Wildfire smoke fills the air over Yellowknife on Thursday, August 17, 2023. Northwest Territories officials are using roadblocks to turn back Yellowknife residents who are attempting to return home despite the city still being under a state of emergency. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Bill Braden
Here is a roundup of stories from The Canadian Press designed to bring you up to speed on what you need to know today…
N.W.T. officials want evacuees to stay out for now
Northwest Territories officials are using roadblocks to turn back Yellowknife residents who are attempting to return home despite the city still being under a state of emergency.
All but about 1,600 of Yellowknife’s 20,000 residents have left the community due to the continued threat of wildfires that have caused the evacuation of a number of northern communities.
The government of the N.W.T clarified its evacuation order Wednesday, telling the non-essential personnel who remain that they need to leave and those who think the danger is over to stay away. The fact that the fires haven’t progressed over the past few days has prompted some to believe the threat is over.
Heavy rain aids in tempering B.C. wildfires
Firefighters in British Columbia’s southern Interior continue to battle a number of major blazes, having been aided by ample rainfall that fell Wednesday over the Okanagan and Shuswap regions.
BC Wildfire Service information officer Forrest Tower says one weather station near the eastern edge of the Bush Creek East wildfire near Chase received about 20 millimetres of rain in the last day.
Tower says varying amounts of rainfall were also recorded on the wildfire’s western edge, which reached more than 15 millimetres, leading to a widespread diminishing of fire behaviour.
Here’s what else we’re watching …
14 whales have died at Marineland since 2019: docs
At Marineland, the Ontario theme park subject to a long running animal welfare investigation, 14 whales and one dolphin have died since 2019, The Canadian Press has learned.
Details about the deaths at the tourist attraction in Niagara Falls, Ont., are contained in a list created by the Ministry of the Solicitor General following freedom of information requests.
All but two of those 15 marine mammal deaths were among the park’s beluga whales.
Chow, committee to discuss Toronto financial woes
Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow is set to convene publicly today with some of her closest council allies for a special meeting to review the city’s long-term budget woes, with a new surtax on luxury homes and higher on-street parking fees up for discussion.
The executive committee will meet for the first time under Chow to talk through a major report outlining Toronto’s budgetary outlook, which details a combined $46.5 billion in operating and capital pressures over the next decade.
In a bid to tackle Toronto’s daunting financial forecast, the report from the city manager and interim chief financial officer considers several new revenue measures, including a progressive surtax on the luxury homes and hiking the vacant home tax from one to three per cent.
N.B. doubles down on LGBTQ school policy after report says it violates Charter rights
New Brunswick is maintaining the central elements of its policy on sexual orientation and gender identity in schools despite a report saying the policy violates the Charter rights of children.
Education Minister Bill Hogan says his government tweaked Policy 713 to give it clarity, following last week’s critical report by the child and youth advocate.
The province made three changes to Policy 713 in June, one of which requires children under 16 to have parental consent before they can officially change their preferred first names or pronouns at school.
The changes sparked widespread criticism, including from Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published August 24, 2023.
