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One horse killed, others injured in ’disturbing’ animal cruelty case: Niagara police
Author of the article:Canadian Press
Canadian Press
Published Aug 01, 2025 • < 1 minute read
Police have launched an animal cruelty investigation after one horse was killed and several others were injured in Niagara Region.
Niagara regional police say the “disturbing act” occurred at a horse boarding farm near Buchner Road and Highway 140 in Welland.
Police were called Thursday after farm staff found eight horses with injuries and cuts consistent with stab wounds during their routine morning checks.
Investigators say one horse was found dead, one was sent to a veterinary hospital for emergency care, and the others were treated on site.
They say the forensics unit also visited the scene to thoroughly examine the evidence.
Police are asking anyone with information to come forward.
torontosun.com
Author of the article:Canadian Press
Canadian Press
Published Aug 01, 2025 • < 1 minute read
Police have launched an animal cruelty investigation after one horse was killed and several others were injured in Niagara Region.
Niagara regional police say the “disturbing act” occurred at a horse boarding farm near Buchner Road and Highway 140 in Welland.
Police were called Thursday after farm staff found eight horses with injuries and cuts consistent with stab wounds during their routine morning checks.
Investigators say one horse was found dead, one was sent to a veterinary hospital for emergency care, and the others were treated on site.
They say the forensics unit also visited the scene to thoroughly examine the evidence.
Police are asking anyone with information to come forward.
One horse killed, others injured in ’disturbing’ animal cruelty case: Niagara police
Police have launched an animal cruelty investigation after one horse was killed and several others were injured in Niagara Region.
EXCLUSIVE: Puppies secretly tested and killed at Ontario hospital for human heart research
The dogs hidden and killed at the hospital in London, Ont., are among thousands that are subject to scientific testing in Canada every year.
Vigil for dogs killed in research to be held Saturday at St. Joseph's
London's St. Joseph’s Hospital will be the site of a vigil Saturday for dogs and other animals killed in medical experiments shrouded in secrecy, organizers say.
Author of the article:Heather Rivers
Published Aug 08, 2025 • Last updated 18 hours ago • 2 minute read
Photo of puppies in a cage a whistleblower says was taken at the Lawson Research Institute at St. Joseph's Hospital in London, Ont. The dogs are used for heart research. (Contributed)
Photo of puppies in a cage a whistleblower says was taken at the Lawson Research Institute at St. Joseph's Hospital in London, Ont. The dogs are used for heart research. (Contributed)
London’s St. Joseph’s Hospital will be the site of a vigil Saturday for dogs and other animals killed in medical experiments shrouded in secrecy, organizers say.
Organized by national animal advocacy group Animal Justice, the vigil at noon will include a memorial space with a banner, photos of some of the animals that have been killed and flowers.
“This vigil is not just a moment of remembrance, it’s a call for change,” Animal Justice said on a Facebook page. “We will stand in solidarity, share words, and reflect with a moment of silence.”
A story published Thursday in the National Post and other Postmedia papers, including the London Free Press, detailed how Lawson Research Institute – the research arm of St. Joseph’s Health Care London – is secretly testing heart attack recovery in humans using dogs and puppies on its sixth floor.
Researchers induce three-hour-long heart attacks in the animals before euthanizing them and removing their hearts for further study, two current staff members say.
Animal Justice also posted a story and photos about the research at Lawson Research Institute on its website Thursday.
The dogs have shown “troubling repetitive behaviours” such as pacing, tail sucking and repeatedly dunking their faces in water, the story said.
The beagles are heard whimpering and screaming in pain during recovery, Animal Justice said.
“Animal care staff are emotionally devastated when animals they bond with are killed,” the story said.
Alanna Devine, director of campaigns for Animal Justice, said Thursday the organization has “been working hard to find loving homes for the dogs and pigs at St. Joseph’s.
“We have been in communication with the hospital asking they release the dogs and pigs for rehoming since whistleblowers reached out to us a couple of months ago,” she said.
Lori Cohen, founder and executive director of the Beagle Alliance based near Winnipeg, has rescued more than 100 beagles from research facilities and is working with Animal Justice.
She said 93 per cent of dogs used in research are beagles because they are “sweet and docile and don’t bite.
“And also they are a manageable size – so facilities can use more of them at a given time which saves space and money,” she said.
In Canada 16,000 beagles are used in research facilities each year and most are euthanized, Cohen said.
St. Joseph’s Health Care London defended the experiments saying they were “regulated and guided by rigorous policies and procedures for high-quality animal care.”
The canine experiments are done “to accurately image post-heart attack injury and healing that we cannot yet decipher using other models,” St. Joseph’s said in the statement.
The story published by Postmedia was written by two reporters with the Investigative Journalism Bureau at the Dalla Lana School of Public Health at the University of Toronto. Postmedia supports the collaborative investigative newsroom that partners with academics, researchers and journalists.
The vigil will take place outside the hospital at 268 Grosvenor St.
HRivers@postmedia.com
@HeatheratLFP
![4-dogs-e1754664230463[1].jpg](https://forums.canadiancontent.net/data/attachments/28/28725-2c124ce614396200684f9bebb188533e.jpg "4-dogs-e1754664230463[1].jpg")
torontosun.com
London's St. Joseph’s Hospital will be the site of a vigil Saturday for dogs and other animals killed in medical experiments shrouded in secrecy, organizers say.
Author of the article:Heather Rivers
Published Aug 08, 2025 • Last updated 18 hours ago • 2 minute read
Photo of puppies in a cage a whistleblower says was taken at the Lawson Research Institute at St. Joseph's Hospital in London, Ont. The dogs are used for heart research. (Contributed)
Photo of puppies in a cage a whistleblower says was taken at the Lawson Research Institute at St. Joseph's Hospital in London, Ont. The dogs are used for heart research. (Contributed)
London’s St. Joseph’s Hospital will be the site of a vigil Saturday for dogs and other animals killed in medical experiments shrouded in secrecy, organizers say.
Organized by national animal advocacy group Animal Justice, the vigil at noon will include a memorial space with a banner, photos of some of the animals that have been killed and flowers.
“This vigil is not just a moment of remembrance, it’s a call for change,” Animal Justice said on a Facebook page. “We will stand in solidarity, share words, and reflect with a moment of silence.”
A story published Thursday in the National Post and other Postmedia papers, including the London Free Press, detailed how Lawson Research Institute – the research arm of St. Joseph’s Health Care London – is secretly testing heart attack recovery in humans using dogs and puppies on its sixth floor.
Researchers induce three-hour-long heart attacks in the animals before euthanizing them and removing their hearts for further study, two current staff members say.
Animal Justice also posted a story and photos about the research at Lawson Research Institute on its website Thursday.
The dogs have shown “troubling repetitive behaviours” such as pacing, tail sucking and repeatedly dunking their faces in water, the story said.
The beagles are heard whimpering and screaming in pain during recovery, Animal Justice said.
“Animal care staff are emotionally devastated when animals they bond with are killed,” the story said.
Alanna Devine, director of campaigns for Animal Justice, said Thursday the organization has “been working hard to find loving homes for the dogs and pigs at St. Joseph’s.
“We have been in communication with the hospital asking they release the dogs and pigs for rehoming since whistleblowers reached out to us a couple of months ago,” she said.
Lori Cohen, founder and executive director of the Beagle Alliance based near Winnipeg, has rescued more than 100 beagles from research facilities and is working with Animal Justice.
She said 93 per cent of dogs used in research are beagles because they are “sweet and docile and don’t bite.
“And also they are a manageable size – so facilities can use more of them at a given time which saves space and money,” she said.
In Canada 16,000 beagles are used in research facilities each year and most are euthanized, Cohen said.
St. Joseph’s Health Care London defended the experiments saying they were “regulated and guided by rigorous policies and procedures for high-quality animal care.”
The canine experiments are done “to accurately image post-heart attack injury and healing that we cannot yet decipher using other models,” St. Joseph’s said in the statement.
The story published by Postmedia was written by two reporters with the Investigative Journalism Bureau at the Dalla Lana School of Public Health at the University of Toronto. Postmedia supports the collaborative investigative newsroom that partners with academics, researchers and journalists.
The vigil will take place outside the hospital at 268 Grosvenor St.
HRivers@postmedia.com
@HeatheratLFP
Vigil for dogs killed in research to be held at St. Joseph's hospital
St. Joseph’s Hospital in London will be the site of a “peaceful” vigil Saturday for dogs killed in medical experiments shrouded in secrecy
Did sex rock couple in parked car to their doom off Brazil cliff?
Author of the article
enette Wilford
Published Aug 11, 2025 • Last updated 22 hours ago • 1 minute read
Adriana Machado Ribeiro. left, and Marcone da Silva Cardoso, who died after car they were believed to be having sex in fell off cliff in Brazil.
Couple Marcone da Silva Cardoso, 26, and Adriana Machado Ribeiro, 42, died on Aug. 4.
A man and woman are dead after a car it’s believed they were having sex in went over a cliff.
Marcone da Silva Cardoso, 26, and Adriana Machado Ribeiro, 42, were in a parked car at Venda Nova do Imigrante scenic overlook in Brazil in the early hours of Aug. 4 when the movement from their intimate moment sent them over the 400-metre (1,300-foot) drop, the U.K. Sun reported.
Cardoso and Ribeiro are said to have been ejected naked from the vehicle after about 100 metres before the car tumbled another 300 metres before coming to a rest, completely destroyed.
The couple of six months had left a party before heading to the area, where the ground was wet, and eventually slid down a hang-gliding ramp, official Alberto Roque Peres told CNN Brazil.
The vehicle was located hours later by a local caretaker.
Cardoso and Ribeiro were found naked at the base of a rock, not far from the mangled wreckage.
“I saw the car’s engine very far away,” witness Tiago Amorim said, according to CNN. “It was a shocking scene, the car was destroyed.”
The case remains under investigation as authorities await forensic reports. There was no initial evidence suggesting others were involved.
“There were no signs of violence at the scene or on the bodies, and the car’s handbrake was engaged,” Peres said, per the Sun.
“Residents reported hearing a loud noise between 1:30 a.m. and 2 a.m., but because it was dark and the vegetation was thick, no one saw anything at the time.”
Ribeiro was a mother of two, while Cardoso was the father of a four-year-old son.
cnnbrasil.com.br
the-sun.com
torontosun.com
Author of the article
enette WilfordPublished Aug 11, 2025 • Last updated 22 hours ago • 1 minute read
Adriana Machado Ribeiro. left, and Marcone da Silva Cardoso, who died after car they were believed to be having sex in fell off cliff in Brazil.
Couple Marcone da Silva Cardoso, 26, and Adriana Machado Ribeiro, 42, died on Aug. 4.
A man and woman are dead after a car it’s believed they were having sex in went over a cliff.
Marcone da Silva Cardoso, 26, and Adriana Machado Ribeiro, 42, were in a parked car at Venda Nova do Imigrante scenic overlook in Brazil in the early hours of Aug. 4 when the movement from their intimate moment sent them over the 400-metre (1,300-foot) drop, the U.K. Sun reported.
Cardoso and Ribeiro are said to have been ejected naked from the vehicle after about 100 metres before the car tumbled another 300 metres before coming to a rest, completely destroyed.
The couple of six months had left a party before heading to the area, where the ground was wet, and eventually slid down a hang-gliding ramp, official Alberto Roque Peres told CNN Brazil.
The vehicle was located hours later by a local caretaker.
Cardoso and Ribeiro were found naked at the base of a rock, not far from the mangled wreckage.
“I saw the car’s engine very far away,” witness Tiago Amorim said, according to CNN. “It was a shocking scene, the car was destroyed.”
The case remains under investigation as authorities await forensic reports. There was no initial evidence suggesting others were involved.
“There were no signs of violence at the scene or on the bodies, and the car’s handbrake was engaged,” Peres said, per the Sun.
“Residents reported hearing a loud noise between 1:30 a.m. and 2 a.m., but because it was dark and the vegetation was thick, no one saw anything at the time.”
Ribeiro was a mother of two, while Cardoso was the father of a four-year-old son.
Quem era casal que morreu após sexo no carro em penhasco do ES | CNN Brasil
Marcone da Silva Cardoso, de 26 anos, e Adriana Machado Ribeiro, de 42 anos, morreram após o carro em que estavam despencar de uma rampa de voo livre
cnnbrasil.com.br
Romping couple plunge to their deaths as car rolled off 1,300ft cliff
A COUPLE died when their car plunged 1,300ft off a cliff while they were having sex. Adriana Machado Ribeiro, 42, and Marcone da Silva Cardoso, 26, had driven to a hang-gliding launch ramp after a …
the-sun.com
Did sex rock couple in parked car to their doom off Brazil cliff?
A man and woman are dead after a car they were believed to be having sex with fell from a scenic overlook off a cliff.
Last edited:
Wyoming man indicted for allegedly hitting wolf with snowmobile, bringing it to bar and killing it
Author of the article:Associated Press
Associated Press
Mead Gruver
Published Aug 21, 2025 • 2 minute read
CHEYENNE, Wyo. — A Wyoming man who allegedly hit a wolf with a snowmobile, taped the wounded animal’s mouth shut and showed it off in a rural bar before killing it has been indicted on an animal cruelty charge by a grand jury nearly a year and a half after the incident.
Cody Roberts last year paid a $250 fine for illegal possession of wildlife but avoided more serious charges as investigators struggled to find cooperative witnesses. Wyoming law gives wide leeway for people to kill wolves and other predators by a variety of means in the vast majority of the state.
Even so, the 12-person grand jury found enough evidence over the past two weeks to support the charge of felony animal cruelty, Sublette County Attorney Clayton Melinkovich said in a statement Wednesday.
Melinkovich had no further comment on the case. Roberts has not commented on the case and did not have a listed working number, nor an attorney on file in state District Court who might comment on his behalf.
If convicted, Roberts faces up to two years in prison and a $5,000 fine.
Widely circulated photos showed a man identified as Roberts posing with the wolf, its mouth bound with tape, on Feb. 29, 2024, in a bar near Daniel, a town of about 150 people about 50 miles (80 kilometres) south of Jackson.
Video clips showed the same animal lying on a floor, alive but barely moving.
The light punishment against Roberts led to calls for a Wyoming tourism boycott, to little apparent effect. Yellowstone National Park had its second-busiest year on record in 2024, up more than 5% from 2023.
Grand juries in Wyoming are rare. The last one to get significant attention, in 2019, found that a sheriff’s deputy did not commit involuntary manslaughter by killing an unarmed man after a traffic stop.
Government-sponsored poisoning, trapping and bounty hunting all but wiped out wolves in the lower 48 states in the 19th and 20th centuries. Starting in the 1990s, a reintroduction program brought them back to Yellowstone and central Idaho, and their numbers have rebounded.
Though wolves remain listed as a federally endangered or threatened species in most of the country, they have no such protection in Idaho, Montana and Wyoming, where they can be hunted and trapped.
Exceptions include Yellowstone and neighbouring Grand Teton National Park, where hunting is prohibited and the wild canines are a major attraction for millions of tourists. In 85% percent of Wyoming, wolves are classified as predators and can be freely killed by virtually any means.
The so-called predator zone includes Sublette County, where the wolf was killed. Groups including the Humane Society argued that Wyoming’s animal cruelty law could nonetheless apply there.
torontosun.com
Author of the article:Associated Press
Associated Press
Mead Gruver
Published Aug 21, 2025 • 2 minute read
CHEYENNE, Wyo. — A Wyoming man who allegedly hit a wolf with a snowmobile, taped the wounded animal’s mouth shut and showed it off in a rural bar before killing it has been indicted on an animal cruelty charge by a grand jury nearly a year and a half after the incident.
Cody Roberts last year paid a $250 fine for illegal possession of wildlife but avoided more serious charges as investigators struggled to find cooperative witnesses. Wyoming law gives wide leeway for people to kill wolves and other predators by a variety of means in the vast majority of the state.
Even so, the 12-person grand jury found enough evidence over the past two weeks to support the charge of felony animal cruelty, Sublette County Attorney Clayton Melinkovich said in a statement Wednesday.
Melinkovich had no further comment on the case. Roberts has not commented on the case and did not have a listed working number, nor an attorney on file in state District Court who might comment on his behalf.
If convicted, Roberts faces up to two years in prison and a $5,000 fine.
Widely circulated photos showed a man identified as Roberts posing with the wolf, its mouth bound with tape, on Feb. 29, 2024, in a bar near Daniel, a town of about 150 people about 50 miles (80 kilometres) south of Jackson.
Video clips showed the same animal lying on a floor, alive but barely moving.
The light punishment against Roberts led to calls for a Wyoming tourism boycott, to little apparent effect. Yellowstone National Park had its second-busiest year on record in 2024, up more than 5% from 2023.
Grand juries in Wyoming are rare. The last one to get significant attention, in 2019, found that a sheriff’s deputy did not commit involuntary manslaughter by killing an unarmed man after a traffic stop.
Government-sponsored poisoning, trapping and bounty hunting all but wiped out wolves in the lower 48 states in the 19th and 20th centuries. Starting in the 1990s, a reintroduction program brought them back to Yellowstone and central Idaho, and their numbers have rebounded.
Though wolves remain listed as a federally endangered or threatened species in most of the country, they have no such protection in Idaho, Montana and Wyoming, where they can be hunted and trapped.
Exceptions include Yellowstone and neighbouring Grand Teton National Park, where hunting is prohibited and the wild canines are a major attraction for millions of tourists. In 85% percent of Wyoming, wolves are classified as predators and can be freely killed by virtually any means.
The so-called predator zone includes Sublette County, where the wolf was killed. Groups including the Humane Society argued that Wyoming’s animal cruelty law could nonetheless apply there.
Wyoming man indicted for allegedly hitting wolf with snowmobile, bringing it to bar and killing it
A Wyoming man who allegedly killed a wolf has been indicted on an animal cruelty charge.
Blind baby moose rescued near Ottawa dies ’suddenly and unexpectedly’
Author of the article:Canadian Press
Canadian Press
Sharif Hassan
Published Aug 22, 2025 • 1 minute read
A moose named Cedar is pictured in this photo shared on the Facebook account of Holly's Haven Wildlife Rescue.
A moose named Cedar is pictured in this photo shared on the Facebook account of Holly's Haven Wildlife Rescue. Photo by Holly's Haven Wildlife Rescue /Facebook
A blind baby moose that was set to join the Toronto Zoo after being rescued near Ottawa last month has died.
Holly’s Haven Wildlife Rescue says it’s deeply saddened to share the news about the moose named Cedar, who died “suddenly and unexpectedly.”
The rescue organization says Cedar ate and socialized well, and he showed no sign of stress and no indication of an underlying issue.
It says Cedar was “thriving” in the days and weeks before his death, which has been shocking for the “heartbroken” veterinary professionals.
The baby moose was found wandering alone on a rural road in Hawkesbury, Ont., in early July, and was brought to Holly’s Haven Wildlife Rescue, where he had been getting veterinary care ever since.
The Toronto Zoo was expected to welcome the three-month-old moose in a suitable enclosure after a full zoonotic disease scan.
The cause of his death remains unknown, Holly’s Haven said on its website.
“On the day of his passing, and just an hour and a half prior, Cedar appeared healthy. Then he was gone,” read the post written in his memory.
“That is one of the hardest truths of wildlife rehabilitation. You can do everything right and still lose them.”
It said while Cedar’s life was cut short, his last weeks were full of peace, nourishment and support.
“He was protected from predators, from traffic, and from the fences he couldn’t see. He was not alone. He was loved.”
The organization said a living memorial made of plants and trees will be planted to feed and shelter other animals in Cedar’s memory.
![cedar-moose-e1755883011245[1].jpg](https://forums.canadiancontent.net/data/attachments/28/28981-a25114caf708ab41d7e377b1e5d95fb1.jpg "cedar-moose-e1755883011245[1].jpg")
torontosun.com
Author of the article:Canadian Press
Canadian Press
Sharif Hassan
Published Aug 22, 2025 • 1 minute read
A moose named Cedar is pictured in this photo shared on the Facebook account of Holly's Haven Wildlife Rescue.
A moose named Cedar is pictured in this photo shared on the Facebook account of Holly's Haven Wildlife Rescue. Photo by Holly's Haven Wildlife Rescue /Facebook
A blind baby moose that was set to join the Toronto Zoo after being rescued near Ottawa last month has died.
Holly’s Haven Wildlife Rescue says it’s deeply saddened to share the news about the moose named Cedar, who died “suddenly and unexpectedly.”
The rescue organization says Cedar ate and socialized well, and he showed no sign of stress and no indication of an underlying issue.
It says Cedar was “thriving” in the days and weeks before his death, which has been shocking for the “heartbroken” veterinary professionals.
The baby moose was found wandering alone on a rural road in Hawkesbury, Ont., in early July, and was brought to Holly’s Haven Wildlife Rescue, where he had been getting veterinary care ever since.
The Toronto Zoo was expected to welcome the three-month-old moose in a suitable enclosure after a full zoonotic disease scan.
The cause of his death remains unknown, Holly’s Haven said on its website.
“On the day of his passing, and just an hour and a half prior, Cedar appeared healthy. Then he was gone,” read the post written in his memory.
“That is one of the hardest truths of wildlife rehabilitation. You can do everything right and still lose them.”
It said while Cedar’s life was cut short, his last weeks were full of peace, nourishment and support.
“He was protected from predators, from traffic, and from the fences he couldn’t see. He was not alone. He was loved.”
The organization said a living memorial made of plants and trees will be planted to feed and shelter other animals in Cedar’s memory.
Blind baby moose rescued near Ottawa dies ’suddenly and unexpectedly’
A blind baby moose that was set to join the Toronto Zoo after being rescued near Ottawa last month has died.
Charges dropped in crash that killed sisters guiding turtle from road
Charges have been dropped against a Chatham-area man in connection with a crash that killed two sisters trying to rescue a turtle from the roadway in May 2024.
Author of the article:Ellwood Shreve • Chatham Daily News
Published Aug 28, 2025 • Last updated 19 hours ago • 1 minute read
Elizabeth Seremak, left, and Teresa Suliga. (Obituary photos)
Elizabeth Seremak, left, and Teresa Suliga. (Obituary photos)
Charges have been dropped against a Chatham-area man in connection with a crash that killed two sisters trying to rescue a turtle from the roadway in May 2024.
Jarred Hammer, 25, of Raleigh Township, who was charged with careless driving causing death, was before the provincial offences court near Blenheim earlier this week.
Prosecutor Mitchell Ackland was given instructions by assistant Crown attorney Sarah Renaud that “there was no reasonable prospect of conviction” and the charges were to be withdrawn.
Hammer was charged by Chatham-Kent police in November 2024 following a crash on May 18, 2024, that claimed the lives of Teresa Suliga of Blenheim and Elizabeth Seremak of Cambridge, who were known for their love of animals.
The sisters, 66 and 68, were walking along Charing Cross Road near Horton Line, police said.
The community is about 10 minutes south of Chatham.
“Emergency personnel attempted lifesaving measures, but the women . . . succumbed to their injuries,” police said.
Suliga’s neighbour, Shelley Webster, said when she heard her close friend was trying to rescue a turtle when she died: “I thought, ‘That’s just like Teresa.’”
If Suliga saw any “animal in distress, she was there right away, quick,” Webster said.
Suliga and her dog Kaya often would go for walks and Suliga loved to see the deer, rabbits and coyotes.
“Teresa’s greatest love was her family and taking care of animals,” Suliga’s obituary said.
Webster said Seremak often visited her sister in Blenheim.
“They were like best friends. . . . The two of them were like two peas on a pod,” Webster said.
Suliga also loved to experience new things, to travel and to garden, her obituary said.
“Elizabeth was known for her generous heart and helping spirit,” Seremak’s obituary said. “She loved to spend time with her family and especially treasured her grandchildren.”
eshreve@postmedia.com
torontosun.com
Charges have been dropped against a Chatham-area man in connection with a crash that killed two sisters trying to rescue a turtle from the roadway in May 2024.
Author of the article:Ellwood Shreve • Chatham Daily News
Published Aug 28, 2025 • Last updated 19 hours ago • 1 minute read
Elizabeth Seremak, left, and Teresa Suliga. (Obituary photos)
Elizabeth Seremak, left, and Teresa Suliga. (Obituary photos)
Charges have been dropped against a Chatham-area man in connection with a crash that killed two sisters trying to rescue a turtle from the roadway in May 2024.
Jarred Hammer, 25, of Raleigh Township, who was charged with careless driving causing death, was before the provincial offences court near Blenheim earlier this week.
Prosecutor Mitchell Ackland was given instructions by assistant Crown attorney Sarah Renaud that “there was no reasonable prospect of conviction” and the charges were to be withdrawn.
Hammer was charged by Chatham-Kent police in November 2024 following a crash on May 18, 2024, that claimed the lives of Teresa Suliga of Blenheim and Elizabeth Seremak of Cambridge, who were known for their love of animals.
The sisters, 66 and 68, were walking along Charing Cross Road near Horton Line, police said.
The community is about 10 minutes south of Chatham.
“Emergency personnel attempted lifesaving measures, but the women . . . succumbed to their injuries,” police said.
Suliga’s neighbour, Shelley Webster, said when she heard her close friend was trying to rescue a turtle when she died: “I thought, ‘That’s just like Teresa.’”
If Suliga saw any “animal in distress, she was there right away, quick,” Webster said.
Suliga and her dog Kaya often would go for walks and Suliga loved to see the deer, rabbits and coyotes.
“Teresa’s greatest love was her family and taking care of animals,” Suliga’s obituary said.
Webster said Seremak often visited her sister in Blenheim.
“They were like best friends. . . . The two of them were like two peas on a pod,” Webster said.
Suliga also loved to experience new things, to travel and to garden, her obituary said.
“Elizabeth was known for her generous heart and helping spirit,” Seremak’s obituary said. “She loved to spend time with her family and especially treasured her grandchildren.”
eshreve@postmedia.com
Charges dropped in crash that killed sisters guiding turtle from road
Charges have been dropped against a Chatham-area man in connection with a crash that killed two sisters trying to rescue a turtle from the roadway in May 2024.
Graham Greene, Oscar-Nominated ‘Dances with Wolves’ Actor, Dies at 73
Graham Greene, a Canadian actor best known for his Oscar-nominated turn in the 1990 film "Dances with Wolves," died on Monday. He was 73.
variety.com
May the Creator welcome you with open arms.
Fare thee well, Mr Greene.Graham Greene, Oscar-Nominated ‘Dances with Wolves’ Actor, Dies at 73
Graham Greene, a Canadian actor best known for his Oscar-nominated turn in the 1990 film "Dances with Wolves," died on Monday. He was 73.
May the Creator welcome you with open arms.
Aww, May you RIP Graham!!Graham Greene, Oscar-Nominated ‘Dances with Wolves’ Actor, Dies at 73
Graham Greene, a Canadian actor best known for his Oscar-nominated turn in the 1990 film "Dances with Wolves," died on Monday. He was 73.
May the Creator welcome you with open arms.
Quebec coroner warns of dangers to farmers from manure gases
Author of the article:Canadian Press
Canadian Press
Published Sep 02, 2025 • Last updated 1 day ago • 1 minute read
MONTREAL — A Quebec coroner is urging the province’s professional farmers association to increase efforts to educate its members on the dangers of slurry pits.
Coroner Nancy Bouchard made the recommendation in reports on the deaths of a couple east of Montreal killed from asphyxiation due to exposure to hydrogen sulphide inside a manure pit at their farm.
Bouchard says that on Oct. 4, 2024, a 44-year-old farmer descended a ladder into a slurry pit on his farm in Ste-Christine, Que., probably to conduct repairs because he had tools with him.
The coroner says the man’s 40-year-old partner found him unconscious in the pit and tried to rescue him, but lost consciousness on the ladder and fell backward onto his body.
The man was declared dead at the scene, and the woman died in hospital 18 days later.
Bouchard says manure pits can contain hydrogen sulphide, carbon dioxide, methane, and ammonia, adding that those gases when combined with a lack of oxygen can cause fainting in seconds and death in minutes.
torontosun.com
Author of the article:Canadian Press
Canadian Press
Published Sep 02, 2025 • Last updated 1 day ago • 1 minute read
MONTREAL — A Quebec coroner is urging the province’s professional farmers association to increase efforts to educate its members on the dangers of slurry pits.
Coroner Nancy Bouchard made the recommendation in reports on the deaths of a couple east of Montreal killed from asphyxiation due to exposure to hydrogen sulphide inside a manure pit at their farm.
Bouchard says that on Oct. 4, 2024, a 44-year-old farmer descended a ladder into a slurry pit on his farm in Ste-Christine, Que., probably to conduct repairs because he had tools with him.
The coroner says the man’s 40-year-old partner found him unconscious in the pit and tried to rescue him, but lost consciousness on the ladder and fell backward onto his body.
The man was declared dead at the scene, and the woman died in hospital 18 days later.
Bouchard says manure pits can contain hydrogen sulphide, carbon dioxide, methane, and ammonia, adding that those gases when combined with a lack of oxygen can cause fainting in seconds and death in minutes.
Slurry pit deaths: Quebec coroner warns of dangers to farmers from manure gases
A Quebec coroner is urging the province's farmers association to increase efforts to educate its members on the dangers of slurry pits.
Cat in San Francisco euthanized after latest bird flu infection tied to raw pet food
Author of the article:Associated Press
Associated Press
Jonel Aleccia
Published Sep 03, 2025 • 2 minute read
This colourized electron microscope image released by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases on March 26, 2024, shows avian influenza A H5N1 virus particles (yellow), grown in Madin-Darby Canine Kidney (MDCK) epithelial cells (blue).
This colourized electron microscope image released by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases on March 26, 2024, shows avian influenza A H5N1 virus particles (yellow), grown in Madin-Darby Canine Kidney (MDCK) epithelial cells (blue). Photo by CDC/NIAID via AP, File /THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Federal health officials are warning that certain lots of raw cat food may be contaminated with H5N1 bird flu after a pet cat in San Francisco that ate the food became infected with the virus and had to be euthanized.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration said Wednesday that two lots of RAWR Raw Cat Food Chicken Eats tested positive for the virus. Analysis by San Francisco health department officials showed that the same strain of the H5N1 virus was present in the pet food and in the cat that died.
The incident is the first reported case of an H5N1 infection from raw food in pet cats since March. Dozens of domestic cats, including nearly 70 this year, have been infected with H5N1, according to the U.S. Agriculture Department. Many of the animals became infected after consuming raw milk or raw pet food contaminated with the virus.
The affected lots of RAWR food include CCS 25 077, with a sell-by date of Sept. 18, 2026, and CCS 250 093, with a sell-by date of Oct. 3, 2026. RAWR raw pet food is sold frozen and must be thawed before use. No recall was posted for the products and representatives for the Grass Valley, California, company did not immediately respond to questions about the contamination.
RAWR Raw Cat Food Chicken Eats are sold in frozen 2.5-pound resealable bags containing 40 1-ounce sliders of food. The product is sold in stores nationwide and online.
The U.S. Agriculture Department’s National Veterinary Services Laboratories confirmed the virus in samples from the food and the cat. Genetic sequencing showed that they contained a virus lineage that was detected in November and December and is no longer circulating. The virus is the same type that has been circulating widely in birds and in U.S. dairy cattle, including those in California.
H5N1 infections can cause illness and death in birds, poultry and mammals such as cats. The virus has not been detected in dogs in the U.S., but there have been fatal cases in other countries. Animals that are very young, very old or have weakened immune systems are at risk of becoming seriously ill from an infection.
No human infections from H5N1 bird flu have been identified in people who handled raw pet food, but humans can become infected and sick if active virus gets into their eyes, nose or mouth.
torontosun.com
Author of the article:Associated Press
Associated Press
Jonel Aleccia
Published Sep 03, 2025 • 2 minute read
This colourized electron microscope image released by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases on March 26, 2024, shows avian influenza A H5N1 virus particles (yellow), grown in Madin-Darby Canine Kidney (MDCK) epithelial cells (blue).
This colourized electron microscope image released by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases on March 26, 2024, shows avian influenza A H5N1 virus particles (yellow), grown in Madin-Darby Canine Kidney (MDCK) epithelial cells (blue). Photo by CDC/NIAID via AP, File /THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Federal health officials are warning that certain lots of raw cat food may be contaminated with H5N1 bird flu after a pet cat in San Francisco that ate the food became infected with the virus and had to be euthanized.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration said Wednesday that two lots of RAWR Raw Cat Food Chicken Eats tested positive for the virus. Analysis by San Francisco health department officials showed that the same strain of the H5N1 virus was present in the pet food and in the cat that died.
The incident is the first reported case of an H5N1 infection from raw food in pet cats since March. Dozens of domestic cats, including nearly 70 this year, have been infected with H5N1, according to the U.S. Agriculture Department. Many of the animals became infected after consuming raw milk or raw pet food contaminated with the virus.
The affected lots of RAWR food include CCS 25 077, with a sell-by date of Sept. 18, 2026, and CCS 250 093, with a sell-by date of Oct. 3, 2026. RAWR raw pet food is sold frozen and must be thawed before use. No recall was posted for the products and representatives for the Grass Valley, California, company did not immediately respond to questions about the contamination.
RAWR Raw Cat Food Chicken Eats are sold in frozen 2.5-pound resealable bags containing 40 1-ounce sliders of food. The product is sold in stores nationwide and online.
The U.S. Agriculture Department’s National Veterinary Services Laboratories confirmed the virus in samples from the food and the cat. Genetic sequencing showed that they contained a virus lineage that was detected in November and December and is no longer circulating. The virus is the same type that has been circulating widely in birds and in U.S. dairy cattle, including those in California.
H5N1 infections can cause illness and death in birds, poultry and mammals such as cats. The virus has not been detected in dogs in the U.S., but there have been fatal cases in other countries. Animals that are very young, very old or have weakened immune systems are at risk of becoming seriously ill from an infection.
No human infections from H5N1 bird flu have been identified in people who handled raw pet food, but humans can become infected and sick if active virus gets into their eyes, nose or mouth.
Cat in San Francisco euthanized after latest bird flu infection tied to raw pet food
Federal health officials are warning that certain lots of raw cat food may be contaminated with H5N1 bird flu.
About 400,000 salmon dead across three fish farms in Newfoundland
Author of the article:Canadian Press
Canadian Press
Published Sep 05, 2025 • 2 minute read
ST. JOHN’S — About 400,000 fish recently died across three salmon farming sites operated by Mowi Canada East along the south coast of Newfoundland, the second major die-off the company has reported this summer.
The company said the “abnormal mortality incident” affected about 23 per cent of the Atlantic salmon at the three sites near Harbour Breton, N.L., which is at the southern tip of the Connaigre Peninsula, about 230 kilometres east of St. John’s.
“Although we know the approximate scale of the loss we cannot determine an exact figure after only a few days,” Mowi said in a Facebook post Thursday. “It is an unfortunate fact that all livestock farmers will encounter and must manage environmental mortality events from time to time.”
The post said the salmon were killed by a thermocline inversion, during which cold, low-oxygen water swells up to the surface.
Newfoundland and Labrador’s Department of Fisheries, Forestry and Agriculture said Mowi first contacted officials on Aug. 25 to report a die-off of over three per cent but less than 10 per cent of its stock at the three farming sites. Five days later, the company said more than 10 per cent of its 1.7 million salmon at the sites had died, the department said in an emailed statement. Mowi issued a public notice a day later.
On Thursday, the company said an estimated 133,334 salmon had died at each of the three farms, the email said.
“Mortalities are currently being removed and properly disposed of, while some of the remaining fish within the population are being harvested,” said spokesperson Sara Rideout. “The (department) continues to work closely with Mowi throughout its investigation.”
Mowi did not respond to questions about how it is disposing of the dead fish.
This is the second fish die-off at Mowi farms in Newfoundland in as many months. The company reported an “abnormal mortality event” exceeding 10 per cent of salmon on July 20 at a site near Rencontre East, also along Newfoundland’s south coast.
Neville Crabbe with the Atlantic Salmon Federation said the deaths pose serious questions about Mowi’s current bid to grow its operations in Newfoundland and Labrador. The company is looking to expand its hatchery in western Newfoundland, and the project cleared the province’s environmental assessment process on Friday.
The two salmon die-offs this summer underline the federation’s position that expanding the aquaculture industry in the province is “unwarranted, unnecessary and too risky,” Crabbe said in an interview Friday.
“Companies are struggling to keep fish alive long enough in the cages to harvest them for market,” he said. “Companies and regulators need to address the causes of these issues and demonstrate a track record of success and sustainability before they’re expanding.”
In its Facebook post, Mowi noted that the die-offs came after “several years of successful, incident-free production.”
“2025 is proving to be an environmentally tough year for everyone (in) Newfoundland, including salmon farmers,” the post said.
torontosun.com
Author of the article:Canadian Press
Canadian Press
Published Sep 05, 2025 • 2 minute read
ST. JOHN’S — About 400,000 fish recently died across three salmon farming sites operated by Mowi Canada East along the south coast of Newfoundland, the second major die-off the company has reported this summer.
The company said the “abnormal mortality incident” affected about 23 per cent of the Atlantic salmon at the three sites near Harbour Breton, N.L., which is at the southern tip of the Connaigre Peninsula, about 230 kilometres east of St. John’s.
“Although we know the approximate scale of the loss we cannot determine an exact figure after only a few days,” Mowi said in a Facebook post Thursday. “It is an unfortunate fact that all livestock farmers will encounter and must manage environmental mortality events from time to time.”
The post said the salmon were killed by a thermocline inversion, during which cold, low-oxygen water swells up to the surface.
Newfoundland and Labrador’s Department of Fisheries, Forestry and Agriculture said Mowi first contacted officials on Aug. 25 to report a die-off of over three per cent but less than 10 per cent of its stock at the three farming sites. Five days later, the company said more than 10 per cent of its 1.7 million salmon at the sites had died, the department said in an emailed statement. Mowi issued a public notice a day later.
On Thursday, the company said an estimated 133,334 salmon had died at each of the three farms, the email said.
“Mortalities are currently being removed and properly disposed of, while some of the remaining fish within the population are being harvested,” said spokesperson Sara Rideout. “The (department) continues to work closely with Mowi throughout its investigation.”
Mowi did not respond to questions about how it is disposing of the dead fish.
This is the second fish die-off at Mowi farms in Newfoundland in as many months. The company reported an “abnormal mortality event” exceeding 10 per cent of salmon on July 20 at a site near Rencontre East, also along Newfoundland’s south coast.
Neville Crabbe with the Atlantic Salmon Federation said the deaths pose serious questions about Mowi’s current bid to grow its operations in Newfoundland and Labrador. The company is looking to expand its hatchery in western Newfoundland, and the project cleared the province’s environmental assessment process on Friday.
The two salmon die-offs this summer underline the federation’s position that expanding the aquaculture industry in the province is “unwarranted, unnecessary and too risky,” Crabbe said in an interview Friday.
“Companies are struggling to keep fish alive long enough in the cages to harvest them for market,” he said. “Companies and regulators need to address the causes of these issues and demonstrate a track record of success and sustainability before they’re expanding.”
In its Facebook post, Mowi noted that the die-offs came after “several years of successful, incident-free production.”
“2025 is proving to be an environmentally tough year for everyone (in) Newfoundland, including salmon farmers,” the post said.
About 400,000 salmon dead across three fish farms in Newfoundland
On Thursday, the company said an estimated 133,334 salmon had died at each of the three farms, the email said.
Missing Canadian soldier deployed to Latvia found dead
Author of the article:Canadian Press
Canadian Press
Published Sep 06, 2025 • Last updated 15 hours ago • 1 minute read
The Canadian Armed Forces said Warrant Officer George Hohl, who was missing since Tuesday while deployed to Latvia, was found dead on Friday.
The Canadian Armed Forces said Warrant Officer George Hohl, who was missing since Tuesday while deployed to Latvia, was found dead on Friday.
A Canadian Armed Forces member deployed to Latvia, who was missing since earlier this week, was found dead Friday.
A news release from the Department of National Defence and Canadian Armed Forces says Warrant Officer George Hohl was deployed on Operation Reassurance as part of the Aviation Battalion under the NATO Multinational Brigade-Latvia.
Hohl was a vehicle technician based in Edmonton and had served in the Canadian Armed Forces for almost 20 years.
The department says the Canadian Forces Military Police, with the support of Latvian authorities, are investigating the circumstances surrounding Hohl’s death.
The news release did not offer information about those circumstances, but says there was no indication the incident poses an increased threat to the safety and security of deployed Canadians.
Prime Minister Mark Carney said he was deeply sad to learn about Hohl’s death.
In a social media post, Carney shared that last month he had the honour of spending time with the brigade that Hohl was part of.
“On behalf of all Canadians, I offer my deepest condolences to Warrant Officer Hohl’s family, friends, and to all those who served with him,” Carney wrote on X.
General Jennie Carignan, Chief of the Defence Staff, expressed her condolences, saying, Hohl will be remembered for his many years of dedicated service.
torontosun.com
Author of the article:Canadian Press
Canadian Press
Published Sep 06, 2025 • Last updated 15 hours ago • 1 minute read
The Canadian Armed Forces said Warrant Officer George Hohl, who was missing since Tuesday while deployed to Latvia, was found dead on Friday.
The Canadian Armed Forces said Warrant Officer George Hohl, who was missing since Tuesday while deployed to Latvia, was found dead on Friday.
A Canadian Armed Forces member deployed to Latvia, who was missing since earlier this week, was found dead Friday.
A news release from the Department of National Defence and Canadian Armed Forces says Warrant Officer George Hohl was deployed on Operation Reassurance as part of the Aviation Battalion under the NATO Multinational Brigade-Latvia.
Hohl was a vehicle technician based in Edmonton and had served in the Canadian Armed Forces for almost 20 years.
The department says the Canadian Forces Military Police, with the support of Latvian authorities, are investigating the circumstances surrounding Hohl’s death.
The news release did not offer information about those circumstances, but says there was no indication the incident poses an increased threat to the safety and security of deployed Canadians.
Prime Minister Mark Carney said he was deeply sad to learn about Hohl’s death.
In a social media post, Carney shared that last month he had the honour of spending time with the brigade that Hohl was part of.
“On behalf of all Canadians, I offer my deepest condolences to Warrant Officer Hohl’s family, friends, and to all those who served with him,” Carney wrote on X.
General Jennie Carignan, Chief of the Defence Staff, expressed her condolences, saying, Hohl will be remembered for his many years of dedicated service.
Missing Canadian soldier deployed to Latvia found dead
A Canadian Armed Forces member deployed to Latvia, who was missing since earlier this week, was found dead Friday.
Study estimates 2023 Canadian wildfire smoke caused more than 82,000 deaths globally
Author of the article:Canadian Press
Canadian Press
Brenna Owen
Published Sep 10, 2025 • Last updated 1 day ago • 4 minute read
VANCOUVER — Smoke from record-breaking Canadian wildfires in 2023 caused an estimated 5,400 acute deaths and about 82,100 premature deaths worldwide, a new study shows.
The study published in the peer-reviewed journal Nature acknowledges some variation in mortality estimates depending on the methods used, but says its overall conclusion is the smoke led to an “enormous and far-reaching” health burden.
Canadian co-author Michael Brauer says the findings serve as a “wake-up call” for areas that haven’t typically seen repeated or prolonged exposure to wildfire smoke.
The health impacts will only increase with worsening climate change, he says, and understanding them is crucial for managing the risk and protecting people.
“While there is room for improved forest management and fire suppression … we’re still going to get a lot of smoke,” says Brauer, a professor in the School of Population and Public Health at the University of British Columbia.
“So we need to learn how to live with it and I do believe we can live with it.”
The international research team used several computer models and data sources to produce estimates of the number of deaths attributable to the particulate pollution, known as PM2.5, from Canada’s worst-ever wildfire season.
Of the estimated 82,100 premature deaths due to continuous exposure to the smoke over several months, the paper says 64,300 occurred in North America and Europe, including 33,000 deaths in the United States and 8,300 in Canada.
It says the overall figure represents 0.9 per cent of total deaths related to PM2.5 globally in 2023.
Brauer says the premature deaths represent the chronic impacts of wildfire smoke, which interacts with pre-existing risk factors and conditions, such as heart or lung disease, to potentially contribute to shortening a person’s life.
“This is sort of the slow accumulation of pollution exposure,” says Brauer, whose co-authors were based in China and the United States.
The period between June 26 and July 7, 2023, was especially smoky, causing an estimated 5,400 acute deaths in the United States and Canada, the paper says.
The study shows the chronic impacts were far greater than the acute effects, Brauer says, referring to increased ambulance dispatches, emergency room visits and hospitalizations that occur during or shortly after a smoke event.
That’s a significant finding, he says, because severe wildfire seasons are becoming more frequent with climate change.
“We’re seeing, with a warmer climate, that we’re getting kind of record or close-to-record fire seasons repeatedly every summer,” he says.
“That’s going to contribute to increased numbers of people dying prematurely.”
While smoke from wildfires in Canada’s vast forests has caused health impacts across continents, Brauer says the greenhouse gas emissions driving climate change and its impacts, including severe wildfires, are a global problem.
Canada’s 2023 fire season shattered records, with more than 6,000 fires scorching 150,000 square kilometres, according to Natural Resources Canada, while this year is the second-worst season on record, burning more than 83,000 square kilometres.
The study says the wildfires in Canada accounted for 13 per cent of global fire-related exposure to fine particulate matter in 2023, but the Canadian blazes had an outsized impact as smoke spread across North America and western Europe.
The smoke that ended up in parts of Europe wasn’t highly concentrated, but it affected areas with high population density, Brauer says.
The researchers identified “Canada smoke days” during which daily mean concentrations of PM2.5 exceeded the World Health Organization guideline and the Canadian fires accounted for at least half the average concentration over 24 hours.
Using those criteria, the study found 354 million people in North America and Europe were exposed to at least one “Canada smoke day” in 2023.
In Canada, the paper says 98 per cent of the population experienced such a day, with an average of 27.1 smoke days per person.
In the United States, the figure was 267 million people. In Europe, it was 47.7 million people, a number larger than Canada’s population, the paper notes.
In Canada, it says hotspots for smoke included the James Bay region of Quebec and large areas of Alberta, Saskatchewan and the Northwest Territories.
South of the border, the paper says smoke extended over large areas of the Rocky Mountains, Midwest, Ohio Valley and northeastern United States.
In Europe, it says the smoke was especially felt in Spain, Italy and France.
Brauer says the mounting health impacts require officials to consider public health measures and messaging to protect people during smoke events.
“So what do we do about this forecast? Do we think about, there’s summer camps or a concert or a sporting event, do we make changes? Do we provide everyone with pre-existing heart and lung disease an air filter?” Brauer says.
“There’s a lot of room to sort of improve the response,” he adds.
The paper published Wednesday points to previous research examining health impacts of wildfire-related pollution in other “hotspot” regions worldwide.
It says a recent study estimated that 384,600, 144,300 and 79,300 people died annually in sub-Saharan Africa, Southeast Asia, and Latin American and the Caribbean, respectively, due to chronic wildfire smoke between 2000 and 2019.
The paper concludes that “further well-designed epidemiological studies on this topic are urgently needed” to hone researchers’ understanding of the health impacts of wildfire smoke in contrast to other kinds of air pollution.
torontosun.com
Author of the article:Canadian Press
Canadian Press
Brenna Owen
Published Sep 10, 2025 • Last updated 1 day ago • 4 minute read
VANCOUVER — Smoke from record-breaking Canadian wildfires in 2023 caused an estimated 5,400 acute deaths and about 82,100 premature deaths worldwide, a new study shows.
The study published in the peer-reviewed journal Nature acknowledges some variation in mortality estimates depending on the methods used, but says its overall conclusion is the smoke led to an “enormous and far-reaching” health burden.
Canadian co-author Michael Brauer says the findings serve as a “wake-up call” for areas that haven’t typically seen repeated or prolonged exposure to wildfire smoke.
The health impacts will only increase with worsening climate change, he says, and understanding them is crucial for managing the risk and protecting people.
“While there is room for improved forest management and fire suppression … we’re still going to get a lot of smoke,” says Brauer, a professor in the School of Population and Public Health at the University of British Columbia.
“So we need to learn how to live with it and I do believe we can live with it.”
The international research team used several computer models and data sources to produce estimates of the number of deaths attributable to the particulate pollution, known as PM2.5, from Canada’s worst-ever wildfire season.
Of the estimated 82,100 premature deaths due to continuous exposure to the smoke over several months, the paper says 64,300 occurred in North America and Europe, including 33,000 deaths in the United States and 8,300 in Canada.
It says the overall figure represents 0.9 per cent of total deaths related to PM2.5 globally in 2023.
Brauer says the premature deaths represent the chronic impacts of wildfire smoke, which interacts with pre-existing risk factors and conditions, such as heart or lung disease, to potentially contribute to shortening a person’s life.
“This is sort of the slow accumulation of pollution exposure,” says Brauer, whose co-authors were based in China and the United States.
The period between June 26 and July 7, 2023, was especially smoky, causing an estimated 5,400 acute deaths in the United States and Canada, the paper says.
The study shows the chronic impacts were far greater than the acute effects, Brauer says, referring to increased ambulance dispatches, emergency room visits and hospitalizations that occur during or shortly after a smoke event.
That’s a significant finding, he says, because severe wildfire seasons are becoming more frequent with climate change.
“We’re seeing, with a warmer climate, that we’re getting kind of record or close-to-record fire seasons repeatedly every summer,” he says.
“That’s going to contribute to increased numbers of people dying prematurely.”
While smoke from wildfires in Canada’s vast forests has caused health impacts across continents, Brauer says the greenhouse gas emissions driving climate change and its impacts, including severe wildfires, are a global problem.
Canada’s 2023 fire season shattered records, with more than 6,000 fires scorching 150,000 square kilometres, according to Natural Resources Canada, while this year is the second-worst season on record, burning more than 83,000 square kilometres.
The study says the wildfires in Canada accounted for 13 per cent of global fire-related exposure to fine particulate matter in 2023, but the Canadian blazes had an outsized impact as smoke spread across North America and western Europe.
The smoke that ended up in parts of Europe wasn’t highly concentrated, but it affected areas with high population density, Brauer says.
The researchers identified “Canada smoke days” during which daily mean concentrations of PM2.5 exceeded the World Health Organization guideline and the Canadian fires accounted for at least half the average concentration over 24 hours.
Using those criteria, the study found 354 million people in North America and Europe were exposed to at least one “Canada smoke day” in 2023.
In Canada, the paper says 98 per cent of the population experienced such a day, with an average of 27.1 smoke days per person.
In the United States, the figure was 267 million people. In Europe, it was 47.7 million people, a number larger than Canada’s population, the paper notes.
In Canada, it says hotspots for smoke included the James Bay region of Quebec and large areas of Alberta, Saskatchewan and the Northwest Territories.
South of the border, the paper says smoke extended over large areas of the Rocky Mountains, Midwest, Ohio Valley and northeastern United States.
In Europe, it says the smoke was especially felt in Spain, Italy and France.
Brauer says the mounting health impacts require officials to consider public health measures and messaging to protect people during smoke events.
“So what do we do about this forecast? Do we think about, there’s summer camps or a concert or a sporting event, do we make changes? Do we provide everyone with pre-existing heart and lung disease an air filter?” Brauer says.
“There’s a lot of room to sort of improve the response,” he adds.
The paper published Wednesday points to previous research examining health impacts of wildfire-related pollution in other “hotspot” regions worldwide.
It says a recent study estimated that 384,600, 144,300 and 79,300 people died annually in sub-Saharan Africa, Southeast Asia, and Latin American and the Caribbean, respectively, due to chronic wildfire smoke between 2000 and 2019.
The paper concludes that “further well-designed epidemiological studies on this topic are urgently needed” to hone researchers’ understanding of the health impacts of wildfire smoke in contrast to other kinds of air pollution.
Study estimates 2023 Canadian wildfire smoke caused more than 82,000 deaths globally
A study says that an estimated 82,100 premature deaths were due to continuous exposure to the smoke over several months.
New analysis indicates higher lethality of avian flu at B.C. ostrich farm: Vet
Author of the article:Canadian Press
Canadian Press
Brenna Owen
Published Sep 10, 2025 • Last updated 1 day ago • 4 minute read
Karen Espersen, owner of Universal Ostrich Farm, shown with some of the 400 ostriches she owns.
Karen Espersen, owner of Universal Ostrich Farm, shown with some of the 400 ostriches she owns that must be culled due to an outbreak of avian flu. Photo by Universal Ostrich Farm
An affidavit by Canada’s deputy chief veterinarian says new analysis has confirmed ostriches at a British Columbia farm that is fighting a cull order for its flock were sickened by a unique and more lethal strain of the avian influenza virus.
The affidavit by Dr. Cathy Furness with the Canadian Food Inspection Agency says further investigation of samples taken from the birds revealed the “novel reassortment” of the virus has “enhanced the pathogenicity” of the strain.
The strain was “among the most virulent” tested at Canada’s National Microbiology Laboratory and even low doses killed mice within a few days, the document says.
But Furness says the CFIA doesn’t know how likely it is that the ostriches at the Edgewood, B.C., farm remain infected, or will become infected.
The document was filed on Tuesday with the Federal Court of Appeal, where the agency is arguing against another stay delaying the cull of about 400 ostriches.
Katie Pasitney, farm spokeswoman and daughter of its co-owner, says in a Facebook post they are “actively responding” to filings by the Justice Department.
“We are putting in our reconsideration material as well,” she says in the post on Wednesday, adding the farm would be providing further updates.
The farm’s owners have long said the flock is healthy, acquiring “herd immunity” since the CFIA ordered the cull on Dec. 31, 2024, during an outbreak that went on to kill 69 birds.
Furness’s filing follows a Federal Court of Appeal ruling granting the farm an interim stay and delaying the cull as it seeks a hearing at the Supreme Court of Canada.
She says the new information “increases the potential animal and human health risks associated with the ongoing delay” and “decontamination” of exposed areas.
Furness says a review of scientific literature and information from a veterinary epidemiologist with the federal agency show ostriches can shed large amounts of avian influenza and continue shedding without showing signs of infection.
“That is, infected ostriches may still be shedding virus through their urine, feces, and respiratory secretions, despite appearing healthy. This is referred to as ’silent shedding’, which is also observed in some other birds, like ducks,” the filing says.
Universal Ostrich Farms has repeatedly called for testing to determine whether the birds are infected with H5N1.
Furness says the chances they are infected or will become infected “is unknown by CFIA, due to gaps in the available science regarding how long immunity to (avian influenza) viruses may last in an individual ostrich,” as well as a lack of information about how many ostriches were infected during the original outbreak.
The affidavit says the requirements for a cull were met on Dec. 31, 2024, “and the policy does not provide for additional testing.”
In any case, Furness says, testing could only provide additional evidence of current risk. It would not address the unknown risks of reinfection or the risks associated with the “contaminated environment,” she says in the document.
Furness says the CFIA’s risk assessment is also informed by the farm owners’ “inability or unwillingness” to comply with quarantine rules.
Avian influenza viruses can survive for months or even years in fresh water at low temperatures and have been documented surviving in manure and on feathers in low temperatures for about four to six months, the affidavit says.
“Therefore, a source of infection or reinfection with (avian influenza) can remain in the environment long after individual infected birds have recovered,” it says.
Universal Ostrich Farms has maintained the birds should be spared because they are scientifically valuable and pose no threat.
The farm has lost in Federal Court and the Federal Court of Appeal, but last Thursday its lawyer sought another stay on the cull order, filing a series of documents as the farm pursues a hearing in Canada’s High Court.
In a decision dated Sept. 6, the Appeal Court granted the interim stay until the stay motion “is decided on the basis of a full record.”
The interim stay motion says the farm was to have until Wednesday to respond to the latest filings by the CFIA.
It says the agency is still allowed to take preparatory steps to kill the birds.
The CFIA says on its website that allowing a flock previously exposed to avian influenza to remain alive means a potential source of the virus persists and increases the risk of reassortment or mutation of the virus.
The farm’s situation has drawn attention from officials in the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump, including Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who has repeatedly called for the animals to be spared and studied. Supporters seeking to avert a cull have also been camping out at the farm and staging concerts.
torontosun.com
Author of the article:Canadian Press
Canadian Press
Brenna Owen
Published Sep 10, 2025 • Last updated 1 day ago • 4 minute read
Karen Espersen, owner of Universal Ostrich Farm, shown with some of the 400 ostriches she owns.
Karen Espersen, owner of Universal Ostrich Farm, shown with some of the 400 ostriches she owns that must be culled due to an outbreak of avian flu. Photo by Universal Ostrich Farm
An affidavit by Canada’s deputy chief veterinarian says new analysis has confirmed ostriches at a British Columbia farm that is fighting a cull order for its flock were sickened by a unique and more lethal strain of the avian influenza virus.
The affidavit by Dr. Cathy Furness with the Canadian Food Inspection Agency says further investigation of samples taken from the birds revealed the “novel reassortment” of the virus has “enhanced the pathogenicity” of the strain.
The strain was “among the most virulent” tested at Canada’s National Microbiology Laboratory and even low doses killed mice within a few days, the document says.
But Furness says the CFIA doesn’t know how likely it is that the ostriches at the Edgewood, B.C., farm remain infected, or will become infected.
The document was filed on Tuesday with the Federal Court of Appeal, where the agency is arguing against another stay delaying the cull of about 400 ostriches.
Katie Pasitney, farm spokeswoman and daughter of its co-owner, says in a Facebook post they are “actively responding” to filings by the Justice Department.
“We are putting in our reconsideration material as well,” she says in the post on Wednesday, adding the farm would be providing further updates.
The farm’s owners have long said the flock is healthy, acquiring “herd immunity” since the CFIA ordered the cull on Dec. 31, 2024, during an outbreak that went on to kill 69 birds.
Furness’s filing follows a Federal Court of Appeal ruling granting the farm an interim stay and delaying the cull as it seeks a hearing at the Supreme Court of Canada.
She says the new information “increases the potential animal and human health risks associated with the ongoing delay” and “decontamination” of exposed areas.
Furness says a review of scientific literature and information from a veterinary epidemiologist with the federal agency show ostriches can shed large amounts of avian influenza and continue shedding without showing signs of infection.
“That is, infected ostriches may still be shedding virus through their urine, feces, and respiratory secretions, despite appearing healthy. This is referred to as ’silent shedding’, which is also observed in some other birds, like ducks,” the filing says.
Universal Ostrich Farms has repeatedly called for testing to determine whether the birds are infected with H5N1.
Furness says the chances they are infected or will become infected “is unknown by CFIA, due to gaps in the available science regarding how long immunity to (avian influenza) viruses may last in an individual ostrich,” as well as a lack of information about how many ostriches were infected during the original outbreak.
The affidavit says the requirements for a cull were met on Dec. 31, 2024, “and the policy does not provide for additional testing.”
In any case, Furness says, testing could only provide additional evidence of current risk. It would not address the unknown risks of reinfection or the risks associated with the “contaminated environment,” she says in the document.
Furness says the CFIA’s risk assessment is also informed by the farm owners’ “inability or unwillingness” to comply with quarantine rules.
Avian influenza viruses can survive for months or even years in fresh water at low temperatures and have been documented surviving in manure and on feathers in low temperatures for about four to six months, the affidavit says.
“Therefore, a source of infection or reinfection with (avian influenza) can remain in the environment long after individual infected birds have recovered,” it says.
Universal Ostrich Farms has maintained the birds should be spared because they are scientifically valuable and pose no threat.
The farm has lost in Federal Court and the Federal Court of Appeal, but last Thursday its lawyer sought another stay on the cull order, filing a series of documents as the farm pursues a hearing in Canada’s High Court.
In a decision dated Sept. 6, the Appeal Court granted the interim stay until the stay motion “is decided on the basis of a full record.”
The interim stay motion says the farm was to have until Wednesday to respond to the latest filings by the CFIA.
It says the agency is still allowed to take preparatory steps to kill the birds.
The CFIA says on its website that allowing a flock previously exposed to avian influenza to remain alive means a potential source of the virus persists and increases the risk of reassortment or mutation of the virus.
The farm’s situation has drawn attention from officials in the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump, including Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who has repeatedly called for the animals to be spared and studied. Supporters seeking to avert a cull have also been camping out at the farm and staging concerts.
New analysis indicates higher lethality of avian flu at B.C. ostrich farm: Vet
Ostriches at a B.C. farm fighting a cull order for its flock were sickened by a unique and more lethal strain of the avian influenza virus.
And refusal to ensure our forests are cleaned from time to time doesn't have any effect as does arson apparently. Huh, who knew?Study estimates 2023 Canadian wildfire smoke caused more than 82,000 deaths globally
Author of the article:Canadian Press
Canadian Press
Brenna Owen
Published Sep 10, 2025 • Last updated 1 day ago • 4 minute read
VANCOUVER — Smoke from record-breaking Canadian wildfires in 2023 caused an estimated 5,400 acute deaths and about 82,100 premature deaths worldwide, a new study shows.
The study published in the peer-reviewed journal Nature acknowledges some variation in mortality estimates depending on the methods used, but says its overall conclusion is the smoke led to an “enormous and far-reaching” health burden.
Canadian co-author Michael Brauer says the findings serve as a “wake-up call” for areas that haven’t typically seen repeated or prolonged exposure to wildfire smoke.
The health impacts will only increase with worsening climate change, he says, and understanding them is crucial for managing the risk and protecting people.
“While there is room for improved forest management and fire suppression … we’re still going to get a lot of smoke,” says Brauer, a professor in the School of Population and Public Health at the University of British Columbia.
“So we need to learn how to live with it and I do believe we can live with it.”
The international research team used several computer models and data sources to produce estimates of the number of deaths attributable to the particulate pollution, known as PM2.5, from Canada’s worst-ever wildfire season.
Of the estimated 82,100 premature deaths due to continuous exposure to the smoke over several months, the paper says 64,300 occurred in North America and Europe, including 33,000 deaths in the United States and 8,300 in Canada.
It says the overall figure represents 0.9 per cent of total deaths related to PM2.5 globally in 2023.
Brauer says the premature deaths represent the chronic impacts of wildfire smoke, which interacts with pre-existing risk factors and conditions, such as heart or lung disease, to potentially contribute to shortening a person’s life.
“This is sort of the slow accumulation of pollution exposure,” says Brauer, whose co-authors were based in China and the United States.
The period between June 26 and July 7, 2023, was especially smoky, causing an estimated 5,400 acute deaths in the United States and Canada, the paper says.
The study shows the chronic impacts were far greater than the acute effects, Brauer says, referring to increased ambulance dispatches, emergency room visits and hospitalizations that occur during or shortly after a smoke event.
That’s a significant finding, he says, because severe wildfire seasons are becoming more frequent with climate change.
“We’re seeing, with a warmer climate, that we’re getting kind of record or close-to-record fire seasons repeatedly every summer,” he says.
“That’s going to contribute to increased numbers of people dying prematurely.”
While smoke from wildfires in Canada’s vast forests has caused health impacts across continents, Brauer says the greenhouse gas emissions driving climate change and its impacts, including severe wildfires, are a global problem.
Canada’s 2023 fire season shattered records, with more than 6,000 fires scorching 150,000 square kilometres, according to Natural Resources Canada, while this year is the second-worst season on record, burning more than 83,000 square kilometres.
The study says the wildfires in Canada accounted for 13 per cent of global fire-related exposure to fine particulate matter in 2023, but the Canadian blazes had an outsized impact as smoke spread across North America and western Europe.
The smoke that ended up in parts of Europe wasn’t highly concentrated, but it affected areas with high population density, Brauer says.
The researchers identified “Canada smoke days” during which daily mean concentrations of PM2.5 exceeded the World Health Organization guideline and the Canadian fires accounted for at least half the average concentration over 24 hours.
Using those criteria, the study found 354 million people in North America and Europe were exposed to at least one “Canada smoke day” in 2023.
In Canada, the paper says 98 per cent of the population experienced such a day, with an average of 27.1 smoke days per person.
In the United States, the figure was 267 million people. In Europe, it was 47.7 million people, a number larger than Canada’s population, the paper notes.
In Canada, it says hotspots for smoke included the James Bay region of Quebec and large areas of Alberta, Saskatchewan and the Northwest Territories.
South of the border, the paper says smoke extended over large areas of the Rocky Mountains, Midwest, Ohio Valley and northeastern United States.
In Europe, it says the smoke was especially felt in Spain, Italy and France.
Brauer says the mounting health impacts require officials to consider public health measures and messaging to protect people during smoke events.
“So what do we do about this forecast? Do we think about, there’s summer camps or a concert or a sporting event, do we make changes? Do we provide everyone with pre-existing heart and lung disease an air filter?” Brauer says.
“There’s a lot of room to sort of improve the response,” he adds.
The paper published Wednesday points to previous research examining health impacts of wildfire-related pollution in other “hotspot” regions worldwide.
It says a recent study estimated that 384,600, 144,300 and 79,300 people died annually in sub-Saharan Africa, Southeast Asia, and Latin American and the Caribbean, respectively, due to chronic wildfire smoke between 2000 and 2019.
The paper concludes that “further well-designed epidemiological studies on this topic are urgently needed” to hone researchers’ understanding of the health impacts of wildfire smoke in contrast to other kinds of air pollution.
Study estimates 2023 Canadian wildfire smoke caused more than 82,000 deaths globally
A study says that an estimated 82,100 premature deaths were due to continuous exposure to the smoke over several months.