The federal government says Canada could face another destructive wildfire season because of an unusually warm winter, widespread drought conditions and a forecast of above-normal temperatures in the months ahead. Officials said during a technical briefing Wednesday that more dry, hot weather is expected this spring and summer, putting much of the country at greater … Read more
Persistent and severe drought conditions across Western Canada could have a devastating effect on the oil and natural gas sector, which has drilling operations in some of the driest areas, according to a new report by Deloitte. Limited water supply could have significant effects on the production of oil and gas, the report warns, and … Read more
Fire is sucking the life out of parts of the Amazon rainforest. In Roraima State, in northern Brazil, the number of fires in February were more than five times the average, according to data from Brazil’s National Institute for Space Research, and blazes continued to burn through March. “We are losing the Amazon rainforest. These … Read more
Threats against politicians have become “increasingly normalized” due to extremist narratives prompted by personal grievances and fuelled by misinformation or deliberate lies, warns a newly released intelligence report. The report, prepared by a federal task force that aims to safeguard elections, says the Canadian violent extremist landscape has seen the proliferation of conspiracy theories, a … Read more
As It Happens6:08This rare loon brought the Bellagio Hotel’s famous Vegas fountain show to a halt While it’s common to see crowds of people gathered outside the Bellagio Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas, they’re not usually there for birdwatching. But recently, a rare juvenile yellow-billed loon took up residence in the hotel’s artificial lake, … Read more
Defence Minister Bill Blair says NATO countries like Canada must ramp up their aid to Ukraine as support from the United States languishes in a legislative quagmire. In an interview that aired Sunday on Rosemary Barton Live, Blair expressed optimism that the U.S. would eventually pass a significant aid bill to provide billions of dollars worth … Read more
The federal government must move quickly to regulate artificial intelligence, said a top AI pioneer who warns the technology’s current trajectory poses major societal risks Yoshua Bengio, dubbed a “godfather” of AI, told members of Parliament Monday that Ottawa should put a law in place immediately, even if that legislation is not perfect. The scientific director … Read more
Bank of Canada governor Tiff Macklem says the central bank can’t solve the housing crisis with interest rates because the root cause is a supply shortage. Macklem faced multiple questions on housing affordability during an appearance before the finance committee on Thursday — one week after the bank yet again kept its key overnight interest rate at … Read more
A controversial tax credit meant to help jump-start carbon capture projects could cost $1 billion more than the federal government estimated, says the independent parliamentary budget watchdog. In several federal budgets, Finance Canada forecast that the carbon capture, utilization and storage (CCUS) investment tax credit would cost $4.6 billion between 2022-28. The Parliamentary Budget Officer … Read more
The Current16:20Huge ancient city discovered in Amazon “Wow” was all archaeologist Stéphen Rostain could say when LiDAR (light detection and ranging) laser technology revealed several ancient cities hidden deep in the Amazon rainforest. “It’s a gift for an archaeologist,” he told The Current‘s Matt Galloway. Using the laser-scanning technology, researchers have uncovered a complex network of … Read more
