wildfires Archives

Jasper fires force trains to go slow

CN has resumed service but at a reduced speed through the area

By Karen Briere July 26, 2024

The Canadian National Railway line through Jasper, Alta,. is open, but trains are moving slowly due to the wildfire that destroyed a significant part of the community this week. The implications for grain movement are unknown, but unloads are already down at the port of Vancouver.

A helicopter dumps water on a forest fire in the Okanagan Valley, British Columbia. Photo: Thinkstock

News

Canada forecasts hotter-than-average summer as peak wildfire season nears

By Nia Williams June 11, 2024

Reuters – Canada is expecting a hotter-than-usual summer with slightly below-average precipitation in central Canada, government officials said on Tuesday, offering little relief from ongoing drought and the risk of another bad wildfire season. Last year, Canada experienced its worst-ever fire season, with more than 6,600 blazes burning 15 million hectares, an area roughly seven […] Read more

Water flows through a washed-out culvert on the CN rail mainline at Truro, N.S. on July 23, 2023. (Photo: Nigel Gloade/Millbrook First Nations/Handout via Reuters)

Nova Scotia farmers granted late AgriStability entry

Enrolment for 2023 now an option until Dec. 31, 2024

By Dave Bedard September 12, 2023

Nova Scotia farmers who aren’t in on AgriStability for 2023 and whose operations were hit hard by weather events this spring and/or summer now have until the end of next year to enroll. The Nova Scotia and federal governments on Friday announced enrolment for the ag income stabilization program, which ended on April 30, has […] Read more

Smoky haze over a wheat field late June, early July in 2023.

Crops, News

The potential impacts to field crops from wildfire smoke

OMAFRA Field Crop Report for the week ending August 30

By OMAFRA Field Crop Team August 31, 2023

Smoke from northern Ontario and Quebec wildfires was prevalent across Ontario for several weeks in June and early July. While a smoky haze was often visible during these weeks (see photo above), the heaviest days carried a campfire-like smell and reportedly even reduced visibility in parts of Northern and Eastern Ontario. What is the impact […] Read more

A climate change activist plays a violin in New York City’s Times Square as Manhattan is shrouded in haze and smoke which drifted south from wildfires in Canada, on June 7, 2023. (Photo: Reuters/Maye-E Wong)

Climate change made Quebec wildfires twice as likely, scientists say

Early snow disappearance led to earlier fires

By Gloria Dickie August 22, 2023

London | Reuters — The fires that tore through the province of Quebec between May and July were made at least twice as likely by climate change, scientists said on Tuesday. Climate change, driven by the burning of fossil fuels, also made the fires as much as 50 per cent more intense, according to the […] Read more

The McDougall Creek wildfire burns outside West Kelowna, B.C. on Aug. 18, 2023. (Photo: Reuters/Chris Helgren)

B.C. wildfires intensify, evacuation orders double

Rain helping slow fires near Yellowknife

By Chris Helgren, Nia Williams August 20, 2023

Kelowna | Reuters — Forest fires in British Columbia intensified on Saturday, with the number of people under evacuation orders doubling from a day earlier, as authorities warned of difficult days ahead. The province declared a state of emergency on Friday to access temporary authoritative powers to tackle fire-related risks, as out-of-control fires ripped through […] Read more

Smoke rises from a wildfire near Wildwood, Alta., about 100 km west of Edmonton, on May 5, 2023. (Photo: Alberta Wildfire/Handout via Reuters)

Markets

Alberta farmers granted late AgriStability entry

Enrolment deadline now Sept. 29

August 15, 2023

Any Alberta producers who were considering AgriStability — but only in hindsight — for the income stabilization plan’s 2023 program year now have until Sept. 29 to apply. Ottawa and the province announced Aug. 4 that they’ve reopened the jointly-funded program, as wildfires and/or “extremely dry” growing conditions have dragged on many Alberta producers’ work […] Read more

A smoke column rises from a wildfire on May 4, 2023 near Lodgepole, Alta., about 30 km southwest of Drayton Valley. (Photo: Alberta Wildfire handout via Reuters)

Canada’s record-setting wildfires could persist for rest of ‘marathon’ summer

Country's fires account for over a quarter of world's carbon for 2023

By Ismail Shakil August 12, 2023

Ottawa | Reuters — Record-setting wildfires in Canada could potentially continue burning at an abnormally high rate for several more weeks, though the spread of blazes is likely to start diminishing in September, according to federal projections released on Friday. Forest fires have engulfed parts of nearly all 13 Canadian provinces and territories this year, […] Read more

Crops, News

What does wildfire smoke do to crops?

No clear evidence, and it depends on when smoke occurs

By Jonah Grignon July 27, 2023

An early summer marked by frequent waves of wildfire smoke in Ontario may have negative impacts on crops in affected areas. Air quality statements were issued in June for every jurisdiction in Ontario, and many regions saw the air quality health index reach the maximum value of 10. The main concern at the farm level, […] Read more

Smoke from wildfires can pose a risk to farmers working outdoors this summer.

News

Wildfire smoke could pose health risks to Ontario farmers

Staying indoors to avoid poor weather may be an impractical request of producers