Environment – Winnipeg Free Press

Prime Minister Mark Carney, left, greets Alberta Premier Danielle Smith during the 2025 summer meetings of Canada's premiers at Deerhurst Resort in Huntsville, Ont., on Tuesday, July 22, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Nathan Denette

Pipeline agreement includes new target of 75 per cent cut in methane emissions

Nick Murray, The Canadian Press 2 minute read Updated: 9:16 AM CST

OTTAWA - An agreement between Ottawa and Alberta that could clear the path for a new oil pipeline to the Pacific will also require a 75 per cent cut in methane emissions over the next decade, a source tells The Canadian Press.

Prime Minister Mark Carney is expected to unveil today a memorandum of understanding with Alberta on a possible new oil pipeline to the coast.

A source with knowledge of the agreement, who is not authorized to discuss details before they are made public, says the agreement will stipulate that no pipeline can go forward without the Pathways Alliance carbon-capture project.

The source also said the agreement will include a strengthened industrial carbon pricing system in Alberta.

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CFIA says there’s no need to restrict honey bee imports to ward off deadly mite

Sarah Ritchie, The Canadian Press 2 minute read Preview

CFIA says there’s no need to restrict honey bee imports to ward off deadly mite

Sarah Ritchie, The Canadian Press 2 minute read 10:36 AM CST

OTTAWA - The Canadian Food Inspection Agency says there's no scientific evidence to suggest Canada should ban imports of honey bees from outside North America.

The CFIA says it's closely monitoring the tropilaelaps mite, a parasite that has been found in a number of countries across Asia but not in Australia, New Zealand, Italy or Chile.

The agency was responding to a call from the head of the Alberta Beekeepers Commission, who said earlier this week that Canada should stop all imports to keep the pests out.

Canada currently imports worker bees from only four places and the CFIA says exporting countries must certify they're free of the mite.

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10:36 AM CST

In this image made from video, bees gather on the frame of a hive box at Michigan State University's Pollinator Performance Center on Wednesday, Aug. 6, 2025, in East Lansing, Mich. (AP Photo/Mike Householder)

Higher fees for foreigners visiting US national parks stokes tourism concerns

Matthew Brown And Matthew Daly, The Associated Press 5 minute read Preview

Higher fees for foreigners visiting US national parks stokes tourism concerns

Matthew Brown And Matthew Daly, The Associated Press 5 minute read Updated: Yesterday at 4:58 PM CST

BILLINGS, Mont. (AP) — A $100-per-person charge for foreigners entering Yellowstone, Grand Canyon and other popular national parks is stoking apprehension among some tourist-oriented businesses that it could discourage travelers, but supporters say the change will generate money for cash-strapped parks.

The new fee was announced Tuesday by Interior Secretary Doug Burgum and takes effects Jan. 1. Foreign tourists also will see a sharp price increase for an annual parks pass, to $250 per vehicle. U.S. residents will continue to be charged $80 for an annual pass.

The change in policy puts the U.S. in line with other countries that charge foreigners more to see popular attractions.

At the Whistling Swan Motel just outside Glacier National Park in northwestern Montana, owner Mark Howser estimates that about 15% of his customers are foreigners. They come from Canada, China, India, Spain, France, Germany and elsewhere, said Howser, who also runs a bakery and general store.

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Updated: Yesterday at 4:58 PM CST

FILE - Tourists walk along a boardwalk in Upper Geyser Basin on June 22, 2022, in Yellowstone National Park, Wyo. (AP Photo/Matthew Brown, File)

Alberta-Ottawa pipeline accord unlikely to be “champagne-popping moment:’ Enserva CEO

Lauren Krugel, The Canadian Press 5 minute read Preview

Alberta-Ottawa pipeline accord unlikely to be “champagne-popping moment:’ Enserva CEO

Lauren Krugel, The Canadian Press 5 minute read Updated: Yesterday at 5:07 PM CST

CALGARY - Oil and gas industry advocates say they're heartened by an expected agreement between Alberta and Ottawa on a new West Coast pipeline, but their optimism is tempered by the long list of obstacles that would remain.

Media reports say the federal and provincial governments are poised to announce a memorandum of understanding Thursday, affirming support for a pipeline alongside emissions-reducing measures. The agreement reportedly includes exemptions to a ban on oil tankers along B.C.'s north coast, which has been law since 2019.

"Everybody nationally might look at this as a champagne-popping opportunity. But for us, a lot has to happen in order for us to see progress," said Gurpreet Lail, president and CEO of Enserva, an industry group whose members provide drilling and other services to the oil and gas sector.

"Signing an MOU is step one, but we actually need to progress a little bit further than that, and there's so many details that still need to be worked out.

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Updated: Yesterday at 5:07 PM CST

Prime Minister Mark Carney meets with Alberta Premier Danielle Smith in Ottawa on Monday, Oct. 6, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld

Search goes on for bear that attacked B.C. pupils, two other grizzlies to be freed

Nono Shen, The Canadian Press 3 minute read Preview

Search goes on for bear that attacked B.C. pupils, two other grizzlies to be freed

Nono Shen, The Canadian Press 3 minute read Tuesday, Nov. 25, 2025

The B.C. Conservation Officer Service says two grizzlies captured in Bella Coola will be fitted with tracking collars and relocated far from the community, while the search goes on for the bear that attacked and badly injured three schoolchildren and a teacher last week.

The bears were captured as officers search for the mother bear thought to have attacked the group of 20 people on a trail in the central coast community about 700 kilometres northwest of Vancouver.

The service says in an update on Tuesday that the second bear, a male, is still being assessed, but there isn't conclusive evidence either of the grizzlies that were caught on Monday was involved in the attack.

It says an intense search continues for the grizzly sow and her two cubs, which were believed to be involved in Thursday's attack.

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Tuesday, Nov. 25, 2025

A B.C. conservation officer measures a footprint in the mud during the search in Bella Coola on Saturday Nov. 22, 2025, for a bear that attacked a group of children and their teachers. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Handout — B.C. Conservation Officer Service (Mandatory Credit)

Flooding death toll in southern Thailand rises to more than 80 as water levels fall

Jintamas Saksornchai, The Associated Press 2 minute read Preview

Flooding death toll in southern Thailand rises to more than 80 as water levels fall

Jintamas Saksornchai, The Associated Press 2 minute read Updated: 8:15 AM CST

BANGKOK (AP) — The death toll from severe flooding in southern Thailand climbed to more than 80 people as floodwaters began to subside Thursday, officials said.

About 1 million households and more than 3 million people have been impacted by floods triggered by torrential rains in 12 southern provinces, the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation said Thursday.

The flooding that began during the weekend submerged vast areas and caused deaths in Nakhon Si Thammarat, Patthalung, Songkhla, Trang, Satun, Pattani and Yala provinces. Floodwaters had receded in many of the provinces Thursday morning, but water levels remained high in some areas including Pattani and Nakhon Si Thammarat.

Government spokesperson Siripong Angkasakulkiat said in a news conference in Bangkok that flood-related deaths in Songkhla province surged from six to 55 on Thursday, sending the overall death toll across the seven provinces to at least 82 people.

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Updated: 8:15 AM CST

People wade through floodwaters in Songkhla province, southern Thailand, Thursday, Nov. 27, 2025. (AP Photo/Sarot Meksophawannakul)

Indonesia intensifies search for victims after floods and landslides kill 69 people

Niniek Karmini And Binsar Bakkara, The Associated Press 5 minute read Preview

Indonesia intensifies search for victims after floods and landslides kill 69 people

Niniek Karmini And Binsar Bakkara, The Associated Press 5 minute read Updated: 9:11 AM CST

MEDAN, Indonesia (AP) — Rescuers searched Thursday in rivers and the rubble of villages for bodies and possible survivors after flash floods and landslides on Indonesia’s Sumatra island left 69 people dead and 59 missing.

Monsoon rains over the past week caused rivers to burst their banks in North Sumatra province Tuesday. The deluge tore through mountainside village, swept away people and submerged more than 2,000 houses and buildings, the National Disaster Management Agency said. Nearly 5,000 residents fled to government shelters.

The death toll rose to 37 in North Sumatra province as rescue personnel recovered more bodies on Thursday, said provincial police spokesperson Ferry Walintukan in a statement. Rescuers were searching for 52 residents reported missing, but mudslides, blackouts and a lack of telecommunications were hampering search efforts, he said.

Seventeen bodies were recovered by Thursday in South Tapanuli district and eight bodies in Sibolga city, Walintukan said. In the neighboring district of Central Tapanuli, landslides hit several homes, killing at least a family of four as well as one person found dead in floods in the city of Padang Sidempuan.

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Updated: 9:11 AM CST

In this photo released by the Indonesian National Search and Rescue Agency (BASARNAS), rescuers on a rubber boat evacuate residents from their flooded home in North Sumatra province, Indonesia Tuesday, Nov. 25, 2025. (BASARNAS via AP)

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Heavy rains trigger landslides and floods in Sri Lanka, leaving more than 40 dead

Bharatha Mallawarachi, The Associated Press 2 minute read Preview

Heavy rains trigger landslides and floods in Sri Lanka, leaving more than 40 dead

Bharatha Mallawarachi, The Associated Press 2 minute read Updated: 8:42 AM CST

COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (AP) — Sri Lanka stopped passenger trains and closed roads in some parts of the country where landslides and floods triggered by heavy rains have caused more than 40 deaths, officials said Thursday.

The government’s disaster management center said 25 of the reported deaths occurred in the mountainous tea-growing regions of Badulla and Nuwara Eliya in the country's central province about 300 kilometres (186 miles) east of the capital, Colombo.

Another 21 people were missing Thursday due to landslides in the same areas, while 10 people were injured, the center said.

Sri Lanka began grappling with severe weather last week, made worse by downpours over the weekend that wreaked havoc by flooding homes, fields and roads.

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Updated: 8:42 AM CST

People walk past a section of a highway blocked by a landslide caused by heavy rain in Badulla, Sri Lanka, Thursday, Nov, 27, 2025. (AP Photo)

Review of B.C.’s emissions strategy says LNG push threatens to wipe out cuts

Wolfgang Depner, The Canadian Press 5 minute read Preview

Review of B.C.’s emissions strategy says LNG push threatens to wipe out cuts

Wolfgang Depner, The Canadian Press 5 minute read Updated: Yesterday at 7:06 PM CST

VICTORIA - A report commissioned by British Columbia's government says its pursuit of new natural gas projects "threatens to set back progress" in reducing greenhouse emissions and the province is expected to fail its 2030 target.

The independent report into B.C.'s climate action plan, known as CleanBC, says new liquefied natural gas projects promise thousands of jobs and investments worth billions, but also add pollution that "stand to all-but wipe out hard-fought gains in other sectors."

The report released Wednesday points to what it calls "opportunity costs" that come with developing LNG.

It says keeping pollution from the natural gas and LNG sector as low as possible requires "significant electrification," and achieving net-zero emissions would require proponents to "electrify nearly all aspects of their supply chains."

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Updated: Yesterday at 7:06 PM CST

B.C. Minister of Energy and Climate Solutions Adrian Dix speaks during a press conference in Vancouver, B.C., Monday, July 28, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Ethan Cairns

Nova Scotia approves Halifax bylaw restricting Dartmouth Cove infilling

Lyndsay Armstrong, The Canadian Press 4 minute read Preview

Nova Scotia approves Halifax bylaw restricting Dartmouth Cove infilling

Lyndsay Armstrong, The Canadian Press 4 minute read Updated: Yesterday at 3:22 PM CST

HALIFAX - A waterfront area across the harbour from downtown Halifax is one step closer to being protected against infilling, as the Nova Scotia government says it has approved changes submitted by the municipality — but with amendments.

The approval comes more than three years after residents and environmental advocates first mobilized in hopes of preventing a local company from dumping pyritic slate and quarry rock along a strip of shoreline known as Dartmouth Cove.

Infilling — the act of depositing material into water to create new land — risks stirring up the industrial silt that is in a neutral state on the cove floor and may "wreak havoc" on the area's wildlife, which includes fish, lobsters, seals and birds, says Jill Brogan, an advocate with Save Dartmouth Cove.

Brogan, whose group has been trying to stop the company's project, says the potential environmental harms of infilling in the area are significant and the waterfront should be preserved for public use.

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Updated: Yesterday at 3:22 PM CST

Nova Scotia's provincial flag flies on a flagpole in Ottawa, Friday, July 3, 2020. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld

Deal reached to allow grocers to avoid accepting beer and wine empties

Allison Jones, The Canadian Press 5 minute read Preview

Deal reached to allow grocers to avoid accepting beer and wine empties

Allison Jones, The Canadian Press 5 minute read Updated: Yesterday at 3:10 PM CST

TORONTO - Ontario grocers and The Beer Store have reached an agreement-in-principle on alcohol recycling that will allow the retailers to avoid collecting empties at their stores and gives a renewed role to the brewers, The Canadian Press has learned.

The deal averts a potential death knell for the Ontario Deposit Return Program, as some grocers warned they would refuse to accept empties as required starting Jan. 1, the same day The Beer Store is allowed to close an unlimited number of locations.

Details are still being worked out, but the broad strokes of the agreement mean that consumers will continue to exchange empties for their deposits at Beer Store locations, with grocers footing the bill and the brewers committing to ensuring there is a point of recycling available within 10 kilometres for the vast majority of the population.

"This is positive news for consumers and the environment," The Beer Store's president and CEO Roy Benin wrote in a statement.

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Updated: Yesterday at 3:10 PM CST

Cyclists pass a now-closed Beer Store in Toronto’s east end, on Tuesday, August 19, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sammy Kogan

Ontario’s repeal of emissions target looms over landmark climate case

Jordan Omstead, The Canadian Press 5 minute read Preview

Ontario’s repeal of emissions target looms over landmark climate case

Jordan Omstead, The Canadian Press 5 minute read Updated: Yesterday at 12:30 PM CST

TORONTO - Ontario's repeal of its own emissions targets is an 11th hour attempt to escape accountability on its toothless climate plan, young activists behind a landmark case alleged on Wednesday as they vowed to continue their years-long legal saga.

Lawyers for the seven young people were set to argue next week that the government's weakened 2018 emissions target was without scientific basis and so out of step with the cuts required to limit severe climate impacts that it endangered their constitutional rights.

Instead, the Monday hearing has been cancelled and lawyers will discuss how the province’s recent move to scrap legislation underpinning its emissions targets and climate plans could reshape the case.

Shaelyn Wabegijig said that development has only strengthened her resolve to keep up the fight.

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Updated: Yesterday at 12:30 PM CST

Protesters take part in a climate protest march in Ottawa, on Sept. 21, 2024. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Spencer Colby

A foot-tall elephant? ‘Prehistoric Planet: Ice Age’ on Apple TV reveals surprising creatures

Mark Kennedy, The Associated Press 6 minute read Preview

A foot-tall elephant? ‘Prehistoric Planet: Ice Age’ on Apple TV reveals surprising creatures

Mark Kennedy, The Associated Press 6 minute read Yesterday at 10:40 AM CST

NEW YORK (AP) — If you’ve seen any of the “Ice Age” animated Disney movies, we have some bad news: You don’t know the real ice age.

It was an incredible time when the Earth was going through immense systemic changes and was filled with often nightmarish creatures — carnivorous kangaroos, 14-foot-tall bears and armadillos bigger than cars. Sid the sloth's eyes would bulge even more.

A hyper-realistic picture of life during that Pleistocene era emerges with Apple TV's five-part, computer-driven “Prehistoric Planet: Ice Age,” which takes place millions of years after the dinosaurs’ extinction.

“Nobody’s made a natural history representation of these creatures behaving and interacting in the way that we have in this series,” says Mike Gunton, co-executive producer and senior executive at the storied BBC Natural History Unit.

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Yesterday at 10:40 AM CST

This computer generated image released by Apple TV shows the Arctotherium angustidens, the biggest bear to ever live, in a scene from “Prehistoric Planet: Ice Age.

Families in southern Thailand perch on rooftops to escape flooding that has killed at least 33

Jintamas Saksornchai, The Associated Press 3 minute read Preview

Families in southern Thailand perch on rooftops to escape flooding that has killed at least 33

Jintamas Saksornchai, The Associated Press 3 minute read Updated: Yesterday at 6:04 AM CST

BANGKOK (AP) — Severe flooding in southern Thailand has caused at least 33 deaths since the weekend, officials said, as dramatic video footage showed people whose homes were virtually engulfed by water awaiting help on rooftops.

About 1 million households and more than 2.7 million people have been impacted by floods in 12 southern provinces triggered by heavy rains, the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation said Wednesday.

The accumulated rainfall began to decrease Wednesday and authorities were hopeful water levels would start to recede, but the Meteorological Department issued a warning for heavy rains and flash flooding in the country's southern region through Wednesday.

Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul on Tuesday declared a state of emergency for Songkhla province, which includes southern Thailand’s biggest city, Hat Yai, citing the “unprecedented severity” of the flooding that has caused widespread damage.

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Updated: Yesterday at 6:04 AM CST

Cars and houses are submerged in floodwaters in Songkhla province, southern Thailand, Wednesday, Nov. 26, 2025. (AP Photo/Arnun Chonmahatrakool)

Ambitious plan to store CO2 beneath the North Sea set to start operations

James Brooks, The Associated Press 5 minute read Preview

Ambitious plan to store CO2 beneath the North Sea set to start operations

James Brooks, The Associated Press 5 minute read Updated: Yesterday at 10:06 PM CST

NORTH SEA, Denmark (AP) — Appearing first as a dot on the horizon, the remote Nini oil field on Europe’s rugged North Sea slowly comes into view from a helicopter.

Used to extract fossil fuels, the field is now getting a second lease on life as a means of permanently storing planet-warming carbon dioxide beneath the seabed.

In a process that almost reverses oil extraction, chemical giant INEOS plans to inject liquefied CO2 deep down into depleted oil reservoirs, 1,800 meters (5,900 feet) beneath the seabed.

The Associated Press made a rare visit to the Siri platform, close to the unmanned Nini field, the final stage in INEOS’ carbon capture and storage efforts, named Greensand Future.

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Updated: Yesterday at 10:06 PM CST

The INEOS Energy's Siri platform seen from a helicopter above the North Sea, Denmark, Tuesday, Nov. 25, 2025. (AP Photo/James Brooks)

Thousands of Cubans struggle without power and water nearly a month after Hurricane Melissa

Milexsy Durán And Ariel Fernández, The Associated Press 5 minute read Preview

Thousands of Cubans struggle without power and water nearly a month after Hurricane Melissa

Milexsy Durán And Ariel Fernández, The Associated Press 5 minute read Tuesday, Nov. 25, 2025

RIO CAUTO, Cuba (AP) — Thousands of Cubans remain without power, water or proper shelter almost a month after Hurricane Melissa pummeled the island’s eastern region as one of the strongest Atlantic storms in history.

By day, families walk toward the nearest river to fill plastic containers with water and by night, they squeeze together to sleep under temporary shelters and tents.

“We lost everything in the flood,” 80-year-old Lucía García said. “I am very depressed and very sad here.”

García is living in a small classroom with her two sons, ages 45 and 55, and her ailing 81-year-old husband, who remains bedridden.

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Tuesday, Nov. 25, 2025

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