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National Post
an hour ago
- National Post
More Canadians using air conditioning to beat the heat, says Statistics Canada
A new report from Statistics Canada says just over two-thirds, or 68 per cent, of Canadian household are reporting use of air conditioning or cooling systems such as heat pumps to beat the heat of summer. That's up from 64 per cent in 2021. Article content Air conditioning can offset some of the health and safety effects of heat waves, says StatCan but the agency is also urging Canadians to conserve energy by turning the a/c down when they aren't home. Article content Article content Article content Article content Air conditioner ownership varies across Canada. Article content People in newer homes were predictably more likely to have an air conditioner: 80 per cent of homes built in 2001 and later, compared with 58 per cent of homes built before 1960. Article content Air conditioning was also more prevalent among homeowners (76 per cent) than renters (52 per cent). It was also more likely in households with higher incomes (82 per cent of those earning more than $150,000 before taxes) than by households with lower incomes (55 per cent among those earning less than $50,000). Article content There were no differences based on age. Article content Atlantic Canadians prefer to maintain slightly cooler temperatures than other regions of the country, at 19.8 C. Natural Resources Canada suggests an indoor thermostat range of 22 C to 25 C. Article content Article content Article content As of 2025, just over half (51 per cent) of Canadians with an air conditioner reported turning it off or down when they go away on vacation for one week or longer, says StatCan. Households in the Prairies (56 per cent) and British Columbia (56 per cent) are most likely to do so. Article content Meanwhile, only a third (28 per cent) of folks out of town for the weekend reported turning air conditioning off or down while away. Adults aged 30 to 44 years were most likely, compared with people 60 years and older. About 26 per cent of people aged 15 to 64 years reported turning it off or down while at work or school. Article content People aged 75 years and older (25 per cent) were more likely to turn down their air conditioning for short absences, compared to people aged 45 to 59 (18 per cent). Article content The vast majority (82 per cent) of Canadians said they want to avoid wasting energy. Article content The second most-cited reason was to prolong the lifespan of their cooling equipment (7 per cent). This answer was more prevalent among people aged 30 to 59 years.
CTV News
an hour ago
- CTV News
Orcas are bringing humans gifts of food – but why?
Researchers said there are many reasons why orcas bring humans food. (Ingrid N. Visser/Orca Research Trust via CNN Newsource) When researcher Jared Towers set up his cameras underwater to observe a pair of killer whales, he saw something strange. One of the orcas, a juvenile female, 'approached a camera I had in the water to film her younger brother and then opened her mouth and let out a dead seabird,' Towers, the executive director of Bay Cetology, a Canadian team of marine biologists based in Alert Bay, British Columbia, told CNN. She closed her mouth, paused, apparently watching for Towers' reaction and hung in the water while the dead seabird floated up above her. Then, after a few seconds, she rolled around towards the camera and swallowed the bird again. A few years later, Towers saw another young female killer whale displaying the same behavior – this time, however, the orca 'dropped a freshly killed harbor seal pup right beside my boat.' Towers discussed these incidents with his colleagues around the world, discovering that they too had been gifted food by killer whales. When he collated the instances, he found 34 cases of killer whales presenting humans with food between 2004 and 2024. He and his colleagues laid out their findings in a paper published recently in the Journal of Comparative Psychology where they attempt to unravel the reasons why killer whales might be doing this. Perhaps, they hypothesized, the killer whales are curious and exploring how humans will react to a gift. Maybe they are playing, though they largely discount this theory because whales of all ages, rather than just juveniles, provisioned food. Or, perhaps it is something more sinister – killer whales have been known to use prey to attract other species and then kill them, but there is no record of orcas ever killing humans in the wild. 'I don't think it's easy to suggest there is one reason for this behavior because there are underlying mechanisms and proximate causes,' Towers said. 'The main underlying mechanism is simply that they can afford to offer us food and the main proximate cause may be that they are doing so as a way to explore and subsequently learn more about us.' In all but one of the cases documented, the killer whales initially waited for a response from the humans before most of them retrieved the food, though some simply abandoned it and some even tried to gift it again. The humans ignored the food almost all the time; they took it only four times and in three of those cases, they threw it back into the water afterward. Pets bring their owners gifts – think of the dead mice or birds that cats leave outside the door – and animals have been observed giving gifts to each other. But until now, there have been barely any recorded cases of wild predators giving gifts to humans, aside from a few instances of false killer whales – a species of dolphin – and leopard seals offering people food. 'In a way, it's not surprising, because… everybody who's on the water with (killer whales) has experienced how inquisitive and curious they are and have had interactions where you know there's something going on between us and them,' Hanne Strager, a researcher and author who wrote 'The Killer Whale Journals,' who wasn't involved in the study, told CNN. Killer whales are one of the most intelligent animals; only humans have a larger brain relative to their body size, according to the study. And they kill much larger animals relative to their own body size than other whales and dolphins, meaning they can have more food to share around. They are also believed to have spindle neurons in their brains – a type of neuron known to be associated with empathy – said Philippa Brakes, a behavioural ecologist at the University of Exeter specializing in whales and dolphins who wasn't involved in the study. While she added that determining motivation is difficult 'because we can't interview them,' she suggested to CNN that it could be 'altruistic' or just a 'basic biological function' mimicking 'something you might do to a juvenile.' The researchers found that it didn't matter where in the world the whale was or whether it was male or female, a calf, a juvenile or adult – they all displayed this behaviour. It fits into a wider pattern of killer whales often initiating interactions with humans and boats, offering further insight into their lives. And Towers hopes it serves as a reminder that 'while our species is obviously more technologically advanced than any other on the planet, we do share it with other highly evolved species whose welfare must be considered in our actions.' By Issy Ronald, CNN
CTV News
an hour ago
- CTV News
March ice storm cleanup continues across Simcoe County trails
Many trails across Simcoe County remain closed on Wed. July 9, 2025, following a destructive ice storm in March. Downed trees and branches and weakened tree tops along the Mid/Pen Link trail that connects Midland and Penetanguishene have been an issue for trail users since the March ice storm. Volunteers have been out clearing and removing what they can in recent months. The cleanup will continue on Thursday thanks to volunteers with the Ganaraska Hiking Trail Association. 'We are still working hard at clearing the debris that fell on the Ganaraska Hiking Trail, which is 500 kilometres, and which was effected in it's entirety pretty well,' said Frieda Baldwin, with the Ganaraska Hiking Trail Association. Simcoe County trails closed Many trails across Simcoe County remain closed on Wed. July 9, 2025, following a destructive ice storm in March. (CTV News/Rob Cooper) 'There's still a lot of dead fallen trees and branches and debris on the trails. We've cleaned up most of our section but we have a little bit left to do and I'm hoping we can get it done tomorrow,' said trail director Larry Piitz. It's a similar scene right across the county. The Simcoe County foresters say there are still some areas in the county that need massive clearing. The foresters say people may notice some significant differences next time they're out on a trail. 'Recognizing the changes that have happened in some of the natural stands, as well with the amount of broken tops and limbs and the amount of light coming in, so there's been a quit an impact across the board,' explained Graeme Davis, a long-time professional forester. Simcoe County trails closed Many trails across Simcoe County remain closed on Wed. July 9, 2025, following a destructive ice storm in March. (CTV News/Rob Cooper) The group Living Green Barrie is a registered environmental charity that helps people make responsible environmental choices. It's executive director says they are hoping homeowners who have lost trees seriously consider replanting. 'The trees that were a safety hazard or a perceived safety hazard that were cut down and taken out completely I would suggest every single one of those trees, plus three, should be planted in it's place,' said Andee Pelan with Living Green Barrie. Anyone using County trails is reminded to extra careful of what could be dangerous tree tops, and residents are encouraged to stay off closed trails until they are safely reopened.
