Feb 20 2019 — Bob Weber, The Canadian Press — The federal government is taking extra steps to find out if Canadians are still OK with killing wildlife in what one scientist calls "one of the worst ways to die on earth." The Pest Management Review Agency has extended public consultations into whether it should consider cruelty before licensing poisons used to control large predators such […]
Feb 19 2019 — Bob Weber, The Canadian Press — EDMONTON — Dozens of oilsands environmental impact studies are marred by inconsistent science that's rarely subjected to independent checks, says a university study. "It doesn't make any sense," says University of British Columbia biology professor Adam Ford, who published his findings in the journal Environmental Reviews. "You would have to go out of your way to make […]
Feb 13 2019 — Bob Weber, The Canadian Press — EDMONTON — A closer look at some unimaginably ancient fossils suggests complex life may have evolved much earlier and more quickly than scientists previously thought. "If these are complex life forms, what it tells you is that evolution happened much quicker than we think," said Kurt Konhauser, one of the authors of a paper that says tiny, slug-like […]
Feb 12 2019 — Bob Weber, The Canadian Press — Wondering what your city's climate will be like in a few decades? Look south — about 1,000 kilometres south, says an unusual new study published Tuesday. That's the average distance between 540 cities in the United States and Canada and the nearest city that now has the climate that they could expect, says co-author Matt Fitzpatrick […]
Feb 11 2019 — Bob Weber, The Canadian Press — The federal government is facing more legal problems over an alleged and ongoing failure to enforce its own environmental laws. "This is a chronic problem with both Environment Canada and (Fisheries and Oceans)," said David Mayhood of the Timberwolf Wilderness Society. "They simply do not act until somebody takes them to court." On Monday, the […]
Feb 10 2019 — Bob Weber, The Canadian Press — Recent Russian moves in the Arctic have renewed debate over that country's intentions and Canada's own status at the top of the world. The newspaper Izvestia reported late last month that Russia's military will resume fighter patrols to the North Pole for the first time in 30 years. The patrols will be in addition to regular […]
Feb 6 2019 — Bob Weber, The Canadian Press — Greenland and Antarctica are a long distance away, but newly released research suggests the accelerating disappearance of their ice caps will have a major — and underestimated — effect on extreme weather in Canada. "We're underestimating the impact of the ice sheets on the climate system," said Natalya Gomez, a professor at McGill University and co-author […]
Feb 5 2019 — Bob Weber, The Canadian Press — One of nature's greatest migrations may be returning to health after a stunning growth in the number of monarch butterflies that fluttered across North America last year. But if populations of the striking black-and-orange aviators are starting to recover, it's no thanks to Canada, said Carolyn Callaghan of the Canadian Wildlife Federation. "Canada, well, hmm. […]
Jan 27 2019 — Bob Weber, The Canadian Press — The draft for a federal plan to restore Canada's largest national park suggests Ottawa is unlikely to ease international concerns about threats posed to its status as a World Heritage site, say environmental groups and First Nations. "If this is all we've got to save the park, we don't have a very good outlook," said Kecia Kerr of the […]
Jan 24 2019 — Bob Weber, The Canadian Press — Conservation groups and First Nations have filed legal action in the hope of forcing Environment Canada to protect Alberta caribou herds after federal findings that the province has failed to do so. "The federal government has the power and the legal responsibility to act," said Melissa Gorrie of Ecojustice, which is acting on behalf of […]
Jan 18 2019 — Bob Weber, The Canadian Press — The federal government is asking Canadians how they like their vodka. The Canadian Food Inspection Agency has uncorked consultations on whether to redefine the clear, neutral spirit and open interprovincial trade for craft distillers who want to try something new. "The current definition of vodka in the food and drug regulations limits the ability of […]
Jan 17 2019 — Bob Weber, The Canadian Press — Canadians aren't keeping up with the need to protect their homes against catastrophic events made more common by climate change, says a coast-to-coast study from the University of Waterloo. "Homeowners can do a lot themselves to reduce risk of flooding," said Natalia Moudrak, study co-author and researcher at the university's climate adaptation centre. Climatologists have long warned […]
Jan 17 2019 — Bob Weber, The Canadian Press — More than half the food produced in Canada is wasted and the average kitchen tosses out hundreds of dollars worth of edibles every year, says a study researchers are calling the first of its kind. "It's a lot of food," said Lori Nikkel of Second Harvest, the Toronto-based group working to reduce food waste that commissioned the study. […]
Jan 16 2019 — Bob Weber, The Canadian Press — The impact of climate change on roads and other crucial structures in Canada's North is likely to be even greater than feared, says new detailed research. "These are greater impacts than anything I'm aware of," said John Pomeroy, head of the University of Saskatchewan's Global Water Futures program and lead author on a recently published paper. Scientists […]
Jan 14 2019 — Bob Weber, The Canadian Press — A United Nations committee has warned Canada that continued construction of the Site C hydro dam in northeastern British Columbia may violate international agreements. The UN's Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination says Canada may have already violated an agreement it signed 50 years ago. That agreement commits Canada to prevent development on Indigenous land without […]