Winter will be unusually warm and rainy across much of the country this year, according to the latest data from Environment and Climate Change Canada.
Federal scientists presented a seasonal forecast on Friday that called for lower-than-average snowfall levels over large swaths of Western and Central Canada, above average levels in parts of the Yukon, the Northwest Territories, Nunavut and Quebec, and average levels everywhere else. Parts of the country forecast to receive less snow should be prepared for more rain.
Above average temperatures are expected throughout December, January and February in “Atlantic Canada, parts of Quebec and parts of northern Ontario, the B.C. coast, parts of the Northwest Territories, and Nunavut,” said Gerald Cheng, warning preparedness meteorologist at Environment Canada.
Environment Canada climate scientist Nathan Gillett said that while a strong El Nino is partially responsible for the mild forecast, “human induced climate change explains most of the observed winter warming in Canada.”
The winter outlook comes as the world’s top leaders are gathering in Saudi Arabia to discuss the impacts of dangerous planetary overheating as part of this year’s United Nations climate conference.
‘DOUBLE-EDGED SWORD’
Recent decades have brought considerable winter warming to Canada’s North. While some people appreciate milder temperatures and lower heating costs, Cheng described warm winter weather as a “double-edged sword” that others pay dearly for.
In addition to creating problems for ski resorts and towns that rely on winter tourism, a mild winter can have negative downstream effects on forests, farming and water resources.
“Warming in winter can have negative impacts on Canada, for example, through survival of invasive species like the mountain pine beetle, through making it harder to travel on ice roads in the north and further reducing snowpack which can have impacts on water resources in the spring and summer,” Gillett said.
“When it comes to snowpack , there are implications when we don’t have enough,” Cheng added. “For example, if there is a deep freeze and there’s no snowpack to insulate the crops, then it’s a problem for farmers.”
PREPARE NONETHELESS
Seasonal forecasts deal with averages, and Gillett and Cheng warned that there is always a risk of severe weather events, even in an unusually mild winter.
“We still need to be weather-wise because we must live with the day-to-day fluctuations that weather brings,” Cheng said. “To ensure you and yours are safe this winter, you can always go to (weather.gc.ca) for information regarding our winter weather alerts, cold weather health tips and winter driving tips.”
OTTAWA – The head of a federal inquiry into foreign interference says she will not be publicly identifying parliamentarians suspected by a spy watchdog of meddling in Canadian affairs.
The National Security and Intelligence Committee of Parliamentarians raised eyebrows earlier this year with a public version of a secret report that said some parliamentarians were “semi-witting or witting” participants in the efforts of foreign states to meddle in Canadian politics.
Although the report didn’t name individuals, the blunt findings prompted a flurry of concern that members knowingly involved in interference might still be active in politics.
As inquiry hearings resume today, commissioner Marie-Josée Hogue cautions that the allegations are based on classified information, which means the inquiry can neither make them public, nor even disclose them to the people in question.
As a result, she says, the commission of inquiry won’t be able to provide the individuals with a meaningful opportunity to defend themselves.
However, Hogue adds, the commission plans to address the allegations in the classified version of its final report and make recommendations.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 16, 2024.
OTTAWA – The judge overseeing the sexual assault trial of former vice-admiral Haydn Edmundson is reading his decision in an Ottawa court this morning.
Edmundson was the head of the military’s personnel in 2021 when he was accused of sexually assaulting a woman while they were deployed together back in 1991.
The trial was held in February, but the verdict has been delayed twice.
The complainant, Stephanie Viau, testified at trial that she was in the navy’s lowest rank at the time of the alleged assault and Edmundson was an officer.
Edmundson pleaded not guilty, and testified that he never had sexual contact with Viau.
He was one of several high-ranking military leaders accused of sexual misconduct in 2021, a scandal that led to an external report calling for sweeping changes to reform the culture of the Armed Forces.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 16, 2024
TORONTO – A 21-year-old man is dead after what police are describing as an “interaction” with officers during the execution of a search warrant in Toronto.
York Regional Police say their officers were executing a search warrant in the area of Evans Avenue and Sherway Gardens Road at approximately 5 a.m. Monday.
Police say officers had an “interaction” with a man.
They say a 21-year-old man suffered life-threatening injuries and was taken to hospital.
Police say the man was pronounced dead there.
Ontario’s Special Investigations Unit is investigating.
The watchdog agency investigates the conduct of police officers that may have resulted in death, serious injury, sexual assault and/or discharge of a firearm at a person.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 16, 2024.
