Top Stories – May 24 – A Break

The 293,000 hectare Stoddart Creek wildfire is now ranked as ‘being held’ as heavy rain in northeastern BC is giving fire crews a break. Officials with the Peace River Regional District have lifted all evacuation orders related to the flames northwest of Fort St. John. And evacuation orders linked to the Donnie Creek fire southeast of Fort Nelson have been removed.

The federal government is making clearing security faster for trusted travellers at six of Canada’s biggest airports including Vancouver, Calgary and Edmonton. By June 21st, travellers with NEXUS cards won’t have to take liquids or electronic devices out of their bags, or take their shoes off.

The 350-thousand unionized workers at U-P-S are launching contract talks that have a lot of people worried about the possibility of a strike. Annual profits in the past two years are close to three times what they were before the pandemic, and the Teamsters union says front-line workers deserve some of that windfall.

Farmers and ranchers in BC are being supported with a new round of funding worth $2.5 Million. It’s to help strengthen their resilience to wildfires, flooding, extreme heat, and mitigate future climate impacts. The Extreme Weather Preparedness for Agriculture program was launched as a pilot last summer and aims to build a more resilient and sustainable agriculture and food sector.

Former governor general David Johnston doesn’t think a public inquiry into alleged foreign interference in Canada’s last two elections is warranted. But he says public hearings should be held. Johnston says he has identified significant shortcomings in the way intelligence from security agencies was communicated to the government.

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis plans to announce his 2024 presidential campaign in a Twitter Spaces event with Elon Musk today. The Twitter boss called it ‘the first time something like this is happening on social media’, with real-time questions and answers. DeSantis is seen as Donald Trump’s leading rival for the 2024 GOP nomination.

The fire threat is easing in northeastern BC, but now, heavy rains are raising the threat of floods. The Peace River Regional District has either lifted or downgraded all wildfire evacuation orders. But with up to 100 millimetres of rain expected in some areas, the River Forecast Centre has posted flood watches for much of east-central BC.

Nova Scotia is ending mandatory vaccination orders and other public health measures related to COVID-19. Health officials say the province will soon be treating the coronavirus like any other respiratory illness. The Chief medical officer says the change reflects a recent declaration by the World Health Organization that COVID no longer requires a global emergency-type response.

Canada’s housing agency says the economy is vulnerable to a global crisis. Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation says the country has the highest level of household debt in the G-7. CMHC adds high levels of debt do the most damage when a significantly negative economic event happens and may result in widespread job losses.

Sports

The NHL Western conference final in Dallas last night saw Las Vegas score 3 first period goals on their way to a 4-0 win against the Stars. The Golden Knights now lead the best of seven, 3-0.
Meantime the Florida Panthers can make quick work of the Eastern final against Carolina with a home win tonight at 5.

The Blue Jays are on the road all week. Today, they have their third of 4 games in Tampa at 3:40. Yesterday, a six-run, 5th inning, and nine in the 9th, helped them to a 20-1 win over the AL East leading Rays. They are the first team to score 20 runs in a game this season.