British Columbians can expect cooler and wetter conditions in June, which means the fire hazard is anticipated to remain low through the early summer, as shown in the BC Wildfire Service’s latest seasonal outlook.
Despite this, there are several key regions demonstrating drier-than-normal patterns, including southern Cariboo, Thompson-Okanagan and Rocky Mountain Trench. These regions will be monitored closely. The longer-range forecast indicates a shift to above seasonal temperatures for late July and August, which may bring an increased wildfire hazard.
To support wildfire prevention, preparedness and resilient communities, Budget 2022 provided $359 million in new funding to protect British Columbians from wildfires.
This is the largest investment in the history of the wildfire service and is helping transform the organization into a year-round service and shift from its current reactive model to a more proactive approach. This includes $145 million to strengthen the BC Wildfire Service and Emergency Management BC. This will enable the BC Wildfire Service to focus on all four pillars of wildfire management: prevention and mitigation; preparedness; response; and recovery.
“Last year’s devastating fire season highlighted the importance of wildfire prevention for B.C. communities and, as we saw first-hand in Logan Lake, how it can make a real difference for people’s lives,” said Katrine Conroy, Minister of Forests. “That’s why our government is more than doubling the funding available for wildfire prevention activities like FireSmart and making historic investments to transform BC Wildfire Service into a year-round, more proactive service.”
As much as $90 million in new Community Resiliency Investment program funding will also be provided to local governments and First Nations to increase wildfire protection by undertaking community-based FireSmart activities over the next three years. Since the Community Resiliency Investment program was established in 2018, 488 grants to local governments and First Nations have been approved totalling more than $50 million.
“First Nations’ Emergency Services Society of B.C. is looking forward to the opportunity to continue serving First Nation communities in B.C., working with our program partners to deliver FireSmart community funding and supports,” said Quentin Nelson, mitigation manager, First Nations’ Emergency Services Society. “These programs increase community resiliency, reduce risk from wildfire, and build capacity to support these initiatives.”
The Union of B.C. Municipalities (UBCM) administers the FireSmart Community Funding and Supports program. It processes grant applications in partnership with the Ministry of Forests and the First Nations’ Emergency Services Society of B.C. Eligible applicants facing a lower wildfire risk can apply for as much as $50,000, while applicants facing a demonstrated higher wildfire risk can apply for up to $150,000. Communities can apply for funding to cover up to 100% of the cost of their wildfire risk reduction projects.
“UBCM members have called on the Provincial government for many years to support wildfire risk reduction activities in and around their communities,” said Laurey-Anne Roodenburg, president, UBCM. “The additional $90 million will allow communities to continue their efforts to reduce wildfire risk and increase local resiliency, and we are very happy to see the Province further its commitment to supporting local and Indigenous governments.”
Funding of $98 million over three years is also provided to fund wildfire prevention work and projects and maintain forest service roads, and more than $26 million in capital funding has been provided to increase capacity, address maintenance needs, and equip firebases for future wildfire seasons.
The Province has provided ongoing funding to the First Nations’ Emergency Services Society of B.C. to support the inclusion of Traditional Knowledge, which led directly to the initiation of a Cultural and Prescribed Fire initiative. Working in partnership with First Nations to expand the use of cultural and prescribed burning is critical to mitigating the risk of wildfires. Integrating traditional practices and cultural uses of fire into wildfire prevention and supporting the reintroduction of strategized burning is also a commitment of the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act Action Plan.
NEW YORK (AP) — Shares of Tesla soared Wednesday as investors bet that the electric vehicle maker and its CEO Elon Musk will benefit from Donald Trump’s return to the White House.
Tesla stands to make significant gains under a Trump administration with the threat of diminished subsidies for alternative energy and electric vehicles doing the most harm to smaller competitors. Trump’s plans for extensive tariffs on Chinese imports make it less likely that Chinese EVs will be sold in bulk in the U.S. anytime soon.
“Tesla has the scale and scope that is unmatched,” said Wedbush analyst Dan Ives, in a note to investors. “This dynamic could give Musk and Tesla a clear competitive advantage in a non-EV subsidy environment, coupled by likely higher China tariffs that would continue to push away cheaper Chinese EV players.”
Tesla shares jumped 14.8% Wednesday while shares of rival electric vehicle makers tumbled. Nio, based in Shanghai, fell 5.3%. Shares of electric truck maker Rivian dropped 8.3% and Lucid Group fell 5.3%.
Tesla dominates sales of electric vehicles in the U.S, with 48.9% in market share through the middle of 2024, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration.
Subsidies for clean energy are part of the Inflation Reduction Act, signed into law by President Joe Biden in 2022. It included tax credits for manufacturing, along with tax credits for consumers of electric vehicles.
Musk was one of Trump’s biggest donors, spending at least $119 million mobilizing Trump’s supporters to back the Republican nominee. He also pledged to give away $1 million a day to voters signing a petition for his political action committee.
In some ways, it has been a rocky year for Tesla, with sales and profit declining through the first half of the year. Profit did rise 17.3% in the third quarter.
The U.S. opened an investigation into the company’s “Full Self-Driving” system after reports of crashes in low-visibility conditions, including one that killed a pedestrian. The investigation covers roughly 2.4 million Teslas from the 2016 through 2024 model years.
And investors sent company shares tumbling last month after Tesla unveiled its long-awaited robotaxi at a Hollywood studio Thursday night, seeing not much progress at Tesla on autonomous vehicles while other companies have been making notable progress.
TORONTO – Canada’s main stock index was up more than 100 points in late-morning trading, helped by strength in base metal and utility stocks, while U.S. stock markets were mixed.
The S&P/TSX composite index was up 103.40 points at 24,542.48.
In New York, the Dow Jones industrial average was up 192.31 points at 42,932.73. The S&P 500 index was up 7.14 points at 5,822.40, while the Nasdaq composite was down 9.03 points at 18,306.56.
The Canadian dollar traded for 72.61 cents US compared with 72.44 cents US on Tuesday.
The November crude oil contract was down 71 cents at US$69.87 per barrel and the November natural gas contract was down eight cents at US$2.42 per mmBTU.
The December gold contract was up US$7.20 at US$2,686.10 an ounce and the December copper contract was up a penny at US$4.35 a pound.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 16, 2024.
TORONTO – Canada’s main stock index was up more than 200 points in late-morning trading, while U.S. stock markets were also headed higher.
The S&P/TSX composite index was up 205.86 points at 24,508.12.
In New York, the Dow Jones industrial average was up 336.62 points at 42,790.74. The S&P 500 index was up 34.19 points at 5,814.24, while the Nasdaq composite was up 60.27 points at 18.342.32.
The Canadian dollar traded for 72.61 cents US compared with 72.71 cents US on Thursday.
The November crude oil contract was down 15 cents at US$75.70 per barrel and the November natural gas contract was down two cents at US$2.65 per mmBTU.
The December gold contract was down US$29.60 at US$2,668.90 an ounce and the December copper contract was up four cents at US$4.47 a pound.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 11, 2024.
