Australian firefighters headed to B.C. to help fight wildfires
A crew of Australian firefighters are on their way to British Columbia as the province battles hundreds of wildfires.
In total, 34 Australian firefighters are scheduled to arrive in Vancouver on Tuesday evening. The crew includes a nine-person management team, which includes specialised leadership workers and technical specialists.
"Australia and Canada have a long history of helping each other out when wildfire activity is high," said B.C. Minister of Forests Katrine Conroy in a release Monday.
"During this extremely challenging fire season, we greatly appreciate the support we’re receiving from Canadian provinces, the federal government and our partners abroad."
The Australian crews will live and work in "bubbles" to minimize COVID-19 risks while in B.C., according to the province.
In total, B.C. has 3,558 people currently involved in wildfire management, including 1,252 contractors.
Other out-of-province personnel include 101 firefighters from Mexico, 134 from Quebec, 61 from Alberta, one from Nova Scotia, 17 Parks Canada staff and approximately 90 Canadian Armed Forces members, with up to 160 more expected by Wednesday.
As of Sunday afternoon, there are 258 active wildfires burning across B.C., mostly in the Interior region.
Some 58 evacuation orders have been issued this summer, alongside 83 evacuation alerts due to wildfires.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Bodies found by U.S. authorities searching for missing B.C. kayakers
United States authorities who have been searching for a pair of missing kayakers from British Columbia since the weekend have recovered two bodies in the nearby San Juan Islands of Washington state.
Amid concerns over 'collateral damage' Trudeau, Freeland defend capital gains tax change
Facing pushback from physicians and businesspeople over the coming increase to the capital gains inclusion rate, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his deputy Chrystia Freeland are standing by their plan to target Canada's highest earners.
'It's discriminatory': Individuals refused entry to Ontario legislature for wearing keffiyeh
Individuals being barred from entering Ontario’s legislature while wearing a keffiyeh say the garment is part of their cultural identity— and the only ones making it political are the politicians banning it.
BREAKING Police will not be charged in death of Indigenous man in B.C., mother says
Three Mounties in British Columbia will not face charges in the killing of a 38-year-old Indigenous man on Vancouver Island in 2021, according to the man's mother.
Douglas DC-4 plane with 2 people on board crashes into river outside Fairbanks, Alaska
A Douglas C-54 Skymaster airplane crashed into the Tanana River near Fairbanks on Tuesday, Alaska State Troopers said.
Tom Mulcair: Park littered with trash after 'pilot project' is perfect symbol of Trudeau governance
Former NDP leader Tom Mulcair says that what's happening now in a trash-littered federal park in Quebec is a perfect metaphor for how the Trudeau government runs things.
'It's just so hard to let it go': Umar Zameer still haunted by death of Toronto police officer
“It's just so hard to let it go. I mean, everyone is telling me, ‘you have to move on,’ but I know someone is not here [anymore]. So I don't know how I will move on." That’s what Umar Zameer, the man recently acquitted in the death of a Toronto police officer, told CTV News Toronto in a sit-down interview on Tuesday.
NASA hears from Voyager 1, the most distant spacecraft from Earth, after months of quiet
NASA has finally heard back from Voyager 1 again in a way that makes sense. The most distant spacecraft from Earth hadn't sent home any understandable data since last November.
Saskatchewan households will continue to receive carbon tax rebate: Trudeau
Households in Saskatchewan will continue to receive Canada Carbon Rebate payments, despite the province refusing to remit the federal carbon price on natural gas, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Tuesday.