Wildfire crews are battling an out-of-control wildfire in central British Columbia — one of seven human-caused blazes reported in the Cariboo region on Saturday afternoon.
The Burgess Creek fire is burning over an area of 0.5 square kilometres — about 50 kilometres south of Quesnel, a city about 415 kilometres northeast of Vancouver.
The fire is sending a thick plume of smoke into the air that is visible from Quesnel, Williams Lake and Highway 97C, according to B.C. Wildfire Service (BCWS) information officer Madison Dahl.
However, Dahl said Saturday afternoon that no homes or buildings are threatened at this time.
“There’s over 25 personnel on the ground. We have heavy equipment that will be working throughout the night,” Dahl told CBC News, noting there are also helicopters and planes on site.
The Burgess Creek wildfire is not threatening any structures, according to Dahl. (B.C. Wildfire Service)
Dry conditions and strong winds helped the fire spread Saturday afternoon and into the evening, Dahl said.
Crews were working through the night to establish lines of control while temperatures are cooler and would re-evaluate their strategy Sunday morning, she added.
The other six fires reported in the Cariboo fire centre on Saturday are all either out, under control or being held, according to BCWS.
“That’s in large part thanks to the efforts of volunteer fire departments both in Quesnel and Williams Lake,” said Dahl.
“It’s only because of the sharing of resources and the quick response and assistance from those fire departments that we were able to properly respond to all of the wildfires.”
But Dahl said it is still “a lot of wildfires to respond to” in one day, let alone so early in the spring.
Other fires reported in Interior
Crews are also battling out-of-control wildfires started in other parts of B.C.’s Interior this weekend, signalling an early start to what wildfire and election officials have warned could be another “very challenging” wildfire season ahead.
Two wildfires were reported in the Prince George fire region on Saturday, and both of them are currently classified as out-of-control.
BCWS and Kamloops fire crews responded to an out-control grass fire near Cooney Bay, about 20 kilometres east of downtown Kamloops on the north bank of the Thompson River. It is believed to be human-caused, according to the BCWS.
The fire was brought under control Saturday evening and crews will remain on scene overnight, Kamloops Fire Chief Ken Uzeloc said in a social media post shortly before 10 p.m. PT.
Great work done today by KFR crews <a href=”https://twitter.com/KamFire?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>@KamFire</a> and our partners <a href=”https://twitter.com/BCGovFireInfo?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>@BCGovFireInfo</a> and <a href=”https://twitter.com/CNRailway?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>@CNRailway</a> to get the Cooney Bay fire contained. KFR crews remain on scene through the night. <a href=”https://twitter.com/hashtag/Teamwork?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>#Teamwork</a> Thank you to all! <a href=”https://t.co/l3Bkq7BSwu”>pic.twitter.com/l3Bkq7BSwu</a>
About 15 kilometres north of Lytton, the out-of-control Skoonka Creek wildfire is burning over an area of 0.3 square kilometres. BCWS is taking a modified response because there is no immediate risk to life or property, according to its website.
In the province’s southeast corner, a small fire was discovered on Saturday as well and is burning out of control about 20 kilometres north of Grand Forks, according to the BCWS website. It is also suspected to be human-caused, according to the service.
CBC News has reached out to the BCWS for more information on the fires.
Dahl urged people out enjoying nature to be careful and to report smoke and other signs of fire to BCWS immediately.
“Every time we have to respond to a human-caused wildfire, especially after a lightning bust, that depletes the resources that we have to respond to those natural fires,” she said of the Cariboo wildfires. “These are all preventable fires.”
VANCOUVER – Contract negotiations resume today in Vancouver in a labour dispute that has paralyzed container cargo shipping at British Columbia’s ports since Monday.
The BC Maritime Employers Association and International Longshore and Warehouse Union Local 514 are scheduled to meet for the next three days in mediated talks to try to break a deadlock in negotiations.
The union, which represents more than 700 longshore supervisors at ports, including Vancouver, Prince Rupert and Nanaimo, has been without a contract since March last year.
The latest talks come after employers locked out workers in response to what it said was “strike activity” by union members.
The start of the lockout was then followed by several days of no engagement between the two parties, prompting federal Labour Minister Steven MacKinnon to speak with leaders on both sides, asking them to restart talks.
MacKinnon had said that the talks were “progressing at an insufficient pace, indicating a concerning absence of urgency from the parties involved” — a sentiment echoed by several business groups across Canada.
In a joint letter, more than 100 organizations, including the Canadian Chamber of Commerce, Business Council of Canada and associations representing industries from automotive and fertilizer to retail and mining, urged the government to do whatever it takes to end the work stoppage.
“While we acknowledge efforts to continue with mediation, parties have not been able to come to a negotiated agreement,” the letter says. “So, the federal government must take decisive action, using every tool at its disposal to resolve this dispute and limit the damage caused by this disruption.
“We simply cannot afford to once again put Canadian businesses at risk, which in turn puts Canadian livelihoods at risk.”
In the meantime, the union says it has filed a complaint to the Canada Industrial Relations Board against the employers, alleging the association threatened to pull existing conditions out of the last contract in direct contact with its members.
“The BCMEA is trying to undermine the union by attempting to turn members against its democratically elected leadership and bargaining committee — despite the fact that the BCMEA knows full well we received a 96 per cent mandate to take job action if needed,” union president Frank Morena said in a statement.
The employers have responded by calling the complaint “another meritless claim,” adding the final offer to the union that includes a 19.2 per cent wage increase over a four-year term remains on the table.
“The final offer has been on the table for over a week and represents a fair and balanced proposal for employees, and if accepted would end this dispute,” the employers’ statement says. “The offer does not require any concessions from the union.”
The union says the offer does not address the key issue of staffing requirement at the terminals as the port introduces more automation to cargo loading and unloading, which could potentially require fewer workers to operate than older systems.
The Port of Vancouver is the largest in Canada and has seen a number of labour disruptions, including two instances involving the rail and grain storage sectors earlier this year.
A 13-day strike by another group of workers at the port last year resulted in the disruption of a significant amount of shipping and trade.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 9, 2024.
The Royal Canadian Legion says a new partnership with e-commerce giant Amazon is helping boost its veterans’ fund, and will hopefully expand its donor base in the digital world.
Since the Oct. 25 launch of its Amazon.ca storefront, the legion says it has received nearly 10,000 orders for poppies.
Online shoppers can order lapel poppies on Amazon in exchange for donations or buy items such as “We Remember” lawn signs, Remembrance Day pins and other accessories, with all proceeds going to the legion’s Poppy Trust Fund for Canadian veterans and their families.
Nujma Bond, the legion’s national spokesperson, said the organization sees this move as keeping up with modern purchasing habits.
“As the world around us evolves we have been looking at different ways to distribute poppies and to make it easier for people to access them,” she said in an interview.
“This is definitely a way to reach a wider number of Canadians of all ages. And certainly younger Canadians are much more active on the web, on social media in general, so we’re also engaging in that way.”
Al Plume, a member of a legion branch in Trenton, Ont., said the online store can also help with outreach to veterans who are far from home.
“For veterans that are overseas and are away, (or) can’t get to a store they can order them online, it’s Amazon.” Plume said.
Plume spent 35 years in the military with the Royal Engineers, and retired eight years ago. He said making sure veterans are looked after is his passion.
“I’ve seen the struggles that our veterans have had with Veterans Affairs … and that’s why I got involved, with making sure that the people get to them and help the veterans with their paperwork.”
But the message about the Amazon storefront didn’t appear to reach all of the legion’s locations, with volunteers at Branch 179 on Vancouver’s Commercial Drive saying they hadn’t heard about the online push.
Holly Paddon, the branch’s poppy campaign co-ordinator and bartender, said the Amazon partnership never came up in meetings with other legion volunteers and officials.
“I work at the legion, I work with the Vancouver poppy office and I go to the meetings for the Vancouver poppy campaign — which includes all the legions in Vancouver — and not once has this been mentioned,” she said.
Paddon said the initiative is a great idea, but she would like to have known more about it.
The legion also sells a larger collection of items at poppystore.ca.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 9, 2024.
