Latest news with #PeaceRiver
CBC
a day ago
- Business
- CBC
Input wanted on large-scale nuclear power plant in northern Alberta
A significant nuclear power proposal in northwest Alberta is one step closer to reality as the project progresses to its public input phase. The Peace River Nuclear Power Project would see the construction of two twin Candu Monark nuclear reactors at one of two proposed sites, both about 30 kilometres north of the town of Peace River. Calgary-based Energy Alberta, the company proposing the project, said it would cover 1,424 hectares and operate for about 70 years. It would also generate about 4,800 megawatts of energy per year. If approved, it would be the first plant of its kind in the province. Since learning of the project, five local jurisdictions in the region have created a joint committee to advocate for nuclear power. This includes the Town of Peace River, the Municipal District of Peace, Northern Sunrise County, the Town of Grimshaw and the County of Northern Lights. Town halls, workshops and information sessions are being held in and around those communities so people can learn about nuclear power and ask questions to officials about the project. Comments can also be submitted online until late July. "We see this as a once-in-a-generation opportunity to see a real huge economic development in our region at a time when all dollars as a tax assessment dollars really matter," said Northern Lights County Reeve Terry Ungarian, who also chairs the Peace Regional Energy Committee, at a town hall meeting on Tuesday. "[We have] the common goal of bringing probably the biggest economic development that the province would ever see, for sure that this region would ever see." Currently, the Impact Assessment Agency of Canada and the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission are in the planning phase of the impact assessment process, to determine if an integrated assessment is needed. Information sessions key In a recent interview with CBC's Edmonton AM, Peace River Mayor Elaine Manzer said she has been told the project would bring about 3,500 full-time jobs once the reactors are up and running. She said the project would also created about 5,000 local construction jobs. "There are usually some questions will it affect our water? Will it affect our air or our environment in some ways like that? What are the possible effects on our community in terms of infrastructure or housing? Some of those are hard to have an answer at this point in time until they happen," she said, adding she understands the regulatory process could take about three years. "These information sessions provide the regulators with more questions that they can ask of the company." According to Energy Alberta, if approved, the regulatory process is expected to be complete by 2028 and move into construction by 2029. "We are at the stage were we are out there really talking about it, providing information, getting early feedback to incorporate into our planning," said spokesperson Ali Hounsell. "There's lots of opportunity for the public and nation to participate, both inside and outside the regulatory process as we move forward, with the planning stage." The hope is the first reactor would be in operation by 2035 and all four units would be up and running by 2043, Hounsell said. Candida Cianci, the director of review panels at the Impact Assessment Agency of Canada (IAAC), said public input is needed on the project. "We're out here because we really want to hear from the communities and concerned citizens what their views may be on the proposed project, what their concerns are," she said. "The council and the communities that we've heard from the last two days have indicated they really have a lot to learn and we have a lot to learn about what their views are." After the process is complete, the company will gather information and undertake studies based on feedback, while engaging with stakeholders and Indigenous communities. "We're going to take that feedback. We're going to incorporate it, and we're going to let participants know how we reflected what we heard from them and we are going to finalize those documents," said Cianci. If an integrated assessment is needed, the project will then be referred to a review panel. The second public comment period runs until July 23.
CTV News
10-06-2025
- Climate
- CTV News
B.C.'s biggest major wildfire doubles in size, but nearby highway reopens to traffic
The Pocket Knife Creek wildfire burns south of Fort Nelson, B.C., in this Sunday, June 8, 2025 handout photo. THE CANADIAN PRESS/HO, B.C. Wildfire Service *MANDATORY CREDIT* The BC Wildfire Service is reporting that the largest of the province's major fires in the northeast has more than doubled in size in the past 24 hours. The Pocket Knife Creek blaze, which is the result of two fires merging over the weekend, now measures nearly 1,300 square kilometres. It's believed to have been caused by lightning and has triggered an evacuation order and alert from the Peace River Regional District. The wildfire also resulted in the closure of Highway 97 on Sunday, but the service says in an update that the road had reopened as of 10 p.m. Monday. It says there are nearly 90 wildfires actively burning across B.C., most situated in the northeast where there are three so-called wildfires of note. The service says more than half the province's fires are currently classified as burning out of control, including the Dryden Creek wildfire that prompted the District of Squamish to issue an evacuation alert for 16 properties in the Brackendale area. It says crews, equipped with two helicopters and an air tanker, are working alongside the Squamish Fire Department to battle the blaze. The service says it is currently five hectares in size. The wildfire service says more than three-quarters of the active fires in B.C. are believed to have been caused by lightning, with 22 per cent caused by human activity. This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 10, 2025. Brieanna Charlebois, The Canadian Press
CBC
09-06-2025
- General
- CBC
After the fire: Remote First Nation in northern Alberta struggling to rebuild, 2 years later
Chief Conroy Sewepagaham of Little Red River Cree Nation points to ground zero — the spot where the wildfire started two years ago. "That's where all hell broke loose," he said. More than 7,000 people live in the three communities that make up Little Red River Cree Nation — John D'Or Prairie, Garden River and Fox Lake. Fox Lake is the largest with more than 4,000 people, said Sewepagaham. But it's also the most remote, being about 800 kilometres north of Edmonton. Access in summer is by air or the deeply rutted dirt Highway 58 with a barge across the Peace River. In the winter, there's an ice road. The Paskwa fire started May 2, 2023, near the community of Fox Lake. It burned until the following year and covered tens of thousands of hectares. The fire has had a lasting effect on the community in many ways. A smoky day with hot, dry conditions can trigger bad memories. "I'm on edge, to be honest with you," Sewepagaham said. "The last time I've seen this much smoke, we evacuated." Due to the community's isolation, it took three days to evacuate during the 2023 fire. And it wasn't easy. "We had to ask people to leave their vehicles because we were running out of time," said Sewepagaham. "We used canoes to get out. Anything we could get." For some, it was their first time leaving the community. More than 90 per cent of people in Fox Lake speak Cree and some do not speak English, said Sewepagaham. The fire destroyed more than 300 buildings in Fox Lake, most of which were homes. The community's main grocery store was also lost and the water treatment plant from the 1970s — which locals call Agnes — was heavily damaged. Residents were able to return two months later, but there was no potable drinking water, fuel or groceries. The next year, in 2024, the community evacuated again because of a wildfire, though no structures were lost. Recovery and rebuilding is underway in Fox Lake, but it's been slow. So far, 41 families have moved into new homes with another 100 families still waiting in either tiny homes, trailers or hotels, said Veronica Nanooch, director of disaster recovery for Little Red River Cree Nation. Lola Laboucan lives in Fox Lake and helped evacuees book hotels during the 2023 evacuation. She said it was important to keep community members together. "You might not know them personally, but you know which family they come from," she said. "You know their dad, their grandfather. We're all a big family." While Laboucan did not lose her home, several of her family members did. Some have been living in hotels for two years. As they start to replace items lost in the fire, they need to get storage units. "Hotel rooms only have so much space," said Laboucan. The rebuild Being so remote, rebuilding is challenging, said Sewepagaham. Large loads of construction materials cannot fit on the barge and airlifts are expensive. Big hauls need to happen in winter, when the river is frozen. And not everything can be rebuilt. "It's not just homes we've lost," said Nanooch. "Graveyards in the community are gone." To help Indigenous communities rebuild, the federal government provides funding through the Emergency Management Assistance Program, but Sewepagaham said they were temporarily unable to access the funding when Parliament was prorogued earlier this year. "We're at a near darn standstill." Indigenous Services Canada (ISC) stayed "fully engaged" with Little Red River Cree Nation during prorogation, according to a spokesperson for the department. In their statement, the spokesperson did not explicitly address the alleged inaccessibility to funding. It will continue working with the First Nation to ensure it recovers as quickly and safely as possible, reviewing claims and reimbursing eligible expenses, the spokesperson said. With Parliament back in session, funding has resumed. However, Sewepagaham said the rebuild has to catch up. Due to cultural procedures in Fox Lake, homes lost during a traumatic event cannot be rebuilt on the same location but on a new site, said Sewepagaham. Fox Lake isn't the only community on federal land that is currently rebuilding. Last year, Jasper lost one-third of its buildings to wildfire. It lies within a national park, under the jurisdiction of Parks Canada. While the two communities have similar year-round populations, Jasper — the second most visited national park in Canada — garnered far more attention. Since 2014, Parks Canada has spent more than $24 million to reduce wildfire risks in Jasper National Park. Sewepagaham said funding requests for fire breaks in his communities were rejected, a few months before fire swept through Fox Lake. "We've explained to our people, please don't take it to heart if Jasper rebuild finishes before Fox Lake," said Sewepagaham. Sewepagaham is anticipating the rebuild will take another four years. ISC said it cannot project when home rebuilding will be finished at this time, noting that Little Red River Cree Nation is leading the recovery effort. The next fire Years after the fire, many residents are still traumatized from the disaster, said Nanooch. "It's triggering," said Nanooch. "Some have panic attacks. It's very stressful." But if another fire hits, Fox Lake is better prepared. There are now huge firebreaks, hundreds of kilometres long, around all three Little Red River Cree Nation communities. There are plans to get fire hydrants —something the community did not have before — and sprinklers. A fire guardian program is also in the works for locals to join. "We're tired of watching people from the outside come and fight fires for us," said Sewepagaham. "We've always fought fire. We live alongside it." Newly built homes have metal tin roofs and metal blinds to shield windows from extreme heat. Each home has been cleared of vegetation with a couple of feet of gravel added, making it much more difficult for the buildings to catch fire. While the rebuild is still years away from completion, Sewepagaham said he expects most residents will return. "One of our residents said, regardless of where I live, fires happen anywhere," he said.
CBC
09-06-2025
- Climate
- CBC
Evacuation orders issued in B.C.'s Peace River due to Pocket Knife Creek wildfire
The B.C. Wildfire Service says the Pocket Knife Creek wildfire in the province's northeast has merged with another blaze, increasing its size "substantially." It says the fire is now more than 610 square kilometres in size and is considered an out-of-control wildfire of note. The Peace River Regional District says the fire poses an "immediate danger to life safety" and as of 5 p.m. PT on Sunday it had issued two evacuation orders in areas surrounding Highway 97 and Buckinghorse River. It also issued an evacuation alert for an area west of the highway and north of Trutch. According to DriveBC, Highway 97 is closed between Prophet River and North Sikanni Brake Check due to the advancing wildfire and limited visibility due to smoke. Officials issued earlier evacuation orders due to the Kiskatinaw River wildfire, another wildfire of note near the B.C.-Alberta border that's about 130 square kilometres in size. The wildfire service says the third wildfire of note is the Summit Lake wildfire, which it expects will keep growing due to winds and warm weather. As of Sunday afternoon it was about 106 square kilometres in size.
Yahoo
09-06-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
Peace River Regional District in B.C. northeast issues new evacuation order
The BC Wildfire Service says the Pocket Knife Creek wildfire in the province's northeast has merged with another blaze, increasing its size "substantially." It says the fire is now more than 610 square kilometres in size and is considered an out-of-control wildfire of note. The Peace River Regional District says the fire poses an "immediate danger to life safety" and issued an evacuation order Sunday for the area approximately nine kilometres west of the Buckinghorse River, and around the Redfern Trail down toward Redfern Lake. The regional district issued earlier evacuation orders due to the Kiskatinaw River wildfire, another wildfire of note near the B. C-Alberta border that's about 130 square kilometres in size. The service says the third wildfire of note is the Summit Lake wildfire, and is also expected to keep growing due to winds and warm weather, and is now about 106 square kilometres. The BC Wildfire Service told a news conference last Friday it was expecting "extreme fire behaviour" over the weekend, warning flames from the Kiskatinaw River wildfire could be pushed by strong winds could closer to the small community of Kelly Lake, about 80 kilometres south of Dawson Creek. This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 8, 2025. The Canadian Press
