Top Stories – Aug 14 – Maui Fires

As of last night, the death toll from the wildfires on Maui stood at a staggering 93 and is expected to climb. 22-hundred structures have been damaged or destroyed. Aid is going into the island by air, sea and by road from unaffected parts of Maui. One of the most striking sights aside from the burned buildings, are the shells of cars along the side of the ocean that people abandoned to jump in the water to escape the flames.

Monster brand energy drinks in Canada are being recalled due to various non-compliances related to caffeine content and labelling requirements. It involves all flavours which contain caffeine and do not have bilingual labelling. High levels of caffeine could have adverse health effects for children, those who are pregnant or breastfeeding, and those sensitive to caffeine.

Forecasters anticipate this week’s consumer price index report to show inflation rose last month, signalling a reversal in progress after a year of steady declines. Canada’s annual inflation rate fell back to the target range in June for the first time since March 2021, hitting 2.8%. Both BMO and CIBC expect inflation to come in at 3.1% in July, largely due to higher gas prices.

Keep lots of water handy as it is getting hot again for a few days. We’ll have more details coming up in the weather but Environment Canada predicts that today, tomorrow and Wednesday will be the hottest days of the week. Temperatures could be 7-9 degrees above normal, and it goes without saying, don’t leave pets or people in cars.

BC Hydro wants to raise rates at public electric vehicle charging stations by 15% September 1. The company says it would allow it to recover the costs of providing them over 10 years. The BC Utilities Commission has appointed a panel to consider the application and is accepting public comments.

Patients who take drugs like Ozempic for weight loss may face life-threatening complications if they need surgery or other procedures that require empty stomachs for anesthesia. The drugs can slow digestion so much that it puts patients at increased risk for pulmonary aspiration, which can cause lung damage, infections and even death. In the Canadian Journal of Anesthesia, doctors called for the drug to be stopped for about three weeks before sedation.

The federal government says this year’s marathon wildfire season shows no signs of dying down this month. About 4,000 firefighters in BC are currently battling hundreds of blazes. Ottawa says it will spend 400-thousand-dollars as part of the first phase of a new pilot project based in BC to improve wildfire response training

Pierre Poilievre is spending the summer ramping up rhetoric around a debunked conspiracy theory that an elite group of powerful people are trying to impose their will on the rest of the world. The Conservative leader has pledged at party rallies that none of his ministers will be allowed to attend World Economic Forum meetings when he becomes prime minister.

The company that made working from home a big thing during the pandemic is telling a number of its own employees to get back to the office. Zoom wants workers who live within an 80-kilometre radius of its offices to work onsite two days a week. Google, Salesforce and Amazon are among big companies that have also stepped up their return-to-office policies despite a backlash from some employees.

Sports

The Okanagan Sun picked up their 3rd straight win of the football season to remain tied for first with Westshore Rebels. The Sun beat Kamloops 37-12 at the Apple Bowl where they will host Langley on Saturday night.

The BC Lions start the week tied with Winnipeg for first in the CFL West after a big 37-9 win over the Stampeders. BC is in Saskatchewan on Sunday.

The Blue Jays won just 1 of 3 games against the Cubs at home on the weekend to make their wildcard chances a bit dicey. Toronto is off today before the Phillies visit Rogers Centre tomorrow.

The PGA’s FedEx Cup Playoffs began on the weekend with the St Jude Championship. Lucas Glover beat Patrick Cantlay on the 1st playoff hole.