From goats to porcupines, these animal evacuees escaped B.C. wildfire
By Nono Shen When a wildfire roared toward Summerland, B.C., staff from the Interior Wildlife Rehabilitation Society had to evacuate about 30 animals from the facility in an hour. Eva Hartmann, founder of the sanctuary, said the centre was destroyed — but the animals have all been safely relocated to a wildlife centre in Kamloops, B.C., about 220 kilometres northeast. They include bats, skunks, a porcupine, a baby beaver named Poppy, two otters, 14 water birds and three turtles, said Ryan Cope, a volunteer. “So, it was a bit of a Noah’s Ark menagerie getting them out, and they really only had an hour to get out before the fire blew through the property,” said Cope, adding that it was chaotic to corral the birds to their respective kennels. The...
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Indigenous ultrarunner uniting First Nations communities, including Stoney Nakoda, through movement
By Leah Pelletier, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Rocky Mountain Outlook ÎYÂRHE NAKODA – In an old cut-out from the Dawson Creek newspaper, yellowed with age, Anita Cardinal’s dad stands tall in blue jeans and moccasins. He had just completed a marathon in under two-and-a-half hours. “He just finished a marathon in his jeans, his moccasins and he looked great,” said Cardinal, founder of the non-profit Indigenous Runners Alliance that advocates for Indigenous representation and healing through running. “That’s elite running.” The Nêhiyaw (Cree) ultrarunner takes after her dad. “My dad would run everywhere … He’d be hunting and we’d barely keep up with him. He’s in his seventies and he can still run,” said Cardinal, who grew up on Woodland Cree First Nation in Northern Alberta. “I got my love...
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From goats to porcupines, these animal evacuees escaped B.C. wildfire
By Nono Shen When a wildfire roared toward Summerland, B.C., staff from the Interior Wildlife Rehabilitation Society had to evacuate about 30 animals from the facility in an hour. Eva Hartmann, founder of the sanctuary, said the centre was destroyed — but the animals have all been safely relocated to a wildlife centre in Kamloops, B.C., about 220 kilometres northeast. They include bats, skunks, a porcupine, a baby beaver named Poppy, two otters, 14 water birds and three turtles, said Ryan Cope, a volunteer. “So, it was a bit of a Noah’s Ark menagerie getting them out, and they really only had an hour to get out before the fire blew through the property,” said Cope, adding that it was chaotic to corral the birds to their respective kennels. The...
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What to know about the Bald Range fire and B.C.’s wildfire emergency
By Canadian Press Staff Here are key facts about the Bald Range wildfire that exploded within hours of its detection in British Columbia’s south Okanagan region on Aug. 7. B.C. officials declared a provincewide state of emergency the next day, with Premier David Eby saying it marked a significant shift in the province’s wildfire season. The fire – The Bald Range fire has grown to span nearly 180 square kilometres by Tuesday, burning just outside Summerland, B.C., on the western shore of Okanagan Lake. – British Columbia Premier David Eby has said he was told the fire was “like a bomb” going off as it roared east towards the community of about 12,000 residents. – Officials said Tuesday that the fire had since expanded “slightly further” toward of Peachland, B.C.,...
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B.C. fire evacuees find social media comfort amid official void about destruction
By Brieanna Charlebois Frustrated wildfire evacuees from Summerland, B.C., say they are seeking out alternative sources of information about the fate of their community to fill an official void, even as authorities warn against the risk of misinformation. They have been turning to photos and video posted online by people who stayed behind in the evacuated community on the shore of Okanagan Lake — including an e-bike rider who has been cruising through deserted and apparently undamaged streets. Resident Kerry Gold said, though, she doesn’t condone people risking their safety by staying behind, watching the e-bike rider, whose simple videos show him rolling through the smoky streets of Summerland, sometimes behind structure protection crews, “just makes you feel so much better.” “As somebody who was in the dark, who didn’t...
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B.C. fire evacuees find social media comfort amid official void about destruction
By Brieanna Charlebois Frustrated wildfire evacuees from Summerland, B.C., say they are seeking out alternative sources of information about the fate of their community to fill an official void, even as authorities warn against the risk of misinformation. They have been turning to photos and video posted online by people who stayed behind in the evacuated community on the shore of Okanagan Lake — including an e-bike rider who has been cruising through deserted and apparently undamaged streets. Resident Kerry Gold said, though, she doesn’t condone people risking their safety by staying behind, watching the e-bike rider, whose simple videos show him rolling through the smoky streets of Summerland, sometimes behind structure protection crews, “just makes you feel so much better.” “As somebody who was in the dark, who didn’t...
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Courage and survival key to the past as mothers prepare daughters for the future in new novel
By Shari Narine, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Windspeaker.com Eliza Sunshine is the powerful new novel from Governor General’s Award-winning author Michelle Good. It is based on the life of her mother Martha Eliza Soonias Stiff. “It was 1999 when that strange little conversation that was sort of between (my mother and me) but not between us happened,” said Good, who is a member of the Red Pheasant Cree Nation in Saskatchewan. “And I felt an obligation ever since then. Not only an obligation, but a real desire to tell that story because it’s so unique.” Good, however, takes the story beyond her mother, who the character Eliza Sunshine is based on. “My first challenge was what is the structure of this? How do I tell this story? And it came...
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Manitoba opens province’s first supervised consumption site
By Ian Bickis Manitoba’s addictions minister says it’s a special but bittersweet day as the province opens its first supervised consumption site. Bernadette Smith said Tuesday that the site in central Winnipeg is long overdue and will help get people the care they need. “We can’t treat people who aren’t alive,” said Smith. “So this is a place for folks to go to get supervised with their substances, but also more importantly, to get connected with supports and services so they can get on to a path of recovery.” The government said the site had a limited opening starting in June but is now fully staffed and operational, at least for the temporary space at the site. There are eight staff, including two nurses along with clinicians and mentors, said...
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Perseid meteor shower and partial solar eclipse to give skywatchers a celestial show
By Morgan Lowrie Skywatchers in Quebec and beyond will get a unique show this week, as the Perseid meteor shower coincides with a partial solar eclipse. The Astrolab astronomy centre at the Mont-Mégantic, Que., provincial park says shooting stars will rain down from the sky between Tuesday and Friday. On Wednesday, the meteor shower will combine with a partial solar eclipse to create a rare celestial alignment. Sébastien Giguère, the Astrolab’s scientific coordinator, says the Perseid meteor shower can feature up to 100 shooting stars per hour, compared to about five on an average night. “From time to time, Earth passes through a trail of dust left behind by a comet, leaving behind more dust in the solar system,” Giguère said in a phone interview. “And when Earth crosses that...
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Ontario fire crews making good progress despite large area burned, minister says
By Allison Jones Ontario’s fire crews are making progress fighting wildfires, the minister of natural resources said Tuesday, with dozens extinguished in the last two weeks and far fewer burning out of control than earlier in the busy season. More than 80 fires have been put out since the last update in July, Mike Harris said, and currently there are 152 active fires, with 12 burning out of control. “While we’re not in the clear here in Ontario yet, we are confident that we have the crews and the aircraft that we need to get the job done,” Harris said at a press conference. The wildfire season in terms of number of fires has not been too abnormal, but in terms of the area burned this year is “way surpassing”...
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Manitoba RCMP say they’re investigating suspicious death of four-year-old girl
Manitoba RCMP say they’re investigating the suspicious death of a four-year-old girl. Mounties say Manitoba First Nation Police were called by paramedics to a home in Long Plain First Nation, west of Winnipeg, early Sunday morning. The girl died at the scene despite efforts to resuscitate her. The RCMP says two other young girls in the home, one and two years-old, were transported to hospital and are in stable condition. Mounties say because of the nature of the death and the two serious injuries, their major crime services unit has taken over the investigation. Supt. Rob Lasson says RCMP investigators are working closely with the Manitoba First Nation Police Service and Long Plain First Nation. This report by The Canadian Press was first published August 11, 2026. ...
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Manitoba’s first supervised consumption site set to fully open
Manitoba’s first supervised consumption site is set to fully open today in Winnipeg after lengthy delays. The province had initially said it was aiming to open a site in 2025, but pushback on the first chosen location and other complications created delays. The NDP government has partnered with the non-profit agency Aboriginal Health and Wellness to run the site, which will be open between Tuesday and Saturday from late morning to early evening. The site doesn’t provide drugs but is meant as a place where the potential harms of using them can be reduced while also connecting people to support services. The site in central Winnipeg has been criticized by some business owners and residents concerned about security, while the Opposition Progressive Conservatives have said the government should focus on...
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B.C. wildfire evacuees told to brace for devastation, as RCMP launch criminal probe
By Brenna Owen Heartbroken Okanagan-area officials have told wildfire evacuees to prepare themselves for the level of destruction left by a deadly blaze in B.C.’s southern Interior that police say has triggered a criminal investigation. The out-of-control Bald Range fire is on the outskirts of Summerland, whose mayor told the community’s 12,000 residents they would not be returning to their homes on the shores of Okanagan Lake any time soon. “We need to brace ourselves for what’s there or what’s not there,” said Doug Holmes, his voice shaking with emotion at a briefing in nearby Penticton on Monday evening. “It’s going to be hard. It’s going to be really hard. We all know people right now who have lost homes. We all have friends who have lost homes and those...
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B.C. RCMP investigate cause of deadly Summerland wildfire that sent 20,000 fleeing
By Brenna Owen RCMP are investigating the cause of the deadly wildfire that forced 20,000 to evacuate as it roared towards the Okanagan community of Summerland in British Columbia’s Interior, while saying they also want to stamp out “misinformation” about how the fire started. Widely circulated social media videos show someone lighting a bear-banger device, and they are blamed for the fire, but police say the incident occurred kilometres for where the Bald Range blaze started last Friday and the person was interviewed by police as a witness and not a suspect. “The public is cautioned against making false statements and to stop the continuation of misinformation on social media,” police said in a statement on Monday. Investigators are looking into “all reports of suspicious activity which may have led...
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Alberta to review Amber Alert criteria and day home after death of Calgary boy
Alberta’s government will review its Amber Alert system and the policies of a Calgary day home after the death of an 11-year-old boy with autism. The province says the review will assess the criteria that needs to be met for an alert to be issued and will include the perspectives of police, disability advocates and other community organizations. Public Safety Minister Mike Ellis says the death of Parker Wells was heartbreaking and that the government wants to learn from what happened. Parker’s disappearance from a northern Calgary day home prompted a massive two-week search that saw hundreds of police officers and civilians scour city blocks and play Disney music to try to find him. Police had said the boy’s body was found July 29 deep inside an underground pipe system...
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Three people injured after helicopter crashed into N.W.T. lake: RCMP
RCMP in the Northwest Territories say three people were injured after a helicopter crashed into a northern lake. Police say they received a call about the crash on Sunday afternoon near Gameti, a First Nation located about 375 kilometres northwest of Yellowknife. Police say the three people aboard the helicopter were found nearly three hours after the crash and taken to a health centre with minor injuries. RCMP say local officials and residents helped in the search for the people. Investigators didn’t provide details on what caused the crash. They say it’s been referred to the Transportation Safety Board of Canada for investigation. This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 10, 2026. ...
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Repeated evacuations strain mental health in Northern Ontario
By Jon Thompson, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Ricochet Nova Moonias is only two weeks old but she has already flown home to Neskantaga First Nation following an evacuation, and five days later, she was evacuated again. Nova’s mother Wanita was living in a Toronto hotel in July, after fleeing forest fires that threatened the northwestern Ontario fly-in community. The baby was expected on August 12, but medical professionals induced labour on July 28 so mother and child could fly back north with their family and neighbours. The three-day-old became a symbol of hope in that moment; Neskantaga’s evacuees were returning home with one more member than had left. Five days later, following a sewage leak, Nova had to fly out again, and leaders say that short-lived hope has given way...
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Brantford now has Blue Emergency Phones in Downtown Core
BRANTFORD, ONT-Brantford is enhancing community safety in the downtown area by installing two code blue emergency phones in Harmony Square at 89 Dalhousie Street. In a press release, the City of Brantford said this would improve access to emergency assistance and strengthen public safety. Code Blue phones provide an immediate connection to emergency services, which allows residents to report medical emergencies, public safety concerns, and unlawful activity more quickly. The emergency phones will work through the Closed-Circuit Television (CCTV) system already in place at Harmony Square. They also support the planned expansion of the downtown security infrastructure. Brandon Partridge, Supervisor of Surveillance for the City of Brantford, said the phones will make it easier for people to access help right when they need it. “Whether someone is experiencing a medical...
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More orcas coming to Nunavut waters due to declining sea ice: researcher
By William Koblensky Varela, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Nunavut News Around 200 killer whales are migrating through waters near Arctic Bay, and those numbers are increasing, according to Department of Fisheries and Oceans researcher Cory Matthews. The whales, also called orcas, don’t all come at the same time. But the predators eat beluga, narwhal, bowhead whales, hurting the hunting opportunities for the local community. Matthews has been going to Admiralty Inlet to study killer whales and their impact on the environment since 2009, and he planned to return during the first week of August. Working with the Ikajutit Hunters and Trappers Association (HTA), researchers shoot tracking beacons using crossbows onto the orcas. “If we can find people who are interested in coming back year after year, and train them up...
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Battle for the Bay – Cree Nation Jr Trappers capture national championship
By Jamie Pashagumskum, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, The Nation In a stunning come-from-behind victory, the Cree Nation Jr Trappers defeated the Moose Cree Scrappers 4-3 in overtime to secure their first-ever national title at the National Indigenous Junior Hockey Championships held in Toronto July 16-19. In a gold medal game dubbed “The Battle for the Bay”, the two Cree teams from opposite coasts of James Bay left it all on the ice. The Jr Trappers faced off against a stacked Moose Cree team that included tournament MVP Sam McCue, a 7th-round draft pick by the Toronto Maple Leafs in 2024. “Everyone was gunning for us, and we knew it was going to happen,” said Moose Cree coach Jordan Cheechoo. The defending champion Scrappers opening the scoring with an unassisted goal...
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