In the news today: Heat wave in B.C., wildfires prompt evacuation in NWT

Forecasts in those regions are calling for daytime high temperatures reaching the high 20s or low 30s on the coast and for inland temperatures reaching the mid to high 30s.

Wildfires close evacuation routes out of NWT towns, some being transported by air

Residents of a second town near the Alberta-Northwest Territories boundary have been ordered to evacuate due to encroaching wildfires, with a new fire blocking the only land route out of the region for one of the communities.

An evacuation order for residents in Hay River, NWT, was issued earlier in the day, but an update said a fire had started near the only highway out of town, blocking the road.

Residents have now been directed to instead evacuate to the Hay River airport for an airlift out of the region.

Here’s what else we’re watching …

As heat soars, advocates seek rental cooling rules

Advocates for renters in B.C. say it’s time to consider setting a maximum temperature allowed in rental units in the province.

Some municipalities already set rules for the minimum temperature rentals must be able to maintain in the cold but there are no caps on how hot a unit is allowed to get.

Emily Rogers, director of operations for Victoria’s Together Against Poverty Society, says amending property bylaws to include a maximum temperature “seems like a very reasonable step.”

She says renters are more likely to be vulnerable people and susceptible to extreme heat, making it important they have a safe place.

Trial for former head of military HR today

A sexual assault trial for the military’s former head of human resources is expected to hear from its first witness in an Ottawa court today.

Vice-admiral Haydn Edmundson has pleaded not guilty to one count of indecent acts and one count of sexual assault in an incident that allegedly happened in 1991.

He stepped down as head of military personnel command in March 2021 after CBC reported that a former Armed Forces member had accused him of rape.

Liberals wearing blame for housing crisis

Canada’s new minister of housing and infrastructure says he wants having a job to be enough to afford a home, much like it used to be.

But Sean Fraser says restoring the housing market to that level of affordability is a huge challenge that “might take a bit of time.”

The Liberals are showing signs of a renewed focus on housing amid mounting pressure to respond to the crisis — from their political opponents and Canadians alike.

Coinbase CEO says Canadian crypto regulations encouraging

Coinbase is rolling out Interac e-transfer integration as part of its Canadian offerings as it says it’s encouraged by the regulatory approach in the country.

The added feature, which will make it easier to move money in and out of Coinbase accounts, comes after the company hired Lucas Matheson as country director and ramped up its staff to over 200 engineers in its Toronto and Vancouver offices in the past year.

The company says the moves signal its commitment to Canada, and come at a time when other trading platforms including Binance, the world’s largest crypto platform, have said they were pulling out of the country.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published August 14, 2023.

The Canadian Press

by Canadian Press

In the news today: Heat wave in B.C., wildfires prompt evacuation in NWT

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