Top Stories – July 11 – Landfill Fire

Three engines, a water tender and a command unit from the Kelowna Fire Department were called to the Glenmore Landfill about 7 last evening. A fire was producing lots of black smoke because it was burning in garbage and took a while before KFD was able to douse it and break it apart. Crews stayed on site for some time making sure there were no flare-ups

BC’s emergency management minister has ruled out the need for a provincial state of emergency at this point, despite rising numbers of wildfires and worsening drought conditions. Bowinn Ma says the drought is one of the worst in recent memory, and she encourages residents to conserve water whenever they can

The Transportation Safety Board is going to look at why a service vehicle caught fire under an Air Canada jet at Montreal’s Trudeau International Airport. The fire started ironically in a water truck, and was quickly put out by the groundcrew. Passengers arriving from Geneva were hustled off the plane, which will be inspected before it returns to service.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says Canada will continue to advocate that cluster bombs should not be used, after the United States announced it is sending the munitions to help Ukraine’s war effort against Russia. Trudeau told reporters in Latvia before a summit held by NATO that Canada abides by an international treaty prohibiting the use of explosives that scatter small bombs across a wide terrain.

The Kamloops Fire Centre, which includes the Okanagan, took a beating from lightning strikes over the weekend. The BC Wildfire Service says there were 384 recorded hits and 43 new wildfire starts. As of yesterday there were 31 active wildfires in the zone… eight were under control, 10 were being held and 13 were still out of control.

BC Premier David Eby says housing, health care, public safety and the cost of living will be among the key issues up for discussion over the next couple of days as the premiers meet in Winnipeg. He adds the meeting is also important because it lets the provinces form a common front as they deal with the federal government on those issues.

Insolvency firm M-N-P’s latest survey finds a record 35 percent of respondents already don’t make enough money to cover their bills and debt payments. And 48 percent are concerned about their current level of debt. M-N-P says just over half of Canadians it surveyed are 200 dollars or less away from having too much month at the end of the money.

An annual international women’s softball event is underway in Surrey with a special guest. Organizers of the 2023 Canada Cup want to ensure Ukraine’s U-19 national team feels welcome after overcoming war-related challenges just to reach the tournament. The organizers say of the 104 teams, none have faced adversity reaching Surrey like Team Ukraine.

Canada’s governments need to remove interprovincial trade barriers on labour, services and products like alcohol and meat. That’s what the Canadian Federation of Independent Business says in its 2023 report on interprovincial co-operation. The association says 88% of small business owners believe it’s crucial for governments to prioritize removing barriers that prevent the flow of those things across provincial and territorial lines.

Celebrities, lawmakers, and everyday social media users are flocking to Meta’s new Threads app to connect with their followers. Many are Twitter refugees tired of the drama surrounding Elon Musk’s oversight of that platform. In the five days since its launch, more than 100 million people have signed up.

Sports

Five Toronto Blue Jays will be suiting up for the American League in today’s All-Star Game. Jordan Romano joins teammates Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Whit Merrifield, Bo Bichette, and Kevin Gausman. The game gets underway about 5.

Canadian Pacific has extended its sponsorship of the LPGA Tour’s Canadian Women’s Open as the title sponsor. Golf Canada says with the extension, the purse for the tournament will increase to US$2.5 million, starting with this year’s event next month at Shaughnessy Golf and Country Club in Vancouver.