More than 115 cases of eye damage reported in Ontario after solar eclipse
More than 115 people who viewed the solar eclipse in Ontario earlier this month experienced eye damage after the event, according to eye doctors in the province.
Do you hate raking your leaves in the fall? Good news: a conservation group says that leaving them alone can actually be better for your lawn and its ecosystem.
Andrew Holland, who is the national media director of the Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC), says embracing your inner laziness can go a long way in helping your lawn's soil quality. As the fallen leaves break down, they turn into mulch, which can help keep your lawn healthy and suppress weeds.
"It's free fertilizer for your lawn, essentially," he told CTVNews.ca over the phone on Friday.
Having too many leaves can inhibit grass growth, so Holland advises keeping it to one or two layers. Alternatively, you can chop up the leaves with a lawnmower to help break them down and prevent your lawn from suffocating.
A thin layer of leaves can also be beneficial to butterflies, moths, caterpillars and other insects that rely on nutrients in your soil. Many of these insects, along with frogs and toads, hibernate inside the leaf litter during the winter, using the leaves as an insulating blanket.
With habitat loss across Canada, on top of the fact that over 80 per cent of Canadians live in cities and towns, Holland says backyard biodiversity is now more important than ever.
"Urban nature is becoming more and more important. And we don't necessarily think of our backyards and our own lawns being a nature reserve. But it can be, if we just reconsider how we view our own lawns," said Holland.
These insects are not only important pollinators, but they're also an important food source for birds, which have been declining in population. A 2019 study found that in the previous 50 years, North America lost 2.9 billion birds, mainly due to diminishing food sources and habitat loss.
"We think about feeding birds other times in the year, but we don't necessarily think of feeding them in the winter," said Holland.
There are some situations where it may be necessary to rake leaves. Leaves near storm drains should be cleared, otherwise they can create a soggy mess or even cause a flood. On sidewalks, uncleared leaves can cause a tripping hazard if it rains and they freeze in the winter.
In addition, Holland said, if you have a pine tree near your backyard, it’s a good idea to rake the needles, which are acidic and can damage the soil.
If you enjoy raking leaves or like the look of a clean lawn, Holland says the NCC isn't telling people they shouldn't rake their leaves, but is merely presenting an alternative.
"If people want to rake their leaves … that's great. We're not telling people not to do that. People like raking leaves in some ways. People enjoy getting the fresh air and working out," he said.
Many municipalities offer a roadside collection service for yard waste to turn it into compost. But if you live in a municipality that doesn't have a yard waste program and still want to rake your leaves, Holland suggest placing them in your garden or underneath trees or shrubs.
"That can be beneficial in terms of preventing the freeze-thaw cycle from impacting the tree roots," he said.
More than 115 people who viewed the solar eclipse in Ontario earlier this month experienced eye damage after the event, according to eye doctors in the province.
George Mallory is renowned for being one of the first British mountaineers to attempt to scale the dizzying heights of Mount Everest during the 1920s. Nearly a century later, newly digitized letters shed light on Mallory’s hopes and fears about ascending Everest.
A Sherwood Park family says their new house is uninhabitable. The McNaughton's say they were forced to leave the house after living there for only a week because contaminants inside made it difficult to breathe.
An emergency slide fell off a Delta Air Lines jetliner shortly after takeoff Friday from New York, and pilots who felt a vibration in the plane circled back to land safely at JFK Airport.
The B.C. NDP has asked the federal government to recriminalize public drug use, marking a major shift in the province's approach to addressing the deadly overdose crisis.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
A man has been handed a lengthy hunting ban and fined thousands of dollars for illegally killing a grizzly bear, B.C. conservation officers say.
An Ontario man who took out a loan to pay for auto repairs said his car was repossessed after he missed two payments.
A girl and a boy, both 14 years old, made their first appearance today in a Halifax courtroom, where they each face a second-degree murder charge in the stabbing death of a 16-year-old high school student.
Mounties in Nanaimo, B.C., say two late-night revellers are lucky their allegedly drunken antics weren't reported to police after security cameras captured the men trying to steal a heavy sign from a downtown business.
A property tax bill is perplexing a small townhouse community in Fergus, Ont.
When identical twin sisters Kim and Michelle Krezonoski were invited to compete against some of the world’s most elite female runners at last week’s Boston Marathon, they were in disbelief.
The giant stone statues guarding the Lions Gate Bridge have been dressed in custom Vancouver Canucks jerseys as the NHL playoffs get underway.
A local Oilers fan is hoping to see his team cut through the postseason, so he can cut his hair.
A family from Laval, Que. is looking for answers... and their father's body. He died on vacation in Cuba and authorities sent someone else's body back to Canada.
A former educational assistant is calling attention to the rising violence in Alberta's classrooms.
The federal government says its plan to increase taxes on capital gains is aimed at wealthy Canadians to achieve “tax fairness.”
At 6'8" and 350 pounds, there is nothing typical about UBC offensive lineman Giovanni Manu, who was born in Tonga and went to high school in Pitt Meadows.