It's Climate Change I tell'ya!! IT'S CLIMATE CHANGE!!

[spaminator]

Canadians oppose Liberal 2035 prohibition of new gas, diesel vehicles
Canada is set to outlaw new gas and diesel powered passenger vehicle sales by 2035

Author of the article:Bryan Passifiume
Published Apr 23, 2025 • 2 minute read

Despite the Liberals going all-in on a government-mandated internal combustion engine ban, recent polling shows Canadians are not on board.
Despite the Liberals going all-in on a government-mandated internal combustion engine ban, recent polling shows Canadians are not on board.
OTTAWA — Despite the Liberals going all-in on a government-mandated internal combustion engine ban, recent polling shows Canadians are not on board.


In a Leger poll commissioned by the Canadian Taxpayers Federation, 54% say they’re against the planned national ban on the sale of new gas and diesel vehicles by 2035.

Thirty-six per cent say they’re in favour, while 10% said they didn’t know.

“This ban means taxpayers will foot the bill for charging stations, grid upgrades and massive subsidies,” said Carson Binda, the federation’s B.C. director.

“Canadians deserve clarity from every party. Will they back a costly mandate or will they respect taxpayers and protect Canadians’ freedom to choose their own vehicles?”

Earlier this year, Transport Canada abruptly ended its Incentives for Zero-Emission Vehicles (iZEV) program after it ran out of money.

The end of that program came just 12 months before the start of the Trudeau Liberals’ multi-year EV sales mandate, where 20% of all new Canadian car sales must be zero-emission.



That figure is mandated to reach 100% by 2035, effectively outlawing the sale of cars and trucks equipped with internal-combustion engines.

Canada’s auto industry has also called for an end to the ZEV mandates, citing unrealistic government expectations and a lack of funding for a nation-wide roll-out of charging infrastructure.

“It should be obvious to everyone now that provincial and federally mandated zero emission sales targets are no longer ambitious, but a complete fantasy,” said Brian Kingston, president of the Canadian Vehicle Manufacturers’ Association (CVMA) at a Parliament Hill news conference earlier this year.

Opposition to the engine ban was spread pretty evenly across Canada, but was highest (68%) in Alberta and lowest (55%) in Quebec.

The poll was conducted between April 11 and 13 among 1,630 adult Canadians via Leger’s online panel.

As margins-of-error don’t apply to polls conducted via online panels, a comparable sample size would yield a margin ±2.4%, 19 times out of 20.

bpassifiume@postmedia.com
X: @bryanpassifiume

Canadians oppose Liberal 2035 prohibition of new gas, diesel vehicles

Canada is set to outlaw new gas and diesel powered passenger vehicle sales by 2035

torontosun.com

 

[spaminator]

Hawaii plans to increase hotel tax to help it cope with climate change
Author of the article:Associated Press
Associated Press
Audrey Mcavoy
Published Apr 30, 2025 • 4 minute read

HONOLULU — In a first-of-its kind move, Hawaii lawmakers are ready to hike a tax imposed on travellers staying in hotels, vacation rentals and other short-term accommodations and earmark the new money for programs to cope with a warming planet.


State leaders say they’ll use the funds for projects like replenishing sand on eroding beaches, helping homeowners install hurricane clips on their roofs and removing invasive grasses like those that fueled the deadly wildfire that destroyed Lahaina two years ago.

A bill scheduled for House and Senate votes this week _ initially scheduled for Wednesday but moved to Friday — would add an additional 0.75% to the daily room rate tax starting Jan. 1. It’s all but certain to pass given Democrats hold supermajorities in both chambers and party leaders have agreed on the measure. Gov. Josh Green has said he would sign it into law.

Officials estimate the increase would generate $100 million in new revenue annually.

“We had a $13 billion tragedy in Maui and we lost 102 people. These kind of dollars will help us prevent that next disaster,” Green said in an interview.


Green said Hawaii was the first state in the nation to do something along these lines. Andrey Yushkov, a senior policy analyst at the Tax Foundation, a Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit organization, said he was unaware of any other state that has set aside lodging tax revenue for the purposes of environmental protection or climate change.

Adding to an already hefty tax

The increase will add to what is already a relatively large duty on short-term stays. The state’s existing 10.25% tax on daily room rates would climb to 11%. In addition, Hawaii’s counties each add their own 3% surcharge and the state and counties impose a combined 4.712% general excise tax on goods and services including hotel rooms. Together, that will make for a tax rate of nearly 19%.

The only large U.S. cities that have higher cumulative state and local lodging tax rates are Omaha, Nebraska, at 20.5%, and Cincinnati, at 19.3%, according to a 2024 report by HVS, a global hospitality consulting firm.


The governor has long said the 10 million visitors who come to Hawaii each year should help the state’s 1.4 million residents protect the environment.

Green believes travellers will be willing to pay the increased tax because doing so will enable Hawaii to “keep the beaches perfect” and preserve favourite spots like Maui’s road to Hana and the coastline along Oahu’s North Shore. After the Maui wildfire, Green said he heard from thousands of people across the country asking how they could help. This is a significant way they can, he said.

Hotel industry has mixed feelings

Jerry Gibson, president of the Hawaii Hotel Alliance, which represents the state’s hotel operators, said the industry was pleased lawmakers didn’t adopt a higher increase that was initially proposed.

“I don’t think that there’s anybody in the tourism industry that says, ‘Well, let’s go out and tax more.’ No one wants to see that,” Gibson said. “But our state, at the same time, needs money.”


The silver lining, Gibson said, is that the money is supposed to beautify Hawaii’s environment. It will be worth it if that’s the case, he said.

Hawaii has long struggled to pay for the vast environmental and conservation needs of the islands, ranging from protecting coral reefs to weeding invasive plants to making sure tourists don’t harass wildlife, such as Hawaiian monk seals. The state must also maintain a large network of trails, many of which have heavier foot traffic as more travellers choose to hike on vacation.

Two years ago, lawmakers considered requiring tourists to pay for a yearlong license or pass to visit state parks and trails. Green wanted to have all visitors pay a $50 fee to enter the state, an idea lawmakers said would violate U.S. constitutional protections for free travel.

Boosting the lodging tax is their compromise solution, one made more urgent by the Maui wildfires.


A large funding gap

An advocacy group, Care for Aina Now, calculated a $561 million gap between Hawaii’s conservation funding needs and money spent each year.

Green acknowledged the revenue from the tax increase falls short of this, but said the state would issue bonds to leverage the money it raises. Most of the $100 million would go toward measures that can be handled in a one-to-two year time frame, while $10 to $15 million of it would pay for bonds supporting long-term infrastructure projects.

Kāwika Riley, a member of the governor’s Climate Advisory Team, pointed to the Hawaiian saying, “A stranger only for a day,” to explain the new tax. The adage means that a visitor should help with the work after the first day of being a guest.

“Nobody is saying that literally our visitors have to come here and start working for us. But what we are saying is that it’s important to be part of the solution,” Riley said. “It’s important to be part of caring for the things you love.”

Hawaii plans to increase hotel tax to help it cope with climate change

In a first-of-its kind move, Hawaii lawmakers are ready to hike a tax imposed on travellers staying in hotels, vacation rentals

torontosun.com

 

[spaminator]

Hawaii plans to increase hotel tax to help it cope with climate change
Author of the article:Associated Press
Associated Press
Audrey Mcavoy
Published Apr 30, 2025 • 4 minute read

HONOLULU — In a first-of-its kind move, Hawaii lawmakers are ready to hike a tax imposed on travellers staying in hotels, vacation rentals and other short-term accommodations and earmark the new money for programs to cope with a warming planet.


State leaders say they’ll use the funds for projects like replenishing sand on eroding beaches, helping homeowners install hurricane clips on their roofs and removing invasive grasses like those that fueled the deadly wildfire that destroyed Lahaina two years ago.

A bill scheduled for House and Senate votes this week _ initially scheduled for Wednesday but moved to Friday — would add an additional 0.75% to the daily room rate tax starting Jan. 1. It’s all but certain to pass given Democrats hold supermajorities in both chambers and party leaders have agreed on the measure. Gov. Josh Green has said he would sign it into law.

Officials estimate the increase would generate $100 million in new revenue annually.

“We had a $13 billion tragedy in Maui and we lost 102 people. These kind of dollars will help us prevent that next disaster,” Green said in an interview.


Green said Hawaii was the first state in the nation to do something along these lines. Andrey Yushkov, a senior policy analyst at the Tax Foundation, a Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit organization, said he was unaware of any other state that has set aside lodging tax revenue for the purposes of environmental protection or climate change.

Adding to an already hefty tax

The increase will add to what is already a relatively large duty on short-term stays. The state’s existing 10.25% tax on daily room rates would climb to 11%. In addition, Hawaii’s counties each add their own 3% surcharge and the state and counties impose a combined 4.712% general excise tax on goods and services including hotel rooms. Together, that will make for a tax rate of nearly 19%.

The only large U.S. cities that have higher cumulative state and local lodging tax rates are Omaha, Nebraska, at 20.5%, and Cincinnati, at 19.3%, according to a 2024 report by HVS, a global hospitality consulting firm.


The governor has long said the 10 million visitors who come to Hawaii each year should help the state’s 1.4 million residents protect the environment.

Green believes travellers will be willing to pay the increased tax because doing so will enable Hawaii to “keep the beaches perfect” and preserve favourite spots like Maui’s road to Hana and the coastline along Oahu’s North Shore. After the Maui wildfire, Green said he heard from thousands of people across the country asking how they could help. This is a significant way they can, he said.

Hotel industry has mixed feelings

Jerry Gibson, president of the Hawaii Hotel Alliance, which represents the state’s hotel operators, said the industry was pleased lawmakers didn’t adopt a higher increase that was initially proposed.

“I don’t think that there’s anybody in the tourism industry that says, ‘Well, let’s go out and tax more.’ No one wants to see that,” Gibson said. “But our state, at the same time, needs money.”


The silver lining, Gibson said, is that the money is supposed to beautify Hawaii’s environment. It will be worth it if that’s the case, he said.

Hawaii has long struggled to pay for the vast environmental and conservation needs of the islands, ranging from protecting coral reefs to weeding invasive plants to making sure tourists don’t harass wildlife, such as Hawaiian monk seals. The state must also maintain a large network of trails, many of which have heavier foot traffic as more travellers choose to hike on vacation.

Two years ago, lawmakers considered requiring tourists to pay for a yearlong license or pass to visit state parks and trails. Green wanted to have all visitors pay a $50 fee to enter the state, an idea lawmakers said would violate U.S. constitutional protections for free travel.

Boosting the lodging tax is their compromise solution, one made more urgent by the Maui wildfires.


A large funding gap

An advocacy group, Care for Aina Now, calculated a $561 million gap between Hawaii’s conservation funding needs and money spent each year.

Green acknowledged the revenue from the tax increase falls short of this, but said the state would issue bonds to leverage the money it raises. Most of the $100 million would go toward measures that can be handled in a one-to-two year time frame, while $10 to $15 million of it would pay for bonds supporting long-term infrastructure projects.

Kāwika Riley, a member of the governor’s Climate Advisory Team, pointed to the Hawaiian saying, “A stranger only for a day,” to explain the new tax. The adage means that a visitor should help with the work after the first day of being a guest.

“Nobody is saying that literally our visitors have to come here and start working for us. But what we are saying is that it’s important to be part of the solution,” Riley said. “It’s important to be part of caring for the things you love.”

Hawaii plans to increase hotel tax to help it cope with climate change

In a first-of-its kind move, Hawaii lawmakers are ready to hike a tax imposed on travellers staying in hotels, vacation rentals

torontosun.com

Hawaii lawmakers raise state’s hotel tax to help islands cope with climate change
Author of the article:Associated Press
Associated Press
Audrey Mcavoy
Published May 02, 2025 • 3 minute read

HONOLULU — Hawaii lawmakers passed on Friday first-of-its-kind legislation that will increase the state’s lodging tax to raise money for environmental protection and strengthening defenses against climate change-fueled natural disasters.


Gov. Josh Green supports the bill, indicating he will sign it. The bill adds a 0.75% levy to the state’s existing tax on hotel rooms, timeshares, vacation rentals and other short-term accommodations. It also imposes a new 11% tax on cruise ship bills, prorated for the number of days the vessels are in Hawaii ports.

Officials estimate the tax will generate nearly $100 million annually. They say the money will be used for projects like replenishing sand on eroding Waikiki beaches, promoting the use of hurricane clips to secure roofs during powerful storms and clearing flammable invasive grasses like those that fed the deadly wildfire that destroyed downtown Lahaina in 2023.

The House and Senate, both controlled by large majorities of Democrats, both passed the measure Friday.

Experts say this is the nation’s first state lodging tax that raises money for the environment and coping with climate change.


Hawaii already levies a 10.25% tax on short-term rentals. As of Jan. 1, the tax will rise to 11%. Hawaii’s counties separately charge a 3% lodging tax, and travellers also have to pay the 4.712% general excise tax that applies to all virtually all goods and services. The cumulative tax bill at checkout will climb to 18.712%, among the highest in the nation.

Green said people have told him the increase is small enough people won’t notice. He observed many people come to Hawaii to enjoy the environment and predicted they will welcome committing dollars to protect shorelines and communities.

“The more you cultivate good environmental policy, and the more you invest in perfecting our lived space, the more likely it is we’re going to have actually lifelong, committed travellers to Hawaii,” he said in an interview.

Only funds raised by the 0.75% addition and the new tax on cruise ship stays will go exclusively toward natural resources and climate change. Revenue from existing state lodging taxes would continue to flow into state’s general fund and to help pay for the construction of Honolulu’s rail line.


John Pele, the executive director of the Maui Hotel and Lodging Association, said there’s broad agreement that the money raised will go to a good cause. But he wonders if Hawaii will become too expensive for visitors.

“Will we be taxing on tourists out of wanting to come here?” he said. “That remains to be seen.”

The first draft of the legislation called for a larger increase, but lawmakers pared it back.

“We heard the concerns about how do we make sure that we are able to sustain our industry as well as find new resources to address the needs for environmental sustainability,” said Democratic Rep. Linda Ichiyama, vice speaker of the House. “So it was a balance.”

Zane Edleman, a visitor from Chicago, said he could envision the extra cost prompting some travellers to head elsewhere else like Florida. But he said it would depend on how the state shares information about what it does with the money.

“If you really focus on the point _this is to save the climate and actually have proof that this is where the funds are going, and that there’s an actual result that’s happening from that, I think people could buy into it,” Edleman said.

Hawaii lawmakers raise state’s hotel tax to help islands cope with climate change

Hawaii lawmakers passed first-of-its-kind legislation that will increase the state's lodging tax to raise money for environmental protection

torontosun.com

 

[Taxslave2]

Hawaii lawmakers raise state’s hotel tax to help islands cope with climate change
Author of the article:Associated Press
Associated Press
Audrey Mcavoy
Published May 02, 2025 • 3 minute read

HONOLULU — Hawaii lawmakers passed on Friday first-of-its-kind legislation that will increase the state’s lodging tax to raise money for environmental protection and strengthening defenses against climate change-fueled natural disasters.


Gov. Josh Green supports the bill, indicating he will sign it. The bill adds a 0.75% levy to the state’s existing tax on hotel rooms, timeshares, vacation rentals and other short-term accommodations. It also imposes a new 11% tax on cruise ship bills, prorated for the number of days the vessels are in Hawaii ports.

Officials estimate the tax will generate nearly $100 million annually. They say the money will be used for projects like replenishing sand on eroding Waikiki beaches, promoting the use of hurricane clips to secure roofs during powerful storms and clearing flammable invasive grasses like those that fed the deadly wildfire that destroyed downtown Lahaina in 2023.

The House and Senate, both controlled by large majorities of Democrats, both passed the measure Friday.

Experts say this is the nation’s first state lodging tax that raises money for the environment and coping with climate change.


Hawaii already levies a 10.25% tax on short-term rentals. As of Jan. 1, the tax will rise to 11%. Hawaii’s counties separately charge a 3% lodging tax, and travellers also have to pay the 4.712% general excise tax that applies to all virtually all goods and services. The cumulative tax bill at checkout will climb to 18.712%, among the highest in the nation.

Green said people have told him the increase is small enough people won’t notice. He observed many people come to Hawaii to enjoy the environment and predicted they will welcome committing dollars to protect shorelines and communities.

“The more you cultivate good environmental policy, and the more you invest in perfecting our lived space, the more likely it is we’re going to have actually lifelong, committed travellers to Hawaii,” he said in an interview.

Only funds raised by the 0.75% addition and the new tax on cruise ship stays will go exclusively toward natural resources and climate change. Revenue from existing state lodging taxes would continue to flow into state’s general fund and to help pay for the construction of Honolulu’s rail line.


John Pele, the executive director of the Maui Hotel and Lodging Association, said there’s broad agreement that the money raised will go to a good cause. But he wonders if Hawaii will become too expensive for visitors.

“Will we be taxing on tourists out of wanting to come here?” he said. “That remains to be seen.”

The first draft of the legislation called for a larger increase, but lawmakers pared it back.

“We heard the concerns about how do we make sure that we are able to sustain our industry as well as find new resources to address the needs for environmental sustainability,” said Democratic Rep. Linda Ichiyama, vice speaker of the House. “So it was a balance.”

Zane Edleman, a visitor from Chicago, said he could envision the extra cost prompting some travellers to head elsewhere else like Florida. But he said it would depend on how the state shares information about what it does with the money.

“If you really focus on the point _this is to save the climate and actually have proof that this is where the funds are going, and that there’s an actual result that’s happening from that, I think people could buy into it,” Edleman said.

Hawaii lawmakers raise state’s hotel tax to help islands cope with climate change

Hawaii lawmakers passed first-of-its-kind legislation that will increase the state's lodging tax to raise money for environmental protection

torontosun.com

Makes sense, sort of. It is tourism that causes all the problems.

 

[Tecumsehsbones]

Makes sense, sort of. It is tourism that causes all the problems.

Hotel taxes in the U.S. vary from 14% to 22% that I know of.

Makes sense because the people paying the tax don't vote in the jurisdiction.

 

[petros]

Makes sense, sort of. It is tourism that causes all the problems.

Hotel taxes in the U.S. vary from 14% to 22% that I know of.

Makes sense because the people paying the tax don't vote in the jurisdiction.

By far the best way to do Hawaii is camping at State Parks. It's almost free.

 

[spaminator]

Ontario electricity produced with rising percentage of greenhouse-gas-emitting power
The percentage of natural gas generation has been increasing over the past several years

Author of the article:Canadian Press
Canadian Press
Allison Jones
Published May 14, 2025 • Last updated 1 day ago • 4 minute read

A compressor station is shown on Lakeshore Road 309 in Windsor.on Tuesday, November 30, 2021.
A compressor station is shown on Lakeshore Road 309 in Windsor.on Tuesday, November 30, 2021.
Ontario’s electricity is now being produced with the highest percentage of greenhouse-gas-emitting power since coal plants were operating in the province.


The Independent Electricity System Operator recently posted its 2024 year in review, which contains a breakdown of how much electricity was produced from various sources.

It shows that last year 16 per cent of the electricity in Ontario’s grid was produced by natural gas, making it 84 per cent emissions free — down from 87 per cent the year before and down from a high of 96 per cent in 2017.

The last time Ontario’s electricity was produced with at least 16 per cent of emitting power was in 2012, when the province still had coal-fired generation.

Nuclear led the way in 2024, with 51 per cent of Ontario’s electricity generated by those plants, and about 24 per cent came from hydro power.

The percentage of natural gas generation in Ontario’s electricity system has been increasing over the past several years. The IESO says gas provides more flexibility than many other sources, and more is being used while some nuclear units undergo refurbishments so the system remains stable.


“Outages to nuclear generation from this work combined with reduced supply from imports also resulted in gas generation’s higher contribution to overall output in 2024,” the IESO said in its report.

Alienor Rougeot, climate and energy senior program manager at Environmental Defence, said the need to resort to gas to fill in the gaps was preventable if Ontario had acted sooner to boost renewable energy and battery storage.

“I think this is one of those key moments that is extremely upsetting and yet super predictable, which is that the energy planning and the poor decisions that get made five, eight years prior to that now are starting to show up in those supply mixes,” she said.

Premier Doug Ford cancelled 750 renewable energy contracts shortly after his Progressive Conservatives formed government in 2018, after the former Liberal government had faced widespread anger over long-term contracts with clean power producers at above-market rates.


The IESO had been set in 2023 to seek out non-emitting electricity generation to bring more capacity into the system but after Energy Minister Stephen Lecce came into the portfolio in 2024, he announced the procurement would be “technology agnostic.” Critics said that not only opens the door to natural gas but may favour bringing more of it online.

Lecce said the rise in non-emitting electricity generation is “entirely predictable” due to the ongoing nuclear refurbishments.

“Having said that, we’re actually going to have a greener, cleaner grid, getting down to below 99 per cent non-emitting by 2050,” he said.

“So this is part of the journey as we take our non-emitting nuclear units off the grid, because they need to get refurbished for another 40, 50 years.”


The government often touts Ontario’s clean electricity grid as a top selling point when attracting businesses and investment to the province, and Green Party Leader Mike Schreiner said he’s not sure that at 84 per cent clean it is as attractive as it once was.

“I’m deeply concerned that our grid has gotten 12 per cent dirtier over the last few years, especially when the government itself says that one of the competitive advantages Ontario has in attracting global capital investment is our clean grid,” he said.

“The Ford government is losing that advantage at a time we need to be attracting capital more now than ever.”

Lecce said the electricity grid is still a good selling feature and will only get better.

“When we’re getting to near 99 per cent, it’s an incredible achievement that no industrialized economy can point to,” he said.


“We’re very proud of the fact that we have one of the cleanest grids today. We’ll have an even cleaner grid tomorrow as we get our nuclear fleets back.”

In addition to ongoing and planned refurbishments of units at the province’s large-scale nuclear plants, construction on the first of four small modular reactors is set to begin this year.

The $21-billion project for the four reactors is expected to produce enough power for 1.2 million homes.

Stephen Thomas, clean energy manager at the David Suzuki Foundation, said that small modular reactors are one of the most expensive generation options. But natural gas can also be expensive, and the province should be looking more at renewables, he said.

“We think wind and solar are ready for prime time,” he said.

“As we look to the future, we only see the cost of wind, solar and storage coming down over time, and we see the opposite for natural gas. The cost of natural gas is hugely volatile, and it’s hard to depend on what the spot price of natural gas might be in 10 years or 20 years.”

Ontario electricity produced with rising percentage of greenhouse-gas-emitting power

Last year, 16 per cent of the electricity in Ontario's grid was produced by natural gas, making it 84 per cent emissions free

torontosun.com

 

[Taxslave2]

Itf they had just kept burning coal, instead of building unreliable and high prices wind and solar projects life would be fine.

 

[petros]

Itf they had just kept burning coal, instead of building unreliable and high prices wind and solar projects life would be fine.

Nope. Not that.

Ontario sold off 4 natural gas "peak plants" that only ran when power demand was higher than what solar and wind could produce.

Now they run 24/7/365.

Hut 8, a bitcoin company, acquired four natural gas power plants in Ontario with the intention of using the electricity generated to power their cryptocurrency mining operations. These plants are located in North Bay, Iroquois Falls, Kapuskasing, and Kingston. The North Bay plant also includes a bitcoin mine.

The acquisition involved a stalking horse bid, where Hut 8 made a binding offer to purchase the assets of Validus Power, which was undergoing a restructuring process. The Ontario Superior Court of Justice approved the bid, and the deal closed in February 2024.

The acquired plants have a combined capacity of 310 MW, with 110 MW in Kingston, 120 MW in Iroquois Falls, 40 MW in Kapuskasing, and 40 MW in North Bay. Only the Iroquois Falls and Kingston plants were operational at the time of acquisition, supplying power to the Ontario grid through the Independent Electricity System Operator (IESO). The other two plants are maintained but not currently operational.

You may laugh now but within 5 years you'll be buying electricity from Amazon.

 

[Taxslave2]

You may laugh now but within 5 years you'll be buying electricity from Amazon.

That doesn't surprise me. However, being in BC, there is no chance the NDP will sell BCHydro. They must keep it to provide patronage jobs for failed politicians. WE won't be able to afford food and the electricity to cook it with in the same month, but it will still belong to the taxpayers.

 

[petros]

That doesn't surprise me. However, being in BC, there is no chance the NDP will sell BCHydro. They must keep it to provide patronage jobs for failed politicians. WE won't be able to afford food and the electricity to cook it with in the same month, but it will still belong to the taxpayers.

BC Hydro's main job is transmission these days. If it was about patronage West Kootney Power wouldn't have been bought by an Alberta company that bought patronage job rich BCGas too.

 

[Taxslave2]

BC Hydro's main job is transmission these days. If it was about patronage West Kootney Power wouldn't have been bought by an Alberta company that bought patronage job rich BCGas too.

BC Hydro has control of transmission and distribution lines. And all the major hydro generators.

 

[petros]

BC Hydro has control of transmission and distribution lines. And all the major hydro generators.

Most of the transmission and hydro generation. You've never heard of FortisBC have you? If you lived in Kelowna or south of Hwy 1 east of Kelowna all the way to AB border you be getting your hydro bill from FortisBC who bought West Kootenay Power.

West Kootenay Power, now FortisBC, is a hydroelectric utility company in southern British Columbia, Canada. Founded in 1897, it initially focused on supplying power to the mining industry, particularly in Rossland, and later expanded its services to residential and commercial customers throughout the region. The company was instrumental in the development of hydroelectric power in the West Kootenays, playing a key role in the growth and electrification of the area.

Here's a more detailed look at West Kootenay Power:

Key Facts:
Incorporated in 1897:
West Kootenay Power and Light Company was officially incorporated to provide power to the Rossland Mines.

Early Focus on Mining:
The company's initial goal was to supply reliable electricity to the booming mining industry in the West Kootenays.

Hydroelectric Pioneer:
It was one of the first hydroelectric utility companies in British Columbia, and its work was crucial in the development of hydro-electric power in the region.

Expansion and Evolution:
Over the years, West Kootenay Power expanded its operations to include serving residential and commercial customers in various communities.

Acquisition and Renaming:
In 2004, the company's assets were acquired by Fortis Inc., and it was renamed FortisBC.

Ongoing Service:
FortisBC continues to provide electricity to homes, businesses, and communities in southern British Columbia.

Historical Significance:

Rossland Substation:
The West Kootenay Power & Light Substation in Rossland is a designated historic site, reflecting the company's early importance in the region.

Infrastructure Development:
The company's dams and power plants played a crucial role in supporting the mining industry and the growth of communities in the West Kootenays.

Early Adoption of Hydroelectric Power:
West Kootenay Power was a pioneer in the development of hydroelectric power in North America, particularly in its ability to serve both industry and residential areas.

 

[spaminator]

Warm summer in the forecast as droughts and wildfire risks loom: Weather Network
Author of the article:Canadian Press
Canadian Press
Jordan Omstead
Published May 28, 2025 • Last updated 1 day ago • 4 minute read

Canadians longing for sunshine and warmth will likely be pleased by a summer forecast that has an abundance of both, says Weather Network meteorologist Doug Gillham, but he cautioned the season “will highlight that you can get too much of a good thing.”


Droughts, wildfires and powerful thunderstorms could be in the works across parts of Canada this summer, with warmer-than-normal temperatures possible for the vast majority of the country, according to The Weather Network’s seasonal forecast for the months of June, July and August.

“I think most people are going to be happy when they see the forecast initially,” said Gillham, manager of The Weather Network’s forecast centre, ahead of the release of Wednesday’s forecast.

“But some disclaimers as well in that this summer can have some difficulties that come with extreme heat and not enough rain in parts of the country and stormy weather in other parts of the country.”

A warm and humid summer is forecasted for much of Ontario and Quebec and into the Maritimes, Gillham said.


Muggy conditions are expected to fuel some powerful thunderstorms and keep overnight temperatures warm across much of Central Canada, he said. Some heat waves are to be expected, possibly before July, but forecasters do not expect persistent heat in the region, except for areas west of Lake Superior.

Conditions get warmer and drier than normal as the forecast moves to the Ontario-Manitoba boundary, where wildfires have already offered a preview of the risks at play this summer. Several communities have evacuated in recent days as fast-moving fires tear across the region.

“We need to be extra vigilant this summer and really hope that we don’t get those fires started because conditions will be more conducive to fire spreading if they do start,” Gillham said.


What meteorologists consider normal has also changed as the planet warms up, largely due to heat-trapping fossil fuel emissions.

The forecasts of above- or below-normal temperatures and precipitation are based on average conditions over the past roughly 30 years. Yet, average Canadian summer temperatures have warmed by almost two degrees since the late 1940s, weather station records indicate, contributing to more intense wildfires, droughts and heat waves.

“It shifts the goalposts and the range of possibility,” Gillham said.

“It makes a cooler summer less likely. It makes a warmer summer more likely, but it’s not a linear progression.”

Drought could be a serious concern across the southern part of the Prairies where well above-normal temperatures are expected to combine with below-normal levels of precipitation, Gillham said. The upshot is that conditions are better leading into the summer than they have been in some recent tough drought years, such as 2012, he said.


The forecast still calls for warmer-than-normal temperatures for northern parts of Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba, but with near-normal precipitation.

The “big picture” forecast has some similarities to the summer of 2021, Gillham said — a season marked in Western Canada by drought, wildfires, water shortages and a deadly heat wave over British Columbia.

“When you look at big picture (it) has some similarities. I hesitate to bring that up because nobody in B.C. wants to hear a reference to that year. That does not mean we’re going to see identical weather,” said Gillham.

“We think the focus might be a bit further east,” centring on the southern Prairies, he said.

The B.C. coast is expected to see near-normal temperatures and precipitation, with the exception of a wetter-than-normal forecast near the Yukon boundary. Into the central and southern interior, conditions are forecasted to be warmer and drier than normal, Gillham said.


Heading north, the forecast is calling for above-normal temperatures and near-normal precipitation across much of the territories where Gillham said he’d be watching closely for wildfire activity. The exceptions are western Yukon, where the forecast is calling for near-normal temperatures and above-normal precipitation, and northern Baffin Island, which could see near-normal temperatures.

It’s shaping up to be a more typical, but still busy hurricane season, continuing the trend of above-average activity since 2016, Gillham said.

That said, the pattern of the jet stream, the high-altitude band of wind that can steer hurricanes, appears to be more conducive to a storm track into either the northeastern United States or Atlantic Canada, he said. Parts of Ontario and Quebec could end up feeling the remnants of those storms, he said.


“So, you could have fewer storms, but all it takes is one storm to have a high impact,” said Gillham.

Climate change has helped ramp up ocean temperatures in the Atlantic, which scientists say may be intensifying hurricanes. Last year brought 18 named storms, including the earliest Category 5 hurricane on record, Beryl.

This year, Environment and Climate Change Canada says experts are predicting about 13 to 19 named storms, six to 10 hurricanes and three to five major hurricanes in the Atlantic Ocean basin. Hurricane season runs from June through the end of November.

The Weather Network’s summer forecast says above-normal temperatures and precipitation are expected across most of the Maritimes and western Newfoundland, with some occasional cold fronts. Near-normal precipitation is projected for Newfoundland and Labrador and eastern Nova Scotia, the forecast says.

Warm summer in the forecast as droughts and wildfire risks loom: Weather Network

Canadians longing for sunshine and warmth will likely be pleased by a summer forecast that has an abundance of both.

torontosun.com

 

[IdRatherBeSkiing]

Liars. Its been a cold spring.

 

[petros]

The Solar Cycle 25, which is currently in progress, is expected to reach its peak, or solar maximum, sometime around July 2025, with a smoothed maximum sunspot number of around 115. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Space Weather Prediction Center (NOAA/SWPC) initially predicted this, but has updated its prediction based on new observational data, according to a post on NOAA's website. The peak could potentially be between November 2024 and March 2026.
Here's a more detailed look:
Initial Prediction:
The Solar Cycle 25 Prediction Panel predicted the solar maximum would occur in July 2025, with a peak of 115 sunspots.
Updated Prediction:
The NOAA/SWPC now expects the maximum to be between 105 and 125 sunspots, with the peak potentially occurring between November 2024 and March 2026.
Cycle 25 Characteristics:
Solar Cycle 25 is projected to be similar in strength to Cycle 24.
Expected Activity:
While the cycle is not expected to be exceptionally active, "violent eruptions from the Sun can occur at any time," according to the NOAA/SWPC.
Impact on Earth:
Increased solar activity during solar maximum can lead to stronger aurora displays (Northern Lights) and potentially impact radio communications, power grids, and navigation signals.
Northern Lights:
The increase in solar activity during solar maximum will make it a prime time for viewing the Northern Lights in areas with high solar activity.

 

[spaminator]

Get ready for several years of killer heat, top weather forecasters warn
Author of the article:Associated Press
Associated Press
Seth Borenstein
Published May 28, 2025 • 3 minute read

WASHINGTON — Get ready for several years of even more record-breaking heat that pushes Earth to more deadly, fiery and uncomfortable extremes, two of the world’s top weather agencies forecast.


There’s an 80% chance the world will break another annual temperature record in the next five years, and it’s even more probable that the world will again exceed the international temperature threshold set 10 years ago, according to a five-year forecast released Wednesday by the World Meteorological Organization and the U.K. Meteorological Office.

“Higher global mean temperatures may sound abstract, but it translates in real life to a higher chance of extreme weather: stronger hurricanes, stronger precipitation, droughts,” said Cornell University climate scientist Natalie Mahowald, who wasn’t part of the calculations but said they made sense. “So higher global mean temperatures translates to more lives lost.”


With every tenth of a degree the world warms from human-caused climate change “we will experience higher frequency and more extreme events (particularly heat waves but also droughts, floods, fires and human-reinforced hurricanes/typhoons),” emailed Johan Rockstrom, director of the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research in Germany. He was not part of the research.

And for the first time there’s a chance — albeit slight _ that before the end of the decade, the world’s annual temperature will shoot past the Paris climate accord goal of limiting warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 degrees Fahrenheit) and hit a more alarming 2 degrees Celsius (3.6 degrees Fahrenheit) of heating since the mid-1800s, the two agencies said.


There’s an 86% chance that one of the next five years will pass 1.5 degrees and a 70% chance that the five years as a whole will average more than that global milestone, they figured.

The projections come from more than 200 forecasts using computer simulations run by 10 global centres of scientists.

Ten years ago, the same teams figured there was a similar remote chance — about 1% — that one of the upcoming years would exceed that critical 1.5 degree threshold and then it happened last year. This year, a 2-degree Celsius above pre-industrial year enters the equation in a similar manner, something UK Met Office longer term predictions chief Adam Scaife and science scientist Leon Hermanson called “shocking.”

“It’s not something anyone wants to see, but that’s what the science is telling us,” Hermanson said. Two degrees of warming is the secondary threshold, the one considered less likely to break, set by the 2015 Paris agreement.


Technically, even though 2024 was 1.5 degrees Celsius warmer than pre-industrial times, the Paris climate agreement’s threshold is for a 20-year time period, so it has not been exceeded. Factoring in the past 10 years and forecasting the next 10 years, the world is now probably about 1.4 degrees Celsius (2.5 degrees Fahrenheit) hotter since the mid 1800s, World Meteorological Organization climate services director Chris Hewitt estimated.

“With the next five years forecast to be more than 1.5C warmer than preindustrial levels on average, this will put more people than ever at risk of severe heat waves, bringing more deaths and severe health impacts unless people can be better protected from the effects of heat. Also we can expect more severe wildfires as the hotter atmosphere dries out the landscape,” said Richard Betts, head of climate impacts research at the UK Met Office and a professor at the University of Exeter.


Ice in the Arctic — which will continue to warm 3.5 times faster than the rest of the world — will melt and seas will rise faster, Hewitt said.

What tends to happen is that global temperatures rise like riding on an escalator, with temporary and natural El Nino weather cycles acting like jumps up or down on that escalator, scientists said. But lately, after each jump from an El Nino, which adds warming to the globe, the planet doesn’t go back down much, if at all.

“Record temperatures immediately become the new normal,” said Stanford University climate scientist Rob Jackson.

Get ready for several years of killer heat, top weather forecasters warn

Get ready for several years of even more record-breaking heat that pushes Earth to more deadly, fiery and uncomfortable extremes.

torontosun.com

 

[Tecumsehsbones]

Good thing global warming is a HOAX!

 

[spaminator]

Half of world’s population endured extra month of extreme heat due to climate change, experts say
Author of the article:Associated Press
Associated Press
Isabella O'malley
Published May 30, 2025 • 3 minute read

Scientists say 4 billion people, about half the world’s population, experienced at least one extra month of extreme heat because of human-caused climate change from May 2024 to May 2025.


The extreme heat caused illness, death, crop losses, and strained energy and health care systems, according to the analysis from World Weather Attribution, Climate Central and the Red Cross.

“Although floods and cyclones often dominate headlines, heat is arguably the deadliest extreme event,” the report said. Many heat-related deaths are unreported or are mislabeled by other conditions like heart disease or kidney failure.

The scientists used peer-reviewed methods to study how much climate change boosted temperatures in an extreme heat event and calculated how much more likely its occurrence was because of climate change. In almost all countries in the world, the number of extreme heat days has at least doubled compared with a world without climate change.


Caribbean islands were among the hardest hit by additional extreme heat days. Puerto Rico, a territory of the United States, endured 161 days of extreme heat. Without climate change, only 48 would have occurred.

“It makes it feel impossible to be outside,” said Charlotte Gossett Navarro, chief director for Puerto Rico at Hispanic Federation, a nonprofit focused on social and environmental issues in Latino communities, who lives in the San Juan area and was not involved in the report.

“Even something as simple as trying to have a day outdoors with family, we weren’t able to do it because the heat was too high,” she said, reporting feeling dizzy and sick last summer.

When the power goes out, which happens frequently in Puerto Rico in part because of decades of neglected grid maintenance and damage from Hurricane Maria in 2017, Navarro said it is difficult to sleep. “If you are someone relatively healthy, that is uncomfortable, it’s hard to sleep … but if you are someone who has a health condition, now your life is at risk,” Gossett Navarro said.


Heat waves are silent killers, said Friederike Otto, associate professor of climate science at Imperial College London, one of the report’s authors. “People don’t fall dead on the street in a heat wave … people either die in hospitals or in poorly insulated homes and therefore are just not seen,” he said.

Low-income communities and vulnerable populations, such as older adults and people with medical conditions, suffer the most from extreme heat.

The high temperatures recorded in the extreme heat events that occurred in Central Asia in March, South Sudan in February and in the Mediterranean last July would have not been possible without climate change, according to the report. At least 21 people died in Morocco after temperatures hit 118 degrees Fahrenheit (48 degrees Celsius) last July. People are noticing temperatures are getting hotter but don’t always know it is being driven by climate change, said Roop Singh, head of urban and attribution at the Red Cross Red Crescent Climate Centre, in a World Weather Attribution statement.


“We need to quickly scale our responses to heat through better early warning systems, heat action plans, and long-term planning for heat in urban areas to meet the rising challenge,” Singh said.

City-led initiatives to tackle extreme heat are becoming popular in parts of South Asia, North America, Europe and Australia to coordinate resources across governments and other agencies. One example is a tree-planting initiative launched in Marseille, France, to create more shaded areas.

The report says strategies to prepare for heat waves include monitoring and reporting systems for extreme temperatures, providing emergency health services, cooling shelters, updated building codes, enforcing heat safety rules at work, and designing cities to be more heat-resilient.

But without phasing out fossil fuels, heat waves will continue becoming more severe and frequent and protective measures against the heat will lose their effectiveness, the scientists said.

Half of world’s population endured extra month of extreme heat due to climate change, experts say

Scientists say about half the world's population experienced at least an extra month of extreme heat because of human-caused climate change.

torontosun.com

 

[petros]

Get ready for several years of killer heat, top weather forecasters warn
Author of the article:Associated Press
Associated Press
Seth Borenstein
Published May 28, 2025 • 3 minute read

WASHINGTON — Get ready for several years of even more record-breaking heat that pushes Earth to more deadly, fiery and uncomfortable extremes, two of the world’s top weather agencies forecast.


There’s an 80% chance the world will break another annual temperature record in the next five years, and it’s even more probable that the world will again exceed the international temperature threshold set 10 years ago, according to a five-year forecast released Wednesday by the World Meteorological Organization and the U.K. Meteorological Office.

“Higher global mean temperatures may sound abstract, but it translates in real life to a higher chance of extreme weather: stronger hurricanes, stronger precipitation, droughts,” said Cornell University climate scientist Natalie Mahowald, who wasn’t part of the calculations but said they made sense. “So higher global mean temperatures translates to more lives lost.”


With every tenth of a degree the world warms from human-caused climate change “we will experience higher frequency and more extreme events (particularly heat waves but also droughts, floods, fires and human-reinforced hurricanes/typhoons),” emailed Johan Rockstrom, director of the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research in Germany. He was not part of the research.

And for the first time there’s a chance — albeit slight _ that before the end of the decade, the world’s annual temperature will shoot past the Paris climate accord goal of limiting warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 degrees Fahrenheit) and hit a more alarming 2 degrees Celsius (3.6 degrees Fahrenheit) of heating since the mid-1800s, the two agencies said.


There’s an 86% chance that one of the next five years will pass 1.5 degrees and a 70% chance that the five years as a whole will average more than that global milestone, they figured.

The projections come from more than 200 forecasts using computer simulations run by 10 global centres of scientists.

Ten years ago, the same teams figured there was a similar remote chance — about 1% — that one of the upcoming years would exceed that critical 1.5 degree threshold and then it happened last year. This year, a 2-degree Celsius above pre-industrial year enters the equation in a similar manner, something UK Met Office longer term predictions chief Adam Scaife and science scientist Leon Hermanson called “shocking.”

“It’s not something anyone wants to see, but that’s what the science is telling us,” Hermanson said. Two degrees of warming is the secondary threshold, the one considered less likely to break, set by the 2015 Paris agreement.


Technically, even though 2024 was 1.5 degrees Celsius warmer than pre-industrial times, the Paris climate agreement’s threshold is for a 20-year time period, so it has not been exceeded. Factoring in the past 10 years and forecasting the next 10 years, the world is now probably about 1.4 degrees Celsius (2.5 degrees Fahrenheit) hotter since the mid 1800s, World Meteorological Organization climate services director Chris Hewitt estimated.

“With the next five years forecast to be more than 1.5C warmer than preindustrial levels on average, this will put more people than ever at risk of severe heat waves, bringing more deaths and severe health impacts unless people can be better protected from the effects of heat. Also we can expect more severe wildfires as the hotter atmosphere dries out the landscape,” said Richard Betts, head of climate impacts research at the UK Met Office and a professor at the University of Exeter.


Ice in the Arctic — which will continue to warm 3.5 times faster than the rest of the world — will melt and seas will rise faster, Hewitt said.

What tends to happen is that global temperatures rise like riding on an escalator, with temporary and natural El Nino weather cycles acting like jumps up or down on that escalator, scientists said. But lately, after each jump from an El Nino, which adds warming to the globe, the planet doesn’t go back down much, if at all.

“Record temperatures immediately become the new normal,” said Stanford University climate scientist Rob Jackson.

Get ready for several years of killer heat, top weather forecasters warn

Get ready for several years of even more record-breaking heat that pushes Earth to more deadly, fiery and uncomfortable extremes.

torontosun.com

Bullshit. Wanna see weather go nuts in real time? Wait 2-3 days (June 1st) when trillion of tonnes of plasma from the sun (CME) slams into earth's atmosphere at 3000km per second. It's a biggun coming.

Long-duration M8.1 solar flare produces strong Earth-directed CME, impact expected on June 1

A strong, long-duration solar flare registered as M8.1 erupted from Active Region 4100 at 00:05 UTC on May 31, 2025. The flare began at 23:31 UTC on May 30 and ended at 01:32 UTC on May 31.

watchers.news

Have a nice day.