Trump upset over Canada fires | Effects of smoke on the brain | China landslide | BCN

[00:00:00]Thanks for joining us. Ontario's premier says  about 190 wildfires raging across the northern part of the province have already burned through  more land than all of last year's fire season. In an update today, Doug Ford and other provincial  officials say more than 150 fire crews and over 80 water bombers and helicopters are battling  the blazes. Ford says about 81 of the fires are out of control. And information from the Ministry  of Natural Resources shows that 20 new fires were confirmed today in the Northeast region alone.  He says 10 northern communities have already been evacuated or have evacuations underway and  four more are preparing for possible evacuations.

[00:00:43]Fort also took a moment to defend his government's  wildfire funding. He's taken heat from opposition parties for budgeting only $150 million for its  firefighting efforts this year when it spent 271 million in 2025. But Ford says firefighting  is based on need. So while the base budget this year is set at 150 million, every year it  spends significantly more than that. What I find despicable and disgusting that opposition would  politicize the amount of money being spent and going out there and putting false information out  and it's inaccurate. It's untruthful. In a time of a crisis, all levels of government need to come  together, no matter if you're opposition or not.

[00:01:39]But to go out there and try to scare people and  put out blatant lies about the amount of spent is absolutely disgusting on their behalf. And as  for Michigan politicians complaining to the prime minister about Ontario's wildfire smoke drifting  their way, Ford says rather than complaining, they should send support or send help to fight the  fires because that's what Canadians would do for our American friends. And speaking of our friends  to the south, US President Donald Trump has chimed in on the wildfire smoke drifting south from  Canada. Friday on Truth Social, Trump posted, "We are holding Canada responsible for the fact that  they are not properly maintaining their forests and brush therein." and the United States is being  unnecessarily invaded by filthy, polluted, and unhealthy air, the quality of which is dangerous  and totally unacceptable. He went on to say the cost of pollution from wildfire smoke drifting  south of the border must be added to the tariffs imposed on Canadian goods. Back to the real fires  on this side of the border in British Columbia.

[00:02:53]The number of active wildfires spiked for a second  straight day after thunderstorms rolled through parts of the province's south overnight. The BC  Wildfire Service says there are about 50 active wildfires in the province, up from around 30 a day  earlier with about 27 new blazes starting in the last 24 hours. The jump comes after lightning  overnight in Metro Vancouver and BC's southern interior. In Nova Scotia, as many as 150 people  have been ordered out of a rural area northeast of Halifax because of an outofcrol wildfire. The  blaze of uh the blaze on Nova Scotia's eastern shore has jumped significantly in size with  provincial officials reporting that it now covers 1,700 hectares. And that's an estimate because  we can only fly that fire right now. And that was done early this morning with the low ground  cover still going on with the with the mist and with the with the smoke in in the area. And until  we get someone actually on the ground with the GPS to properly size that fire, we it will fluctuate.  Um and hopefully that fire does not grow today.

[00:04:03]Environment Canada has air quality warnings  in place for a wide swath of the country, including southern Ontario, where millions  of people are being choked out by thick, gritty air. The weather agency says smoky skies  could persist into the weekend. And with all this smoke, experts are raising concerns about how it  can affect the human brain. Dr. Dr. Bavini Goel, a clinical associate professor at the University  of Calgary, says increasing exposure to harmful particles can lead to cognitive decline. Right  now, we're seeing sort of air quality at sort of high risk, very high risk, which actually  doesn't align with what the WH standards are. So, we're probably in sort of severe state right  now with the air quality. And the particulate matter which is the PM2.5 what happens is it  sort of um you can either sort of breathe it in through the lungs and and it crosses the  blood brain barrier or you can actually sort of inhale it through the nose as well and then  go straight to the brain. And the impacts that you see with that PM2.5 and what we're beginning  to realize with the studies is we're starting to see sort of cellular damage. So damage happening  to the brain cells as well as some inflammation.

[00:05:14]Um so neuroinflammation as we call it in  the brain and as as as a result of that um what we're seeing is sort of a cognitive  decline. So normal individuals will feel foggy, focus won't be there, attention will be a  problem. But in terms of the long-term risk, what we're starting to see is dementia. Um there  is more and more studies coming out there that saying that, you know, more exposure um leads to  dementia. and we know that it now is a risk factor for leading to dementia. Federal authorities say  they're looking into whether Canadian National Railway broke the law after a crew was temporarily  trapped by a wildfire in northwestern Ontario. A video of the incident widely shared on social  media showed orange and red flames closing in on the train near Armstrong, Ontario earlier this  week as trees burned on both sides of the tracks.

[00:06:09]Transport Canada spokesperson Hickham Aong says  the government is conducting follow-up oversight to determine whether CN failed to comply with  the Railway Safety Act. The department says it continues to work with Employment and Social  Development Canada to determine whether health and safety violations also occurred. One of  the key figures in the 2022 Freedom Convoy protest could be facing more punishment. Pat  King will be re-sentenced after the Ontario Court of Appeals sided with Crown Prosecutors who  argued his original punishment was too lenient.

[00:06:46]King was convicted on five criminal charges but  acquitted of intimidation and obstructing police.

[00:06:53]But in a decision released today, the Court of  Appeal overturned the acquitt on intimidation.

[00:06:59]Now that it's been ruled a conviction,  a sentencing hearing will be held later this year in Ontario Superior Court. King posted  this reaction on X. This is absolutely insane.

[00:07:18]So now what we have, ladies and gentlemen, is  we have 60 days to file an appeal to the Supreme Court of Canada, of which I've been telling people  that they've always wanted this in front of the Supreme Court. King was originally sentenced  in February 2025 to a three-month conditional sentence to be served under house arrest followed  by probation. He admits he is now concerned about potentially spending time behind bars. Rescue  workers in China are frantically looking for survivors after a landslide struck a county in the  southwestern Chinese city of Chongqing on Friday.

[00:07:58]This dash cam video confirmed by uh Reuters shows  the moment of the collapse. There it is right there. According to China's state broadcaster, a  Penguee County community worker spotted scattered falling rocks at around 8 a.m. local time and  issued an emergency warning. Authorities ordered an evacuation affecting more than 60 residents,  but the landslide occurred during the evacuation, burying some people. The exact number of  those trapped was still being confirmed, but a county leader told the press conference  that 18 people who were trapped were rescued and eight others were pronounced dead. Authorities  say the area where the landslide happened is known for its unpredictably steep terrain, adding that  dangerous rocks still remain along the sides of the cliffs. And from wildfires to landslides and  now earthquakes, a major quake rattled Mexico's Pacific South coast today. The US Geh Geological  Survey says the quake was about 15 kilometers underground near Mexico's border with Guatemala,  about 200 kilometers west of Guatemala City. The tremor frightened residents because of how long  it lasted. Many people poured into the streets in the middle of rush hour as the workday was  beginning. The quake was felt all the way from Mexico City to El Salvador. There have been no  reports of any injuries. The region is prone to deadly earthquakes. Earlier this year, a strong  earthquake rattled southern and central Mexico, killing two. And back in 2017, hundreds in Mexico  City were killed in a 7.1 magnitude earthquake.

[00:09:40]Just one day after announcing $67 million  in federal funding to extend the national action plan to end gender-based violence,  Minister of Women and Gender Equality Richie Valdez announced 1.4 million in funding to  help prevent human trafficking and support survivors. Speaking in Halifax today,  Valdez outlined where the funds will go.

[00:10:36]Of the six groups receiving funding, two  are community organizations in Nova Scotia. The others are in Vancouver, Winnipeg,  Windsor, Ontario, and St. John's, Newfoundland.

[00:11:02]Lethbridge police are asking for the public's help  in locating a missing 33-year-old man. Police say Dakota Witstone's family last spoke with him  on July 14th. Ongoing efforts to locate him have been unsuccessful and police are concerned  for his well-being. Dakota is approximately 5'11 and weighs about 200 lb. He has a unique tattoo  on his left hand of a skull with a headdress.

[00:11:27]Anyone who has seen Dakota or has information  on his whereabouts is asked to contact police at 403328-4444. And you can reference the  file number on your screen there. 26013938.

[00:11:42]This year marks a once-ina-lifetime milestone,  a century of standing with Canada's veterans, strengthening communities, and honoring the  memory of those who served. BCN's Naveen Day shares more about the festivities taking place  this weekend to honor the Royal Canadian Legion's 100th anniversary. Throughout the weekend of July  17th, Legion branches across the country will mark the 100th anniversary of the Royal Canadian Legion  with local commemorations, open houses, barbecues, special events, and more. In Lethbridge, the  festivities kick off Saturday with a tuni pancake breakfast. It runs from 9:00. We have are honored  with a presence of Trevor Panzac who will offer entertainment for that event. Um we have I'm  thinking last count is 15 local crafter tables that will set up on the parking lot right in  front of the Legion. Founded in 1925 at the Unity Conference, the Legion began with a mission to  support veterans, advocate for their rights, and ensure the act of remembrance continues. On July  17th, 1926, the Legion was officially incorporated by a special act of parliament, now recognized  as their anniversary. Looking to the years ahead, co-chair of branch communications for Lethridg's  General Stewart, branch number four, Glenn Miller, says he wants to see the Legion operate at a  sustainable level so that future generations will never forget the sacrifices so many Canadians  made. If you think about, you know, my grandkids, grandpa was in the army and when I talk to other  kids in schools, their grandpas were in the army and that's all they know. And so we have to as  parents educate the people about the importance of uh remembrance and what is the poppy and why  do we wear it? Not just for our own families, but for new immigrants, too. Uh they don't know.  So, it's everyone's responsibility as Canadians to help educate and honor that actual ultimate  sacrifice that was paid. In celebration of the Legion's 100th anniversary, all new members can  join the Royal Canadian Legion for free. You can register for a membership by visiting legion.ca  for Bridge City News. I'm Naveen Day. Thanks so much for that, Naveen. Driving on gravel roads  in southern Alberta can be a dusty experience.

[00:13:59]Lethbridge County has launched a pilot project to  test a new dust suppression method that officials hope will improve road quality while reducing  dust and maintenance. The pilot will be tested on a 1 kilometer section of Township Road 9-2 east  of Highway 512 at Stafford Lake Estates is this is a trial where we're using this technique. And what  it is, it's a road treatment that mixes a calcium chloride based product known as MG30 directly  into the gravel road structure. So instead of just treating only the top surface layer uh of a gravel  road for dust suppression, it actually provides road stabilization and dust suppression. And so  it will go up to 6 to 12 in into the road surface and then we shape the road and compact it. The  expected benefits uh are less dust during the peak summer traffic, more stable road and consistent  driving surface, improved drivability overall, which means less ruting and washboarding. The  potential for this deep stabilization product to last beyond just a single season. Um that's really  what we're looking for. The road will remain open during construction, but the speed limit has been  reduced to 30 kilometers per hour. Construction surrounding the Whoop drive and Scenic Drive  interchange has entered a new phase. Work has increased along the eastern lanes of Scenic  Drive all the way to Third Avenue. The sidewalk and bus stop along the 300 block are closed to  pedestrians as it's been stripped by construction crews to add a third lane for northbound  motorists. Drivers are asked to use caution and follow posted signage. with the rest of the  interchange improvements. Work is expected to finish in November. Earlier this month, Lebridge  hosted the prestigious Taekwond do international world cup at the Trade and Convention Center.  And one young local woman was one of many who got to clinch a gold medal on home soil. Paige  Hoopalhouser who trains with champion Taekwond do took gold in continuous sparring in her group  of women aged 18 to 39 competing alongside 15 other members with champion. A coupleer says her  instructors have been very supportive leading up to the tournament. Well, they give you positive  feedback or actually not always positive feed feedback. Sometimes they're g giving you like uh  positive criticism is what I'm trying to say. It's um you know, you take that and you run with it  and you work on it and you just know what you need to do to change and get better. It means a  lot because it just means your training has paid off and um you know my instructors are really  great and you know they're really encouraging, really motivating. It was really exciting  especially because it was a worlds tournament like worlds I guess like it was like big you know  so it was it was really exciting to win gold like it gave me a sense of pride I just think it's  really wonderful to have such a a huge event here locally and I just love all the the positive  attention it's been getting I met a lot of really really interesting and wonderful people from uh  all over the world I competed against some very uh uh really talented martial artists and  everyone else did and it's just great to the rewards of all that hard work, but also to  walk away with a positive learning experience as well. In total, six from the champion Taekwond  do took home medals, including two other gold medalists who will be competing in Spain later  this year at another Taekwondo World Cup and all the best to them, of course. Sean Haney here  with realaggriculture.com. Wheat has long been the backbone of prairie crop rotation. But while  crops like corn and canola have enjoyed real massive genetic yield leaps over the last few  decades, wheat yields have largely well they just haven't kept up and they need to long term  if wheat is going to maintain the acreage that it currently has on the western Canadian prairies.  That could be about to change potentially.

[00:18:06]Bear has announced an exclusive licensing  agreement with French seed company RAGT Group, paving the way for hybrid wheat to launch in North  America by the early 2030s. By combining European genetics with Bayer's existing Westbred franchise,  the plan is to introduce both spring and winter hybrid varieties soon. The promise is it's it's  big. There's been a lot of talk about hybrid wheat for a long time. They're talking about a  10% yield bump over conventional openpollinated wheat varieties along with sturdier root system  designed to handle the drought and heat stress that prairie growers outside of 2026 know all too  well. It's a massive play in the seed tech space and a clear signal that the race to modernize  the world's most critical staple crop is finally potentially heating up. For Bridge City  News, I'm Sean Haney with realaggriculture.com.

[00:18:59]The owners of the port of Church Hill in northern  Manitoba say grain is set to move through the terminal for the first time since 2020. Arctic  Gateway Group says the restart of grain shipments is another step toward revitalizing the deep  water Arctic port. The indigenous owned company says that along with grain the port will ship  pod ash zinc and supplies destined for Nunvet.

[00:19:21]The port used to ship hundreds of thousands of  tons of grain a year before dwindling volumes led to the port's closure in 2016. The federal  and Manitoba governments have together committed hundreds of millions of dollars towards  the renewal of the port and the Hudson Bay Railway that leads to it. And now here's a look  at today's markets. The TSX was down 76 to 35,263.

[00:19:49]The Dow was down 406 to 52,146. The S&P 500  was down 76 to 7,457. And the Nasdaq was down 361 to 25,520. West Texas Intermediate Oil was  up 358 to 8253 US per barrel. Natural gas was up 5 cents to 291 US. Gold was up 4059 to 41677  US an ounce. and silver was up 41 to5.90 US an ounce. Feedw wheat is at $849 per bushel.  Barley is at 677. Canola is at 1797 and corn is at 780 per bushel. Live cattle August  contract was down 265 to 22442. Feeder cattle August contract was down 65 to 345.95. Lean  Hog's August contract was up $1.37 to 10165.

[00:20:45]And Canadian dollar was up over the past  24 hours and currently sits at 7130 US.

[00:20:56]Recapping one of today's top stories. US  President Donald Trump is threatening Canada with higher tariffs because wildfire  smoke is drifting south of the border.

[00:21:05]Trump accused Canada's forest management of  leaving the US with unnecessary pollution and acceptable poor air quality. Wildfires  are ripping through northwestern Ontario, forcing residents in several First Nations  communities to evacuate. Canadian Taxpayers Federation is a notfor-profit advocacy group  that looks to hold government to account on behalf of taxpayers like you. Chris Sims, the  Alberta director, joins me to shed light on how provincial governments are using hard-earned tax  dollars to pay MLA's double the salaries compared to their American counterparts. That is coming  up next. Also, when you see news happening in your community, be sure to send us an email at  [email protected]. You can also visit our website or our YouTube channel anytime for  more of our content and our poll questions.