Lethbridge's Downtown Outdoor Farmers' Market launches for summer
Nothing says summer more than the Downtown Outdoor Farmers' Market, which kicked off its season in Festival Square on Wednesday.
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CTV News
an hour ago
- CTV News
Michael Madsen, actor of ‘Kill Bill' and ‘Reservoir Dogs' fame, dead at 67
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CTV News
an hour ago
- CTV News
Canada to take steps to protect vanishing North Atlantic right whales from ships
A pair of North Atlantic right whales interact at the surface of Cape Cod Bay, in Massachusetts, on March 27, 2023. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty, File, NOAA permit # 21371) The Canadian government says it is taking steps this summer to protect a vanishing species of whale from lethal collisions with ships in its waters. The whale is the North Atlantic right whale, which numbers only about 370. The whales give birth off the southeastern U.S. in the winter and spring and migrate north to New England and Canada to feed. Along the way, the whales face dangers including ship strikes and entanglement in commercial fishing gear. Environmental groups have long faulted the U.S. and Canadian governments for not doing enough to protect the critically endangered animals. Canada is enforcing mandatory protection measures for the whale this summer, Transport Canada said in a June 27 statement. All vessels of 42.7 feet (13 meters) in length or more must comply with speed restrictions in designated areas of the ocean to avoid whale strikes, the agency said. Transport Canada said it is also requesting voluntary slowdowns in other parts of the ocean. The restrictions reflect the agency's commitment 'to the protection and conservation of endangered North Atlantic right whales,' the agency said. 'Transport Canada has been taking action to help protect this iconic species from vessel collisions in the Gulf of St. Lawrence, a high-traffic area where right whales are often seen,' the statement said. The restrictions are being enforced at a time when scientists are voicing concern about a lack of right whale reproduction. The New England Aquarium in Boston said earlier this year that this year's calving season produced only 11 mother-calf pairs. U.S. government authorities have said the whales need to have at least 50 calves per season to start recovering the population. The U.S. government decided earlier this year to withdraw a proposal that would have required more ships to slow down in East Coast waters to spare the whale. The move came in the final days of President Joe Biden's administration and federal ocean managers said there was no way to implement the rules before President Donald Trump took office in January. The whale was once abundant off the East Coast, but it was decimated long ago during the commercial whaling era. It has been protected by the U.S. Endangered Species Act for decades, but has been slow to recover. Patrick Whittle, The Associated Press
National Post
2 hours ago
- National Post
Another boa constrictor goes missing in Vancouver Island, prompting warning about exotic pets
Inspector Drew Milne of the British Columbia Conservation Officer Service likened it to finding a needle in a haystack — the haystack being a 137-hectare park on Vancouver Island, and the needle being a 1.5-metre-long boa constrictor. Article content But searchers for the snake had a reliable witness, and cool conditions last week in the area suggested it was unlikely the cold-blooded reptile could have slithered far from where it was seen in Miracle Beach Provincial Park, about 250 kilometres northwest of Victoria. Article content Article content Article content 'We narrowed down a location where we felt it probably would have been based upon our understanding of the snake, its behaviour, and the location,' said Milne, describing how the snake was found last Thursday. Article content Article content 'We found it within seconds. I had just grabbed that snake and was pulling it out of the bush.' Article content Bizarrely, it's the second search for a boa constrictor on Vancouver Island in the past month, after a 1.8-metre boa named Bailey was reported missing at Tofino's Chesterman Beach in early June. It was found a few days later in the owner's kayak. Article content The unusual cases have prompted a warning from Sara Dubois, the British Columbia SPCA's senior director for animal welfare science, who said owning an exotic pet came with special responsibilities. Article content She said the Miracle Beach snake might have escaped its owner but there was the 'horrible' possibility that someone might have dumped the animal deliberately. Article content Article content Dubois said buyers might not realize a boa constrictor can live 30 years, and they require special vet care and equipment. Article content 'So, they just might have been an impulse buy, or just decided, 'hey, this is not fun anymore,' and they just decided to dump it,' said Dubois. Article content Milne, who served in the Canadian Armed Forces for six years before joining the B.C. Conservation Officer Service, said he wasn't scared catching the boa, but he hoped that searching for snakes on the island 'is not a trend.' Article content Boa constrictors are categorized as restricted controlled alien species in B.C., meaning that while ownership doesn't require a permit, release is prohibited under any circumstances. If the snake is longer than three metres, ownership and the movement of the animal require permits.
