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Tag Archives: wildfires

Wildfires burned 18.5M hectares of land in 2023. What will happen come thaw?

The wildfire season of 2023 was like no other in Canada’s history. With roughly 18.5 million hectares of Canadian land burned, this year was the worst wildfire season ever recorded. It surpassed the previous record of 7.6 million hectares scorched in 1989. Wildfires leave a mark and their side effects …

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Are Canada’s water bombers fit to fight climate change fuelled wildfires?

They’re an easily recognizable part of Canada’s fight against wildfires, playing a key supporting role in the annual battle against the flames. Water bombers can look as though they might land in a burning forest, their wings almost skimming the smoky canopy before dumping down thousands of litres of water …

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Alberta investing in AI that predicts where wildfires may ignite

Alberta is investing in artificial intelligence in an effort to predict where a wildfire may ignite before it happens, a move its tech partners say could save up to $5 million a year. Ed Trenchard, provincial wildfire management specialist, does long-term planning with communities and industry on how to mitigate …

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Ontario adds $20.5M in funding to fight wildfires, including for training and drones

By Staff The Canadian Press Posted October 12, 2023 12:54 pm Descrease article font size Increase article font size Ontario’s natural resources and forestry minister says the government will spend an additional $20.5 million over three years to help fight wildfires. Graydon Smith, making an announcement in Timmins, Ont., says …

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Wildfire-detecting tech powered by Rogers 5G, SpaceX to be deployed in B.C.

Firefighters in British Columbia will soon have access to early wildfire-detecting technology that uses 5G, artificial intelligence and satellites to spot emerging blazes long before the flames spread. The first-in-Canada systems announced by Rogers on Thursday will connect Pano AI cameras that can detect smoke up to 20 kilometres away …

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Workers continue restoring essential services in N.W.T. ahead of fire evacuee return

By Dean Bennett The Canadian Press Posted September 14, 2023 8:59 pm Updated September 14, 2023 9:17 pm Descrease article font size Increase article font size Fire crews in the Northwest Territories say work continues fighting hot spots and flareups near evacuated communities while area residents wait to hear when …

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Essential workers head back early to Yellowknife to be ready for return of wildfire evacuees

Officials in Yellowknife, as well as staff with the Northwest Territories, are getting ready for the start of a mass migration home of wildfire evacuees that’s still on track for Wednesday. Yellowknife city manager Sheila Bassi-Kellett said workers in grocery stores, pharmacies, home-heating providers, and even some taxi drivers and …

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B.C. wildfires: Army reservists deployed from Calgary to help fight fires in Okanagan, Shuswap

Around 40 soldiers from 41 Canadian Brigade Group in Calgary will be deployed early Monday morning to help fight fires in southern B.C. According to a Department of Defense release on Sunday afternoon, the brigade will be deployed as part of Operation LENTUS at 6 a.m. on Monday. The operation …

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42% of wildfire evacuations occur in Indigenous communities, researcher

While wildfire season and evacuation alerts have become par for the course for many communities across Canada, for Indigenous people its far too frequent. “It’s a really disproportionate impact when Indigenous people only make up 5 per cent of the population in Canada but 42 per cent of wildfire evacuation …

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‘We are sick of it’: Ontario forest firefighters burning out as concerns grow

As Ontario’s forest fire season drags on, a sense of mutiny is brewing on the front lines. Crews of firefighters, who have long warned of understaffing and inexperience, are burning out. Some are quitting. Others plan not to return and a few remaining veterans are on the brink of retirement. …

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