El Nino weakening doesn't mean cooler temperatures this summer, forecasters say
As Canadians brace themselves for summer temperatures, forecasters say a weakening El Nino cycle doesn’t mean relief from the heat.
After supporting shelter operations in Atlantic Canada for the first week following Fiona, the Canadian Red Cross is shifting its efforts to a new task: helping the provinces distribute emergency funds.
“A lot of our focus this weekend has been shifting to our next phase which is helping the provincial governments, especially the ones of Nova Scotia, Newfoundland and Labrador and Prince Edward Island, in the distribution of emergency funding to people,” Dan Bedell, Canadian Red Cross communications director for Atlantic Canada, said in an interview with CTV News Channel on Saturday.
Fiona touched down in Atlantic Canada as a powerful post-tropical storm on Sept. 24, killing three people, leaving hundreds of thousands without power and destroying homes. The storm is expected to cost between $300 and $700 million in insurance claims, according to financial services company DBRS Morningstar.
Already this weekend, the Canadian Red Cross has registered 40,000 people across Atlantic Canada for government aid in what Bedell describes as a “mammoth operation.”
In the wake of the storm, the province of Nova Scotia has announced more than $40 million in assistance to help residents and organizations cope with the costs of hurricane recovery, while Newfoundland and Labrador has earmarked $30 million. Prince Edward Island has also provided $5 million to non-profit and charity organizations assisting residents in need.
Bedell said the amount of funding affected residents qualify for will vary from province to province, but Canadian Red Cross personnel are available to answer any questions and help residents register for assistance.
“If you’ve been impacted, you may benefit, you may qualify for one of those government programs,” Bedell said.
Residents affected by Fiona can call the Canadian Red Cross at 1-800-863-6528 between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m. EDT, or go to redcross.ca/hurricanefiona to register for emergency funds.
A separate fundraising effort by the Canadian Red Cross, the Hurricane Fiona in Canada Appeal, has so far garnered more than $10 million donations that will be used to help people in Atlantic Canada with long-term recovery. The federal government will match donations made to this appeal up to Oct. 23, 2022.
“Many people are going to be recovering from this for days, weeks, months, perhaps even years. They’re going to need our help,” Bedell said. “That’s where those funds tend to be directed. We may distribute some of that as early on as we can, but we know we need to be there for the long haul for people.”
As Canadians brace themselves for summer temperatures, forecasters say a weakening El Nino cycle doesn’t mean relief from the heat.
A 15-year old boy who was critically injured after a stabbing in Nepean on Thursday has died of his injuries, Ottawa's English public school board said Sunday.
Police say it’s fortunate no one was injured or killed in a collision at North Vancouver’s Park and Tilford shopping centre Saturday evening that sent one vehicle careening into a flower shop and another into a set of concrete barriers outside a Winners store.
The Maple Leafs battled back from a 3-1 series deficit against the Boston Bruins with consecutive 2-1 victories - including one that required extra time - in their first-round playoff series to push the club's Original Six rival to the limit before suffering a devastating Game 7 overtime loss.
Amid scientists' warnings that nations need to transition away from fossil fuels to limit climate change, Canadians are still lukewarm on electric vehicles, according to a study conducted by Nanos Research for CTV News.
Three people have died and two have been hospitalized after a speeding car struck a tree and landed on another vehicle in Fredericton Sunday morning.
A Montreal man is warning Tesla drivers about using the Smart Summon feature after his vehicle hit another in a parking lot.
Madonna put on a free concert on Copacabana beach Saturday night, turning Rio de Janeiro's vast stretch of sand into an enormous dance floor teeming with a multitude of her fans.
Thieves killed two Australians and an American on a surfing trip to Mexico in order to steal their truck, particularly because they wanted the tires, authorities said Sunday.
Alberta Ballet's double-bill production of 'Der Wolf' and 'The Rite of Spring' marks not only its final show of the season, but the last production for twin sisters Alexandra and Jennifer Gibson.
A British Columbia mayor has been censured by city council – stripping him of his travel and lobbying budgets and removing him from city committees – for allegedly distributing a book that questions the history of Indigenous residential schools in Canada.
Three men in Quebec from the same family have fathered more than 600 children.
A group of SaskPower workers recently received special recognition at the legislature – for their efforts in repairing one of Saskatchewan's largest power plants after it was knocked offline for months following a serious flood last summer.
A police officer on Montreal's South Shore anonymously donated a kidney that wound up drastically changing the life of a schoolteacher living on dialysis.
Since 1932, Montreal's Henri Henri has been filled to the brim with every possible kind of hat, from newsboy caps to feathered fedoras.
Police in Oak Bay, B.C., had to close a stretch of road Sunday to help an elephant seal named Emerson get safely back into the water.
Out of more than 9,000 entries from over 2,000 breweries in 50 countries, a handful of B.C. brews landed on the podium at the World Beer Cup this week.
Raneem, 10, lives with a neurological condition and liver disease and needs Cholbam, a medication, for a longer and healthier life.