'Otherworldly' Portuguese man o' war becoming more common on Nova Scotia's inshore | Canada News Media
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‘Otherworldly’ Portuguese man o’ war becoming more common on Nova Scotia’s inshore

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HALIFAX – With a little help from the warming Gulf Stream, Nova Scotia beachgoers are encountering a strangecreature with a balloon-like body whose sting packs a higher punch than that of jellyfish.

Last week, a Portuguese man o’ war appeared at a surfing hot spot on Lawrencetown Beach in Dartmouth, N.S. The animal, a species of siphonophore — closely related to jellyfish — has a transparent, inflated sail often adorned with purple, blue or pink markings. It drifts through the water, propelled by currents and wind.

Although there are no concrete numbers on how often the Portuguese man o’ war is spotted in Nova Scotia, Sandra Johnston, with the province’s Natural Resources Department, said sightings have become more common along east and south shore beaches since 2020.

“(Getting stung) is quite a painful sting. It is just like a jellyfish sting but significantly stronger that lasts around 20 minutes,” Johnston said in an interview.

Boris Worm, a biology professor at Dalhousie University in Halifax who studies marine conservation and biodiversity, called the subtropic creature “absolutely fascinating and otherworldly.”

Worm said the rise in Portuguese man o’ war sightings in Nova Scotia is likely because the Gulf Stream — a channel of warm water that flows up the eastern coast of North America — has become stronger in the northwest Atlantic Ocean and has warmed the south shore of Nova Scotia faster than it has other parts of the ocean.

The Portuguese man o’ war live in subtropical gyres — revolving masses of water that have become home to lots of different organisms. As the Gulf Stream’s influence gets stronger, tropical and subtropical creatures are being transported further away, all the way to Nova Scotia’s inshore.

While other jellyfish-related species tend to live in deeper water, the Portuguese man o’ war drifts closer to the surface. Its tentacles usually extend a few metres behind it — in extreme cases they can be as long as 30 metres — and Worm said their length increases the risk of contact with swimmers.

“You could swim without ever seeing the sail or the organisms that could be some 10, 20 or 50 feet away, but the tentacles might still drift behind and sting you,” Worm said.

Other tropical fish making appearances in Nova Scotia from warming waters include butterfly fish, trigger fish and sea horses.

Neither Nova Scotia Parks nor the Nova Scotia Lifeguard Society tracks Portuguese man o’ war sightings; Nova Scotia Parks said it issues advisories online and on-site when the creature is spotted. Nova Scotia Health says hospital visits aren’t tracked by cause, so there’s no way to know how many people seek care for Portuguese man o’ war stings each year.

Atlantic Canada Poison Centre’s Jill Duncan said the low likelihood of serious injury from these stings further obscures how many people are stung each year. “The most common thing that happens when you get stung is pain and red welts in the area that you’re stung,” Duncan said in an interview.

“It’s uncommon to go into a hospital and even (more) uncommon for there to be serious effects and death.”

Contrary to the “old wives tales” that urine is an effective antidote to a jellyfish sting, Duncan said, the best treatment after contact with a Portuguese man o’ war is to rinse the wound with salt water and submerge it in warm water afterward.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 8, 2024.

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.

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End of Manitoba legislature session includes replacement-worker ban, machete rules

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WINNIPEG – Manitoba politicians are expected to pass several bills into law before the likely end of legislature session this evening.

The NDP government, with a solid majority of seats, is getting its omnibus budget bill through.

It enacts tax changes outlined in the spring budget, but also includes unrelated items, such as a ban on replacement workers during labour disputes.

The bill would also make it easier for workers to unionize, and would boost rebates for political campaign expenses.

Another bill expected to pass this evening would place new restrictions on the sale of machetes, in an attempt to crack down on crime.

Among the bills that are not expected to pass this session is one making it harder for landlords to raise rents above the inflation rate.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 7, 2024

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Father charged with second-degree murder in infant’s death: police

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A Richmond Hill, Ont., man has been charged with second-degree murder in the death of his seven-week-old infant earlier this year.

York Regional Police say they were contacted by the York Children’s Aid Society about a child who had been taken to a hospital in Toronto on Jan. 15.

They say the baby had “significant injuries” that could not be explained by the parents.

The infant died three days later.

Police say the baby’s father, 30, was charged with second-degree murder on Oct. 23.

Anyone with more information on the case is urged to contact investigators.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 7, 2024.

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Ontario fast-tracking several bills with little or no debate

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TORONTO – Ontario is pushing through several bills with little or no debate, which the government house leader says is due to a short legislative sitting.

The government has significantly reduced debate and committee time on the proposed law that would force municipalities to seek permission to install bike lanes when they would remove a car lane.

It also passed the fall economic statement that contains legislation to send out $200 cheques to taxpayers with reduced debating time.

The province tabled a bill Wednesday afternoon that would extend the per-vote subsidy program, which funnels money to political parties, until 2027.

That bill passed third reading Thursday morning with no debate and is awaiting royal assent.

Government House Leader Steve Clark did not answer a question about whether the province is speeding up passage of the bills in order to have an election in the spring, which Premier Doug Ford has not ruled out.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 7, 2024.

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