Latest news with #Prairies
CTV News
18 hours ago
- Politics
- CTV News
Saskatchewan RM faces tough growing season
Regina Watch WATCH: The RM of Big Stick in southwest Sask. has asked for government assistance to help farmers during a tough time. Mick Favel reports.
Yahoo
20 hours ago
- Climate
- Yahoo
PHOTOS: Tornado hits Saskatchewan as severe storms pelt Prairies
Storm spotters witnessed at least one tornado in southern Saskatchewan on Thursday as severe thunderstorms hit the region. A dynamic setup across the south-central Prairies allowed isolated thunderstorms to develop on Thursday. The bulk of the active weather unfolded across Saskatchewan. DON'T MISS: At least three rotating thunderstorms prompted tornado warnings from communities near Saskatoon to rural areas near Estevan. The storm in southeastern Saskatchewan near Estevan produced at least one spotter-confirmed tornado. Multiple chasers in the region caught photos of the twister as it swept through fields, hurling debris through the air along its track. Large hail, gusty winds, and heavy rainfall also accompanied the severe thunderstorms. Experts will likely survey the damage in the days ahead to confirm the number of tornadoes that touched down Thursday and assign damage ratings on the Enhanced Fujita Scale. See visuals of Thursday's severe weather across the region, below. #skstorm Lajord, Sk — Gary Hofer (@LajordSKFarmer) June 19, 2025 Tornado southwest of Oxbow, Saskatchewan! #skstorm — Braydon Morisseau (@BraydonMoreSo) June 19, 2025 Tornado northeast of North Portal, Saskatchewan a short time ago. Has lifted. #skstorm — Braydon Morisseau (@BraydonMoreSo) June 19, 2025 Tornado on ground west of davin it looks like!#skstorm — Mitch Healey (@MitchHealeyPics) June 19, 2025 Tornado on the ground south of Frobisher #skstorm — Scott Aspinall (@ScottAspinall5) June 19, 2025 Header image courtesy of Gary Hofer via X. Click here to view the video
CTV News
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- CTV News
Summer preview at Living Prairie Museum
Winnipeg Watch CTV's Ainsley McPhail takes in the views and hands-on displays at Living Prairie Museum
CBC
3 days ago
- Business
- CBC
In the face of a trade war, Saskatchewan's helium industry looks to lift off
In a farmer's field near Swift Current, Sask., Clayten Wenass is checking the flow of a helium well. The system of shiny metal pipes runs nearly two kilometres under the Prairie soil and sends the gas to a nearby plant. It's one of many popping up more frequently in a landscape already dotted with oil pumpjacks. "There's still this buzz around helium," said Wenass, who works as a field engineer for Calgary-based North American Helium. "We're just scratching the surface on our exploration and production at this point." The company has invested half a billion dollars into wells and processing plants in Saskatchewan's southwest since 2013. It's the largest firm in an emerging field of about a dozen Canadian helium businesses. The demand for the gas goes well beyond balloons at party stores. It's used in MRI machines at hospitals, the manufacturing of semiconductors and fibreoptic cables, and the aerospace industry. WATCH | Sask. on track to become among top global producers of helium: Sask. on track to become among top global producers of helium 11 hours ago Duration 2:00 At North American Helium's Antelope Lake facility, helium from the wells is piped into a larger processing plant surrounded by fields. It's an intensely loud and largely automated operation, with a system of valves and vessels that removes nitrogen, water and other substances. "At some of our sites, less than one per cent of the gas coming out of the ground is helium," Wenass said, while walking by a maze of pipes and machinery. "There's a lot of learning that's been done and there's a lot of learning to be had yet going forward." The field team runs the operation out of a gas lab and control centre, which allows them to take samples of helium at different stages of the purification process. With the help of a computer, they analyze the molecules inside a test tube within minutes, and quickly respond to any changes in temperature or pressure. In the final step of the purification process, pure helium is piped into special transport trucks to be sent south of the border to Colorado and Oklahoma to be liquified. Canada does not have a facility capable of liquifying helium, forcing producers to rely on the United States. In the face of a trade war, there's now a growing push to decouple the supply chain. Chris Bakker, co-chair of the Helium Developers Association of Canada, said the industry views a Canadian liquifier as a second step. "To justify a helium liquefaction facility here, we feel that we need more exploration to build more reserves," he said. "For the Canadian domestic use in hospitals here, we have to ship it across the border, become liquefied and bring it back to Canada. A Canadian liquefaction plant would eliminate that problem." The industry is calling on the federal government to add helium to its list of 15 critical minerals eligible for a federal exploration tax credit, which could make it easier to attract investment. A Department of Finance official told CBC News it is always examining ways to improve the tax system, but did not say if helium is being considered for inclusion on the list. Since 2006, helium has gone through a series of global shortages, leaving labs and hospitals scrambling to get enough and paying top dollar for it. Phil Korbluth, a helium industry consultant based in Bridgewater, N.J., said supply has been abundant since the end of 2023. "It's a more challenging environment because after a period where margins were expanding, margins are now shrinking," he said. Kornbluth said a single Canadian liquifier would be worth the investment and allow for exporting out of Canadian ports directly to foreign markets – instead of solely across the U.S. border. "I think it sends a signal that Canada is in the helium business for the long haul, that they are more than a feed gas supplier to U.S. sources," he said. Bakker, who is also CEO of Calgary-based Avanti Helium Corp., said that despite the more abundant supply, the Canadian helium industry's competitive advantage could come down to global politics. The largest producers currently include Qatar, Russia, Algeria and the U.S., and Asian buyers have expressed interest in sourcing helium from Canada. "These are nations that look at things in 100-year horizons and they understand the importance of having a safe, secure supply, which Canada can provide."
CTV News
4 days ago
- General
- CTV News
‘Feisty little character': Winnipeggers document special falcons that have made their property home
An American Kestrel being banded in Winnipeg on June 10, 2025. (Jamie Dowsett/CTV News Winnipeg) A Winnipeg couple is doing their part to help better understand and protect North America's smallest falcon. Kim Bisson and her husband, Rick Onski, set up a birdhouse on their property for the American Kestrel to call home. 'The kestrel is such a feisty little character that we just fell in love with them when they moved into our neighbourhood, because, like a lot of wildlife, they're losing their habitat for many different reasons, and so we have put up nest boxes to try to draw them into our area,' said Bisson. Kestrels live in the Prairies and northern United States and are considered perch hunters. Their diet consists of voles and insects. 'They sit and they perch and they watch and they look for those rodents running around in the grass. And then, of course, the insects, once the insects are out.' Kestrel birdhouse The birdhouse set up on Kim Bisson and Rick Onski's property on June 10, 2025. (Jamie Dowsett/CTV News Winnipeg) Bisson and Onski have been live streaming the kestrel families since 2014 and working with local organizations to collect data on the raptor species. Onski was a former cabinetmaker turned videographer. So, he created a bird box that fit multiple cameras inside and out, allowing them to get a bird's-eye view of the kestrel. This is their 11th season with baby birds, and they recently banded the newest hatchlings. 'We had two females and two males this year. So that's always good for the population. Keep the species going.' Banding is the process of taking a small metal band that has a unique number on it and wrapping it around the leg of the bird. American Kestrels A female kestrel on the left and a male kestrel on the right after being banded on June 10, 2025. (Jamie Dowsett/CTV News Winnipeg) The number is entered into a database, and researchers can see where the bird has been, if it's male or female, and track its growth. 'So there's stations set up across all of North America and even in South America, where these birds migrate to. That's allowed us to track this over time. So multiple generations, multiple species. So everything from really tiny little tree creepers all the way up to things like whooping cranes,' said Courtney Shuert, the conservation programs manager with the Assiniboine Park Conservancy. Bisson and Onski have banded 45 kestrels since 2014. Shuert said this practice is not only great for being able to understand the birds, but also what is happening globally. 'With things like climate change, one of the things that we're learning from these bands is actually how migration has changed over time. So things like birds showing up earlier every year as a result of changing climate.' American Kestrel A band getting put on an American Kestrel on June 10, 2025. (Jamie Dowsett/CTV News Winnipeg) Shuert noted having people like Bisson and Onski showcase an up-close and personal view of birds like the kestrel really brings the larger community closer to nature. 'Making that connection for people, I think, is really important. That's a lot of the work that we do here at the Assiniboine Park Conservancy, trying to connect people with their urban biodiversity. So efforts like that are really great to see.' Bisson expects the babies to be ready any day now to leave the nest and start their own journey out into the world.
