British Columbia

Looking forward to work with Canada based on mutual understanding: PM Modi

The unease in India-Canada ties was on display when Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday responded to a congratulatory message from his Canadian counterpart Justin Trudeau and said New Delhi looks forward to working with Ottawa based on mutual understanding and respect for "each other's concerns". The ties between India and Canada came under severe strain following Trudeau's allegations in September last year of a "potential" involvement of Indian agents in the killing of Khalistani extremist Hardeep Singh Nijjar in British Columbia. New Delhi rejected Trudeau's charges as "absurd". "Thank you @CanadianPM for the congratulatory message. India looks forward to working with Canada based on mutual understanding and respect for each other's concerns," Modi said in a post on 'X'. In his June 6 message, Trudeau said Canada stands ready to work with the new Indian government to advance the ties if they are anchored to human rights, diversity, and the rule of law. "Congratulations to In

Canadians head home after wildfire evacuation order ends after 2 weeks

Residents in the western Canadian city of Fort Nelson, British Columbia, were given permission Monday to return home after more than 4,700 were evacuated from the community for more than two weeks due to wildfires. The Northern Rockies Regional Municipality and the Fort Nelson First Nation jointly rescinded their evacuation orders, lifting roadblocks and clearing the way for people to go home. About 4,700 people were forced to leave their homes in Fort Nelson on May 10, when strong winds pushed the Parker Lake wildfire within a few miles of the town. The wildfire is now classified as being held." The BC Wildfire Service said rain on Sunday and the efforts of firefighters meant the 123-square-kilometer (47-square- mile) fire in the northeastern corner of the province was not expected to grow. But the blaze hasn't been extinguished and the service says it expects parts of it to continue burning into the fall. The fire destroyed four homes and damaged six other properties in the are

British Columbia Premier backs Trudeau on allegations against India

In a statement David Eby said Canadians across the country must be safe from interference of foreign governments, including being targeted for threats or physical harm, including murder

Climate change doubled chance of conditions that led to Quebec fires

Climate change more than doubled the chances of the hot, dry weather that helped fuel the unprecedented wildfire season in eastern Canada that's driven thousands from their homes and blanketed parts of the U.S. with choking smoke, according to an analysis released Tuesday. What's more, human-caused climate change made the fire season in Quebec from May through July 50% more intense than it otherwise would have been and increased the likelihood of similarly severe fire seasons at least sevenfold, researchers said. "The biggest takeaway is, this is because of us that we have seen so many fires this year, due to greenhouse gas emissions, said Yan Boulanger, a research scientist in forest ecology for Natural Resources Canada. He was one of 16 researchers who collaborated on the analysis for World Weather Attribution, an initiative that aims to quickly evaluate the role of climate change in the aftermath of extreme weather events. Canada is in the middle of its worst wildfire season on

Canada supports flood, landslide recovery efforts in British Columbia

Canadian Minister of Emergency Preparedness Bill Blair announced advance payments on Monday to support flood, landslide and storm recovery efforts in the province of British Columbia.The advance payments of over 870 million Canadian dollars (700 million U.S. dollars) is in addition to the 207 million Canadian dollars (166 million U.S. dollars) in support of wildfire recovery efforts that was announced in June, Blair said in a news release.British Columbians are living the effects of extreme weather driven by climate change, following devastating floods and wildfires in the province which caused an estimated 9 billion Canadian dollar (7.2 billion U.S. dollar)-plus in damages last year."Climate change is threatening communities across Canada, and we need to keep our partnerships strong as we prepare for and work to prevent natural disasters and extreme weather events,"Blair said, concluding the final meeting of the Committee of British Columbia and Federal Ministers on Disaster Response

Canadian province sees unprecedented 195% spike in deaths amid heatwave

The western Canadian province of British Columbia has registered an unprecedented 195 per cent rise in sudden fatalities within the past five days amid the heatwave, Chief Coroner Lisa Lapointe said

Canadians reject paying for Harry, Meghan's security in British Columbia

Canada is a parliamentary monarchy and Queen Elizabeth II is the reigning head of state

British Columbia eyes large-size masala bond in next round

The Canadian province wants India to address withholding tax issues