Top Stories – Sept 2 – Still 1 Hectare

The Good Knoll spot wildfire in Okanagan Mountain Park was estimated at just 1 hectare yesterday. BC Wildfire had 2 bucketing helicopters and 5 ground crew working on it. Because they have not quite completed a guard around the fire, it was still classified as out of control. They anticipate having a fuel-free zone today. It started in an area that burned in the big 2003 fire.

The BC Wildfire Service is asking us not to let our guard down as we go into the final long weekend of the summer and many campfire bans are lifted at noon. They remain in place for the Regional District and all communities in the central Okanagan. This has been one of the lowest human-caused wildfire seasons in the province in more than 70 years. But seasonal and above-seasonal temperatures are forecast for September.

Health Canada has formally approved Moderna’s updated COVID-19 vaccine targeting the Omicron variant, for use in adults 18 and older. The agency says clinical trials show it still elicits a ‘stronger immune response’ against more recent mutations of Omicron. BC says info on availability will come next week.

Twitter says Canadians will be among the first to access the much-demanded edit button it’s starting to test later this month. It will first be available only to members of Twitter Blue, the company’s paid subscription service. It will allow people to edit their tweets, add or remove tags and reorder attached media within 30 minutes of publishing.

Job action is to begin today by bus drivers in the Central Okanagan, but the Amalgamated Transit Union says the buses are still running although the drivers may be casually dressed. It says users will be given some notice if routes are to be affected. The union says wages and working conditions are such that there could simply not be enough drivers to go out at some point.

Amtrak will restart its Cascades passenger-train service between Seattle and Vancouver later this month, rather than December. One roundtrip will be offered daily, with a second added later as Amtrak staffing continues to ramp up. It suspended service on the route about two years ago when the pandemic started and the borders were closed.

Pierre Poilievre is waging one of his final battles in the Conservative leadership race. He’s taking on the jargon used by federal bureaucrats and promises to enact what he calls a ‘Plain Language Law.’ He says it would ensure government documents, including legislation, is written in simple, straightforward sentences.

Elizabeth May said she has an obligation to be of service as she launched her bid to reclaim the leadership of the federal Green Party. May is one of two elected party members and says it has been in disarray since she stepped down as leader in 2019. She apologized for mistakes she made in the past.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says threats against journalists are having a chilling effect on the free press and democracy. He says women and racialized journalists are particularly affected by what advocates say is a targeted and co-ordinated campaign of threatening emails. The Canadian Association of Journalists has sent Trudeau an open letter signed by dozens of media organizations, urging police not to see individual complaints in a vacuum.

Sports 1

At the Women’s World Hockey Championship quarterfinal yesterday, Canada outshot Sweden 14-0 in the first period, but got just 1 goal. The rest of the game was all Canada as they went on to a 3-0 win, outshooting the Swedes 57-9. Next up for the Canadians is a semi-final game tomorrow against Switzerland at 9am.

The Toronto Blue Jays get to spend the weekend in Pittsburgh. First game against the Pirates goes this afternoon at 3:30.

Just one game in the CFL today to begin the weekend of Labour Day classics. It’s the Redblacks and Alouettes at 4:30. Other games have Winnipeg at Saskatchewan on Sunday, and the Argos at Ti-Cats followed by Edmonton at Calgary on Monday.

He hasn’t played one regular season game for the team yet, but the Denver Broncos and Russell Wilson have agreed to a five-year, $245-million contract extension. It includes 165 million guaranteed for the quarterback.

The Formula 1 road show moves from Belgium to the Netherlands this weekend. Dutch Grand Prix practice is this morning, followed by qualifying tomorrow and the race on Sunday.