Latest news with #heatwarnings
CTV News
4 days ago
- Climate
- CTV News
Intense heatwave shifts into cooler, windy conditions
The sun peaks through the clouds on a windy Thurs., July 17, 2025, in Barrie, Ont. The sweltering multi-day heatwave that gripped the region has eased, and a cooler, much breezier air mass has taken its place. Over the past week, Barrie has seen stifling heat with humidex readings soaring into the 40s, triggering heat warnings and raising health concerns. Environment Canada had predicted relief was on the way by Thursday, and that shift is well underway. Thursday brought a dramatic change with cloudy skies, strong west-northwest winds reaching 30 kilometres per hour, and daytime highs topping around the low-to-mid 20s - a substantial drop compared to the 30C+ heat from earlier in the week. Winds gusts will pick up to around 60 km/h in some areas, adding a chill in the air and making the temperatures feel even cooler. Overnight lows are expected to dip to around 10C, a sharp contrast to the warm, muggy nights we've been experiencing. Environment Canada expects the cooler temperatures to remain through the weekend and into the start of next week. The weekend calls for some potentially unsettled weather, including a chance of showers or storms Saturday, but temperatures are expected to remain within the seasonal range. While it's not unusual for Ontario to experience a few heatwaves, this summer definitely kicked off particularly intense, with overnight lows offering little relief. But if you love the warmer weather, don't worry, temps will climb back into the high 20s by Tuesday and settle around 28C on Wednesday, with a slight chance of some much-needed precipitation.
Globe and Mail
12-07-2025
- Climate
- Globe and Mail
Manitoba prepares to house thousands of evacuees as wildfires burn out of control
Smoke alerts and heat warnings are in place across the country this weekend, as thousands of people are fleeing their homes from out-of-control wildfires. In a rare occurrence, Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew declared a second provincewide state of emergency this week, calling upon the military to airlift residents from northern communities toward safer areas, emphasizing the severity of this year's historically bad wildfire season. The province was under a state of emergency from May until late last month, during which more than 21,000 people had been evacuated. But blanketed by thick fumes and hazardous smoke – a large portion of which has even drifted beyond the Canadian border, much to the chagrin of some U.S. politicians – Manitoba is now in short supply to provide lodgings and hotels for more than 12,600 newer evacuees. The situation is so dire that soccer fields, indoor arenas and downtown convention centres in Winnipeg and Portage la Prairie are being emptied to be converted into makeshift shelters with cots, ready to accept a significant number of arrivals. The city of Brandon has also been asked to be prepared in case Manitoba needs more evacuation spaces. Wildfire smoke map: Track air quality warnings and advisories across the country 'It's a very emotional time for a lot of people who have been displaced from their homes, so many for a second time this year,' said Winnipeg Mayor Scott Gillingham in an interview Friday. 'At moments like this, all the rest of us can do is step up, try to be good and kind neighbours, and help where we can.' Federal officials have warned people in multiple parts of the country to limit their time outside and to cancel or reschedule outdoor activities, events and sports – with the air quality in several cities and towns expected to be at high-risk levels for Saturday and Sunday, according to Environment and Climate Change Canada. More than 535 wildfires are burning in Canada, with at least 155 of those deemed out of control. Several provinces have been facing severe fires this summer, earlier and more aggressive than in previous years. Saskatchewan is now airlifting around 700 people from the northern hamlet of Patuanak to several different towns and cities. About 90 kilometres away, the northern village of Beauval has also been evacuated, as a large fire – burning more than 33,900 hectares, nearly double the size of Regina – is encroaching the area. Steve Roberts, vice-president of operations at the Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency, said crews are fighting 57 active fires. The province, which until last month was under its own emergency declaration alongside Manitoba, is managing to house evacuees where possible. 'But at any time that we cannot do that, we will approach cabinet to have them reinstate a state of emergency,' Mr. Roberts told reporters at a briefing Friday. In Alberta, more than 1,500 firefighters are battling at least 50 wildfires. Evacuations have been ordered near Chipewyan Lake, Peerless Lake, Trout Lake, Loon River First Nation and Red Earth Creek. And while warm, windy weather continues, the province says the possibility of showers in some areas this weekend may support firefighting efforts. Officials in British Columbia, meanwhile, are contending with 68 wildfires. Although some rainfall and cooler temperatures have been helpful to dampen fire activity in the northern region, the BC Wildfire Service is expecting southern parts of the province to see hot and dry weather, creating ripe conditions for flames. Coastal regions, the province said, will also see weather patterns that could drive aggressive fire behaviour. The brunt of this year's wildfires, however, have been borne by Manitoba, where more than a million hectares of forest has now been burned. In a fire-status bulletin Friday, the province noted that this season has been 'the worst on record in the last 30 years.' Evacuations will continue this weekend in nearly a dozen Manitoba communities – including for around 4,000 people in Garden Hill First Nation and more than 1,000 near Snow Lake. Precautionary measures have also been put in place for around 13,000 residents in Thompson, the most populated municipality in northern Manitoba. Grand Chief Garrison Settee of Manitoba Keewatinowi Okimakanak, which represents 26 northern First Nations, said the province could do better at mandating hotels to open more rooms rather than relying on makeshift shelters. 'Right now, most of the newly displaced families are being sent to these congregate shelters,' he said Friday, describing the spaces as 'unsafe and unsuitable for elders, young children and people with health concerns.' The Premier said that is one of the main reasons the province has declared its latest state of emergency. 'Because we need access to more facilities to be able to shelter this large number of Manitobans,' Mr. Kinew said this week. Last month, Lisa Naylor, Manitoba's minister in charge of emergency management, implored all travellers within and from outside the province to reconsider any non-essential travel, as the government needed more hotel rooms for wildfire evacuees. The Manitoba government has not advised against all non-essential travel during this week's emergency declaration. Louise Waldman, vice-president of communications at Travel Manitoba, a Crown corporation, said more than 100 tourism operators have been affected by the wildfires. She said at least 13 businesses were added to that list this week, with four of them being evacuated for the second time this year. Don Lamont, executive director of the Manitoba Lodges and Outfitters Association, said the earlier messaging from government 'has been confusing, and it's negatively impacted many lodges, causing some of them to be in danger of losing their businesses entirely.' He said at least 45 lodges and outfitters have been affected in some capacity by the wildfires, and it will take more than a couple of years to make up for their losses.
CTV News
09-07-2025
- Climate
- CTV News
Heat continues in Saskatchewan
Regina Watch WATCH: Heat warnings and air quality warnings are continuing in Saskatchewan. Angela Stewart has your forecast.
Globe and Mail
07-07-2025
- Business
- Globe and Mail
The Weekly Setup: What every investor needs to know about tariffs, Aritzia and job numbers
This week featured a lot of heat warnings at the kids' camp. The teens in charge have taken to handing out unlimited freezies. How can I explain to these well-meaning pre-adults the consequences of giving seven freezies to a five-year-old in one day? Maybe letting a deranged raccoon loose in their pantry would help them understand what we are dealing with at home. Here are five things to watch for this week: Want ads: Economists estimate Canada added zero jobs in June. That's not a typo. The consensus estimate for net job growth in a country of 20.7 million workers is 0.0. The unemployment rate is expected to advance to 7.1 per cent – the highest since the pandemic peak, or, apart from that, since April, 2016. Tariffs provide ample reason for pessimism. The manufacturing sector could post a third straight month of job losses, notes Benjamin Reitzes, Bank of Montreal managing director for Canadian rates and a macro strategist. 'U.S. steel and aluminum tariffs doubled in June, which will hit those already struggling sectors even harder,' Mr. Reitzes wrote in a note to clients. The data will be key for the Bank of Canada, which is set to make an interest-rate decision at month's end. The central bank has held rates steady at 2.75 per cent for two consecutive meetings, but the market is pricing in only a slight chance of a rate cut. If payrolls disappoint, this could sway the odds in favour of another cut. Let's make a deal: The deadline for deals with the United States on tariffs is fast approaching. President Donald Trump set July 9 as the deadline for country-based tariffs to begin on trading partners without deals in place. With the deadline days away, deals have only been hammered out with Vietnam and Britain. Although the U.S. and China have agreed to a truce, which involves cooling it on reciprocal tariffs and lowering export controls, Canada has promised a deal by July 21. Does a deal matter to markets? The S&P 500 INX and the TSX TXCX are at record highs. So far, tariffs aren't hitting inflation; does that mean companies are absorbing them at the expense of margins? Could margins be the undoing for investors? BMO chief investment officer Sadiq Adatia says tariffs may actually increase a company's profitability. 'Let's say a 10-per-cent tariff is imposed on goods crossing the border,' he said on my podcast. 'Most consumers think prices will go up by 10 per cent. But only 40 per cent of the product's cost comes from raw goods. So, 10 per cent on 40 per cent is only a 4-per-cent tariff. Companies know people expect 10 per cent, so they might raise prices by 7 per cent and say, 'We're doing you a favour. We're not doing 10.' But they've increased their profits by another 3 per cent.' High fashion: Someone forgot to tell Aritzia Inc. ATZ-T there's a consumer slowdown. The stock hit a record high last week, creating an interesting set-up for quarterly results due Thursday after markets close. Aritzia is expected to show a 150-per-cent rebound in profitability and a nearly 15-per-cent jump in same-store sales. In this economy? Apparently. With the stock trading at a hefty premium to peers (UBS estimates it at 48 per cent) it will make the quarterly results a nail-biter. Will Aritzia continue to buck the trend of weak consumer growth? Can it continue to manage around tariffs? As with most companies, it may come down to the outlook it provides. 'We believe the 'bar' for the event is ATZ maintains its FY26 operating guidance and provides a 2Q26 outlook supportive of the Street's C$0.37 EPS forecast,' Mauricio Serna of UBS wrote in a preview note. Jamie Murray of Murray Wealth Group flagged Aritzia as a winner on my podcast back in February. It promptly went straight down before recovering and reaching new highs. He's still holding. 'They've beat quarterly guidance by at least 5 per cent the past 3 quarters and we expect a similar result,' he wrote in an e-mail. Hungry for change: Shares of MTY Food Group Inc. MTY-T have been grinding lower for years, and this week investors will get to assess if catalysts for the stock remain elusive when it reports results on Friday. MTY is known as a food-court purveyor of such brands as Manchu Wok and Mr. Sub, but it has diversified and has many free-standing restaurants. It is also known for its growth-by-acquisition business model – except recently it hasn't been growing or acquiring. Its last deal was in 2022 for Wetzel's Pretzels. While sales of that brand are strong, other brands haven't fared as well and same-store sales have struggled for five consecutive quarters. Even so, it is worth pointing out that MTY is a cash-flow machine reliably spitting out more than $100-million a year. Bank of Nova Scotia's John Zamparo wondered out loud, in a June note to clients, if this makes MTY an attractive takeout candidate. 'MTY's valuation is overly punitive,' he wrote, noting that MTY owns 90 brands but only three are interesting to investors (Wetzel's, Cold Stone, sweetFrog). 'Strategic buyers typically want simpler businesses … which leads to private equity as the likeliest acquirer,' Mr. Zamparo said. Turbulence: Delta Air Lines Inc. DAL-N reports Thursday and will give investors a sense of travel demand. Between tariffs, geopolitics and a spike in gas prices, not to mention generally lower travel into the U.S., there was no shortage of volatility for airlines. We will see how all of this plays out. The airline is poised to report a 7-per-cent drop in revenue and 12-per-cent drop in earnings per share. In the Money with Amber Kanwar brings you actionable insights from top portfolio managers and business leaders. New episodes out Tuesdays and Thursdays.
CTV News
05-07-2025
- Climate
- CTV News
Climatologist David Phillips says to expect more heat-filled days this summer
Watch Environment Canada senior climatologist David Philips discusses heat warnings issued for parts of Ontario and Quebec, the threat of wildfires in the West.
