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Cathedral Grove’s ancient trees not at risk, fire service says, as Vancouver Island blaze prompts evacuation order

Crews battle wildfires near Coombs, B.C., on Sunday.

Vancouver Island photographer Colby Rex O’Neill has had restless nights as a wildfire burns less than a kilometre from his home.

That’s a worry, but he also fears the Wesley Ridge fire could reach what he calls a “national treasure” – Cathedral Grove, a temperate rainforest containing trees that are about 800 years old.

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Privacy commissioner to investigate WestJet cybersecurity breach, security safeguards

WestJet passengers deplane on the tarmac at Yellowknife Airport on Tuesday, July 22.

Canada’s privacy commissioner has opened an investigation into a cyberattack on WestJet WJAFF which saw a “malicious actor” gain access to the airline’s systems.

The airline said in a statement last month that a “sophisticated, criminal” third party was able to gain access to some personal and travel-related data during the June cybersecurity incident.

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Audit of Nova Scotia firefighter school reveals serious safety concerns

The family of a Nova Scotia firefighter who died in training says the results of a scathing audit of the province’s main firefighters school is an important first step in ensuring future safety.

The $300,000 money-for-value audit by consultant 21FSP was released Tuesday by the provincial government. It was launched in June and stemmed from the death of firefighter Skyler Blackie during a training exercise at the Nova Scotia Firefighters School in March 2019.

Skyler Blackie died after the bottom of a rusted extinguisher blew off during a certification exam at the non-profit training facility in Waverley, N.S.

© HO

Skyler Blackie poses in this undated handout photo. The family of a Nova Scotia firefighter who died during a 2019 training session is stepping up its push for reform of a firefighting school after learning he had raised concerns about the equipment that led to his death.
Skyler Blackie died on March 20, 2019, 11 days after the bottom of the rusted extinguisher blew off as he charged it with propellant during a certification exam at the Nova Scotia Firefighters School in Waverley, N.S. THE CANADIAN PRESS/HO
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Globe Climate: The North Atlantic right whale’s collision course

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Good afternoon and thanks for catching up with us after the long weekend. Welcome to Globe Climate, a newsletter about climate change, environment and resources in Canada.

A mysterious illness has killed billions of sea stars. Just yesterday, scientists shared how they’ve solved the case.

© Lauren Owens Lambert

Large container ships navigate through New York Harbor on April 25, 2025. All large whale species in this region, including Blue, Fin, Sei, Sperm, Humpback, and North Atlantic right whales are detected in the New York Bight. Most are federally listed as endangered and face the greatest threats from human activities, including vessel strikes.
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Air Canada flight attendants enter final day of strike mandate vote

Air Canada flight attendants are entering the final day of voting on whether to give a strike mandate to their union.

The vote, which began July 28 and closes today, comes after the Air Canada component of the Canadian Union of Public Employees concluded the conciliation process with no deal reached.

The union represents more than 10,000 flight attendants who have been in contract talks since the start of the year.

© Christinne Muschi

An Air Canada plane takes off from Montreal-Pierre Elliott Trudeau International Airport in Montreal, Friday, Sept. 13, 2024. Air Canada flight attendants are entering the final day of voting on whether to give a strike mandate to their union. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Christinne Muschi
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Three charged with smuggling-related offences after 44 migrants intercepted in Quebec, CBSA says

An RCMP officer near the Quebec-U.S. border in St. Bernard-de-Lacolle, Que. in January. The Canada Border Services Agency says it stopped a vehicle carrying foreign nationals near Stanstead, Que., early Sunday morning.

The Canada Border Services Agency says it has arrested and charged three alleged smugglers after police in southern Quebec intercepted a truck carrying 44 foreign nationals in conditions an RCMP officer described as “horrific.” 

The agency said RCMP and Quebec provincial police intercepted the vehicle with dozens of people aboard near Stanstead, Que., overnight between Saturday to Sunday.

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Newfoundland wildfires prompt evacuations for residents of small communities

Residents of several small communities in eastern Newfoundland were ordered Monday to leave their homes as two separate wildfires burned along the shores of Conception Bay.

On Monday, just before 2 p.m. local time, the provincial government issued evacuation orders for the two towns of Small Point–Adam’s Cove–Blackhead–Broad Cove and Kingston, which are spread along the west side of the huge bay.

Officials said a 150-hectare wildfire had come within one kilometre of Kingston.

© Adrian Wyld

Newfoundland and Labrador's provincial flag flies on a flagpole in Ottawa, Monday, July 6, 2020. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld</p>
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Film producer Debbie Nightingale co-founded the documentary festival Hot Docs

Hot Docs film festival co-founder Debbie Nightingale died of a rare form of lung cancer at Northumberland Hills Hospital in Coburg, Ont., on July 10 at the age of 71.

Debbie Nightingale produced movies and television shows before a personal plot twist led her to become a goat farmer. Over time, her Ontario farm became a popular tourist attraction.

Ms. Nightingale, who has died at 71, was a prominent member of the Canadian film and television industry whose many credits included co-founding a documentary festival now known as Hot Docs.

Hot Docs film festival co-founder Debbie Nightingale, seen in this undated handout photo, has died at 71. The organization confirmed her passing this week. An obituary says the veteran Toronto film producer died of cancer on July 10, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Handout - The Nightingale family (Mandatory Credit)
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Family caught in Montreal shootout suing police, city

The Abdallah family at a Monday news conference. Their lawyer says Houssam Abdallah, bottom right, was shot six times and his son was shot once during a shootout between police and a suspect.

A family that was caught in a shootout between Montreal police and an armed suspect last year is suing the city and members of the police force, alleging inhumane treatment that caused lasting trauma.

Houssam Abdallah and his family members say they’ve been living a nightmare since he and one of his sons were caught in crossfire outside their home one year ago.

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A mysterious illness has killed billions of sea stars. Now scientists say they’ve solved the case

Sea star wasting disease has affected over 20 species with sunflower sea stars to be the hardest hit. The mysterious syndrome is estimated to have killed billions since its 2013 emergence.

Sunflower sea stars were once everywhere along the Pacific coast. Big, colourful and many-armed, they could be spotted at low tide clinging to rocks as if painted there by Vincent van Gogh.

Then came a devastating sickness that turned healthy sea stars into mounds of decaying mush. Known as sea star wasting disease, the mysterious syndrome is estimated to have killed billions of the creatures since it emerged in 2013.

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Quebec’s RSV immunization program greatly lowered infant hospitalizations, study says

RSV virions, colorized blue, and anti-RSV antibodies, colorized yellow, shedding from the surface of human lung cells in an electron microscope image from the U.S. National Institutes of Health. Quebec was the first province to announce a publicly funded nirsevimab program for the 2024-25 RSV season.

Quebec’s universal respiratory syncytial virus immunization program proved more than 85 per cent effective in reducing infant hospitalizations, emergency-room consultations and intensive-care admissions, according to a new study.

The province was the first in Canada to announce a publicly funded nirsevimab program for the 2024-25 RSV season. Ontario, Nunavut, Yukon and the Northwest Territories later followed suit.

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Canadian hockey brand pulls product line that faced criticism for demeaning women

HockeyBenders has gained popularity in Canadian rinks and among youth online. They sold apparel with slogans that critics say point out a broader issue of misogynistic attitudes in minor hockey.

A Canadian hockey brand has pulled controversial clothing from its online store after a line of T-shirts and hoodies it sold was criticized for demeaning women and girls as sex objects.

HockeyBenders, a company that has become popular in rinks across the country and boasts a large following of kids and teenagers online, sold $35 T-shirts with the slogan “Barduzz, Gettin Huzz,” which it has pulled.

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