Latest from Calgary Herald
Calgary Herald
7 hours ago
- Climate
- Calgary Herald
How does a rockslide happen? 'The mountain that moves' was Canada's deadliest
Article content A large rockslide in Banff National Park left up to 15 hikers injured Thursday, leading to one potential death and raising a series of questions about how and why the disaster occurred. Article content With officials still working on rescue and treatment of survivors, it will be some time until an investigation concludes why the rockslide happened. But a look at published research and archive news articles on rockslides provides some general information about the dangerous occurrences. Article content Article content Article content Article content A rockslide happens when a large chunk of rock detaches itself from the mountain where it sits and begins sliding down the slope. Why does this occur? Well, natural erosion or seismic activity can cause a rockslide, as can heavy rainfalls. Human activity such as excavation, construction or mining can also lead to a rockslide. Article content As one chunk of rock begins its downward slide, it can quickly gain momentum and trigger massive amounts of other rock to also begin sliding, leading to devastating effects. Article content notes a landslide or rockslide can occur 'when gravitational and other types of shear stresses within a slope exceed the shear strength (resistance to shearing) of the materials that form the slope.' Article content What's the difference between a landslide and a rockslide? Article content A landslide occurs when sediment or loose dirt disengages from a hill or mountain and begins moving downwards. A rockslide, however, means solid rocks are also being swept down a slope during a similar type of event. Rockslides are also incredibly fast-moving, as they tend to move down a flat surface of a mountain. Article content Article content The Canadian Encyclopedia notes a rockslide can move up to 100 km/hr. Article content The most horrific rockslide in Canadian history occurred in 1903 when a huge slab of Turtle Mountain crashed down onto the town of Frank and Crowsnest Pass (about 250 kilometres southwest of Calgary). At least 72 known residents were killed in the natural disaster, as were an undetermined number of others visiting or passing through the area. Some historians thus put the death toll closer to 90. Article content An estimated 80 to 110 million tonnes of rock were involved in the deadly event that came to be known as Frank Slide. The rockslide only lasted about a minute and a half. Article content Newspaper clippings and archive stories from the rockslide describe the horrific results that led to the deaths of men, women and children. As those clippings note, information about the state of some of the victims was disturbing, but shed light on how powerful the rockslide was: 'The leg and hip of a man was found lying fifty yards from the Imperial Hotel.'
Calgary Herald
8 hours ago
- Sport
- Calgary Herald
How Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is quietly becoming the best Canadian basketball player ever
Article content After Game 5, he heaped praise on forward Jalen Williams' 40-point effort and said he was just 'trying to affect winning.' Article content 'Trying to make a basketball play. I was trying to help the team win, trying to be in position for the next rotation, next play defensively. Whatever comes with that, comes with that.' Article content Article content Washington, whose program has provided coaching and mentorship to other Canadian NBA talent such as R.J. Barrett, Lindell Wigginton, and Shaedon Sharpe, told National Post he's been impressed with how Gilgeous-Alexander is handling the defensive pressure, even likening it to what Jordan experienced in the playoffs. Article content 'That is so hard to do. Some of the best athletes in the world are double- and triple-teaming you, and you're still getting 30, 10 assists and winning with a team so young,' he explained. (The Thunder's average age is just 25.6 years, making them the youngest squad to play for a title since the 1977 Portland Trailblazers.) Article content Article content Washington offered more comparisons to Jordan, along with Bryant, in terms of Gilgeous-Alexander's approach to the game off the court — 'He's out-studying, outmaneuvering, out-planning, and out-working people before they even step on the court,' he said — and a fall-away mid-range jump shot that both legends deployed with lethal efficiency throughout their careers. Article content Article content Article content He said the six-foot-six guard has been working on that shot for years, and it comes naturally to him. However, most NBA coaches preach against the generally low-percentage shot attempt despite it being a go-to for elite offensive players. Article content Washington said Gilgeous-Alexander has been told not to shoot it 'most of his career,' but he's continued to perfect it anyway. Article content 'I know he's been working on it, so it's great to see it in real time,' Washington said. 'I'll be honest with you, if he'd listened to other people telling him what not to do, he wouldn't be there.' Article content Nash also offered a Jordan and Bryant comparison in an interview with the Toronto Star last month, saying Gilgeous-Alexander 'does the same thing they do.' Article content 'If you look at the numbers and you break it down, there's a lot of things he does that are greater than everyone that's even close to those type of players. So he's ascending towards that category.'
Calgary Herald
8 hours ago
- Business
- Calgary Herald
Carney announces new measures to protect Canada's steel and aluminum industries
Prime Minister Mark Carney on Thursday announced Canada will adopt new tariffs on foreign steel and aluminum, in addition to other measures to protect domestic industries in response to United States tariffs that are disrupting global trade. Article content One new measure will limit the amount of foreign steel coming into Canada, while another will change federal government procurement policies to favour the use of Canadian steel and aluminum. Article content Article content 'We must reinforce our strength at home and safeguard Canadian workers and businesses from the unjust U.S. tariffs that exist at present,' Carney said at a press conference. Article content Article content On June 5, U.S. President Donald Trump increased tariffs on all foreign steel to 50 per cent from 25 per cent. Article content Although the U.S. tariffs affected all countries, Carney said one of their consequences is that steel that other countries would have sent into the U.S. may be diverted into Canada. Article content One of the new measures he introduced will establish a 'tariff rate quota,' which will limit the amount of steel a foreign country can export to Canada based on how much it exported in 2024. Article content Article content The Canadian Steel Producers Association, a lobbying group for the country's largest steel producers, has spent months arguing that U.S. tariffs will flood Canada with other countries' steel, thereby depressing steel prices here just when they are trying to increase their sales in the domestic market. Article content Article content Two weeks ago, the organization's board members travelled to Ottawa for a meeting with Carney's top cabinet ministers and pushed for counter tariffs on U.S. steel, as well as more tariffs on foreign steel coming into Canada. Article content 'It is clear that the government is seized with the gravity of the situation facing Canadian steel and understands the need for expediency in responding,' Catherine Cobden, chief executive of the CBSA, said in a press release on June 6. Article content So far, the federal government has stopped short of imposing additional tariffs on either steel or aluminum, but it said it 'will adopt additional tariff measures over the coming weeks to address risks associated with persistent global overcapacity and unfair trade in the steel and aluminum sectors, which are exacerbated by U.S. actions.'
Calgary Herald
9 hours ago
- Calgary Herald
These 12 scenic road trips will take you to the most beautiful places in Canada
As many Canadians choose to stay north of the border this summer, Postmedia Travel will be publishing a series of stories highlighting the best that Canada has to offer. This week we look at Canada's most scenic drives. Article content The best places to visit in Canada aren't always the most famous, sometimes they're the hidden gems tucked between old-growth forests and coastlines where the road bends and reveals something breathtaking. But in a nation this vast, how do you decide which road is the one worth travelling? Article content Article content Article content We turned to seasoned travel experts, road trippin' readers and long-haul wanderers to uncover the best road trips in Canada. What we got back were personal recommendations, local secrets and memorable routes that left a lasting impression on travellers across the country. Article content Article content From a scenic loop around the southern part of Vancouver Island to the Cabot Trail in Cape Breton, Nova Scotia, these are some of the most spectacular journeys in Canada, chosen by people who lived them, loved them and now want to pass them on. Article content Article content Article content Vancouver Island's Pacific Marine Circle starts in Victoria and travels west along the island's southwest coast looping towards the rolling hills and lakes of the picturesque Cowichan Valley before heading south along the Malahat Highway. Drive west from the provincial capital, pausing at geologically significant Sooke Potholes Provincial Park. Article content Stop to watch the surfers at China Beach and Jordan River, then study tidal pool marine life at Botanical Beach further north near Port Renfrew, the trail head for the West Coast Trail. Venture off-road to explore Big Lonely Doug and the temperate rainforest of Upper Avatar Grove. Head east towards Cowichan Lake, a great place for a dip or float on the Cowichan River.
Calgary Herald
10 hours ago
- Business
- Calgary Herald
Alberta Innovates invests $340k in province-wide wearable technology
Alberta Innovates is supporting a province-wide wearable technologies initiative to the tune of $340,750. Article content The funding will allow small and medium-sized enterprises to access facilities at the Canadian Sport Institute Alberta, and help move products from prototype to final, releasable product. Article content Article content The Sport Product Testing program had already been working with large clients such as Under Armour and Adidas. The funding will instead go directly to providing smaller teams with that same opportunity to test and validate their emerging wearable tech, otherwise a struggle in the province. Article content 'They are doing things internally, potentially, and they are doing things, if I will say, not properly,' said business development manager for the sport institute, Pro Stergiou. Article content Article content Wearable heart rate monitoring tools from small Albertan developers will be able to compare their results to a full electrocardiogram, allowing them to refine their algorithms and give more accurate results. Sport-specific technology will be granted access to the world-class athletes who train in the facility for their testing data. Without that access to these validation tools, smaller organizations can struggle to make it to market. Article content Article content Stergiou still thinks the industry has plenty of room to grow. After working with some of the largest wearable technology companies in the market, he sees plenty of gaps for smaller teams from Alberta to fill, not just with data collection, but with information analysis. Article content 'Apple, Garmin, Fitbit, all these companies in the wearable device space, they're introducing more and more and more data to the consumer, but they're not helping the consumer — as a health-conscious consumer, as a sport consumer — understand what the data means,' Stergiou said. Article content Article content Adam Kingsmill uses wearable technology every day. He's a Canadian Paralympic sledge hockey goalie who played on the teams that won silver at the Beijing 2022 Paralympics and the world championship in 2024. Article content Kingsmill tracks the miles he runs, bikes or skates. Throughout the long training period of a full season, he says it is a powerful tool to monitor load management and keep himself and the team away from injury.
