MacKay bridge in Halifax closed for the weekend
Atlantic Watch
The Halifax MacKay bridge will be closed from Saturday, May 24 through Sunday.
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CBC
3 hours ago
- CBC
Roughly half of the Mantario Trail has been torched by wildfire. Now what?
Social Sharing One of the casualties of the 2025 wildfire season is Manitoba's most popular distance-hiking route, which is closed indefinitely due to a fire that's swept across the wilderness zone in Whiteshell Provincial Park. Roughly half of the 63-kilometre Mantario Trail lies within the perimeter of the fire known as EA063, which began near Ingolf, Ont., in mid-May before spreading into Manitoba's Whiteshell area. It has engulfed more than 5,400 hectares (54 square kilometres) of boreal forest in Manitoba, plus an adjoining swath of Ontario. While the fire is being held, it remains an active blaze. Provincial crews have yet to assess the condition of the trail or the campsites that lie within the boundaries of the fire at Caribou, Marion, Olive, Moosehead and Mantario lakes. "We recognize that it has been significantly impacted," said Mike Moyes, Manitoba's minister of the environment and climate change. "Our team is looking forward — once the risk is lowered for us — to get in there." While more than 30 kilometres of the Mantario lies within the fire perimeter, it's unclear how much of the trail has actually burned. Wildfires sometimes pass over low-lying areas or spare rocky outcrops at higher elevations. Regardless, the province has already warned backpackers and trail runners who may have had plans to visit the trail this year to make other arrangements. This is not just because deadfall must be cleared from campsites and the trail itself. Maintenance crews may have to bring down thousands of widowmakers — the dead trunks of burned trees left standing but highly prone to falling during windstorms — before the trail can be deemed safe enough to traverse. Even then, the trail may not make for a pleasant walk or run. While forests do regenerate, burned areas are devoid of shade and can be unpleasantly hot to traverse when a pack is on your back. This will present a quandary for park officials, given the increasing popularity of outdoor recreation in a province without many distance-hiking options. Opportunity for new trails In recent years, the Mantario Trail has become immensely popular on its own. Two decades ago, it was possible to walk the Mantario during the optimal hiking season in September — when the trail is dry and biting insects are all but nonexistent — and only see a handful of other humans. Since the start of the pandemic, which further fuelled the outdoor recreation boom, it has become commonplace to find 30 people or more at every campsite on the trail, making the Mantario feel more like a front-country music festival than a back-country wilderness destination. Removing the Mantario Trail from the available distance-hiking options, even if the southernmost and northernmost sections do reopen, will only place more usage pressure on Manitoba's other distance trails, such as the 42-kilometre Epinette Creek-Newfoundland trail system in Spruce Woods Provincial Park, the 39-kilometre Tilson Lake loop in Riding Mountain National Park and the 29-kilometre Upper Track Trail in northern Manitoba, which connects Pisew Falls with Kwasitchewan Falls. One option facing Whiteshell administrators and volunteers could be a temporary rerouting of the Mantario Trail to the west while the fire-impacted area recovers. This may not prove popular with cottagers at Florence Lake, who successfully lobbied decades ago to move the trail to the east. A second option would involve fast-tracking the creation of new trails. Very few new hiking trails have been created in Manitoba since the 1970s, and certainly none since the popularity of hiking and trail running exploded. Moyes suggested Manitoba may create more trails but did not commit to the idea. "In terms of those long-distance trails, we recognize that they're becoming increasingly popular, and while that's fantastic, it does bring other challenges," he said. Those challenges include overuse. This is not just a matter of encountering more people on the trail. On the Mantario Trail, several campsites have become infested with mice and littered with trash toward the end of the peak summer and fall season. These are telltale signs of trail overuse that have not been addressed by the provincial parks branch. The province does not employ any means of managing the number of people who use the Mantario Trail. There are no fees to use the trail, as there are along popular Parks Canada routes such as the West Coast Trail on Vancouver Island, and no trail user registration. The province conceded Friday it has no means of discerning how many people walk or run the trail in any given year. The closure of the trail due to fire presents an opportunity for the parks branch to reconsider these policies as well as the construction of new trails. The good news is, wilderness trails are a lot less expensive to plan and build than other forms of infrastructure. There are no armies of volunteers pitching in to place fresh coats of asphalt on Manitoba's highways. Trail creation does attract volunteers. Manitoba 211 by calling 211 from anywhere in Manitoba or email 211mb@
CBC
3 hours ago
- CBC
My family and I had to leave our home due to wildfires. Here's a photo diary of what happened next
This First Person article is the experience of Lori Osborne, a mother of four from Pimicikamak Cree Nation. For more info rmation about CBC's First Person stories, please see this FAQ. You can read more First Person articles here. On May 28, Pimicikamak Cree Nation was placed under an emergency evacuation order, as wildfires burned out of control near the northern Manitoba First Nation and surrounding communities. Lori Osborne, her four children and her partner, Stephan Robinson, were among the thousands who had to leave, and just found out earlier this week they'd finally be able to go home. Osborne diarized their journey with photos and notes. This is the first picture I decided to take before we were all told to evacuate, sitting around the living room with our bags all out and listening to the chief talk on radio and tell us to evacuate. I remember just rushing around and grabbing the things I needed. I packed as much as I could for me and my four kids. And let me tell you, that was hard. I probably packed more pants than shirts for my eight-month-old baby, Greenly. I packed two shirts and two pants for my son, Lakota, because I didn't do laundry. It was hectic packing, not only for myself but my kids — making sure I packed enough Pampers or milk, shoving things in to make it fit. Greenly was starting to get super fussy trying to get across the ferry to Norway House. I would have to carry her around outside sometimes just to keep her busy! Do you know how hard it can be to entertain a baby in a cramped up vehicle? (Ha ha.) I had my daughter Meena, my son Lakota and my niece Scarlett sing baby songs, such as Icky Sticky Bubble Gum and The Wheels On the Bus. I thought it would take forever to get to the ferry. This is Greenly and Meena waiting for the Hercules plane. I remember the wait was so hard! I didn't have a stroller for my baby girl, so I'd been carrying her a lot. Me and my boyfriend, Stephan Robinson, had to take turns holding her. I almost blacked out, because I was so hot and sweaty and tired. I just got so tired, I decided to lay her on the ground with her sister and me. This one here! It's when I realized, 'Oh, OK, this is serious. We're actually leaving our home!' I got scared, I'm not gonna lie. I'm not used to leaving my hometown. I'm not used to travelling. I never travelled with all four of my kids. Me and Stephan had to reassure my babies everything was gonna be all right. We just had to go on a trip to be safer. After our Hercules plane ride, we got into a bus right away, which took us to Peguis First Nation. When I hopped on the bus after settling down with my kids, I started crying. It was about 12:30 in the morning when we started moving, and I realized all my kids were cold. I didn't pack a blanket or warmer clothes. Me and Stephan had to take our sweaters to put on our babies, but there were only two of us and we had four cold babies. My son used mine, and our eight-month-old really needed one. My Meena was curled up in a ball inside her shirt. I cried and felt so sorry for them during that whole bus ride. When we arrived in Peguis, as we were walking into the multiplex, I noticed lots of cots with blankets and sheets on top of them. I noticed bottled water and snacks, and when I got into the washroom, I noticed clean towels hanging everywhere, shampoo, conditioner, soap, tooth brushes, etc. They even had a place for Pampers, Enfamil and a nursing station all in one building! Everything was literally ready when we got in, and boy, did I feel so much peace. My kids had a place to sleep, a blanket and a pillow. They gave us so many blankets — they gave us dividers, so we could have privacy, and Stephan made a little shelter for us. It felt like camping for my kids. They loved it so much here in Peguis; they had food my kids loved (like noodles and Kraft Dinner), bouncy houses, toys, an arcade and a pool table. But then, after spending five days in Peguis, they announced on the intercom we had to pack because we were going to Niagara Falls, Ont. Let me tell you, my heart dropped! I never ever travelled that far, let alone with all four of my kids. I got nervous, scared and worried about my babies. We packed and hopped on the bus. Then we waited all day at the airport to be boarded on the plane. We got word that we were definitely gonna be on that plane. So Stephan put our bags into the plane — only to be told we weren't getting on that flight. My kids waited around hungry and tired for nothing. I cried as soon as our councillor told us we weren't getting on the plane. She comforted me and said, "I'm sorry, I really am." I was just so tired of travelling and making my kids sleep on the floor. The next day, after a two-and-a-half-hour plane ride, we had a one-hour bus ride to Niagara Falls. We finally made it there. And so for the time being, Niagara Falls became home. We finally got a soft bed and two big rooms. My Meena was at peace. Look at her relaxing with her feet up, chilling. I felt better looking at her that way! I always wondered, "Why Niagara Falls, out of all places?" But it was amazing. On our first day there, we went for a stroll. It was a beautiful sightseeing day. Niagara Falls was something. I might have gone overboard with the pictures, but Niagara Falls was something I never experienced. I'm so glad I got to experience it with our kids. We spent seven days in Niagara Falls. I won't forget it. But then we got bad news. My babies' Papa Ross, their grandfather, had passed away. We took it hard — we cried in front of our kids in our hotel. We had to tell our babies that their papa, whom they were sooo close to, had passed away. Carl Ross had been on dialysis for 12 years. He'd been nothing but good to me and my babies. This was the last picture we took of him, when we were first evacuated and before we went to Niagara Falls. But now, it was time to pack up once again and leave. We flew back to Winnipeg as soon as we heard, where my mother-in-law found a hotel room for us. This is back in Winnipeg (see below), waiting for a ride to the Travelodge. For my babies, it meant another long travel day. It's not that bad at the Travelodge. I'm just glad I'm closer to home and I get to see so many familiar faces. My kids love it. We feel at home. News! After almost three weeks of travel, we just got word the evacuation is lifted! We get to go home!
CTV News
12 hours ago
- CTV News
32nd Ottawa Dragon Boat Festival makes waves at Mooney's Bay
Ottawa's annual Dragon Boat Festival is taking place at Mooney's Bay this weekend. CTV's Camille Wilson caught up with some of the attendees. The annual Dragon Boat Festival is back for it's 32nd year in Ottawa. The event is the largest festival of its kind in North America, drawing teams from all over the world. This year's festival has about 145 teams with 72 cities participating. Along with teams all across Canada, paddlers competed in at least two 500 metre races at Mooney's Bay on Saturday. 'The community side is just incredible because it brings together all walks of life,' says John Brooman, CEO and president of the Tim Hortons Dragon Boat Festival. 'It doesn't matter whether you're a first-time paddler or if you're on the national team. People are just out here having a wonderful time. It raises a ton of money for charity,' It is one of the biggest sporting and entertainment events in the nation's capital and is part of a larger Chinese cultural tradition that goes back 2,400 years. 'I grew up with the Dragon Boat Festival as a kid in the UK and I really loved it,' said attendee Kyan Cheng. 'I really wanted to take my three-year-old son to experience it for the first time here. I've talked about it and it's part of our culture. He's just really loving it.' Ottawa Dragonboat Festival The Arctic Char Dragon Boat team from The Netherlands getting ready to compete. (Camille Wilson/CTV News Ottawa) Sandy Foote, captain of Fleet of Foote, says his team has participated in the event from the very beginning. 'This is our 32nd year at the Ottawa Dragon Boat Festival. We come every year and have a lot of fun,' Foote said. 'It's our biggest festival that we do. We do seven festivals every year. This one is the best one.' The festival is raising more than $250,000 for charity this weekend and has raised more than $6 million over the years. The two-day celebration also includes exhibitors, food, a Breast Cancer Survivor Challenge, traditional flower ceremony and dance performances. 'It's great to see such big crowds out for this type of event,' said Chris Bell. 'Lots of big smiles on people's faces. It's been a good, good experience.' There is free admission to all the races and free parking at the Canada Post parking lot. Races are every 10 minutes and will run until Sunday.
