FIDDLING WHILE ALBERTA BURNS
May. 31, 2019 06:53AM EST
More than 10,000 people have
been forced to evacuate as wildfires spread in northern Alberta, Canada's CBC News reported Thursday. Smoke from the fires has choked
skies across the province, raising the Air Quality Health Index in its capital
city of Edmonton to a 10+ Thursday, the Edmonton Journal reported.
In an ironic turn, the fires
prompted Alberta Premier Jason Kenney to cancel a celebration of the repeal of
the province's carbon tax, Canada's National Observer reported.
*This event has been cancelled
so the premier can receive an internal, real-time briefing on the status of
Alberta's wildfires," the government said in a statement reported by
Canada's National Observer.
.@Jkenney ends the #Alberta #CarbonTax
Just hours later, the skies of
#Edmonton darkened
with smoke from #Wildfires
in the north of the province#Albertawildfires
https://edmontonjournal.com/news/politics/alberta-carbon-tax-ends/ … pic.twitter.com/mNFqj3Vc7L
https://edmontonjournal.com/news/politics/alberta-carbon-tax-ends/ … pic.twitter.com/mNFqj3Vc7L
Kenney had promised to repeal
the carbon tax and roll back other climate
change policies in the April 16 general election. A bill to repeal the
tax was the first his government introduced after gaining power. While the bill
has not yet passed, fuel sellers were expected to stop collecting the tax at
12:01 a.m. Thursday, the Edmonton Journal reported.
"Just hours later, the
skies of Edmonton darkened with smoke from wildfires in the north of the
province," the paper wrote.
Canada's Environment Minister
Catherine McKenna criticized the repeal and said she was working on a national
tax.
"We know we're feeling
the impacts of climate change. In Alberta, you have forest fires this year that
have started earlier than before, major concerns about the impacts of these
fires this year," McKenna said, as the Edmonton Journal reported.
"We're going to work as quickly as possible to make sure it's no longer
free to pollute."
The tax had charged Albertans
an additional 6.73 cents per liter for gasoline and $1.51 per gigajoule of
natural gas.
The current fires had forced
around 5,000 to evacuate more than a week ago, according to Canada's National
Observer. They continued to spread this week, as smoke forced even more people
to flee their homes Thursday.
"We began the day
yesterday with approximately 5,500 evacuees and we currently have over
10,000," Agriculture and Forestry Minister Devin Dreeshen said, as CBC
News reported Thursday.
Officials said the Chuckegg
Creek fire was spreading especially quickly.
"It traveled about 30
kilometers (approximately 18.6 miles) south yesterday between noon and four
o'clock this morning, which means it was traveling at a rate of about 23 meters
(approximately 25 yards) a minute," Christie Tucker from Alberta Wildfire
said.
The Chuckegg Creek wildfire in
the High Level Forest Area experienced extreme fire behaviour yesterday with
significant growth to the south towards Paddle Prairie, across Highway 35 by
Highway 697 and spotted across the Peace River.
Latest information at: http://srd.web.alberta.ca/high-level-area-update …
pic.twitter.com/zsH9mXG8JP
The Maria Lake and MacMillan
Complex fires were also spreading and growing closer together. Dry, windy
conditions made firefighting more difficult.
Fires destroyed 11 homes in
the Paddle Prairie Métis Settlement, the Edmonton Journal reported further.
"The roads are
melted," Blake Desjarlais, director of public and national affairs for the
Métis Settlements General Council, told the Edmonton Journal.
Desjarlais was frustrated by
the lack of support his community was receiving from the Alberta
government, Global News reported. He said they were not fighting the
fire on the western side, which would most protect the evacuated community, and
also that they were not doing enough to help evacuees.
Desjarlais also said the fire
could have a long-term economic impact on the community.
"We've lost trap lines,
they're a strong economic driver for us," he said, as Global News
reported. "Most of the regional farmers have had to cut animals
loose."
The impact of the fires hasn't
been limited to Alberta. Smoke from the fires has contributed to cloudy skies
in western Ontario, southwestern B.C. and the U.S. Midwest, Global News reported Thursday.
If you notice the sky looks
hazy today, here's your reason why: smoke from wildfires across northern Canada
has once again been transported down into the upper Midwest. Should make for a
nice sunrise/sunset!#mnwx
#wiwx pic.twitter.com/Gcb22P3rYF
On Thursday, smoke covered
Minneapolis, Milwaukee, Chicago, Detroit and Kansas City and reached as far south
as Denver, Global News reported.
Climate Change Is an
Existential Crisis—It Should Be the Top Political Issue, Too http://dlvr.it/QwWnFm
#Climatechange
#Canada #Carbontax pic.twitter.com/RpkodPEwFg
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