Pollution Poses a Higher Threat to Humans' Lives Than Alcohol, Tobacco: Report

Story by David Wetzel •

The negative health effects of alcohol and tobacco have been well-documented over the years.

However, a bigger threat to human life is lurking, according to the latest annual Air Quality Life Index report that was released Tuesday.

Knewz.com analyzed the report, which found that air pollution is responsible for reducing the life span globally by 2.3 years, making it the "greatest external threat to human expectancy."


Twenty of the 30 most polluted cities in the U.S. are in California. By: MEGA© Knewz (CA)

The report, produced by the Energy Policy Institute at the University of Chicago, noted that inhaling unclear air was comparable to smoking but five times more damaging than alcohol abuse, having unsafe water and car crash injuries.

According to the New York Post, 20 of the most polluted United States cities were located in California. It's likely that the state's vulnerability to wildfires is a main cause, putting residents at risk of breathing unsafe air.


A new report found that pollution is a bigger risk to humans' health than alcohol. By: MEGA© Knewz (CA)

In California, people are often exposed to high levels of particulate matter, which measure at or under 2.5 microns, causing damage to humans' brains and lungs.

In 2021, no countries across the globe met the World Health Organization's air quality standard of 5 micrograms of pollutants per cubic meter of air. If those standards were met, 3.2 million years of life could be saved, according to the Energy Policy Institute.

Most of the life lost via pollution comes from Africa and Asia, however. Those countries contribute more than 92 percent of the global life expectancy loss.



Wildfires play a major role in California's pollution problems. By: MEGA© Knewz (CA)

A main reason for the loss of life in those countries is that they don't have the appropriate infrastructure to address air quality.

“Three-quarters of air pollution’s impact on global life expectancy occurs in just six countries, Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, China, Nigeria and Indonesia, where people lose one to more than six years off their lives because of the air they breathe,” Michael Greenstone, Air Quality Life Index creator and Milton Friedman Distinguished Service Professor in Economics, said in a statement according to the New York Post.

Bangladesh, which has the most air pollution loses 6.8 years of life, compared to 3.6 months among Americans.


A new report states that air pollution is a bigger threat to human lives than tobacco use. By: MEGA© Knewz (CA)

Researchers believe more funding is needed to “collaboratively build the infrastructure that is missing today,” Christa Hasenkopf, director of the Energy Policy Institute air quality programs and AQLI, told the outlet.

“Timely, reliable, open-air quality data, in particular, can be the backbone of civil society and government clean air efforts — providing the information that people and governments lack and that allows for more informed policy decisions,” Hasenkopf said in a statement.

However, attempting to fix the air quality problem is a large task to tackle. In its "war against pollution," China has significantly reduced the problem, cutting pollution by 42 percent and gaining an average of 2.2 years in their people's lives.



The World Health Organization reports that 99 percent of people on earth are subject to unclear air. By: MEGA© Knewz (CA)

According to the WHO, 99 percent of the world is being subject to potentially toxic air.

“After surviving a pandemic, it is unacceptable to still have 7 million preventable deaths and countless preventable lost years of good health due to air pollution,” Dr. María Neira, the director of the WHO’s Department of Public Health and Environment, previously said, according to the New York Post.

“Yet too many investments are still being sunk into a polluted environment rather than in clean, healthy air.”

OUR DEBT KEEPS CAPITALI$M GOING

Canadians turn to credit cards as many face payment shock: TransUnion report

Story by The Canadian Press •13h


Canadians turn to credit cards as many face payment shock: TransUnion report© Provided by The Canadian Press

TORONTO — A new TransUnion report shows a consistent rise in borrowing among Canadians in the second quarter as they contend with the higher cost of living.

While the number of consumers adding to their credit balances rose across the board, the report says the riskiest segment, or subprime borrowers, saw their balances rise by the most at 8.9 per cent year-over-year.

The report says higher average credit balances among consumers could be attributed to higher spending habits and elevated interest rates on variable-rate loans that are eating into household budgets.

Demand for new credit grew 17 per cent compared with last year, TransUnion said.

The combined pressure of inflation and higher interest rates has created a payment shock, according to Matthew Fabian, director of financial services research and consulting at TransUnion.

The report says total Canadian household debt reached $2.3 trillion in the second quarter, up 4.2 per cent compared with last year, largely driven by mortgage debt.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 29, 2023.

The Canadian Press

3 activists are acquitted of defaming a Thai poultry company accused of violating labor laws




BANGKOK (AP) — Three human rights activists were acquitted Tuesday of criminally defaming a Thai poultry company with social media posts that supported other activists who had accused it of abusive labor practices, according to the defendants and their lawyer.

They were charged under a law that could have led to a 42-year prison sentence if convicted.

The company, Thammakaset, said the defendants’ social media comments linked indirectly to what it called a defamatory video produced by a human rights group, Fortify Rights, containing an interview with a worker who claimed abusive working conditions. In total, the case involved 30 counts of criminal defamation.

The company's representative, Chanchai Pheamphon, did not answer telephone calls seeking comment and did not reply to text messages.

Several Asian countries have criminal defamation laws. Critics say such defamation cases are often used by companies and politicians to silence and intimidate critics.

Since 2016, Thammakaset has initiated at least 37 lawsuits against 22 individuals, including migrant workers, human rights activists and journalists, with the majority being women, according to Fortify Rights. Nearly all were rejected by Thai courts.

Workers at Thammakaset had filed a complaint with Thailand’s National Human Rights Commission in 2016. The workers said they worked up to 20 hours a day for over 40 days without a day off, they lacked overtime compensation and their identity documents were confiscated

In August 2016, Thailand’s Department of Labor Protection and Welfare ordered Thammakaset to pay the workers a total of 1.7 million baht ($56,000) in compensation and damages, though the money wasn’t handed over until 2019.

The court did not immediately release its ruling Tuesday. The judge found the defendants were not guilty of defamation because readers of their social media posts would have had to click on several links to reach the Fortify Rights video, the lawyer for the defendants said.

“Facing a charge of criminal defamation is really traumatizing,” said one of those acquitted, Angkhana Neelapaijit, a member of a U.N. working group on disappearances and a recipient of the Philippines’ Ramon Magsaysay Award for human rights work. “For example, you have to earn money to pay for the lawyer. You have to sacrifice your time to attend the court. You have to listen to the company attacking you when you never did anything wrong.”

“To be honest, I don’t feel happy or relieved because we endured almost four years of court proceedings only to have the cases dismissed," said Thanaporn Saleephol, a former Fortify Rights worker. "This is actually the purpose (of abuse of the defamation law) because it aims to get the human rights defenders to waste time and energy.”

Puttanee Kangkun, the director of The Fort, which hosts activist groups in Bangkok, said she was happy about her acquittal but questioned why it took so long — 15 hearings over four years.

“There should be some mechanism to stop this intention from the company to try to stop the freedom of opinions and criticism for public benefit,” she said.

The lawyer for the three defendants, Tittasat Soodsan, said the criminal defamation law is easily used by companies to silence critics.

“Once the company initiates the prosecution, the police carry out the investigation. Essentially, the plaintiff doesn’t need to do much but shift more responsibilities onto the authorities," Tittasat said.

___

Find more of AP's Asia-Pacific coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/asia-pacific

Yucheng Tang, The Associated Press

Elon Musk's X is hit with 2,200 arbitration claims from former Twitter employees

Story by gkay@insider.com (Grace Kay) •12h


X is facing more than 2,200 arbitration cases involving ex-employees, a new court filing said.
Since Elon Musk's Twitter takeover, the company also has been hit with lawsuits from former staff.
X could be on the hook for at least $3.5 million in fees for the arbitration cases, CNBC reported.

Elon Musk's social media company formerly known as Twitter has been hit with more than 2,200 arbitration cases from former employees, according to a recent court filing.

The company had faced 200 arbitration cases in January — and now 2,000 additional cases have piled up, according to a court filing from a lawsuit involving a former Twitter employee. CNBC earlier reported on the legal filing.

Arbitration is an option for two parties having a dispute to bring in an independent mediator to help find a solution. It's handled privately and outside of court. It's not clear what all the arbitration claims against X are about, but if they follow the pattern of actual lawsuits that have been filed against the company, the claims are likely related to severance pay.

X, formerly known as Twitter, was hit with lawsuits from former employees after Musk cut the company's workforce in half. The billionaire began terminating Twitter employees within hours of taking over the social media company in October.

Since then, some employees have filed lawsuits, arguing that Twitter failed to pay out promised severance packages. In June, Shannon Liss-Riordan, an attorney involved in a proposed class-action lawsuit against the company, alleged that it had failed to pay out "tens of millions of dollars" worth of bonuses.

A spokesperson for X did not respond to a request for comment from Insider.

Meanwhile, the thousands of arbitrations cases could cost X at least $3.5 million in filing fees alone through a third-party arbitration service, CNBC estimated. And that's not including additional legal fees Musk's company could accrue, as well as the cost for any lawyers involved with the cases — and any potential financial penalties the company could face as a result of a private arbitrator's conclusion on a case.

Lawyers for X have said that the company didn't require workers to settle the issues through arbitration, so it shouldn't have to face the "larger portion of the filing fees," CNBC reported.

The number of arbitration cases against X was revealed in a motion to compel arbitration that was filed in the US District Court in Delaware on behalf of ex-Twitter employee Chris Woodfield.

The initial lawsuit from the former staff engineer was filed in July and alleged that X had failed to pay severance, as well as the fees required for the case to go into private arbitration, a process where companies use an impartial third party to resolve disputes.

Private arbitration typically allows companies to resolve disputes with employees out of the public eye and it can help employees avoid hefty legal fees.

It is a manner by which another of Musk's companies, Tesla, has handled sexual harassment and racial discrimination claims against Tesla as the company requires its employees to sign a mandatory arbitration agreement.

Do you work at X or have insight to share? Reach out to the reporter from a non-work email at gkay@insider.com

VFX Workers at Disney File for Unionization Under IATSE

Story by Carolyn Giardina •1d


Visual effects workers at Walt Disney Pictures have filed for an election with the National Labor Relations Board that could allow them to unionize with IATSE. The news comes as Disney-owned Marvel VFX workers are currently in the midst of their own union election and amid the writers and actors strikes.

Already, roughly 80 percent of the 18 in-house VFX workers at Walt Disney Pictures signed union authorization cards, which express their desire to unionize under the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees, the union reports. In both the Disney and Marvel unionization efforts, this involves pros employed directly by the studio; it doesn’t include the thousands of artists who work on Marvel movies through third-party VFX studios.

After filing with the NLRB, an election could occur in two to three weeks for these Disney workers, according to IATSE. If a majority of workers vote to unionize, the studio would then be called upon to begin good-faith negotiations for a union contract.

The workers are calling for “fair compensation for all hours worked, adequate health care, retirement benefits, and more generally, the same rights and protections afforded to their unionized coworkers who are already represented by IATSE,” according to the union.

“Today, courageous Visual Effects workers at Walt Disney Pictures overcame the fear and silence that have kept our community from having a voice on the job for decades. With an overwhelming supermajority of these crews demanding an end to ‘the way VFX has always been,’ this is a clear sign that our campaign is not about one studio or corporation. It’s about VFX workers across the industry using the tools at our disposal to uplift ourselves and forge a better path forward,” said IATSE organizer Mark Patch.

Last week, Marvel’s in-house visual effects workers began to vote on whether they wish to unionize; workers will need to return their ballots by a Sept. 11 deadline. A supermajority of Marvel’s roughly 50-worker VFX crew had already signed authorization cards indicating they wished to be represented by the union, and so the union feels “confident it will prevail,” according to Patch.

Currently, VFX jobs are largely non-union and IATSE has recently been making a bigger push to bring those workers under their banner. Which local these workers would join is still unclear. Patch previously told THR that IATSE’s idea is to form a new national VFX local that would cover VFX workers, whether they are employed directly by the studios, the production, or third-party VFX companies. “The majority of VFX workers should be able to find their home in this new union,” he says.

Patch adds that the aim would be to have members of such a local work under the Basic Agreement contract already used by entertainment workers in 13 locals including the International Cinematographers Guild (Local 600) and Motion Picture Editors Guild (Local 700). The current Basic Agreement expires in 2024 and negotiations for a new contract are expected to begin next March.

‘The Creator’ Director Gareth Edwards On Film About War Between Humans & AI That Parallel WGA & SAG-AFTRA Strikes

Story by Armando Tinoco •1h

 Deadline

Gareth Edwards, the director, producer and co-writer of The Creator, is opening up about the timing of the release of his film that draws parallels to the fight between SAG-AFTRA and WGA members against the studios.

“I have a trick with A.I. is to get the timing as a sweet spot window where it’s before the apocalypse and not after, which I think it’s in November — maybe December — and so, I think we got really lucky,” Edwards joked during a Q&A at a sold out IMAX footage screening. “The joke would be that when you write a film, especially a science fiction film, I try to avoid putting a date … at some point, you have to so, I picked 2070.”

He continued, “Now I feel like an idiot because I should’ve gone for 2023 ’cause everything that’s been unfolding in the last few months is kind of scary and weird.”

Actors and writers have been on strike this summer seeking protection from AI.

Edwards went on to say that when he pitched the film, executives wanted to know the backstory as to why there was a war between humans and A.I. if artificial intelligence was a good idea. “The setup of that movie is pretty much the last few months,” he added.

The filmmaker said that his film was influenced by the works of Francis Ford Coppola and Ridley Scott and said he described The Creator as “Blade Runner meets Apocalypse Now.”

Edwards talked about what he would like audiences to take away from the film.

“I hope… empathy for others,” he said. “I think that’s a strong value that is very important.”

“A.I. was the fairy tale of this story. A.I. was like the other — the people that were different to us, that we kind of want to get rid of,” he explained. “But the second you make an A.I., all kinds of fascinating things start to happen.”

During the conversation with the filmmaker, Edwards also talked about casting Madeleine Yuna Voyles in the role of Alfie.

Picket Sign Roundup: “We Want A Fair Wage, They Want Us Homeless”

Story by Lynette Rice •4h



One picketer said it best: “The longer this strike goes, the more detailed these signs get.”

Judging by some of those Simpsons-themed placards, he’s not wrong. But there have also been lots of not-so-veiled references to some of the ongoing strike coverage. (Don’t recognize the reference to Carol Lombardini and The Cheesecake Factory? Read this story. Can’t remember the exact quote about putting people out of their homes? That notorious line originated here.)

Some of the signs also just show signs of fatigue. “I’m gonna be honest I’m running out of clever sign memes,” said one. “Cause, like, seriously?”

It’s now day 120 of the WGA strike and Day 47 of the SAG-AFTRA strike. Here’s what some picketers have to say these days about walking the line.

For Ontario teachers, arbitration is no substitute for the right to strike

Story by Larry Savage, Professor, Labour Studies, Brock University 

Stephanie Ross, Associate Professor, School of Labour Studies, McMaster University 

THE CONVERSATION

The Ontario Secondary School Teachers’ Federation (OSSTF) recently made headlines after reaching an agreement with the Ontario government to avoid the possibility of a strike in its current round of negotiations.

In short, the parties agreed to enter into binding interest arbitration to resolve any outstanding issues should they fail to reach a negotiated settlement by Oct. 27, 2023. OSSTF members will soon vote on whether to pursue this process.

On the surface, interest arbitration is appealing because it allows the parties to avoid a labour dispute and hands responsibility for resolving outstanding contentious issues to a neutral third party.

However, there are many reasons why trading the right to strike for binding interest arbitration is a minefield for unions — and why we as labour scholars and some OSSTF members and retirees have been left scratching our heads at OSSTF’s decision.

Outstanding bargaining issues

Interest arbitration is a mechanism for resolving outstanding bargaining issues. It’s most commonly used in instances where essential workers like firefighters or nurses are legally denied the right to strike. Less often, unions and employers use interest arbitration to achieve a first contract or resolve a contentious strike.

Once the parties negotiate to impasse, a neutral third party — the arbitrator — is called in to settle the outstanding issues. The result is binding on both parties.

In the case of OSSTF’s recent agreement with the province, it had not bargained to impasse, let alone conducted a strike vote to test members’ resolve and try to change the employer’s position.

Interest arbitration is no panacea

Interest arbitration is seductive for unions given recent decisions that have awarded major wage increases to Ontario nurses and other health-care workers to compensate for the effects of Bill 124, which capped public sector wage increases at one per cent per year and has been deemed unconstitutional.

For workers whose wages have fallen behind over many years, the prospect of catching up without having to build for a potential strike is tantalizing.
Demobilizes unions

However, there are at least four reasons why prematurely agreeing to binding interest arbitration is highly problematic for unions.

First, it normalizes the idea that the right to strike is unnecessary. That kind of thinking demobilizes unions and renders members passive. Because the arbitrator’s decision is binding, members don’t get to vote on the final settlement and therefore become mere bystanders. In short, interest arbitration ignores the key to unions’ power — an organized and mobilized membership.

Second, reliance on interest arbitration can actually increase bargaining impasses by reducing the incentive to negotiate terms that both parties can live with. If a third party is going to decide what the contract says, why budge from one’s initial bargaining position?

Researchers call this the “narcotic effect” because both unions and management become dependent on interest arbitration to decide contract terms. The problem is that imposed settlements rarely resolve the underlying conflicts.

Interest arbitration is an inherently conservative process. There is no guarantee that wage increases in one sector will be reproduced in others. Furthermore, arbitration is a poor mechanism for addressing deeper issues like the lack of investment in public services, which underpins the real problems so many public sector workers face.

Read more: Canada's high schools are underfunded and turning to international tuition to help

Inherently conservative process

Third, while the current context may yield decent arbitration awards, especially on wages and benefits, the economic landscape is constantly changing. What may seem like a good tactic this time around may prove disadvantageous in the long term. Changing course in future rounds of bargaining may become difficult if leaders and members become invested in arbitration as the primary process for resolving contentious issues.

Finally, arbitration is based on comparisons. That means the quality of arbitration awards is dependent on the relative success of other unions at the bargaining table to set good wages, some of whom are forced to use the right to strike to reach settlements that meet their members’ needs.

In other words, good agreements for arbitrators to use as comparisons require someone leading the way. Unions that resort to interest arbitration by choice are essentially free riding on other unions that have preserved their right to strike to secure improved terms and conditions of work.

Union bargaining power has increased

The choice to opt for interest arbitration is even more perplexing given that the conditions for unions to win big gains at the bargaining table are better than they’ve been in decades.

Inflation generates a lot of sympathy for workers whose wages are not keeping pace. A tight labour market also gives workers increased leverage. Workers across the economy are using their right to strike to get ahead.

Forfeiting the right to strike and choosing interest arbitration effectively undermines the bargaining position of other unions and helps fuel divide-and-conquer labour relations strategies.
Giving up rights?

In the case of the OSSTF, the Ontario government has already used its deal with the union to pressure other education unions to follow suit.

In recent years, unions have won hard-fought battles against governments’ attempts to strip away workers’ rights to bargain and strike.

After all this effort, voluntarily giving away these rights and turning over all the power to an arbitrator seems unthinkable. Anti-union governments don’t have to worry about restricting the right to strike if unions are simply willing to give up that right in exchange for the crutch of interest arbitration.

This article is republished from The Conversation, a nonprofit news site dedicated to sharing ideas from academic experts.

Read more:

Curious Kids: Do teachers get paid when they go on strike?

Ontario school strike: Government’s use of the notwithstanding clause — again — is an assault on labour relations

Stephanie Ross receives funding from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council.

Larry Savage receives funding from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council.

93 areas of interest found at site of former Saskatchewan residential school

Story by The Canadian Press •


SASKATOON — A chief in Saskatchewan says her heart is broken after ground-penetrating radar located 93 areas of interest at the site of a former residential school.

English River First Nation Chief Jenny Wolverine said it’s believed 79 of the areas of interest at the Beauval Indian Residential School could be the size of possible children’s graves and 14 could be the size of infants.

"It breaks my heart that there's likely more, or even that there's even one," Wolverine said Tuesday in Saskatoon.

"The experience of residential school is horrific."

Earlier this month, 83 areas of interest were located at the site and the additional 10 were confirmed as archeological flags were being placed in the area.

Wolverine said the community is saddened at the discovery of more possible graves and it’s clear their work is not over yet.

The First Nation began searching the site in and around the residential school's graveyard two years ago. The graveyard was primarily used by the school until the 1980s.

Wolverine said they didn't know what to expect when they began the project.

"We did know the stories that were shared over generations about the treatment of students and those students who never returned home," she said.

The residential school near Lac la Plonge, a glacial lake in northern Saskatchewan, was operated by the Roman Catholic Church from 1906 to 1969, when it came under federal control. Sixteen different communities in the north had to send their children to the institution.

Nineteen boys and one teacher died in 1927 when the school and its convent caught on fire.

The Meadow Lake Tribal Council took full control of the school in 1985, and the residence was closed 10 years later.



The National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation has a record of 52 children’s deaths at the school.

Survivors told the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, which looked into the legacy of residential schools in Canada, about physical and sexual abuse, humiliation and how their language was restricted.

At least two former staff members, a supervisor and a principal, have convictions for sexually abusing children.

Dawn McIntyre, the ground-penetrating radar co-ordinator for the search, said her father and grandmother attended the school and both brought home trauma from the institution. During this process, McIntyre said she has become acutely aware of how the school shaped her own life.

"These impacts continue to affect us today," she said.

Elders and survivors from the First Nation wrote a statement, read by McIntyre, that said they were shocked, angered and saddened by the discovery of the possible graves.

They said it brought back the turmoil of their childhoods spent in the school.

The survivors called on the federal government to provide ongoing support for searches and to fulfil the calls to action from the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. They also called for churches to respect Indigenous rights and make all documents about the schools available.

The First Nation has said the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation has a vast amount of records about the school, including handwritten records in French that are being translated. Analyzing the records is expected to take up to three years.

McIntyre said excavation would be a last resort.

The First Nation is closely connected to the Métis community of Patuanak. Métis Nation-Saskatchewan Vice-President Michelle LeClair said it's important that all Indigenous people are unified in the search for answers about their relatives.

"It's a dark part of Canadian history," she said.

Chief Bobby Cameron of the Federation of Sovereign Indigenous Nations, which represents 74 First Nations in Saskatchewan, said the discovery could amount to 93 young boys and girls who were "robbed from their lives."

He called on Prime Minister Justine Trudeau to ensure justice for survivors, their families and children who didn't make it home. He also said healing and wellness centres should be built at the sites of former schools.

"Do the right thing," Cameron said. "Do the honourable thing."

The Indian Residential Schools Resolution Health Support Program has a hotline to help residential school survivors and their relatives suffering trauma invoked by the recall of past abuse. The number is 1-866-925-4419.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 29, 2023.

Kelly Geraldine Malone, The Canadian Press

Edmonton closes Expo Centre evacuee registration due to high volumes

Story by Meaghan Archer •2d

Registration for new wildfires evacuees arriving in Edmonton from the N.W.T. has been closed due to high volumes of registratnts. August 27, 2023.

© Global News

The Edmonton Expo Centre, which has been staged as a wildfire evacuee reception centre for the past week, has closed its registration due to high volumes of displaced people from the Northwest Territories fleeing south as wildfires took over the territory last week.

Twice the number of people displaced by the northern fires have come to Edmonton compared to Alberta visitors using the city’s emergency services earlier in the wildfire season when large parts of the province were covered in flames.

The centre doesn’t have the space for the sheer volume of people coming down from the north, according to the city, which has now shut down registration for new evacuees. With so many temporary visitors, Edmonton is full. The city says there are no more hotels available, a status that led to its deciding to close registration for new evacuees.

At the Expo Centre, the city currently has 300 cots set up with nearly 7,000 evacuees registered — 3,000 people are in 1,700 hotel rooms, said Michael Stege with the city on Sunday.

“We’re constantly watching hotels and the Red Cross is looking at how they can accommodate people when that capacity opens back up,” he said.

Geoff Pothier and his family have been in Edmonton since Yellowknife was evacuated due to wildfires on Aug. 18. He says the support they’ve received since arriving has made the difficult situation easier.

“They’ve reached out and allowed us to do a lot of things that maybe normally we’d come here that we wouldn’t get a chance to do,” he said. The one issue the family has had, however, is with accommodations.

“One hotel and then we were able to stay there for a couple nights and then we got shifted and then we went to another hotel, stayed there for a night and we got into another hotel,” he explained.

Despite the inconvenience, Pothier and his family are happy to have a hotel to stay at for now, but are still hoping the stay isn’t a long one.

“Everybody’s in a position where now it’d be nice to get back home,” he said.

People who are not able to register at the Expo Centre are still able to register at a reception centre outside the city and stop by the Expo Centre for food, clothing and a temporary place to rest.

The city will continue to provide support for those who are already registered.

— with files from Slav Kornik, Global News

Video: Edmonton facilities and sporting event opening their doors to wildfire evacuees