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Globe Climate: The rise of weather content on social media

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Good afternoon, and welcome to Globe Climate, a newsletter about climate change, environment and resources in Canada.

A manatee was recently spotted off the coast of Massachusetts for the first time in almost a decade. The threatened species usually makes its habitat in warmer southern Gulf waters, so scientists want to monitor its condition to see if a rescue is necessary.

© DUANE COLE

Adam Skinner, founder of the Instant Weather app and the Ontario Storm Watch Facebook group (among others) poses for a portrait at Centennial Beach in Barrie, ON on July 29th 2025. Duane Cole/The Globe and Mail
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‘No words’: Newfoundland officials assess fire damage, will notify more residents of lost homes

Kingston resident Eugene Howell films heavy rain  in Burnt Point, Newfoundland on Friday, where he and other residents have been evacuated due to wildfire.

More residents on the northern coast of Newfoundland’s Conception Bay will learn if their homes are still standing in the wake of an out-of-control wildfire that has destroyed buildings and forced thousands to flee.

The province has so far confirmed that 98 structures equipped with power meters have been lost to the Kingston wildfire, which has been burning for three weeks and is now 9,850 hectares.

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Morning Update: A new itinerary in the Air Canada strikes

Good morning. Air Canada says it will resume flights later today, despite the union representing flight attendants saying they have no intention of ending the strike. More on that below, plus concepts of a plan to make peace between Russia and Ukraine, and a generational shift in parenting. Let’s get to it.

Demonstrators hold placards and flags at Toronto Pearson International Airport in Mississauga, Ont., Sunday.
TOP STORY
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Industry Minister Mélanie Joly to meet with Saab on visit to Sweden, source says

Mélanie Joly’s sit-down with Saab, the runner-up in Ottawa’s competition for a new plane to replace the aging CF-18 Hornet, follows an announcement from the government earlier this year that it would review the purchase of 88 F-35 Lightning fighter jets.

Industry Minister Mélanie Joly will meet this week in Sweden with the company behind a fighter jet that could replace some of the planes Canada has already committed to purchasing from the United States.

A government source with knowledge of the minister’s plans confirmed that she will meet with Saab along with other businesses in Sweden. The Globe and Mail is not naming the source, who is not authorized to publicly discuss details of the trip.

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Evacuation alerts, state of emergency lifted near St. John’s as crews contain wildfire

A water bomber drops water onto a wildfire burning in the Paddy's Pond area just outside St. John's, N.L., on Aug. 13.

Newfoundland officials lifted evacuation alerts for the communities close to the capital of St. John’s on the weekend as cool weather helped crews contain one of several out-of-control wildfires in the province.

The wildfire at Paddy’s Pond, about 15 kilometres southwest of the city’s downtown core, had about 20,000 people on evacuation alert. The provincial government said in a news release on Sunday that crews were holding the fire “steady” and containing any hotspots.

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Ontario real estate agents report fewer large cash transactions to FinTRAC

Ontario real estate agents reported just eight large cash transactions over the past year to the federal anti-money-laundering watchdog, according to new figures.

The multibillion-dollar real estate market is at high risk for money laundering, experts say.

However, the low number of reports – which is down substantially from previous years – could be due, at least in part, to brokerages implementing no-cash policies.

© JONATHAN HAYWARD

Canada's anti-money laundering agency is highlighting the key areas that lawyers could be aiding in the illicit movement of funds.Money seized by police during a bust is displayed In Surrey, B.C., on Dec. 7, 2022. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jonathan Hayward
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Air Canada union says it intends to remain on strike

The union representing Air Canada flight attendants says it intends to remain on strike in defiance of a back-to-work order from the Canadian Industrial Relations Board. The challenge to the order to return to work by Sunday 2 p.m. ET came only hours after the airline had announced plans to resume flights.

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Poilievre seeks return to Parliament with Alberta by-election in conservative stronghold

A Pierre Poilievre campaign sign on a supporter's fence in Camrose, Alta., on Aug. 11. A by-election win would return Mr. Poilievre to Parliament.

Voters in a sprawling riding in central Alberta are returning to the polls on Monday for the second time in four months in a federal by-election that is expected to return Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre to Parliament.

Mr. Poilievre lost the Ottawa-area seat he had held for decades in the April general election, a blow that compounded the Conservative Party’s failure to defeat the governing Liberals after months of leading them in the polls.

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Nova Scotia wildfire grows, while firefighters in Newfoundland helped by cooler temperatures

Smoke from the Kingston wildfire is visible along Route 74, northwest of Victoria, N.L., on Friday.

Officials in Nova Scotia say a wildfire in the western part of the province has grown and could force people out of their homes, while cooler temperatures and low winds have helped firefighters in Newfoundland and Labrador.

The Long Lake wildfire is expected to grow, said Scott Tingley, manager of forest protection with Nova Scotia’s Natural Resources Department.

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Wildfire north of Nanaimo, B.C. declared under control

A road crew awaits a potential closure as the Wesley Ridge wildfire burns near Coombs, B.C., on Aug. 3.

The last group of wildfire evacuees forced from their Vancouver Island homes by a blaze north of Nanaimo were allowed to return over the weekend after crews got the fire under control.

The BC Wildfire Service announced Saturday afternoon that crews have made significant progress in combating the Wesley Ridge blaze burning near Cameron Lake.

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Social justice advocate Susan Eng fought for equity in Canadian policing

Susan Eng in 2005. She campaigned for, and eventually received, an apology for the head tax imposed on Chinese immigrants.

Susan Eng brought a steely resolve to the many campaigns she waged in the fight for social equity.

But her unflinching public demeanour could be cracked by an old and heavily creased piece of paper that spoke to an unjust chapter of her family’s history: her father’s Chinese head-tax certificate.

© Jim Ross

Member of the Chinese Canadian National Council Susan Eng is upset about the government money that is going for reparations to
various ethic groups for the head tax that was collected by the government.
Jim Ross / The Globe and Mail
Nov. 18, 2005
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OPSEU says Ontario colleges’ support staff vote to authorize strike if necessary

JP Hornick, President of OPSEU/SEFPO, stands with supporters outside of Centennial College in Toronto, Wednesday, July 9.

The union that represents thousands of support staff at Ontario’s colleges says the workers have voted to authorize a strike.

The Ontario Public Service Employees Union says in a news release that members voted 77.3 per cent to authorize a strike, if necessary, to “secure respect at the bargaining table” and secure a contract the workers deserve.

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B.C. legislator enraged by American state senator’s pitch to voluntarily become the 51st state

MLA Brennan Day says his office had to first confirm the authenticity of the 'nonsense' letter it received from Maine Sen. Joseph Martin.

A British Columbia legislator said he went from “disappointed” to “enraged” after receiving a pitch from a Republican state senator for Canada’s four western provinces to join the United States.

Brennan Day, with the Opposition B.C. Conservative Party, said his office had to first confirm the authenticity of the “nonsense” letter from Maine Sen. Joseph Martin after receiving it last week. 

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Carney welcomes U.S. talks to create Russia-Ukraine peace deal

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney on Saturday welcomed what he said was U.S. openness to providing security guarantees to Ukraine under a peace deal to end Russia’s war against Kyiv.

Zelensky to meet Trump on Monday after U.S.-Russia summit failed to secure ceasefire

“Robust and credible security guarantees are essential to any just and lasting peace. I welcome the openness of the United States to providing security guarantees as part of Coalition of the Willing’s efforts,” Carney said in a statement.

© Blair Gable

FILE PHOTO: Canada's Prime Minister Mark Carney speaks at the Metis Major Projects Summit in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada August 7, 2025. REUTERS/Blair Gable/File photo
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Air Canada, union await decision from federal labour board on flight attendants’ return to work

Striking Air Canada workers walk the picket line at Pearson International Airport in Toronto on Saturday.Air Canada airplanes sit on the tarmac at Toronto Pearson International Airport amid a strike by flight Air Canada flight attendants.Air Canada staff talk with travellers at Montreal Trudeau International Airport amid the Air Canada flight attendant strike.A traveller walks past picketing Air Canada flight attendants at Vancouver International Airport on Saturday.Passengers wait by the Air Canada check-in desk at Vancouver International Airport amid the Air Canada flight attendant strike.Air Canada flight attendants picket during a general strike at Montréal-Pierre Elliott Trudeau International Airport on Saturday.Many flight cancellations are displayed on a flight information board at Montréal Trudeau Airport amid the Air Canada flight attendant strike.Pilots show their support for Air Canada flight attendants participating in a general strike at Montréal Trudeau Airport on Saturday.Air Canada flight attendants picket at Vancouver International Airport on Saturday.Air Canada flight attendants picket outside Montreal Trudeau Airport on Saturday.Travellers pass picketing Air Canada flight attendants at Toronto Pearson International Airport on Saturday.Air Canada planes sit idle on the tarmac at Vancouver International Airport amid the Air Canada flight attendants strike.Air Canada flight attendants picket at Montreal-Pierre Elliott Trudeau International Airport on Saturday.Travellers wait at the Air Canada check-in counter at Toronto Pearson International Airport on Saturday amid the Air Canada flight attendant strike.Air Canada flight attendants picket at Toronto Pearson International Airport on Saturday.A pilot joins picketing Air Canada flight attendants at Montreal-Pierre Elliott Trudeau International Airport on Saturday.Air Canada flight attendants picket at Toronto Pearson International Airport on Saturday.Air Canada flights show as cancelled at Toronto Pearson International Airport as flight attendants go on strike on Saturday.Air Canada flight attendants picket at Montreal-Pierre Elliott Trudeau International Airport on Saturday.Air Canada check-in kiosks stand empty at Toronto Pearson International Airport amid the Air Canada flight attendants strike.Air Canada flight attendants picket outside Montreal–Trudeau International Airport on Saturday.Air Canada planes sit on the tarmac at Pearson International Airport amid widespread flight cancellations.Air Canada flight attendants picket at Toronto Pearson International Airport on Saturday.Air Canada flight attendants on strike picket at Toronto Pearson International Airport on Saturday.Passengers seek assistance at Montreal-Pierre Elliott Trudeau International Airport amid widespread Air Canada flight cancellations on Saturday.Air Canada flight attendants picket at Toronto Pearson International Airport on Saturday.Air Canada flight attendants picket at Montreal-Pierre Elliott Trudeau International Airport on Saturday.Air Canada flight attendants picket at Toronto Pearson International Airport on Saturday.

The federal government ordered Air Canada and its flights attendants into binding arbitration Saturday in an effort to put an end to a strike that has upended the travel plans of hundreds of thousands of people during the height of summer season.

Federal Jobs Minister Patty Hajdu said she had directed the Canada Industrial Relations Board to order the parties “to resume and continue their operations and duties,” and to extend the terms of the existing collective agreement until a new one is determined by the arbitrator.

© Graham Hughes

Air Canada flight attendants strike outside Montreal–Trudeau International Airport in Montreal, Saturday, Aug. 16, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Graham Hughes
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Toronto police investigating after stray bullet kills a child

Toronto police say an eight-year-old boy was killed by a stray bullet while he was sleeping in bed with his family in the city’s North York neighbourhood early Saturday morning.

The city’s homicide unit says a stray bullet from a shooting outside a building in the Martha Eaton Way and Trethewey Drive area entered the boy’s room at around 12:30 a.m.

The boy was rushed to hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

© Spencer Colby

A Toronto Police Service logo patch is shown in Toronto, on Tuesday, Sept. 5, 2023. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Spencer Colby
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Vancouver’s land development plan could help pay for city budget, chief of staff says

The City of Vancouver is the largest single landowner in the city, with more than 700 properties in its portfolio.

Vancouver’s ambitious plan to develop thousands of market-rate apartments on city land could eventually bring in enough money to cover almost half of the municipal operating budget, Mayor Ken Sim’s chief of staff says.

That’s the long-term goal, said Trevor Ford, who enthusiastically described the plan as the equivalent of what Vienna, Singapore or the University of British Columbia have done by developing their own land. Vancouver’s current operating budget is $2.34-billion.

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N.B. professor aims to broaden tick research after battling Lyme disease

Vett Lloyd, a professor at the biology department at New Brunswick's Mount Allison University, says about 40 tick species have been documented in Canada.

When Vett Lloyd was bitten by a tick in 2011, it marked the beginning of a painful, years-long battle with Lyme disease. It also abruptly altered the trajectory of her career.

At the time, Dr. Lloyd’s research at New Brunswick’s Mount Allison University was focused on cancer biology but she wondered why people weren’t paying more attention to ticks. So, she converted her cancer lab into a tick lab and reoriented her life’s work around the tiny bloodsucker that nearly ruined her.

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Court ruling on Indigenous claim creates uncertainty around land ownership

A property in Richmond, B.C., that appears to fall within the boundaries of an Aboriginal title claim successfully established by the Cowichan Nation.

On a stretch of the south arm of the Fraser River, in the Vancouver area, the Cowichan Tribes in centuries past had an annual summer fishing village, a place they defended with a warrior ethos against other Indigenous groups.

But in the mid-1800s, the Cowichan – whose home territory is on Vancouver Island – were displaced from that village as the British took control and, after British Columbia joined Canada, the land was sold over the years.

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What Canadian schools can learn from the U.K.

Canadian schools have a lot to learn from the success of Laurel Park, a public secondary school in North London.

My friend Tom Mautner is the chair of the board of governors at a school in North London. This week, with students out for the summer, he took me for a tour. For a visitor from Toronto, where schools are run from the top down by a vast bureaucracy – a.k.a. the Toronto District School Board – it was an eye-opener.

Laurel Park is a public secondary school with around 600 students. It was built in the 1960s in what is now an area of mixed incomes and backgrounds. Until just a couple of years ago, it was faring poorly. School inspectors gave it low ratings. Ambitious families shunned it. Disciplinary problems were rife.

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