyed in Canada said the U.S. contributes to peace and stability around the world, compared with 39 per cent who felt the opposite.

And when asked to identify the world's leading economic power, 44 per cent of Canadian respondents chose the U.S., compared with 40 per cent who said China — a reversal of 2020, when China won out, 47 to 36 per cent.

The survey also asked respondents to rate the U.S. on a host of institutional measures, including technological achievements, entertainment, universities, the military and standard of living.

Three out of four Canadians surveyed rated U.S. entertainment — movies, music and television — as the best of or better than that from other wealthy nations, while only 25 per cent felt that way about the standard of living south of the border.

The Canadian segment of the survey consulted 1,007 people via landline and cellphone between Feb. 21 and April 15, a period that straddled Biden's March 24 visit to Ottawa, his first as president. It carries a margin of error of plus or minus 3.6 percentage points.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 27, 2023.

James McCarten, The Canadian Press