Why an Alaska island is using peanut butter and black lights to find a rat that might not exist

Why an Alaska island is using peanut butter and black lights to find a rat that might not exist

On an island of windswept tundra in the Bering Sea, hundreds of miles from mainland Alaska, a resident sitting outside their home saw — well, did they see it? They were pretty sure they saw it.  A rat. The purported sighting would not have gotten attention in many places around the world, but it caused a … Read more

Leading business groups ask Liberals to send Air Canada pilot dispute to binding arbitration

Leading business groups ask Liberals to send Air Canada pilot dispute to binding arbitration

Dozens of Canadian business associations across the country have signed a letter urging the Liberal government to prevent Air Canada pilots from striking by sending the labour dispute to binding arbitration.  The letter — which was signed by the Canadian Chamber of Commerce, the Retail Council of Canada, Food Producers of Canada and the Canadian Toy … Read more

Taylor Swift breaks silence on cancelled Vienna shows, foiled terror plot

Taylor Swift breaks silence on cancelled Vienna shows, foiled terror plot

Two weeks after organizers scrubbed Taylor Swift’s concerts in Vienna amid a foiled terror plot, the singer issued her first statement on the cancellations. “Having our Vienna shows cancelled was devastating,” she wrote in a statement posted on Instagram on Wednesday. “The reason for the cancellations filled me with a new sense of fear, and … Read more

How extreme weather affects food prices in Canada

How extreme weather affects food prices in Canada

Extreme weather events like fires, floods, heat waves and droughts pose an increasing risk to Canada’s food supply chain, putting pressure on prices all the way to the grocery store shelf, say experts. “Anytime you have major weather-related events, it tends to increase costs,” said Frank Scali, vice-president of industry affairs at Food, Health & … Read more

Steel and aluminum CEOs warn of ‘existential threat’ if Canada doesn’t impose tariffs on China

Steel and aluminum CEOs warn of ‘existential threat’ if Canada doesn’t impose tariffs on China

Canada’s steel and aluminum industries are warning they face an “existential threat” if the Trudeau government fails to move in lockstep with the U.S. and Mexico by introducing tariffs on Chinese steel and aluminum imports this month. “We can’t be the only CUSMA country that is not taking this serious action for many reasons, but … Read more

Chilcotin landslide presents new barriers for struggling salmon

Chilcotin landslide presents new barriers for struggling salmon

An expert on British Columbia’s salmon populations says the massive landslide that blocked off part of Canada’s largest sockeye salmon run has created an unprecedented situation, potentially putting the already struggling fish at even more risk. Scott Hinch, associate dean at the University of British Columbia’s Pacific Salmon Ecology and Conservation Laboratory, said the debris piled 30 metres high and 600 … Read more

Jasper wildfire brings new threat to dwindling caribou herds

Jasper wildfire brings new threat to dwindling caribou herds

Jasper National Park is beloved for its breathtaking mountain landscapes — and the special opportunity to see iconic animals such as elk, bighorn sheep, mountain goats, grizzly bears and, with luck, endangered woodland caribou.  But this week, as thousands of visitors and locals alike fled raging wildfires that ripped through the park and its town, … Read more

Scientists researching wasps that may protect B.C. berries

Scientists researching wasps that may protect B.C. berries

Every year, invasive insects gnaw away at Canadian farms, gardens and wild plants, spreading disease and disturbing ecosystems.  But tiny wasps that lay body-bursting eggs in invasive insects may be able to help B.C. berry growers protect their crops. “It’s like a free service nature is providing us to help control crop pests,” said Paul Abram, an … Read more

Fears Liberals may have ‘abandoned’ assault-style gun control efforts: advocacy group

Fears Liberals may have ‘abandoned’ assault-style gun control efforts: advocacy group

A prominent gun control group fears the Liberal government has abandoned its commitment to enact a comprehensive ban on assault-style firearms, citing “no tangible progress” on key steps to fulfil the pledge. In an open letter to Public Safety Minister Dominic LeBlanc, PolySeSouvient spokesperson Nathalie Provost expresses concern that “we won’t see these measures materialize in … Read more

Canada draws link between June heat wave and climate change in landmark study

Canada draws link between June heat wave and climate change in landmark study

For the first time, the Canadian government has conducted a rapid analysis of a period of extreme heat and determined its connection to human-caused climate change. The analysis conducted by Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) found that a heat wave in Ontario, Quebec and Atlantic Canada between June 17 and 20 was made two … Read more