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Good afternoon, and welcome to Globe Climate, a newsletter about climate change, environment and resources in Canada.
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A B.C. wildfire that came within metres of homes and triggered a local state of emergency in Squamish is now being held. The human-caused fire is believed to have started on a bike trail.
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Last week, officials were warning that prolonged heat waves and lower-than-normal precipitation could worsen fires in the coming months.
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Now, let’s catch you up on other news.
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Noteworthy reporting this week:
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- Policy: Ottawa’s climate adaptation, ocean protection strategies plagued with issues, report says
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Pipelines: Project backed by Nisga’a Nation seeks to win over other Indigenous groups
- Land: B.C. First Nations’ closings of Joffre Lakes Park adds to growing public demand for nature
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Politics: Ford government condemned for deleted Greenbelt emails, use of codewords
- Ask a doctor: How wildfire smoke and poor air quality can affect your health, and how to protect yourself
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Noise pollution: Canada, Panama lead push to quiet ocean from shipping noise
- Art: The Bentway’s summer exhibition explores the role of shade in a warming world
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Auto: Ottawa should scrap restrictive electric-vehicle regulations, GM Canada’s CEO says
- Forestry: In Washington’s forests, Trump’s timber mandate looks shaky
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A sign for the G7 Leaders Summit in Kananaskis, outside the media center in Banff on June 15. Chris Helgren/Reuters
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A special security challenge
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For this week’s deeper dive, a closer look at Nathan VanderKlippe’s reporting from the G7 summit in Alberta’s Kananaskis Country.
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Canada is playing host to more than a dozen world leaders at the G7 Leaders’ Summit, taking place in Kananaskis, Alta. The three-day event follows meetings in May between finance ministers and central bank governors belonging to G7 countries in Banff.
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But when international correspondent Nathan VanderKlippe spoke to what measures are being taken by those charged with keeping world leaders safe in the Canadian Rockies, he was met with more questions than answers.
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One stands out: what is the exact dimensions of the fence erected to keep the bears at bay?
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Just how much bear fence has been installed for the G7 summit is, police told him, information too sensitive to disclose.
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The summit location in Alberta’s Kananaskis Country offers obvious defensive advantages. Potential threats from the mountain landscape would find difficult to penetrate. A single highway bisects much of Kananaskis Country, making it simple to block the arrival of anyone unwanted.
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Not the grizzlies, though.
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Fencing has been erected at the fringe of the forest in Kananaskis on June 15. Nathan VanderKlippe/The Globe and Mail
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An estimated 65 grizzly bears live in Kananaskis. More roam the wooded slopes of nearby Banff National Park. Their ability to slip across natural barriers that would thwart a human has made them one of the risks that are top of mind for the G7.
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Sheena Campbell, a spokesperson for Alberta’s Ministry of Public Safety and Emergency Service, says there is a “comprehensive wildlife mitigation strategy.” Back up to the fences, thermal-imaging cameras and specially trained bear dogs will keep watch over the trees. In the skies, RCMP drones will ”monitor wildlife activity in real time.”
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June is a delicate month for many species. Bears are in mating season. Ungulates such as elk and moose are calving. Snow has melted in the valleys but not yet high on the slopes which means most animals are in the same lower elevations where the G7 meetings will take place.
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The noise of the visiting fighter jets and helicopters alone may prove the greatest wildlife deterrent at the G7.
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