Canadians should be patient this spring as a “temperature roller-coaster” is expected across the country in the coming weeks, according to predictions from a prominent national forecaster.
The Weather Network said while Canada is expected to see tastes of spring, there are a number of weeks to go before cold winter conditions phase out.
“Given that we’ve got a La Nina weather pattern in the Pacific Ocean, coupled with a jet stream pattern across the Arctic, which is going to want to dislodge cold air, we’ve got the recipe for a really wild kind of temperature roller-coaster this spring across the country,” chief meteorologist Chris Scott said in an interview.
“And so it’s going to be a case of two steps forward and one step back, and sometimes that step back is going to be a big one. So patience is the key word.”
In British Columbia, The Weather Network is forecasting a few more storm systems and temperatures averaging below normal, prolonging the cold and snowy winter the province has seen. More precipitation than normal is expected in southern and central B.C.
With snowpack already in place and additional alpine snow and cooler temperatures expected, Scott said this is a great year for spring skiing in B.C.
The cooler temperatures and above-normal precipitation will also likely delay the start of fire season in British Columbia, Scott noted.
In the Prairies, The Weather Network is forecasting a heightened potential for turbulent temperatures across the region.
Near-normal precipitation totals are expected for most areas, but the forecaster is monitoring southern Alberta, where soil moisture is currently well below normal ahead of another growing season.
Scott said there is an increased risk for spring flooding across southern Manitoba, where there has been more snow on the ground than normal, but it’s too soon to tell if there will be flooding for sure.
The weather is tipping towards colder than normal north of the Yellowhead Highway in Alberta and Saskatchewan, he added.
In Ontario and Quebec, The Weather Network is anticipating early tastes of warm spring weather, with periods of very warm weather as the season progresses, but Scott said residents should expect to see some “back and forth” between warm and cold weather before things start to settle down heading into the latter part of April into May.
Above-normal precipitation is expected in Ontario and southern Quebec, Scott said.
In Atlantic Canada, The Weather Network is predicting a more typical weather pattern this spring, with near-normal temperatures in most of the region and above-normal temperatures expected in southwest Nova Scotia. Scott said below-normal temperatures are expected across parts of Labrador.
Above normal precipitation is anticipated across the Atlantic region, as well as a heightened risk for late season winter storms.
In northern Canada, Scott said below-normal temperatures are expected for most of Yukon and the Northwest Territories, while near-normal temperatures are expected for most of Nunavut.
“I think this forecast, relative to some springs where we expect, you know, warmth, and you look at historically, we are in a warming world, this spring has a little bit of a ‘winter strikes back’ theme,” Scott said.
“It’s not going to be a spring that all of a sudden is upon us the third week of March, and everyone celebrates because the calendar says spring. Mother Nature has some different ideas in mind, so just be patient.”
This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 1, 2022
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.
