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THEY'LL SOON be here, riding the warm currents of summer: MOSQUITOES armed with the latest bioweapon - the West Nile VIRUS. Short of building a concrete bunker or setting up an unhealthy fog of repellent spray, there are ways of safeguarding the pasty flesh of Canuckus winterus.This article was originally published in Maclean's Magazine on May 19, 2003
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Article
Western Ontario Conservatory of Music (WOCM). Teaching and examining body operated under the auspices of the University of Western Ontario 1934-97.
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Article
The Western rattlesnake (Crotalus oreganus) is a venomous snake native to North America. It is one of three rattlesnake species found in Canada (a fourth is extirpated). Only one subspecies of Western rattlesnake, the Northern Pacific rattlesnake (Crotalus oreganus oreganus), is found here. In Canada, Western rattlesnakes are only found in British Columbia. They are active from April to October, hibernating the rest of the year. Western rattlesnakes face many threats including habitat loss and fragmentation, road mortality, and persecution from humans.
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Macleans
On March 31, WestJet announced a promotion that tapped into the uncertainty many struggling consumers feel today. Tickets bought over the ensuing week came with an innovative price guarantee. If the same seat later went on sale, customers could get a credit for the difference.This article was originally published in Maclean's Magazine on May 4, 2009
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Macleans
As other Canadians prepared last week to celebrate the country's 131st birthday, families of the 26 men who died in the May, 1992, Westray mine explosion girded themselves for a more sombre undertaking.This article was originally published in Maclean's Magazine on July 13, 1998
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Article
An explosion on 9 May 1992, deep inside the Westray Mine in Plymouth, Nova Scotia killed 26 underground miners. The mine had been open less than eight months. A public inquiry blamed mine management, bureaucrats and politicians for a tragedy “that should have been prevented.” As a result of the disaster, in 2004 Parliament passed Bill C-45 imposing criminal liability on corporations and executives that fail to ensure a safe workplace.
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Macleans
This article was originally published in Maclean’s magazine on July 15, 1996. Partner content is not updated.
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Macleans
Wayne Cheverie shifted uneasily in his chair as he waited to testify last week at a provincial inquiry into the fatal May 9, 1992, explosion at Nova Scotia's Westray coal mine.This article was originally published in Maclean's Magazine on January 29, 1996
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Macleans
This article was originally published in Maclean’s magazine on December 15, 1997. Partner content is not updated. Outside, a wet, heavy snowfall is turning rural Nova Scotia into a pre-Christmas postcard of frosted evergreens and rolling white fields. Inside, Allen and Debbie Martin sit at their kitchen table, sipping coffee and trying to put their feelings into words.
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Article
Wetlands cover about 14 per cent of the land area of Canada, and are the natural habitat of over 600 species of plants, animals and insects. In addition to providing a home for these plants and animals, wetlands are an essential part of the environment because they prevent flooding, filter toxins, store groundwater and limit erosion. The most common wetland habitats are swamps, marshes, and bogs.
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List
Whale is the common name for large marine mammals of the order Cetartiodactyla (formerly Cetacea). They are subdivided into the Mysticeti, or baleen whales, and Odontoceti, or toothed whales. Smaller kinds of toothed whales are called dolphins or porpoises. Thirty-five whale species are found at least occasionally in Canadian waters — 9 species of baleen whales, and 26 species of toothed whales (mostly dolphins and porpoises). The commercial pursuit of whales was significant in early European exploration of Canada (see Whaling). Since the end of commercial whaling in Canada in 1972, whale watching has become popular. Whales found in Canada range in size from about 60 kg for the harbour porpoise to well over 100 tonnes for the blue whale, making it the largest animal ever known.
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Article
Whaling, the practice of hunting whales, has a long history in the waters around Canada. Various Indigenous Peoples were the first to hunt whales in these areas. Later, European, American and Canadians hunted whales extensively. About 33 species of whales occur in Canadian waters, of which about 13 have been commercially significant. The species that were hunted the earliest were the easiest to hunt, such as the right whales, bowhead whales and grey whales. As the numbers of these species declined, humpback whales and sperm whales became the preferred prey. Later still, when technological advances made it feasible, the very fast blue whales, fin whales and sei whales were taken. This whaling also had a significant and largely negative impact on many Indigenous Peoples and nearly resulted in the extinction of various whale species. Today, all commercial whaling is banned in Canadian waters.
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Editorial
The following article is an editorial written by The Canadian Encyclopedia staff. Editorials are not usually updated.
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Article
Wheat is the common name for members of genus Triticum of the grass family (Gramineae) and for the cereal grains produced by these grasses.
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