LIVE AT 2:30 2-hour wildfire evacuation notice issued for some Fort McMurray neighbourhoods
A wildfire evacuation alert for some Fort McMurray residents has been updated to a two-hour evacuation notice.
A kilt-wearing Scotsman and his dog completed an 8,000-kilometre fundraising walk across Canada on Sunday by striding into an icy breeze atop Cape Spear on the eastern edge of Newfoundland.
Michael Yellowlees and his Alaskan husky, Luna, started their journey in Tofino, B.C., nine months ago.
"I'm feeling pretty pumped, but I can't believe that it's done," he said as he neared the finish line along the coast, where it was a brisk -2 C. "It will take a couple of days to sink in."
Yellowlees, who is from Dunkeld and Birnam in Scotland, undertook the epic trek to raise money for a conservation group that wants to plant trees in the Scottish Highlands in a bid to revitalize the Caledonian Forest.
The 32-year-old Highlander -- who raised more than $60,000 for the Trees for Life charity -- wore a kilt every day of the trip, including through snowstorms in the Rockies and the cold rain in Newfoundland.
"Once you're moving and as long as your core is warm with enough layers, you stay warm enough," he said in an earlier interview. "We've stuck with it. It's been the kilt the whole way."
Asked why he chose to walk across Canada, he said he wanted to draw attention to this country's vast forests, which stand in stark contrast to the largely treeless Highlands.
"It's quite a barren, sad-looking landscape," he said during a break on Saturday afternoon. "It shouldn't look like that at all. It used to be forested from coast to coast."
The pine forests were cleared long ago for shipbuilding and to fuel the growth of the British Empire, he said. As well, thousands of Highland Scots emigrated to Canada during the Highland Clearances from 1780 to 1860, when farmers were evicted to make way for sheep.
Some of the descendants of those immigrants still reside in Cape Breton, where Yellowlees was quick to notice the many Gaelic place names.
"The further east I got, the more at home I was feeling," he said. "People were stopping their cars and I would get in, and they would speak Gaelic to me . . . . There's a shared heritage."
As for his companion Luna, Yellowlees said the former sled dog took the trip in stride.
"They're bred for distance. The mileage we covered every day is minimal for a dog like Luna. She's been amazing."
Having worn out four pairs of boots, Yellowlees said he was physically exhausted. He was planning on spending the next two weeks relaxing in St. John's.
Looking back, Yellowlees said he will always remember the kindness shown by so many strangers.
"People have been absolutely amazing across Canada by coming out and showing their support and bringing food to the roadside," he said. "The hospitality and friendship I've been shown has been breathtaking."
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 5, 2021.
A wildfire evacuation alert for some Fort McMurray residents has been updated to a two-hour evacuation notice.
Canadian LifeLabs customers who filed an application for a class-action settlement began receiving their payments this week, though at a much lower amount than initially expected.
Nobel laureate Alice Munro, the Canadian literary giant who became one of the world's most esteemed contemporary authors and one of history's most honoured short story writers, has died at age 92.
Wildfires have led Environment Canada to issue air quality advisories for parts of B.C., Alberta, Manitoba, Saskatchewan and the Northwest Territories, as forecasters warn the smoke could drift farther east.
An American accused of sexually assaulting a Pennsylvania college student in 2013 and later sending her a Facebook message that said, 'So I raped you,' has been detained in France after a three-year search.
The annual list of Canada's top restaurants in the country was just released and here are the places that made the 2024 cut.
Ontario Provincial Police are responding to a fatal collision involving two vehicles on Highway 417 in Ottawa's west end on Tuesday morning.
The Israeli flag is flying at Ottawa City Hall today to mark the country's national day, with plans to hold a private ceremony to mark Israel's Independence Day. There is a significant police presence at City Hall, including security barriers outside the main doors.
A bus carrying farmworkers in central Florida overturned on Tuesday, killing eight people and injuring about 40 other passengers, authorities said.
A team is ready to help an entangled North Atlantic right whale in the Gulf of St. Lawrence.
A $200 reward is being offered by a North Vancouver family for the safe return of their beloved chicken, Snowflake.
Two daughters and a mother were reunited online 40 years later thanks to a DNA kit and a Zoom connection despite living on three separate continents and speaking different languages.
Mother's Day can be a difficult occasion for those who have lost or are estranged from their mom.
YES Theatre Young Company opened its acclaimed kids’ show, One Small Step, at Sudbury Theatre Centre on Saturday.
An Ottawa pizzeria is being recognized as one of the top 20 deep-dish pizzas in the world.
A family of fifth generation farmers from Ituna, Sask. are trying to find answers after discovering several strange objects lying on their land.
A Listowel, Ont. man, drafted by the Hamilton Tigercats last week, is also getting looks from the NFL, despite only playing 27 games of football in his life.
The threat of zebra mussels has prompted the federal government to temporarily ban watercraft from a Manitoba lake popular with tourists.