Here is a roundup of stories from CanadaNewsMedia designed to bring you up to speed…
Work ongoing on wildfires near B.C.’s Slocan Lake
The incident commander in charge of the fight to control six wildfires in British Columbia’s Slocan Lake region says changing weather conditions in the area pose a challenge for crews.
Jason Lawler, incident commander with an Australian management team brought in to help, says what occurs in the morning can be very different than in the afternoons on some days.
In a video posted online by the BC Wildfire Service, Lawler says layers of smoke are also making it difficult to deploy aircraft to help.
Lawler says he’s not expecting improvement in the weather in the coming days “and the weather conditions aren’t great at the moment.”
The entire village of Slocan, east of Kelowna, was ordered evacuated Sunday along with hundreds of surrounding properties as multiple fires burn nearby.
Here’s what else we’re watching…
Crews act to slow Jasper wildfires in mild weather
Parks Canada officials say they’re making progress on battling the blazes in Jasper National Park.
An update late Sunday night from the park’s official X account stated crews were busy on several fronts, with the Canadian Armed Forces mopping up spot fires on the northwest side of the town of Jasper.
With temperatures in the area this week expected to linger in the mid 20s, Jasper National Park says it’s vital to keep making progress at this time.
Among the efforts being made include a 12 inch sprinkler line, which the park says is nearing completion along the community fire guard.
Over 20,000 people in and around the community nestled in the Rocky Mountains four hours west of Edmonton were ordered to evacuate last Monday due to fast-moving wildfires.
Parks Canada has estimated 30 percent of the buildings in Jasper were damaged by the wildfire.
High blood pressure in pregnancy rising: study
A new study suggests the rate of high blood pressure disorders in pregnancy has risen over the last decade in Canada.
The research, published today in the Canadian Medical Association Journal, found that rates of hypertension and pre-eclampsia increased by 40 per cent between 2012 and 2021.
Senior author Dr. Joel Ray says high blood pressure is dangerous for both the mother and fetus, but can be identified with regular monitoring and prevented with low-dose Aspirin in women identified as being at risk.
Ray, who is also a specialist in obstetrical medicine at St. Michael’s Hospital in Toronto, says there are also highly effective blood pressure medications that are safe to take during pregnancy.
He says likely factors associated with rising rates of hypertension include women getting pregnant at older ages and higher rates of obesity.
Fast-food brands see cold beverage category boom
When summer arrives, Paul Volk thinks the rich and creamy milkshakes Triple O’s churns out are an ideal way to beat the heat.
But even in the depths of winter, the sweet treats are just as big of a hit at the Vancouver-headquartered fast-food brand that’s in the midst of an Alberta and Ontario expansion.
“Our shakes are popular year round and I never really questioned why that is,” said Volk, director of operations for Triple O’s owner White Spot Ltd.
Triple O’s is not alone in experiencing the year-round cold beverage boom some attribute to social media, younger consumers and evolving palates.
Executives from the world’s biggest quick-serve and convenience store brands have touted growing all-season demand for icy drinks ranging from smoothies and slushies to cold brew coffee and carbonated juices in recent months.
Haley Batten wins Olympic silver medal in best finish by American mountain biker – then gets fined
Haley Batten was fined by the Olympic mountain bike judges for breaking a rule on the final lap of her race Sunday, though she will no doubt gladly pay the modest penalty after her silver medal marked the best finish ever by an American rider.
Batten was jockeying for second place with Sweden’s Jenny Rissveds, well behind eventual champion Pauline Ferrand-Prevot, when she went through a lane dedicated for taking on food and drink or stopping for mechanical problems. But after the judges reviewed the footage, they decided Batten had done neither and broke one of the rules of the race.
She was fined 500 Swiss francs, or about $565, for “failure to respect the instructions of the race organization or commissaires,” though the judges apparently decided that the infraction was not serious enough to warrant a disqualification.
It hardly put a damper on a banner day for Batten, who finished ninth three years ago at the Tokyo Games.
“I knew before Tokyo that this was the race I was focusing on,” she said. “I’ve known for a long time that I could be good here and Tokyo was — I wanted to be on the podium there, but I wasn’t quite ready to be honest. I prepared much better to be the best I’ve ever been. For me, preparation has been in the details, studying and building every single year.”
The 25-year-old from Park City, Utah, has been at the forefront of a new wave of American mountain bike talent. That includes her 25-year-old teammate Savilia Blunk, who finished 12th on Sunday, and 26-year-old Christopher Blevins and 22-year-old Riley Amos, who will be competing in the men’s race on Monday.
The fact that Batten was in the mix at Elancourt Hill, where the Olympic mountain bike race took place just outside of Paris, was not a complete surprise. She proved she’s among the world’s elite when she won this year’s World Cup race in Araxá, Brazil.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 29, 2024.
