Chetamon Mountain wildfire saw 'negligible growth' Saturday despite hot, windy weather
CBC
Atco Electric is working to add another generator to further support electricity going to Jasper, Alta., while firefighters continue battling intense wildfire conditions Sunday.
More extreme wildfire conditions were expected this weekend due to forecasted dry, hot and windy weather.
The north end of the Chetamon Mountain wildfire, in Jasper National Park, saw the intense flames Saturday. But there was "negligible growth" thanks to suppression efforts, said Landon Shepherd, Parks Canada's incident commander for the wildfire, during a news conference Sunday.
"We were able to be quite successful yesterday, despite the increased winds that were present on the fire and those warm temperatures and dry air," Shepherd said.
The wildfire, which ignited Sept. 1, grew to about 5,800 hectares as of Sunday morning.
Strong winds are pushing the flames north again Sunday, with most of the resources being dispatched there, said Anne-Claude Pépin, Park Canada's section chief for the wildfire.
There are 126 firefighters, including some from British Columbia, on the ground, and eight helicopters dropping water from above.
Officials expects the fire to become unsafe for firefighters on the ground Sunday afternoon, so from there on helicopters will likely become the primary means to battle the fire.
The weather is expected to become more favourable in the coming week, which should decrease the fire activity, they said.
The team is especially confident in its ability to suppress the north and south ends of the fire, the areas closest to nearby communities, Shepherd said.
No communities, including Jasper, which is about 315 kilometres west of Edmonton, are at risk of the fire. But Environment Canada issued another special air quality statement for the Jasper National Park area due to the smoke.
The fire has grown so big, in such a remote area, that Parks Canada can only do so much to extinguish it until the weather cools, Shepherd said. But wildfires are a natural occurrence, so as long as people are safe, the agency can let the flames go on.
"It's sort of ineffective and not reasonable to expect to affect the entire fire area, nor is the entire fire area a threat," he said.
Friday evening, Atco Electric was able to restore power to 90 per cent of residents who saw their electricity out because of the fire. There was a power outage around 2:15 a.m. Sunday that later restored at 6 a.m., but since then the electricity has otherwise held, said Amanda Mattern, an Atco Electric regional manager.
The City of Edmonton is developing a wildfire strategy to mitigate risks within the municipality and help neighbouring regions, the city's emergency advisory committee heard Wednesday.
About 20 workers, students and local MPP candidates gathered outside Hamilton's Mohawk College Wednesday — where a fifth of full-time jobs have been cut since December — to call on the province to better fund post-secondary education.
In a busy race to Queen's Park, nine candidates are vying for the Sarnia—Lambton seat — a riding that's been conservative for nearly 20 years.
There's just over a year left in the Canada-Alberta child-care agreement and it's shaping up to be a rocky one for some parents, who — for this first time in the history of the agreement — will see their fees increase as a new phase of the program rolls out.
B.C. MLA Adrian Dix says he gets texts, emails, and even stopped at his local Safeway. He says people urge him to cut off power or even water to the U.S.
B.C. cities, in general, would be among the least vulnerable in Canada if U.S. President Donald Trump follows through on tariff threats, according to new data from the Canadian Chamber of Commerce.
Here's where and when you can vote in advance polls in Waterloo region, Guelph and Wellington County
Voting day is Feb. 27 in the Ontario election, but people can cast their ballots this week in advance polls.
Staff with Summerside Electric say they're not getting many updates from Maritime Electric after a failure at the utility's Sherbrooke substation over a week ago caused strain on the city's electrical grid.
The N.W.T.'s public utilities board has ordered the Northwest Territories Power Corporation (NTPC) to start paying Naka Power $48,500 per month to use a transmission line in the Hay River area, starting March 1.
Ideologically motivated violent extremist groups are using antisemitism in a bid to recruit followers and inspire violence, according to a report from Canada's spy agency.
It's a move that could reshape North American trade.
Ontario's main political parties are competing for the hearts of voters by appealing to their wallets, with a mix of tax cuts and money-back rebates pitched as helping with the cost of living.
With one full week to go before voting day, Elections Ontario is working to reverse a recent downward trend in voter turnout, which set a record low of 43 per cent the last time Ontarians went to the polls in 2022.