Close X
Sunday, November 10, 2024
ADVT 
National

One-third of Canadians report being personally impacted by severe weather: poll

Darpan News Desk The Canadian Press, 22 Aug, 2024 09:47 AM
  • One-third of Canadians report being personally impacted by severe weather: poll

A new poll suggests more Canadians are feeling the direct impacts of extreme weather, but that has not changed overall opinions about climate change. 

The results from a recent Leger poll suggest more than one in three Canadians have been touched directly by extreme weather such as forest fires, heat waves, floods or tornadoes. 

When Leger asked the same question in June 2023, around one in four Canadians indicated they had been impacted by extreme weather.

The previous poll was taken as the record-breaking 2023 wildfire season was just getting underway. 

The latest poll, which was conducted online Aug. 16-18, comes midway through another above-average wildfire season, and after news that the beloved Jasper National Park was partially destroyed by fire and as residents of the country's biggest city are living through the rainiest summer on record. 

A major rainstorm in Toronto in mid-July caused flash flooding and nearly $1 billion in insured damages, while another record-setting rainfall last weekend dropped more than a month's worth of rain on the city in just a few hours.

Some places in Atlantic Canada have also been dealing with flooding in July from the remnants of Hurricane Beryl. Across the country, a heat wave descended on large parts of British Columbia and Alberta in June and July and drought in both provinces has raised the fire risk substantially.

The number of people touched by extreme weather jumped significantly in every province but Manitoba and Saskatchewan, which stayed the same at 21 per cent. 

Alberta saw the biggest increase, with 43 per cent reporting they've seen the effects this year, up from 22 per cent in 2023. In Quebec the number rose to 41 per cent from 25 per cent, while in Ontario it was up 13 percentage points at 31 per cent. 

Almost half of those polled in Atlantic Canada say they have been touched by extreme weather, up from less than one-third a year ago.

More than seven in 10 people polled agreed we're seeing more forest fires than we did five years ago, while two in three said they have felt more extreme heat. Three in five also said there are more poor air quality days and more wild temperature fluctuations in a season. 

More than half of respondents say there are more floods and heavy rainstorms, as well as a delayed onset to winter.

Despite all that, people who took the survey were less likely to be concerned about climate change now than in 2023. 

More than a year ago, 67 per cent of those polled indicated that the changing climate was worrying, compared with 63 per cent this year.

The poll also shows virtually no movement on whether people believe in climate change: 13 per cent of those who took the survey say climate change does not exist, compared to 12 per cent in 2023.

About half of respondents believe there is still time to reverse climate change, while just over one-third said it's too late to turn back the clock.

The poll cannot be assigned a margin of error because online polls are not considered truly random samples.

MORE National ARTICLES

B.C. government is testing out AI tools for rapid disease diagnosis

B.C. government is testing out AI tools for rapid disease diagnosis
Provincial labs in B.C. are testing out artificial intelligence for more rapid disease diagnosis, including cancer. The province says in a statement that the new digital tools will allow researchers to “securely share high-quality images” in other B.C. locations, helping them to perform a faster diagnoses or get a second opinion. 

B.C. government is testing out AI tools for rapid disease diagnosis

Beach art mischief

Beach art mischief
Mounties in West Shore say a man has been arrested after setting fire to the mammoth statue at Royal Bay Beach.  Police say they responded to a call Monday at 7 a-m after a man who experienced a mental health crisis started a fire at the Esquimalt Lagoon.

Beach art mischief

Knife attack in Nanaimo by a man wearing a bra on his head

Knife attack in Nanaimo by a man wearing a bra on his head
R-C-M-P say the attacker swung the knives at the man, attempting to stab him, but the large dog lunged and bit him before the dog's owner used his martial arts training to incapacitate the other man and take control of the knives.

Knife attack in Nanaimo by a man wearing a bra on his head

Fatal shooting in Winnipeg followed soccer game, police say it was not random

Fatal shooting in Winnipeg followed soccer game, police say it was not random
Winnipeg police are investigating a shooting in the parking lot of a soccer complex that left a 22-year-old man dead. Police say they were called to the scene late Saturday night, after the final game of the Canada African Cup of Nations soccer tournament, and found a man with gunshot wounds.

Fatal shooting in Winnipeg followed soccer game, police say it was not random

Highway improvements coming to B.C. northwest, including better Wi-Fi access

Highway improvements coming to B.C. northwest, including better Wi-Fi access
The B.C. and federal governments are jointly providing $195 million for a series of highway improvements in Tahltan Nation territory in the province's northwest. A statement from B.C.'s Ministry of Energy, Mines and Low Carbon Innovation says the funding will enhance road safety, while improving access to services for local communities and for development of critical minerals. 

Highway improvements coming to B.C. northwest, including better Wi-Fi access

Single-use plastic bags banned as next round of B.C. plastic regulations kicks in

Single-use plastic bags banned as next round of B.C. plastic regulations kicks in
Plastic shopping bags and other single-use products are no longer available at British Columbia stores as the government implements the latest step in its plan to phaseout certain plastic items and keep harmful chemicals out of landfills. Businesses may no longer provide single-use plastic shopping bags, and they must charge a minimum of $2 for new reusable bags or 25 cents for new paper bags.

Single-use plastic bags banned as next round of B.C. plastic regulations kicks in