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Over 24,000 People Flee Wildfires in Alberta, Canada
Tens of thousands of people in Alberta, Canada have been forced to flee their homes as “unprecedented” wildfires blaze in the province, Premier Danielle Smith, told Reuters a press conference on Saturday.
As of Saturday at 9:30 a.m. Mountain Time (11:30 a.m. ET), 24,511 Albertans have been evacuated from their homes, with 103 active wildfires burning 121,909 hectares across the province.
“Much of Alberta has been experiencing a hot, dry spring, and with so much kindling, all it takes is a few sparks to ignite some truly frightening wildfires,” Smith explained. “These conditions have resulted in the unprecedented situation that our province is facing today.”
Since 11 a.m. Mountain Time on Friday, 45 additional fires have been ignited, and 5,200 Albertans have been ordered to evacuate.
Alberta’s Brazeau County was evacuated, as were all 7,000 residents of Drayton Valley, 140 kilometres (87 miles) west of the province’s capital Edmonton. The whole Fox Lake town was evacuated after the 1,458-hectare (3609-acre) Fox Lake fire destroyed 20 residences and the police station.
“I don’t recall ever seeing multiple communities evacuated all at once during fire season,” Smith added.
She stated that $1.12 billion has been set aside as a contingency because they anticipate that large funds will be required for emergency management. Smith stated that the government will decide whether to establish a provincial state of emergency later on Saturday.
Whitecap Resources (WCP.TO), an oil producer with operations in northwestern and central Alberta, said it has been working hard to ensure that its employees are safe during the evacuation and that its assets are unaffected.
“(We are) closely monitoring and praying for rain,” Whitecap CEO Grant Fagerheim said on Saturday.
Alberta Canada Wildfires
Wildfires are a common occurrence in Alberta, Canada, especially during the dry and hot summer months. Wildfires may wreak havoc on the environment, wildlife, property, and even human lives.
Wildfires in Alberta have become more powerful and devastating in recent years as a result of variables such as climate change, drought conditions, and human activity. The Fort McMurray wildfire broke out in the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo in northeastern Alberta in May 2016. The fire damaged about 2,400 homes and buildings and forced over 88,000 people to flee.
The Alberta government has implemented a number of measures to prevent and manage wildfires, including fire bans and limits, controlled burns, and investments in fire prevention and suppression technologies. The public is also asked to be vigilant and to immediately report any evidence of wildfires to authorities.
While wildfires pose a severe concern in Alberta, the government and the people are working to reduce the risks and damage caused by these natural disasters.
News
Trump Appoints Stephen Miller as Deputy Chief of Policy in the Incoming Government.
(VOR News) – Donald Trump, who is the incoming president, has appointed Stephen Miller, who is known for his hardline views on immigration, to the position of deputy director of policy during his administration.
Stephen Miller has served as an advisor to Trump for a considerable amount of time, and Trump has appointed him to this position.
Miller’s selection was confirmed by Vice President-elect JD Vance on Monday, when he tweeted a message of congratulations to Stephen Miller on X. The message was distributed on Twitter. In the message, Vance made the statement, “This is another fantastic pick by the president.”
Stephen Miller reported on the announcement first from Vance.
Stephen Miller is one of the employees who has been with Trump since the beginning of his first campaign for the White House. He is one of the staff members who has been with Trump for the longest period of time among those who have collaborated with him.
During the first term of President Trump’s presidency, he served as a significant adviser, and it is noteworthy that he was a prominent player in many of the policy decisions that President Trump has made, particularly with regard to immigration. Particularly important is the fact that he worked directly with President Trump.
A excellent example of this is the decision that President Trump made in 2018 to launch a deterrence program that would result in the separation of thousands This decision is a fantastic demonstration of it.
Miller was typically the public face of the principles that Trump fought for during the first year that he was in office and during his campaigns. He was also the face of the ideals that he campaigned for.
Additionally, Stephen Miller has been a contributor to the drafting of a considerable number of Trump’s speeches that are politically conservative. These speeches were delivered by this individual.
Following Stephen Miller’s resignation from his position as President of the White House, he has served in the capacity of President of America First Legal throughout this entire time.
America First Legal, a conservative organization, protects individual rights in contrast to the American Civil Liberties Union. A group of individuals who had previously worked as advisors to President Trump came together to start this organization.
This organization’s mission is to raise questions about issues such as problems regarding freedom of speech and religion, as well as concerns regarding national security.
Media, universities, and Stephen Miller all have issues.
In addition, he was a frequent presence during Trump’s campaign this year, traveling on his plane and frequently speaking in front of Trump at the pre-shows and at his rallies. He was also a frequent participant in campaign speeches. Moreover, he was a frequent speaker at rallies that were held by Trump.
Additionally, he provided a significant amount of money to the campaign that was being run. They applauded Stephen Miller at the rally that Trump hosted at Madison Square Garden in the last stretch of the race.
A significant number of people attended the rally and clapped for Stephen Miller. After the events that he described as “decades of abuse that has been heaped upon the good people of this nation — their jobs looted and stolen from them and shipped to Mexico, Asia, and foreign countries,” he addressed the audience that had gathered and declared, “Your salvation is at hand.”
He said this in response to the atrocities that had transpired. That which Stephen Miller had to say was received with a great deal of attention from the people in the crowd.
Their loved ones were murdered by criminal gangs, illegal immigrants, and thugs who had no right to be in this nation. These individuals had no grounds for being here. They were not qualified to be in this country in any way.
The election is “a choice between betrayal and renewal, between self-destruction and salvation, between the failure of America or the triumph of America,” he continued. “We stand here today at a crossroads,” he said, pointing out that the election represents “a choice between the failure of America or the triumph of America.”
What he was alluding to was a reference to the fact that both candidates were running for office at the same time.
SOURCE: AP
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News
Outrage Erupts After 17th Beluga Whale Dies at Canada’s Marineland
Another beluga whale has died at Canada’s Marineland, raising concerns about the future of the controversial amusement park and one of the world’s largest captive whale populations. The most recent fatality is the 17th beluga to die at Niagara Falls Aquarium since 2019.
Neither the Ontario government nor the park have revealed the whale’s cause of death.
However, the province’s top animal welfare inspector stated that the quality of Marineland’s water was “within acceptable limits” and that a specialist unit of inspectors examined the water weekly.
Melanie Milczynski stated that enforcement officers have visited the park 205 times since the province took over animal welfare enforcement from the Ontario Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals in 2020.
In late October, the whistleblower account UrgentSeas, co-founded by Phil Demers, a former walrus trainer at Marineland, posted drone footage of veterinarians and trainers attempting to administer medication and fluids to the ailing beluga.
“I don’t know how many days it has left,” Demers told the Guardian back then. “But, at this point, merely attempting to keep the whale alive isn’t good. Seeing this is heartbreaking. “It just kills you inside.”
Marineland, Canada, is the country’s sole captive whale aquarium. It made news last year when Kiska, the “world’s loneliest orca,” died of a bacterial infection after spending four decades in the park.
Marineland defends its policies.
Before her death, the 47-year-old whale was seen wandering in her tank, having not seen another orca in almost a decade.
The park, which has the world’s largest beluga population, has defended the quality of its care, saying that deaths were normal. Marineland’s professionals “care for the animals when they are sick and make every effort to save them,” according to an email from the park.
According to The Guardian, in August, Marineland was compelled to pay roughly C$85,000 (US$61,000) after being found guilty of three infractions of the province’s animal cruelty rules involving its captive American black bears.
The news of the latest beluga death has sparked an outrage among provincial officials. Marit Stiles, the New Democrat leader, described the outcome as “disgraceful” and promised to shut down the park if elected premier.
Bonnie Crombie, the Liberal leader, cautioned that there was “no accountability” for Marineland and the protection of “beautiful mammals”.
For Demers, whose public confrontations with the park have resulted in several lawsuits from his former employer, the tragedy exemplifies the province’s long-standing reluctance to intervene aggressively in the park.
“We’ve been forewarning the public for over a decade that Marineland’s whales would be dying en masse unless someone intervened to fix the conditions,” he told reporters.
“Now it appears that the government itself is preserving Marineland. It’s tough to trust your institutions when they consistently fail.”
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Trudeau Shutters Fast-Track Student Visa Program
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has ordered an immediate end to the highly controversial fast-track study visa program after major blowback over unvetted criminals entering Canada through the student visa program. This major policy decision will impact many overseas students, especially those from India.
International students are not required to get police certificates from law enforcement in their home countries for a student visa before coming to Canada, something critics say needs to change.
According to IRCC data, the number of international students with active student visas in Canada will rise to 1,040,985 in 2023, a 195% increase from 352,305 in 2015, when the Liberal government first took office.
The processing time for students applying through the Student Direct Stream (SDS) was much shorter, and acceptance rates were higher. This will change if Canada ends the scheme on Friday.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said on X, “Canada would be granting 35% fewer international student permits this year.” And next year, that figure will drop by another 10%.”
“Immigration benefits our economy, but when bad actors abuse the system and take advantage of students, we crack down,” he wrote in the post as the Canadian government announced plans to decrease the number of temporary residents.
The move comes during an ongoing diplomatic spat between India and Canada.
According to the Indian High Commission, India is the top source country for foreign students, with an estimated 4,27,000 Indian students studying in Canada.
“Canada is committed to giving all international students equal and fair access to the application process for study permits,” Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) said in a statement on Friday.
According to the announcement, the program aims to “strengthen programme integrity, address student vulnerability, and give all students equal and fair access to the application process, as well as a positive academic experience. ”
According to the statement, the SDS was launched in 2018 to expedite the processing of eligible post-secondary students. It was later expanded to include legal residents of Antigua and Barbuda, Brazil, China, Colombia, Costa Rica, India, Morocco, Pakistan, Peru, the Philippines, Senegal, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Trinidad and Tobago, and Vietnam.
According to the announcement, a comparable Nigeria Student Express (NSE) for potential Nigerian university students has also stopped, along with the SDS. Both the SDS and the NSE projects ended on Friday.
The IRCC set a cut-off deadline of 2:00 p.m. ET on Friday (00:30 IST Saturday) and stated that all valid SDS and NSE applications submitted before that time will be processed under these streams.
However, the IRCC stated that prospective students can still apply via the standard study permit stream, which accepts Guaranteed Investment Certificates as proof of financial assistance.
Immigrationnewscanada.ca created the Student Direct Stream visa to streamline and expedite the study permit application procedure for students from specific nations.
It noted that the expedited method enabled eligible applicants from countries such as India, China, and the Philippines to enter Canada more quickly, usually within a few weeks, rather than waiting for the ordinary processing time, which may take several months.
According to another portal, moving2canada.com, “2024 has been a challenging year for prospective students wishing to study in Canada, with major decreases to the number of international students Canada will allow each year. Many argue that fast-tracking SDS and NSE applications is a way to accept as many students as possible.
Under SDS, Indian students’ applications were processed within 20 business days, but the portal now says it might take up to eight weeks.
Not only is Trudeau changing its immigration policy for international students, but also for low-skilled workers, many of whom come from India.
On October 24, Immigration Minister Marc Miller revealed the current immigration policy, stating that Canada will admit around 3,95,000 permanent residents in 2025, a decrease of nearly 20% from the 4,85,000 expected this year.
The plan also includes a target for temporary immigrants, such as international students and foreign workers. Their numbers are predicted to fall to around 4,46,000 in 2025 and 2026 from approximately 8,00,000 this year.
The new policy suggests that Canada will only accept 17,400 additional non-permanent residents by 2027.
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