Dead Whale Discovered With Strange Cut Mark Leaves Scientists Baffled

Story by Robyn White • 

A dead sperm whale has been found with a strange cut to its right flank that has left scientists baffled.


A picture shows the whale when it was last seen alive in May 2022.

© Lisa Steiner/Whale Watch Azores

The whale, known to marine biologists as 2470, was found dead by Jorge Fontes and Bruno Macena from the Institute of Marine Sciences on November 18.

The mammal had been regularly sighted by teams from Whale Watch Azores, a group that tracks whales around the Portuguese islands in the North Atlantic.

The exact cause of death remains a mystery, Whale Watch Azores said in a Facebook post. All marine biologists have to go off is the large cut and some possible bruising around its head, the group said on Facebook.

Lisa Steiner, marine biologist at Whale Watch Azores, told Newsweek: "The origin of the cut is still unknown and unfortunately a necropsy to check for internal damage isn't possible, since the whale was 45 miles offshore. There was also bruising on the head, which could have been from a collision, but not definitive."

The whale had been spotted eight times between 2001 and this year. It belonged to a pod that was last seen together on September 16, 2022.

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Whales off the California coast consume up to 10 million microplastics every day, study finds

Whale on the move

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Sperm whales, which can grow up to 50 feet long and weight up to 45 tons, are some of the most commonly sighted species in the Azores. They can be seen all year round but are particularly easy to spot from April to October.

They can live for up to 60 years but the species is still vulnerable after nearly being hunted to extinction by the commercial whaling industry from 1800 to 1987.

Although this whale's cause of death has not been determined, it is not the first one to be found with strange injuries.

Being hit by a ship is one of the biggest threats the species faces today, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration says. Although these circumstances are not often recorded, boat traffic is increasing in the world's oceans, and collisions with vessels including cruise ships, container ships and oil tankers can cause severe injury.

Sperm whales can also become injured by getting entangled by or consuming fishing gear. It is estimated that approximately 300,000 whales and other marine animals die every year after becoming wrapped up in fishing gear.

The death of this Azores sperm whale has not been the only incident to occur recently.

An emaciated sperm whale recently washed up in Canada. A necropsy found it had 330 pounds of fishing gear in its stomach when it died from starvation.

A critically endangered North Atlantic right whale named Snow Cone became well-known after being spotted entangled in huge amounts of fishing line. Scientists last saw her in September and determined her death was all but certain.

Horror unfolding on the far side of Sun, apocalyptic solar storm coming towards Earth?

Story by HT Tech • Yesterday

For months, scientists have warned that the frequency and intensity of solar disturbances will be increasing significantly as the Sun reaches close to the peak of its solar cycle. And it appears that the first sign of the Sun's wrath is already upon us. Using its technology through a method called Helioseismology, researchers have observed a sunspot on the farside of the Sun. And while sunspots are regular occurrences, this one is one of the largest sunspots seen in the last five years. If it explodes, it will definitely cause an extreme solar storm event which can damage both satellites in space and electronics on ground. From internet connection to mobile networks, all can be destroyed in an instant. So, read on to know if a solar storm to Earth is expected.

The development was reported by SpaceWeather.com which reported, ?The black blob is a sunspot group--a big one. In fact, only a handful of sunspot groups in the past 5 years have created a helioseismic echo this large. Don't be surprised if SOHO coronagraphs record a farside CME in the days ahead?.

Will an extreme solar storm the Earth

There is no doubt that if this solar storm is fully capable of ejecting coronal mass ejections (CME) powerful enough to cause a G5-class solar storm on Earth that would start a series of disasters for us including damage to satellites, disruption and destruction of wireless technology like GPS, mobile networks and internet connectivity, electronic devices getting corrupt including pacemakers in heart, power grid failures and even forest fires.



However, it is not likely that this sunspot will face the Earth anytime soon and it will likely explode while not in the direction of the Earth. However, it is difficult to predict just when a solar storm may explode and that's why the tech marvel NASA has deployed, named the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory, is constantly monitoring this sunspot.

How is a sunspot on the farside of the Sun spotted?

It is a valid question given that we cannot really see what's on the farside of the Sun. However, technology developed by NASA and other space agencies dedicated towards observing the Sun is capable of using different signals to find out about it. The process is called helioseismology. Special instruments have been put in place to measure the Doppler-velocity (apparent change in the frequency of the light) continuously on the near-side of the Sun. Apart from that, 14 other factors around the Sun are also measured to build a crude image of the farside of the Sun.

Jerry Jones defends newly-unearthed photo capturing him at Little Rock school civil rights clash

Story by Bevan Hurley • Yesterday 

A newly-unearthed photo shows a 14-year-old Jerry Jones among a group of white teenagers blocking six African-American students from entering a school in Little Rock, Arkansas, in 1957.

 LITTLE ROCK ARK 1957 THE BOY IN FRONT IS NOT JERRY JONES

Mr Jones, the billionaire owner of the Dallas Cowboys, acknowledged in an interview with the Washington Post he was in the photo, which was taken amid protests over efforts to integrate Black students into local high schools during the civil rights movement.

Mr Jones told the Post that his football coach had warned players to avoid the arrival of the six African-American students for their first day at North Little Rock High.

He disobeyed but said it was out of a sense of curiosity rather than any racist intent, adding he looked “a little like a burrhead” standing towards the back of the gathered crowd.

“I don't know that I or anybody anticipated or had a background of knowing … what was involved,” he told the Post.

Richard Lindsey, one of the Black students trying to gain entry to the school, would later recount how a white student put his hand on the back of his shoulder, and said: “I want to see how a n***** feels.”

The students, who became known as the Little Rock 6, ultimately decided against enrolling in the school.


Jerry Jones, the owner of the Dallas Cowboys, is worth an estimated $15bn (AP)© Provided by The Independent

Events at North Little Rock High School occurred a few weeks before a separate event that became a flashpoint for the civil rights movement.

On 9 September 1957, nine African-American students trying to enter Little Rock Central High School were pushed and shoved by white students as they attempted to enter the school.

 LITTLE ROCK ARK 1957

The racist protests became so inflamed that then-President Dwight Eisenhower sent in federal troops to try to enforce desegregation.

The Post article goes on to point out that Mr Jones, as one of the most powerful executives in the NFL, has done little to advance issues of racial equity in the league.

He objected to protests during the 2017 season when many players took a knee during the playing of the national anthem, a movement spurred by Colin Kaepernick to push back against the killing of African-Americans by police.

He has also been dismissive of the NFL’s Rooney rule, which requires teams to consider at least one minority candidate when hiring a head coach.

Mr Jones has never hired a Black head coach or top executive during his 33-year ownership of the Dallas Cowboys.

Around 20 Ostriches Were Running Loose In An Alberta Town & It Was A Wild Time (VIDEO)

Story by Charlie Hart • Yesterday 
Provided by Narcity Québec

Police in Taber, Alberta spent their morning dealing with a pretty wild incident, when 20 ostriches started running loose in the street and causing mayhem.

In a statement, Taber-Vauxhall RCMP said just before 8 a.m., they'd received reports of approximately 20 ostriches running loose in the road around Highway 39 area on Thursday, November 24.

Police said the huge birds had gotten loose, escaping from their enclosure within Taber town limits.

"The group made their way out of town where they created traffic hazards," Taber Police said in a Facebook post.

One of the ostriches was hit and killed on the road.

A local from Taber captured a video of the moment where someone is seen leaning out of the passenger window of an RCMP vehicle to try and grab one of the large birds.

However, the ostrich manages to escape and continues running down the street, seemingly pretty unbothered by the whole attempted capture.

According to police, the person seen in the video is the owner of the ostriches. Safe to say, they're probably having a rough day.

Since the initial reports of the ostriches breaking loose, police have been working with the owner to recapture the birds.

By 12:30 p.m., police said most of the ostriches had been secured and officers would be on the scene to help the owner capture the remaining birds.

So if you're driving around the Taber area today, be sure to watch out for any loose ostriches on the way and drive safely.

'Not a prank call': RCMP chase down escaped ostriches running amok in Taber, Alta.

Story by Tyler Dawson • Yesterday 

Mounties in the Alberta town of Taber were hit with an unusual task Thursday: Rounding up a herd of ostriches that escaped from a farm.


RCMP officers had to round up some escaped ostriches in Taber, Alta.© Provided by National Post

And, like the mounted police of old, they got their man.

“We received multiple calls,” said Cpl. Troy Savinkoff with the southern Alberta RCMP district. “A lot of the calls we received were immediately with the caveat ‘This is not a prank call.'”

The clarity, doubtless, was important. The herd ran amok through Taber — perhaps best known for its bylaw against swearing, screaming or yelling in public — after they got out of an enclosure shortly before 8 a.m. One ostrich, sadly, was killed on the highway nearby where they escaped.

It took more than five hours to catch them all.

A video posted to social media shows an RCMP truck chasing after one ostrich, while a man — apparently the owner — leans out the passenger window and grabs it around the neck. The ostrich is then hauled to the ground as the truck comes to a stop, but the farmer loses his grip.

“Oh my gosh, this is the first time I’ve ever seen this,” says a woman’s voice in the video.

The ostrich scrambles to its feet and takes off — hotly pursued by another police cruiser.

In the sanitized style of police communications, the Taber Police Service announced on Facebook that the birds “made their way out of town where they created traffic hazards.”

While unusual, police in rural Alberta are often involved in recovering livestock that have gone AWOL. They’re just usually cattle or horses, said Savinkoff. It was, he said, the first time any of the officers could recall having dealt with ostriches on the loose.

“Certainly I’ve never dealt with it,” said Savinkoff.

The incident led to a number of jokes among residents on the Taber police Facebook page.

“Missed that, must have had my head in the sand??” joked user Alf Rudd.

“The names of the ostriches were not released to the public because their family has connections to the police,” said Douglas Carle.

Ostrich escapes are not entirely unusual. Earlier this year, around 80 of the flightless birds absconded from a farm in Chongzuo, China; video of that incident shows the birds sashaying down the darkened streets.

'Witnesses to history': University makes 3D virtual replicas of residential schools


CALGARY — A new project from the University of Calgary is creating 3D digital records of some Alberta residential schools.

'Witnesses to history': University makes 3D virtual replicas of residential schools

© Provided by The Canadian Press

The Taylor Family Digital Library, in consultation with Indigenous communities in Alberta, has created accurate virtual and physical models of three former residential schools with plans for more in the future.

Prof. Peter Dawson, the project's leader, said it is important to preserve a dark part of Canada's history.

"Why preserve these buildings that are associated with so much tragedy and human trauma? It's for precisely that reason that we are working with (three groups) to preserve these schools. Because these schools really are witnesses to history and sites of conscience," said Dawson, head of the university's Department of Anthropology and Archaeology.

"They're the physical manifestation of an education system, in name only, that caused great harm and suffering to generations of Indigenous children."

An estimated 150,000 Indigenous children were forced to attend residential schools in Canada over a century. The Truth and Reconciliation Commission has detailed mistreatment at the schools, including emotional, physical and sexual abuse of children.

With the use of lidar technology and original building plans, three dimensional images of the Old Sun Indian Residential School at Siksika Nation, east of Calgary, Blue Quills school in St. Paul, Alta., and Poundmaker's Lodge Carriage House, which once formed part of the Edmonton Indian Residential School in St. Albert, Alta., have been created.

Stories from residential school survivors are to be embedded into each virtual replica.

"The sad reality is that many, many people don't know about this history. I thought it was important to preserve it digitally because the young people, as they heard more and more about the residential schools, were angry," said Vivian Ayoungman, 75, who spent nine years the at Old Sun school.

Related video: 'Brings to Light': exhibit on legacy of the residential school system opens in Winnipeg    Duration 3:25    View on Watch

"I thought we've really got to do some work. We can't be part of erasing our own history. We have to have the evidence. We want to preserve that building so that people know that it wasn't a figment of our imagination. That it really happened to us."

Ayoungman eventually became a teacher and now works at a community college located in the old residential school building where she attended as a child.

"We have really painful memories of those times when it was a residential school," she said.

"I got strapped for speaking my language at a very young age. I entered that school not speaking a word of English."

Ayoungman said those who survived residential schools are getting older, and having a digital record will ensure their history survives.

"There's no danger of it being forgotten. It's preserved how forever long digitization lasts," she said.

Her nephew Kent Ayoungman, 42, said both his parents and grandparents attended residential schools and he had no idea what they went through.

"Growing up, they never talked about their experiences, what they went through. So we didn't really know," he said.

"Who wants to hear about what they went through when they were in those places? It just changed the life of our people. We need to talk about it. Our people need to hear these stories of what they went through."

The project is entering a second phase, which is to digitally document the original grounds surrounding the three residential schools — a landscape that included hockey rinks, athletic grounds, gardens, and barns — to provide a more complete account of daily life at the schools.

The scans are eventually to be archived at each former school and the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 24, 2022.

Bill Graveland, The Canadian Press

Alberta's famous 'wage premium' rapidly eroding, experts say

CALGARY — Experts say Alberta businesses are poised to face a reckoning on wages next year because the province has not kept up with the rest of the country when it comes to wage increases.


Alberta's famous 'wage premium' rapidly eroding, experts say© Provided by The Canadian Press

For years, Alberta workers have been the highest paid in the country thanks to the province's lucrative oil and gas sector.

That hasn't changed, with the most recent data from Statistics Canada showing that workers in Alberta still enjoy the highest average weekly earnings in Canada by a small margin.

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But despite tight labour markets, Alberta has seen the weakest wage growth of any province over the last two years.

Nationally, wages are up seven per cent over the last two years, while in Alberta, they’re up less than one per cent. In some industry sectors, Alberta's wages are actually falling, while they're rising in other countries.

Experts say flat wages mean Alberta households are feeling the impact of inflation more than other regions of the country.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 25, 2022.

Economic challenges and goals similar for Lethbridge and Great Falls, Montana

Story by Quinn Campbell • Yesterday 

Global News

Vehicles lined up at the Coutts border crossing as travelers flock to the border on November 8, 2021.

Economic challenges and goals similar for Lethbridge and Great Falls

Duration 1:57   View on Watch

Trevor Lewington with Economic Development Lethbridge was the only Canadian speaker at this year's Montana Economic Developers Association Conference in Great Falls. Lewington said it was a chance to share, listen and learn.

"Most of Montana's focus areas are very similar to what we are working on. Agri-food plays big, looking at clean tech and renewables plays big, value-added manufacturing and other sectors.

"So, sometimes we think we are special and unique but our neighbours are actually working on similar opportunities as we are," added Lewington.

He said on average, Alberta exports just over $2 billion a year in goods to Montana, with the majority comprised of oil- and natural gas-related products.

"Of the $1.6-ish-billon worth of goods that Montana exported, almost $700 million of that came to Canada, and of course Lethbridge is a big destination for that, and likewise the U.S. in general is Alberta's largest trading partner."

COVID-19 border rules end ‘too little, too late’ for southern Alberta tourist season

Jolene Schalper with the Great Falls Development Authority said Lethbridge is Great Falls' sister city with important ties.

"We have a lot of Lethbridge companies, Lethbridge has a lot of Great Falls companies and we just want to make sure that we are very intentional these days about that relationship," added Schalper.

Transportation and shipping logistics are also key focuses.

"If they can get closer to the border and then if it makes more sense to ship to the port from Canada or if it makes more sense to ship to the port from the U.S., we want to make sure Albertan and Montanan companies have that option," she added.

While the goals are similar, Lewington says so are the economic challenges.

"Loud and clear: work force. The availability of talent is the number one concern in the business community in Montana, no different than here. In fact, in the state of Montana, across the whole state, they're forecasting about 45,000 job vacancies and that's on a state-wide population of a million people," he added.

Lewington cites tourism as one collaborative success, adding he hopes to see that sector continue to grow.

Fossil Discovery Suggests Nessie, the 'Mythical' Creature, Could Have Existed

NESSIE IS NOT A PLESIOSAUR SHE IS A GIANT EEL

Story by Rosemary Giles 

One of the most famous mythical creatures in the world is the Loch Ness Monster. Spurred on by alleged sightings of the beast, along with occasional photographic evidence, amateur investigators constantly visit the Scottish loch with hopes of capturing proof of their own. While many of the photographs of Nessie have been revealed as fakes, people haven't stopped their searches. Many are still trying to find an explanation for what the monster could be.

Historically, one of the assumptions was that Nessie could be a plesiosaur, an extinct marine reptile. This theory was dismissed for a number of reasons, including the fact that this creature was only found in saltwater. A discovery by scientists in Morocco might just change this belief, however. Nessie could have indeed been a plesiosaur.

Descriptions of the Loch Ness Monster

There are many varied descriptions from people claiming to have seen the Loch Ness Monster. In 1933, a couple said they saw a "dragon or prehistoric monster" cross the road and go into the water. Then, in 1934, the famous "surgeon's photograph" was taken, showing a creature with a small head and long neck peeking out of the water. It was this photograph that led people to believe Nessie could be a plesiosaur.


An alleged photograph of the Loch Ness Monster, near Inverness, Scotland, April 19, 1934. (Photo Credit: Keystone/ Getty Images)

The idea of the surviving plesiosaur was bolstered in 1975 when Boston's Academy of Applied Science used underwater photography and sonar to capture an image they believed to be Nessie. It seemed to show a flipper similar to that of a plesiosaur. Other images surfaced as well, one of which appeared to show the head, neck, and torso of the same type of creature.

Plesiosaurs could live in freshwater

Related video: 55 fossils discovered by local curator

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In a joint discovery, scientists from the University of Portsmouth, the University of Bath, and the Université Hassan II found fossils of small plesiosaurs located in a 100 million year old river system in Morocco. The fossils included neck, back, and tail vertebrae, as well as teeth and a piece of forelimb. They were found in different locations, meaning that they were from many animals, and not one single skeleton.


Rupert van der Werff puts the final touches on a Plesiosaur skeleton. 

(Photo Credit: Gareth Fuller/ PA Images/ Getty Images)

This discovery raised a lot of questions, as it was initially thought that plesiosaurs only lived in saltwater environments. It is unclear whether they lived temporarily in these freshwater environments, or permanently. However, the heavy wear on the teeth indicates that they likely ate the same type of food as the spinosaurus, fossils of which have also been found in riverbeds.

The scientists felt that their theory of plesiosaurs spending lots of time in freshwater environments was also backed up by the sheer number of fossils that they found, meaning that they weren't just traveling to the river to feed.

Could it be Nessie?

The scientists were, of course, asked about the connection between this discovery and the Loch Ness Monster. They said that given the new evidence that plesiosaurs could live in fresh water, there is a chance that Nessie might have existed in Loch Ness. However, they also said that other evidence indicates that the last of the species died roughly 65 million years ago, along with the dinosaurs.



Former Royal Air Force pilot Tom Dinsdale displays a model he made of the Loch Ness Monster which he claimed he saw. (Photo Credit: Bettmann/ Getty Images)


Nick Longrich, one of the researchers, also expressed that the environment in Loch Ness was not conducive to supporting the animal, as it is much too small. He squashed the theory, saying it would be difficult for a plesiosaur to exist undetected by humans. "Something like a plesiosaur, it's large. It's conspicuous. It has to surface and breathe air. If they existed, people would see them come up for air. One would die and wash up on-shore like whales."

Loch Ness Monster Probably A Giant Eel, According To ...

Sep. 5, 2019 — Water samples analyzed for DNA are actually referred to as “environmental DNA” by scientists. After analyzing the samples, scientists determined ...

https://plawiuk.blogspot.com/search?q=NESSIE

https://plawiuk.blogspot.com/search?q=CRYPTOZOOLOGY

https://plawiuk.blogspot.com/search?q=LAKE+MONSTERS

184 years ago, an American poet created a Thanksgiving myth we still believe today

Story by Troy Bickham, and ,The Conversation • Yesterday .

Have you ever wondered why Thanksgiving revolves around turkey and not ham, chicken, venison, beef, or corn?


184 years ago, an American poet created a Thanksgiving myth we still believe today© Provided by Inverse

Almost 9 in 10 Americans eat turkey during this festive meal, whether it’s roasted, deep-fried, grilled, or cooked in any other way for the occasion.

You might believe it’s because of what the Pilgrims, a year after they landed in what’s now the state of Massachusetts, and their Indigenous Wampanoag guests ate during their first thanksgiving feast in 1621. Or that it’s because turkey is originally from the Americas.

But it has more to do with how Americans observed the holiday in the late 1800s than which poultry the Pilgrims ate while celebrating their bounty in 1621.
Did they or didn’t they eat it?


184 years ago, an American poet created a Thanksgiving myth we still believe today© Provided by Inverse

The only firsthand record of what the Pilgrims ate at the first Thanksgiving feast comes from Edward Winslow. He noted that the Wampanoag leader, Massasoit, arrived with 90 men, and the two communities feasted together for three days.

Winslow wrote little about the menu, aside from mentioning five deer that the Wampanoag brought and that the meal included “fowle,” which could have been any number of wild birds found in the area, including ducks, geese, and turkeys.

Historians do know that important ingredients of today’s traditional dishes were not available during that first Thanksgiving.

That includes potatoes and green beans. The likely absence of wheat flour and the scarcity of sugar in New England at the time ruled out pumpkin pie and cranberry sauce. Some sort of squash, a staple of Native American diets, was almost certainly served, along with corn and shellfish.

A resurrected tradition

Historians like me who have studied the history of food have found that most modern Thanksgiving traditions began in the mid-19th century, more than two centuries after the Pilgrims’ first harvest celebration.

Related video: What Is The History Of Thanksgiving?
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The reinvention of the Pilgrims’ celebration as a national holiday was largely the work of Sarah Hale. Born in New Hampshire in 1784, as a young widow, she published poetry to earn a living. Most notably, she wrote the nursery rhyme “Mary Had a Little Lamb.”

In 1837, Hale became the editor of the popular magazine Godey’s Lady’s Book. Fiercely religious and family-focused, it crusaded for the creation of an annual national holiday of “Thanksgiving and Praise,” commemorating the Pilgrims’ thanksgiving feast.

Hale and her colleagues leaned on 1621 lore for historical justification. Like many of her contemporaries, she assumed the Pilgrims ate turkey at their first feast because of the abundance of edible wild turkeys in New England.

This campaign took decades, partly due to a lack of enthusiasm among white Southerners. Many of them considered an earlier celebration among Virginia colonists in honor of supply ships that arrived at Jamestown in 1610 to be the more important precedent.

The absence of Southerners serving in Congress during the Civil War enabled President Abraham Lincoln to declare Thanksgiving a national holiday in 1863.

Turkey marketing campaign


184 years ago, an American poet created a Thanksgiving myth we still believe today© Provided by Inverse

Godey’s, along with other media, embraced the holiday, packing their pages with recipes from New England and menus that prominently featured turkey.

“We dare say most of the Thanksgiving will take the form of gastronomic pleasure,” Georgia’s Augusta Chronicle predicted in 1882. “Every person who can afford turkey or procure it will sacrifice the noble American fowl to-day.”

One reason for this is: A roasted turkey makes a perfect celebratory centerpiece.

A second one is that turkey is also practical for serving a large crowd. Turkeys are bigger than other birds raised or hunted for their meat, and it’s cheaper to produce a turkey than a cow or pig. The bird’s attributes led Europeans to incorporate turkeys into their diets following their colonization of the Americas. In England, King Henry VIII regularly enjoyed turkey on Christmas day, a century before the Pilgrims’ feast.

Christmas Connection


184 years ago, an American poet created a Thanksgiving myth we still believe today© Provided by Inverse

The bird cemented its position as the favored Christmas dish in England in the mid-19th century.

One reason for this was that Ebenezer Scrooge, in Charles Dickens's “A Christmas Carol,” sought redemption by replacing the impoverished Cratchit family’s meager goose with an enormous turkey.

Published in 1843, Dickens’ instantly best-selling depiction of the prayerful family meal would soon inspire Hale’s idealized Thanksgiving.

Although the historical record is hazy, I do think it’s possible that the Pilgrims ate turkey in 1621. It certainly was served at celebrations in New England throughout the colonial period.

This article was originally published on The Conversation by Troy Bickham at Texas A&M University. Read the original article here.

Canada unveils new climate adaptation strategy with more than $1-billion commitment

Story by David Thurton, Kate McKenna • Yesterday CBC

Canada's first climate adaptation strategy, unveiled today, commits the federal government to new targets for preventing extreme heat deaths, reversing species loss and protecting homes in flood- and wildfire-prone areas.


Weeks after post-tropical storm Fiona ripped through the Hebrides cottage community on New London Bay near Stanley Bridge, P.E.I., buildings and debris still littered the countryside and shoreline.© Shane Hennessey/CBC

Environment and Climate Change Canada released the strategy — which has been almost two years in the making — in Prince Edward Island, one of the Atlantic provinces that felt the brunt of Hurricane Fiona in September.

The strategy envisions a country prepared to deal with the worst impacts of climate change. The high-level document talks about multiple targets but doesn't provide any hard numbers. The government says its goal is to set the stage for more detailed implementation plans to be rolled out later.

The government also announced $1.6 billion over five years in new funding to help jump-start the work that needs to be done. The money is meant to improve disaster response, protect Canadians from extreme heat and health effects and top up the disaster mitigation and adaptation fund.

The funding required from the public and private sectors to address the impacts of climate change in Canada is estimated at $5.3 billion per year, according to the Insurance Bureau of Canada, a trade association that represents the industry.

A federal official speaking on background told reporters Thursday the new funding is a "down payment" and acknowledged more will be required to achieve the strategy's goals. Emergency Preparedness Minister Bill Blair seemed to acknowledge this at the announcement.

"Clearly, there will need to be significant investments by all orders of governments and all Canadians across the country," Blair told reporters.

The NDP says it's not enough.

"This is a step in the right direction," said New Democrat emergency preparedness critic Richard Cannings. "It's just it's taken a long time.

"It's too little. We need much more ambition here to really do some meaningful things [to] prepare Canadians and communities for climate change."

While governments and communities have been anticipating and planning for the effects of climate change — which range from droughts and floods to permafrost loss, failing infrastructure and pressure on ecosystems — more needs to be achieved, says the strategy document.

Related video: WION Climate Tracker: Canada's first climate adaptation strategy
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"Our collective actions have often been insufficient or disjointed, and have not resulted in the swiftness and scale of adaptation that communities in Canada require," the document states.

Embedding climate change in all decision-making

In the hope of resetting the country's approach, the strategy rests on several pillars: disaster resilience, health and well-being, nature and infrastructure.

Without going into specifics, the strategy outlines several targets — such as reducing the number of people affected or killed by floods, wildfires and extreme heat.

On the infrastructure front, the strategy calls for embedding "climate change in all decisions to locate, plan, design, manage, adapt, operate and maintain infrastructure systems across their lifecycle."

The strategy commits Canada to new construction guidelines and standards, especially in areas prone to wildfires, flooding and other climate-related threats.

It sets broad targets for stopping and reversing nature and biodiversity loss. Indigenous communities, it says, must have opportunities to protect their traditional lands.

The strategy calls for expanding urban forests and wetlands in city landscapes. These nature-based solutions have been proven to reduce emissions and minimize the impacts of flooding and heat waves on urban populations.

The most significant aspect of Thursday's plan is that it outlines these priorities, said Sarah Miller, an adaptation research associate at the Canadian Climate Institute. She added that some may be tempted to focus on how much money is needed.

"That's essential because without [setting priorities], no amount of money is going to make a real difference," she said.

The strategy is meant to be a living document. The government promises to update it every five years and to start issuing progress reports as soon as 2025.

Feeling the effects of climate change

Climate change has had devastating impacts on Canadians already. In June 2021, Western Canada experienced a historic heat dome which set a record temperature of 49.6 degrees C in Lytton, B.C. A forest first would later tear through the community.

Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault called Hurricane Fiona in September "the most severe hurricane in the history of Canada. We've never seen anything like this."

"Lives were lost, and this is because of climate change," he added.

Economic analysis shows the impacts of climate change will be severe, even if the world does not exceed the international goal of limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees C. A recent United Nations report warned that the failure of individual nations to cut their emissions is "leading our planet to at least 2.5 degrees warming, a level deemed catastrophic by scientists at the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change."

The Canadian Climate Institute estimates that by 2025, the impact of climate change could cut economic growth by $25 billion annually. More recently, the Parliamentary Budget Officer estimated that even if the world meets its emissions reduction commitments, Canada's real GDP will take a 5.8 per cent hit in 2100.