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CTV News
an hour ago
- CTV News
Canada's power grid is not ready for extreme weather: experts
A worker walks past downed power lines and a pole caused by post-tropical storm Fiona in Dartmouth, N.S. on Sept. 25, 2022. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darren Calabrese This is part one of a two-part report on the resiliency of Canada's power grid in the face of climate change and increasing extreme weather. Downed power lines. Flooded substations. Fire-damaged poles. While Canada grapples with another intense wildfire season, there are new concerns about whether the country's electricity grids can keep the power on during more frequent and more severe weather events. 'The grid that we have today has not been designed for accommodating such extreme scenarios,' said Ali Hooshyar, the director of the Grid Modernization Centre at the University of Toronto. His centre runs tests using real-time grid simulators, and he says power grids are designed to accommodate the failure of only one component at a given moment. 'The problem with extreme weather conditions is that at a given time, all of a sudden, you may lose several components,' Hooshyar explained. With the challenge of severe weather growing and electricity demand reaching new heights, experts and industry insiders say that they're concerned about meeting Canada's energy needs before the demand outpaces the progress. What are the threats to the electric grid? A report in April from The North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC) found that most provinces are at risk of power shortfalls during extreme weather conditions. The independent industry watchdog has also projected over half of North America will be at risk for blackouts due to a surge in electricity demand and retiring fossil-fuel power plants in the next five to 10 years. 'We don't have the kind of margins we may have had in the past to be able to weather through unexpected highs in demand or lows in resource performance,' said Mark Olsen, manager of reliability assessments at NERC. Beauharnois generating station The Beauharnois generating station in Beauharnois, Que., on Jan. 27, 2025. The hydroelectric power station on the St. Lawrence river consists of 36 turbines that supply power to Quebec, Ontario and New York State. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Christinne Muschi Looking ahead to 2033, NERC's forecast shows Quebec and Nova Scotia will be particularly vulnerable to outages. Quebec could face up to a 10 gigawatt energy deficit due to projected demand growth, especially during extreme winter conditions. By comparison, 10 gigawatts is almost double the capacity of Hydro-Quebec's Robert‑Bourassa generating facility, the largest hydropower generation facility in North America, which generates half the electricity consumed in Quebec. Nova Scotia had instances of insufficient energy resources across all 12 years in the study. 'More shortfalls can occur during these extreme weather events,' said Olsen, 'and it poses a serious concern for reliability.' According to Electricity Canada, a national group representing the electricity sector, the 10 most significant extreme weather events in the country between 2013 and 2023 caused nearly 20 million customer electricity interruptions. Of those events, eight occurred in the second half of the 10-year period. Part of what makes Canada's power grids particularly vulnerable, Hooshyar explained, is how old its infrastructure is in some areas of the country, with parts dating back over a century. 'We were basically one of the pioneers, [but] because we were one of the pioneers, we are dealing with the challenges of aging infrastructure earlier than many other areas in the world.' What's at stake? The types of severe weather challenges are unique across Canada's vast landscape, but from heat waves to cold snaps and wildfires to storms, extreme conditions are reported nationwide and the consequences of those events can be catastrophic. The B.C. Coroners Service confirmed that there were 619 heat-related deaths in the devastating 2021 Western heat dome. Two years later, during the hottest summer on record, Statistics Canada data shows B.C. residents turned to air conditioning to beat the heat. In July of 2023, the province consumed nearly eight per cent more electricity than the July average from 2016 to 2022. Wind is the biggest problem in parts of Atlantic Canada. Nova Scotia Power reports that in the last five years, wind gusts over 80 km/h were up 33 per cent from the five years prior. Storm damage, Nova Scotia Firefighters look on as Nova Scotia Power workers remove scaffolding entangled in lines after the collapse of a structure under construction in Dartmouth, N.S. on Dec. 10, 2019. A major storm brought rain and winds gusting to 110 km/h along the Atlantic coast disrupting travel, closing some schools and leave thousands without power. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Andrew Vaughan The biggest causes of outages in the province are trees and branches damaging power lines during storms. Severe weather accounted for over 1,000 power outages across the province in 2024. Severe weather also comes with a hefty price tag. In May 2022, a powerful windstorm called a 'derecho' pummeled southern Ontario and Quebec, leaving eight people dead and hundreds of thousands of people without power. Many customers were still in the dark nearly two weeks after the storm. The event cost a total of $1 billion in insured damage, much of that affecting utilities like Hydro Ottawa which said derecho damage to its power grid cost $70 million. The challenge of increasing electricity demand While climate change-driven extreme weather is a growing problem for Canada's grids, the demand for electricity is climbing, too, adding more pressure on an already-vulnerable system. 'If the weather is going to continue in this way and continue to be challenging, we'll continue to look at how we adapt to it,' said Francis Bradley, president and CEO of Electricity Canada. 'But that will be against the backdrop of increasing demand for electricity.' Those added demands include the consequences of increased electrification such as electric vehicles and heat pumps, growing populations, and power-hungry data centres that power artificial intelligence cropping up across the continent. For example, IESO, which monitors and operates Ontario's power system, projects the province's electricity demand to grow 75 per cent by 2050, and Manitoba expects its energy demand could more than double in the next 20 years. 'I'm not concerned about tomorrow, but when I project ahead five or 10 years, yes, I am concerned about our ability to move fast enough, to be able to bring on the new technologies and bring on the new sources of clean energy that we're going to need because the demand is increasing,' Bradley said. 'There's an inevitability to this.' Rukshar Ali is a multi-platform journalist from Calgary and a recipient of the Sachedina - CTV News - Fellowship.
CBC
2 hours ago
- CBC
From hockey to rugby, it was a big weekend for N.L. athletes on big stages
Andy Knight of St. John's led a parade of outstanding performances by athletes from Newfoundland and Labrador on some big stages this weekend, as teams turned in some notable performances on the floor, the ice and the rugby pitch. Knight had three goals and two assists on Sunday to lead Team Canada to a gold medal at the 2025 men's under-20 world ball hockey championship in Poprad, Slovakia. Canada edged a stubborn Czechia team 8-7 in overtime, with Knight burying the golden goal seconds into extra time on a partial breakaway after accepting a pass from another Newfoundlander, defenceman Matteo Rotondi. Canada's lineup also included goaltender Scott Kirby of St. John's, assistant coach and Gander native Mike Dyke, and trainer Jeff Webber. Canada went undefeated through the five-team tournament, outscoring the opposition by a combined 20-6. Knight finished the tournament with four goals and four assists, Rotondi added a goal and four assists, while Kirby appeared between the pipes in two games, giving up just two goals. The Canadian women's team, meanwhile, featured a lineup filled with players from Newfoundland and Labrador, including Rachel Hardy, Molly Gill, Abigail Fleet, Brooklyn Kitchen, Hayley Ryan, Julia Butler and Cassie Drover. Mike Hipditch is a coach with the team. The Canadian women were the heavy favourites in the gold medal game against Czechia on Sunday, following a perfect 4-0 record through the group phase, and giving up just one goal along the way, while scoring 36 times. But Czechia cruised to a 5-1 victory to win the U20 division, forcing Canada to settle for silver. Canada blanked Czechia 2-0 in their first encounter on July 2. Kitchen was named a tournament all-star, while Gill was the leading Canadian point-getter with five goals and four assists through five games. Meanwhile, a team representing the Royal Newfoundland Constabulary skated to victory on Sunday in the Division 2 men's ice hockey competition at the 2025 World Police and Fire Games in Alabama. The RNC entry defeated a team from the Vancouver fire department in the final by a score of 6-2, with Andrew Paul and Stephen Gillard each scoring twice. Patrick O'Keefe and Matty Brett also scored, while Wes Welcher and Chris Mooney each had two assists. The RNC team was barely tested in their six round-robin and playoff games, scoring 42 goals and surrendering only three goals in the tournament behind the goaltending of Colby Landrigan. On the ruby pitch, the Newfoundland Rock team dropped a 31-19 result to the host Nova Scotia team in the final of the U19 men's Atlantic championship on Sunday. The Rock entered the final with a perfect 3-0 record through the round robin, including a 13-7 win over Nova Scotia, but fell short in the gold medal contest. The women's U19 team failed to register a victory.
CBC
2 hours ago
- CBC
Here's how a 'ragtag' Placentia team captured N.L.'s first Canadian junior softball title
It's now been 50 years since the Placentia Intertown All-Stars travelled to Saskatoon and, against all odds, claimed the 1975 Canadian fastpitch championship with a 1-0 win over Alberta. Pictured here are, front row (left to right): Frank Kelly, Gerald Quilty, Alf Hatfield (deceased), Rock Evely, Jim Pittman, Rick Foley, Mike Foley, Clarence Canning (deceased), Dan Hann and Billy Hatfield; back row: coach Jim Traverse, Mike Pittman (deceased), Ken Mandville, Don Pomroy, Rock Evely, Rick King, Peter Murphy, Dick Davis, Bill Hogan (deceased), and bat boy Joey Lake. Missing from photo: pitcher Eugene Emberley and manager Len Hickey. (Submitted by Kev Foley) For the first time in nearly a quarter-century, Dick Davis walks behind home plate at the William Hogan Memorial Ball Field in the Placentia, N.L. community of Dunville. He was a standout catcher in his younger years, and this used to be his office. He relished being at the centre of all the action as he discreetly used his fingers and body movements to communicate with his pitchers, who routinely unleashed blistering throws of over 100 km/h from just 46 feet away. "I played hundreds and hundreds of games here," he says as he passes his foot back and forth over the plate, clearing away the sand. Davis is now in his late 60s, and though his knees are surprisingly pain-free for a guy who spent years squatting behind the plate, his throwing arm is rusty because it's been a few decades since he played the game he once loved. But his memory of a special day in August 1975, and a thrilling game-winning play that made softball history for Newfoundland and Labrador, is as fresh as ever. "I remember it weekly," says the softball hall of famer. Davis was a key member of the Placentia Intertown All-Stars. They were a legendary squad of outport softballers from tiny Placentia Bay communities like Fox Harbour, who defied all the odds by capturing the 1975 Canadian junior men's championship. It was the first-ever national softball championship for the province. This summer marks the 50th anniversary of that historic sporting achievement, and some members of that team recently gathered at their old ball field to reminisce about a victory that put Newfoundland and Labrador on the national softball map, and paved the way for future generations of national champions like Steve Mullaley, Jason Hill, Sean Cleary, Brad Ezekiel and Shane Boland. "We weren't even on the radar when we got there. We were just a participant," Davis said of his team's early presence at the Gordie Howe Sports Complex in Saskatoon. Dick Davis proudly displays the gold medal he received after the Placentia Intertown All-Stars captured the Canadian junior fastpitch championship in Saskatchewan in 1975. (Terry Roberts/CBC) Indeed, they were a bunch of unknowns, and were expected to make easy pickings for softball hotbeds like Ontario, Alberta and British Columbia. Manager Len Hickey uses the word "ragtag" to describe the team of young men, many of whom had never travelled far from their hometowns, let alone step foot onto a jet airplane. They also had to quickly adapt to playing, for the first time, at night under blinding field lights. WATCH | Players reunite on the softball field 50 years after a national championship: Memories of a national softball championship are as vivid as ever for N.L. players 50 years later Duration 5:27 Newfoundland and Labrador has punched above its weight in softball for decades, and this summer marks a special milestone. It's been 50 years since a team from Placentia Bay claimed the first Canadian softball junior title for the province. Some of the players involved remember it like it was yesterday. The CBC's Terry Roberts hit the field with a few of them for a swing down memory lane. "We didn't have uniforms that fit," he recalls. The team borrowed jerseys from the Fox Harbour league team, with the words "Fox HR" on the chest. People on the prairies had no idea that "HR" was an abbreviation for "harbour," so the gritty and lively Newfoundlanders, who stayed focused by playing and singing "Newfie" music in the dugout, quickly became known as the "Fox H.R." team. "We didn't get a lot of respect at the start," Hickey said. The victorious Placentia Intertown All-Stars received a hero's welcome after returning to Newfoundland from the 1975 Canadian junior fastpitch championship in Saskatchewan. (Submitted by Kev Foley) But as the tournament progressed, the wins started piling up and people were talking about the pitching prowess of Eugene Emberley and Frank Kelly, a tandem that mowed down batters like dominos, and the cat-like reflexes and raw talent of infielders like Dan Hann, Jim Pittman, Rick Foley and Clarence Canning. "We became the darlings of the fans," said Hickey. On Aug. 10, 1975, the Placentia team faced Alberta in the final. Through the first six innings, there was no score, and Emberley, as usual, was throwing laser beams. In the top of the seventh, with two out, Frank Kelly broke the scoreless deadlock by launching a solo home run. It would be all the Newfoundlanders needed to seal victory, but not before Alberta attempted a comeback in the bottom of the inning, beginning with a one-out triple that brought the large crowd to life. Some members of the 1975 Placentia Intertown team that captured the Canadian junior softball championship in Saskatchewan held a mini-reunion at the Dunville ballfield recently. Pictured here are, from left, manager Len Hickey, Rick Foley, Jim Pittman, Dick Davis, Gerald Quilty, Dan Hann and Bill Hatfield. Co-coach Jim Traverse left before this photo was taken. (Terry Roberts/CBC) With the tying run just 60 feet away from home plate, an Alberta player blooped a pop-up over second base, where Mike Pittman was patrolling in deep centre field. He charged at top speed and made an acrobatic shoe-string catch for the second out. "I wouldn't say there's a fellow in the majors who could have made that catch," says Jim Pittman, Mike's brother and teammate. The Alberta player on third tagged up and started for home, but Mike Pittman came up throwing and fired a dart to home plate. Davis already had his spikes dug in on the right side of the plate, and a one-hopper from Pittman landed perfectly in Davis's glove. "He had nowhere to go. We had him by half-a-step. He was dead. He didn't have a chance," Davis recalls. After what seemed like an eternity, the umpire screamed "OUT!," and pandemonium ensued because most Saskatoon fans at the crowded field were cheering for the Fox HR team. Emberley, who was backing Davis on the throw, lifted his catcher into the air. "I can't remember a lot after that, but it was a fabulous play," said Davis. Dan Hann, third base, and Jim Pittman, shortstop, were known to vacuum up ground balls to the left side of the infield during their playing days in 1975 with the Canadian junior champions, the Placentia Intertown All-Stars. (Terry Roberts/CBC) "We all could have been paid half-a-million and not felt any better. It meant that much. It was just unreal," said Hann, who, along with Canning and Placentia coach Bill Hogan, were named to the tournament all-star team. "We were diggers and worked hard, and it paid off," added Jim Pittman. Emberley, meanwhile, was the tournament's most-valuable player. It was a golden finish, but the Placentia team had to overcome some serious obstacles to get to Saskatchewan. After qualifying as the provincial champions, they scrambled to raise more than $10,000 to cover travel expenses. And the day before their departure date, Air Canada employees went on strike. But coach Hogan, the well-connected Dunville resident and future municipal and provincial politician, worked some magic with the then-federal minister of transport, Jean Marchand. "He was able to get a commitment from [the minister] that if a plane went out of Newfoundland, we'd be on it," Hickey explained. Jim Pittman says Bill Hogan's influence on the field was also instrumental, because he instilled a never-quit attitude and was a stern and demanding coach. "He wanted to win and everybody listened to him," said Pittman. The team returned home to a hero's welcome, and a raucous celebration at the old P4 Club in Placentia. The experience changed the lives of some of the players, with some going on to star on the national scene for years. A half-century later, they're all in their late 60s and early 70s, but five members — Bill Hogan, Eugene Emberley, Mike Pittman, Clarence Canning and Alf Hatfield — have passed away. But their legacies live on because all these guys made softball history, in the most dramatic way possible. Download our free CBC News app to sign up for push alerts for CBC Newfoundland and Labrador. Sign up for our daily headlines newsletter here. Click here to visit our landing page
