In the news today: Heat relief for parts of Canada, latest StatCan job numbers

Areas further east will have to wait for relief as parts of Atlantic Canada from New Brunswick to Nova Scotia remain under heat warnings set to continue today and last into the weekend in some areas.

The heat could last longer in British Columbia, where heat warnings remain for inland sections from the north to central coast and in the Fraser Canyon area east of Vancouver, where daytime highs between 30 and 35 C are expected through Sunday.

Cooling is a human right in extreme heat: expert

One extreme weather expert is calling for access to cooling to be treated as a human right as summer heat waves intensify.

Blair Feltmate, head of the Intact Centre on Climate Adaptation, says there’s a need for greater heat adaptation as Canada is set to experience higher daily temperatures and longer heat waves under climate change.

Feltmate says that means access to cooling needs to be thought of as a human right because otherwise Canadians could die in the thousands during extreme heat events.

He says adapting to heat waves requires actions from all levels of government to protect vulnerable populations.

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Statistics Canada to release June job report today

Statistics Canada is set to release employment figures for June this morning.

The job report will be the last major economic data release before the Bank of Canada announces its interest rate decision on Wednesday.

In May, the unemployment rate ticked up for the first time in nine months, rising to 5.2 per cent.

The Bank of Canada is hoping to see more softening in the labour market as it stays focused on bringing inflation down.

Trudeau set to meet with Smith in Calgary

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is scheduled to meet with Alberta Premier Danielle Smith today in Calgary, among other stops in the city as Stampede season gets underway.

Trudeau and Smith are expected to discuss a number of issues including emission reductions and the federal government’s goal of having a net-zero electricity grid by 2035.

Smith said in June prior to a meeting with the federal ministers of natural resources and intergovernmental affairs that Ottawa’s 2035 target wasn’t realistic for Alberta without a massive cost to the economy and jobs.

Both Canada and Alberta are aiming to be net zero by 2050, but the federal government has multiple earlier targets along the way.

Canadian astronaut set for Stampede parade mission

Colonel Jeremy Hansen is preparing to become the first Canadian to travel to the moon as part of the Artemis II mission.

But in the meantime, he’s tasked with cowboying up to become the second astronaut to be marshal of the Calgary Stampede parade.

Hansen says he will be riding the parade route on horseback and reached out to former astronaut Chris Hadfield for some advice.

He says Hadfield, who was parade marshal in 2013, told him to watch out for fireworks and not to fall off.

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This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 7, 2023.

The Canadian Press

by Canadian Press

In the news today: Heat relief for parts of Canada, latest StatCan job numbers

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