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An uptick in drought and other extreme weather events has beef producers in the U.S. and Canada thinning their herds in near-record numbers, which could lead to supply problems in the beef industry over the longer term, industry experts say. Producers will increasingly struggle with profitability amid the unpredictable seasons as climate change makes drought, flooding and wildfires more common, they say.
Indigenous peoples have been stewards of our natural environment since time immemorial. Conserving and restoring nature through Traditional Knowledge and Indigenous Science is fundamental to addressing the twin crises of climate change and biodiversity loss. Climate change is altering the water cycle, resulting in flooding, droughts, and wildfires. It is also one of the key drivers of biodiversity loss. Conserving and restoring nature are important ways for mitigating and adapting to climate change. Canada is committed to implementing nature-based solutions to build resilience and help meet the country's 2030 and 2050 greenhouse gas emissions reduction targets.
Research shows that Indigenous communities in Canada are at higher risk from climate-related disasters such as flooding. Myrle Ballard is setting out to make sure Indigenous people are also part of the solution to climate change. Ballard is the first director of Environment and Climate Change Canada's new division of Indigenous Science, a role in which she's tasked with raising awareness of Indigenous science within the department and helping the government find ways to integrate it into its policies.
Seven homes on the Muscowpetung Saulteaux Nation, approximately 65 kilometres northeast of Regina, were recently evacuated after floodwater from a nearby stream moved in earlier this week. It came after over 100 millimetres of rain fell in the area late Monday and through the day Tuesday. Jim Pratt, an emergency coordinator for the First Nation, told CBC the heavy rain filled the stream with water. When it began backing up at culverts running underneath Township Road 210 — a gravel road upstream from Muscowpetung — it started running over the road. The road and culverts eventually gave way.
The advisory was first issued for the communities on May 12 as flooding in Hay River has affected operation of the town’s water treatment plan and resulted in higher than normal turbidity or muddy water. In a public notice on Tuesday, the territorial government announced residents in the four South Slave communities would no longer have to boil their drinking water as turbidity levels had dropped to acceptable levels in water from the water plant and other operational issues had been addressed.
A flood warning was issued for Teslin Lake early Monday afternoon by the Yukon government's Emergency Measures Organization (EMO) as low-lying areas around the lake are flooding. "I've seen flooding before, but not [water] this high," said Kayne Geddes, a contractor who lives in Teslin. "Everybody's worried, they don't know what to expect." Geddes estimates there are about 100 people in the village who are helping protect low-lying areas by filling and placing sandbags.
Four homes at Manitoba's Pine Creek First Nation were destroyed and 17 were evacuated due to weekend flooding in the low-lying lands between Duck Mountain and the southern basin of Lake Winnipegosis. Derek Nepinak, chief of the Anishinaabe nation about 100 kilometres north of Dauphin, said about 30 people were forced to leave their homes, which have been cut off from the rest of the community and have no access to fresh water or supplies.
The water has receded near Kashechewan First Nation, which has reduced the risk to the community. Discussions are now underway to return people home. The northern Ontario community experienced its annual spring flooding from the nearby Albany River. Hundreds of residents were flown to host communities: Kapuskasing, Thunder Bay and Val Rita-Harty. The risk to the community has subsided said Wilbert Wesley, emergency management services manager for Mushkegowuk Council. He is also the custodian helping the First Nation during its evacuation phase.
The water was quick, unforgiving. In a matter of days, the flooding on Peguis First Nation, believed to be the worst the community in Manitoba's Interlake has ever seen, displaced roughly 1,600 people and ravaged hundreds of homes. Peguis has 3,521 members usually living on reserve and 6,504 off-reserve members. The largest First Nation community in Manitoba is no stranger to flooding — over the last few decades, residents have been chased from their homes by rising waters several times — but that wasn't always the case.
Residents in the northern Alberta community of Chateh, west of High Level, could be out of their homes for several months after flooding forced them to flee on Sunday and Monday. Some 1,100 people left the community on the Dene Tha' First Nation as water in the Sousa Creeks, basin and surrounding waterways continued to rise in the previous few days. Chateh is about 850 kilometres northwest of Edmonton.
