Latest news with #Greenview
CTV News
12-06-2025
- Climate
- CTV News
Here's the latest on wildfires and evacuations across Alberta
Alberta has a total of 56 wildfires burning in its Forest Protection Area as of Thursday morning. Twenty-three of those fires are out of control and five are being held. The MD of Greenview cancelled an evacuation order for Greenview No. 16 just after 9:30 a.m. The Forestry Trunk Road is now open, Alberta Emergency Alert said, but asked people to use caution in the area. For more information on the latest evacuation orders and alerts, visit Alberta Emergency Alert.
CTV News
11-06-2025
- Climate
- CTV News
Forestry minister says more federal funding would make a big difference in wildfire preparedness, prevention
Minister of Forestry and Parks, Todd Loewen, speaks with Alberta Primetime host Michael Higgins about the wildfire situation in the province. Minister of Forestry and Parks, Todd Loewen, speaks with Alberta Primetime host Michael Higgins about the wildfire situation in the province. Forestry and Parks Minister Todd Loewen speaks with Alberta Primetime host Michael Higgins about the wildfire situation in the province. This interview has been edited for clarity and length. Michael Higgins: Evacuation orders have been expanded in the County of Grande Prairie, as well now as the Municipal District of Greenview. What's that say about conditions up in your corner of the province? Todd Loewen: It's definitely dry and we've had quite a bit of lightning that came through earlier that created a bunch of fires. And with high winds that we've been having, it's a perfect scenario for these forest fires to ignite and to grow, and that's the problem. There's a lot of fire in the landscape right now, and with the high winds we've been having, they've been growing exponentially as well. MH: Whether it's the northwest or anywhere else, how would you frame the start of wildfire season in our province and the degree to which it's testing Alberta's ability to respond? TL: The first three weeks of May wasn't that bad. We had a high number of fires, but we were able to get on them quick, and weather conditions allowed us to control those fires pretty quickly. But the last week of May and into June, the lightning came through, and it has a static capacity. As far as our firefighting ability, we've been bringing in resources from other provinces and from other states, and soon here we'll be bringing in people from outside the country, some American crews, Australians as well, maybe even Costa Rica, maybe Mexico. We'll see who has firefighters to spare. We're working through the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre, and they arranged a lot of our people to come in and help from around the world and across the country. MH: Other provinces, including Ontario, now have requested assistance from the federal government. Where is Alberta in that queue? Is it in the queue? TL: The only help we've ever had from the feds, really, has been when we use the military, and of course, they do provide some funding along the way, too. It'd be nice to see more and more help from the feds. We send a lot of money to Ottawa that they distribute. It'd be nice to have a lot of that coming back to Alberta and helping with the firefighting situation. MH: What degree of communication do you have with the minister of emergency management and community resilience, newly elected Alberta MP Eleanor Olszewski, and how do those communications compare with dynamics that played out in the wake of that destructive fire in Jasper last year? TL: I haven't communicated directly, but that communication might be going on through our emergency services minister, Minister (Mike) Ellis. I reached out to Manitoba, the minister there, talking about the situation they have there. Earlier in the season, we were actually providing help to Manitoba and to Ontario, because we were a little on the slower side early in May, but now we need our resources back, and so they've all moved back home. Now we're asking for help from across the country and around the world. MH: We set up the conversation on expanding calls for a national fire service. The Canadian Association of Fire Chiefs says we're the only G7 country without a national fire administration. Where does Alberta's government stand on those calls? TL: We haven't come up with anything particular that we want to focus on when it comes to that strategy. We know that we have a good organization here, Alberta Wildfire does great work, we have good personnel here. When it comes to resources, I think that's where we could use some help from the feds. Again, we transfer a lot of money to Ottawa and Ottawa doesn't transfer that much back. If they could transfer some of that back to help us with our fighting wildfire, that'd be appreciated. MH: Fighting wildfires, that is a provincial responsibility, isn't it? TL: Yes, it is. Other than the national parks. MH: OK, so how different an approach do you see the federal government needing to take to this whole conversation? What or could that involvement look like to come from the feds? TL: We'll be in further conversations as time goes forward, but as it is right now, we could use the resources, the financial resources, to be able to bring in the help that we need. The federal government right now, they're not set up to fight fire at all right now –other than Parks Canada; they have their own firefighting abilities and crews and things like that. The provinces have that. If the feds wanted to get in, if they were to help pay for some of the expenses that we have, that would be a big help. And again, we have the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre that we work with. That's a great organization that really does help link us up to resources. MH: We're only approaching mid-June, many weeks left. How concerned are you about where this wildfire season is headed? TL: Always concerned. You never know what the weather is going to bring and what's going to happen. The majority of our issues right now were started by a band of dry lightning that moved through the province and followed by 30-degree temperatures and high winds. If we can avoid situations like that throughout the rest of summer, we might not be in too bad of shape, but we already have enough hectares on fire right now that we do have a long summer ahead of us, working on getting those fires extinguished.
CTV News
11-06-2025
- Climate
- CTV News
Forestry minister says more federal funding would make a big difference in wildfire preparedness, prevention
Minister of Forestry and Parks, Todd Loewen, speaks with Alberta Primetime host Michael Higgins about the wildfire situation in the province. Forestry and Parks Minister Todd Loewen speaks with Alberta Primetime host Michael Higgins about the wildfire situation in the province. This interview has been edited for clarity and length. Michael Higgins: Evacuation orders have been expanded in the County of Grande Prairie, as well now as the Municipal District of Greenview. What's that say about conditions up in your corner of the province? Todd Loewen: It's definitely dry and we've had quite a bit of lightning that came through earlier that created a bunch of fires. And with high winds that we've been having, it's a perfect scenario for these forest fires to ignite and to grow, and that's the problem. There's a lot of fire in the landscape right now, and with the high winds we've been having, they've been growing exponentially as well. MH: Whether it's the northwest or anywhere else, how would you frame the start of wildfire season in our province and the degree to which it's testing Alberta's ability to respond? TL: The first three weeks of May wasn't that bad. We had a high number of fires, but we were able to get on them quick, and weather conditions allowed us to control those fires pretty quickly. But the last week of May and into June, the lightning came through, and it has a static capacity. As far as our firefighting ability, we've been bringing in resources from other provinces and from other states, and soon here we'll be bringing in people from outside the country, some American crews, Australians as well, maybe even Costa Rica, maybe Mexico. We'll see who has firefighters to spare. We're working through the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre, and they arranged a lot of our people to come in and help from around the world and across the country. MH: Other provinces, including Ontario, now have requested assistance from the federal government. Where is Alberta in that queue? Is it in the queue? TL: The only help we've ever had from the feds, really, has been when we use the military, and of course, they do provide some funding along the way, too. It'd be nice to see more and more help from the feds. We send a lot of money to Ottawa that they distribute. It'd be nice to have a lot of that coming back to Alberta and helping with the firefighting situation. MH: What degree of communication do you have with the minister of emergency management and community resilience, newly elected Alberta MP Eleanor Olszewski, and how do those communications compare with dynamics that played out in the wake of that destructive fire in Jasper last year? TL: I haven't communicated directly, but that communication might be going on through our emergency services minister, Minister (Mike) Ellis. I reached out to Manitoba, the minister there, talking about the situation they have there. Earlier in the season, we were actually providing help to Manitoba and to Ontario, because we were a little on the slower side early in May, but now we need our resources back, and so they've all moved back home. Now we're asking for help from across the country and around the world. MH: We set up the conversation on expanding calls for a national fire service. The Canadian Association of Fire Chiefs says we're the only G7 country without a national fire administration. Where does Alberta's government stand on those calls? TL: We haven't come up with anything particular that we want to focus on when it comes to that strategy. We know that we have a good organization here, Alberta Wildfire does great work, we have good personnel here. When it comes to resources, I think that's where we could use some help from the feds. Again, we transfer a lot of money to Ottawa and Ottawa doesn't transfer that much back. If they could transfer some of that back to help us with our fighting wildfire, that'd be appreciated. MH: Fighting wildfires, that is a provincial responsibility, isn't it? TL: Yes, it is. Other than the national parks. MH: OK, so how different an approach do you see the federal government needing to take to this whole conversation? What or could that involvement look like to come from the feds? TL: We'll be in further conversations as time goes forward, but as it is right now, we could use the resources, the financial resources, to be able to bring in the help that we need. The federal government right now, they're not set up to fight fire at all right now –other than Parks Canada; they have their own firefighting abilities and crews and things like that. The provinces have that. If the feds wanted to get in, if they were to help pay for some of the expenses that we have, that would be a big help. And again, we have the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre that we work with. That's a great organization that really does help link us up to resources. MH: We're only approaching mid-June, many weeks left. How concerned are you about where this wildfire season is headed? TL: Always concerned. You never know what the weather is going to bring and what's going to happen. The majority of our issues right now were started by a band of dry lightning that moved through the province and followed by 30-degree temperatures and high winds. If we can avoid situations like that throughout the rest of summer, we might not be in too bad of shape, but we already have enough hectares on fire right now that we do have a long summer ahead of us, working on getting those fires extinguished.
CTV News
10-06-2025
- Climate
- CTV News
Evacuation orders issued in Greenview, Saddle Hills due to wildfires
A shoulder patch of the Alberta Wildfire service is pictured in Fort McMurray, Alta., Thursday, May 16, 2024. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jeff McIntosh A mandatory evacuation order was issued in the Municipal District of Greenview on Tuesday. The alert was issued at 11:03 a.m. due to an out-of-control wildfire burning over 325 hectares north of the Bison Flats recreation area. The evacuation order was in effect for everyone between the Smoky River and Forestry Trunk Road, including all points accessed from the road from km 70 to km 126. Residents were told to gather pets, medication, and food and water for at least three days. Evacuation order expanded in Saddle Hills Saddle Hills County expanded an evacuation order on Tuesday due to a 300-hectare wildfire burning out of control west of Blueberry Mountain. Monday's emergency alert was expanded at 11:40 include everyone between Township Road 794 and Highway 49, between Range Roads 94 and 85. An evacuation order was also in place for everyone between Range Road 95 and Highway 725, and Township Roads 794 and 802, including Moonshine Lake Provincial Park. An evacuation centre had been set up at the Blueberry Mountain Hall on Highway 680 and Range Road 82. Residents were told to prepare to be gone for up to a week. The most up-to-date information on emergency alerts can be found on the Alberta government's website.
Skift
29-05-2025
- Business
- Skift
Hotels' Biggest Challenges, Luxury's Evolution: Ask Skift's Most Popular Questions
We have answers to some of Ask Skift's most popular questions, including what are the biggest challenges hospitality faces and how travel brands are using social media to attract younger audiences Here are three of the most common questions our answer engine Ask Skift 2.0 has fielded recently and a brief summary of the answers it provided. What Are the Challenges Facing the Hospitality Industry? High construction and operating costs are slowing the development of new hotels, especially for independent brands without access to capital. That's contributed to a constrained supply environment, which helps keep room rates high but limits growth potential for hotel brands. Labor shortages remain one of the hospitality industry's most pressing issues of the most persistent hurdles for hotels worldwide. JLL's operator survey, based on more than 1,000 hotels across 20 Asia-Pacific countries, found front office and food and beverage positions to be the most difficult to fill. Sustainability is also a major concern for hotel executives, but there's a notable gap between ambitious corporate commitments and on-the-ground action. While a joint report from the World Travel and Tourism Council and Greenview revealed that 90% of 20,000 hotels surveyed worldwide have a plan to cut greenhouse gas emissions, only 6.1% of those hotels use renewable sources for their energy needs. In addition, global economic turbulence, including concerns about a possible recession, has created uncertainty for hotel operators and investors. Rising interest rates from historic lows have tightened access to capital, particularly for hotel development requiring lending from regional or local banks and investors. How Is Luxury Travel Evolving, Particularly With Younger Affluent Travelers? Affluent travelers are increasingly focusing on experiences over lavish accommodations or luxury shopping. About 63% of luxury travelers are likely to seek out adventurous activities, according to Skift Research and industry surveys. Research Analyst Saniya Zanpure wrote that the trend has become more pronounced among younger generations, those aged 18-44, who account for 67% of bookings and 70% of spending among affluent travelers. As the definition of luxury is expanding to include wellness, sustainability, and a focus on substance over spectacle, Research Analyst Robin Gilbert-Jones noted a trend toward "quiet luxury." Gilbert-Jones wrote younger and wealthier travelers are seeking cultural connections, authentic experiences, and environmental consciousness. What Are Travel Brands Doing on Platforms Like TikTok and Instagram to Attract Younger Audiences? With some content creators acting as travel advisors and booking agents, brands are increasingly partnering with creators who can offer niche expertise — in fields such as food or adventure travel — and equipping them with tools to enable direct bookings. Regarding booking capabilities within social platforms, Expedia Group announced this month it's launching Trip Matching, a feature on Instagram that would allow users to book travel based on videos from the social media app. Travelers would be able to share a publicly available travel-related Reel with the Expedia account on Instagram, and then AI would generate itineraries and travel tips based on the video. Brands are also shifting more of their marketing budgets from traditional channels toward social media. That trend is expected to pick up as members of Gen Z and millennials represent a larger share of travel spending.
