Article
Marine Disasters
Over the course of Canada’s history, marine disasters have occurred along the country’s coasts as well as in its freshwater lakes.
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Article
Sunken Ships/Shipwrecks
SABLE ISLAND, a crescent-shaped sandbar 300 km east-southeast (160 nautical miles) of Halifax, is also infamous for its shipwrecks, and is known as "the Graveyard of the Atlantic," as its shifting sands have been the site of over 350 such incidents.
Editorial
Drought in Palliser's Triangle
Prairie farmers, as they cope with continuing drought, might wonder just whose brilliant idea it was to farm the area. Recurrent droughts are the largest source of risk, uncertainty and hardship in the Western Canadian economy.
Editorial
Frank Slide: Canada's Deadliest Rockslide
Lillian Clarke, 15, worked late at the hotel in Frank on April 28, so her employer offered her a room for the night. It was the first time the young girl remained away from home overnight.
Editorial
Extreme Weather and the Canadian Psyche
Weather forms the Canadian psyche as much as hockey and the maple leaf.
Article
Toronto Feature: Hurricane Hazel
Hurricane Hazel was one of the most devastating and unpredictable tropical storms of the 20th century. It was first identified on 5 October 1954, in the Caribbean, where it smashed into Haiti and then battered the Carolinas. The storm struck Toronto on 15 October with winds of 124 km/h and record rainfall.
Macleans
Toronto's Record Snowstorm
This article was originally published in Maclean’s magazine on January 25, 1999. Partner content is not updated.
As a storm raged outside, the constantly ringing phones went unanswered at Environment Canadas Toronto offices last Thursday. Like many other workplaces in the city, it was shut down - by the worst series of blizzards ever to strike Toronto.
Macleans
Saguenay Floods Kill 10
This article was originally published in Maclean’s magazine on August 5, 1996. Partner content is not updated.
One soggy day late last April, Art Poirier found himself among thousands of people stacking sandbags against rising floodwaters from southern Manitoba's ancient and implacable nemesis, the Red River. Poirier flicked a cigarette butt into the brand new lake around his home.
Macleans
Red River Flood
This article was originally published in Maclean’s magazine on May 12, 1997. Partner content is not updated.
The flood of the century, they have been calling it in Manitoba, an awesome demonstration of natures raw might.
Macleans
Avalanche in Quebec
This article was originally published in Maclean’s magazine on January 11, 1999. Partner content is not updated.
It was just past 1:30 a.m. on New Year's Day, and most of the residents of the isolated northern Quebec community of Kangiqsualujjuaq were celebrating in a school gym. People exchanged hugs and warm wishes as they listened to the draw for a $1,000 door prize. Then disaster struck.
Macleans
100th Anniversary of Frank Slide Disaster
This article was originally published in Maclean’s magazine on April 28, 2003. Partner content is not updated.
Article
Fire Disasters in Canada
Disastrous fires may result from arson, accident or uncontrolled forest fire. Their impact may include lives lost, people evacuated and property damaged. Numerous fires, especially forest fires, occur in Canada every year; this article details the worst that have occurred throughout the country’s history.
Article
Forest Fires in Canada
A forest fire is a moving combustion reaction, spreading outwards in a band from its ignition point, leaving burned-out forest behind it. On average, about 6,000 forest fires occur annually in Canada.
Article
Floods in Canada
Floods are primarily caused by naturally occurring changes in the height of rivers, lakes and oceans. According to Public Safety Canada, floods are the most common natural hazard in the country and among the costliest. Historic floods have occurred across Canada, with many of the worst happening on major river systems that pass through populated areas. Scientists predict that flooding linked to the impacts of climate change will increase as the 21st century progresses, particularly in coastal areas of the country.