Are you proud to be Canadian? Poll suggests that feeling is dwindling
A new poll suggests the vast majority of Canadians are proud of their home and native land, but our sense of national pride is lower than it was a few years ago.
Massive firework displays have long been a mainstay for Victoria Day as a way to end the May long weekend with a bang. But not all Canadians are looking forward to these celebrations, with concerns over the fireworks' impact on pets, wildlife and people with PTSD.
In Nova Scotia, retired veterinarian Hugh Chisholm has been advocating for a provincial ban on recreational fireworks. He's one of the organizers of a petition that has garnered nearly 15,000 signatures on Change.org.
"I don't want to be a curmudgeon that sits here and says, 'You can't have fun,'" Chisholm told CTV News Atlantic last week. "The problem is that fun comes at a cost to others."
Many dog and cat owners have observed their pet hiding in fear whenever the sound of fireworks can be heard. There have even been stories of pets going missing after being spooked by fireworks and running away.
But for owners of livestock, the consequences can be even more dire. Chisholm's petition was launched after a horse in Canning, N.S. broke its leg after panicking upon hearing New Year's Eve fireworks. With the leg injured beyond repair, the horse had to be put down.
"Triggering such panic in livestock can also result in devastating financial loss due to veterinary bills, animal death and human inability to work because of injury sustained while trying to handle panicking animals," the petition states.
Fireworks can also cause significant disruptions for wildlife, particularly birds. A 2011 study found that after a firework display for New Year's Eve in the Netherlands, thousands of birds fled "en mass." Researchers say these panicked flights can lead to loss of energy, disorientation, reduction of food intake upon relocation to an unfamiliar foraging site and even weakened immune functions.
"We estimate that hundreds of thousands of birds in the Netherlands take flight due to fireworks," the researchers said.
And in the U.K., British media outlets and the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals reported last November that a terrified deer had smashed off its own antlers after fleeing the sounds of fireworks.
The loud noises and smell of smoke from the fireworks can also trigger post-traumatic stress disorder among combat veterans as well as survivors of gun violence, according to the U.S. National Center for PTSD. In a survey conducted by Veterans Affairs Canada in 2013 among veterans released from service from 1998 to 2012, 13.1 per cent of respondents reported having PTSD.
At Banff National Park, home to many protected species, the towns of Banff and Canmore in Alberta switched to using low-noise, low-altitude fireworks in 2018 in order to minimize the impact on the wildlife.
Drone displays involving anywhere between 20 to upwards of 2,000 LED-equipped unmanned aerial vehicles have also been growing in popularity as an alternative to fireworks. In the U.S. several communities on the California-Nevada border are planning on switching to drone shows for their July 4 fireworks this year ahead of wildfire season.
With files from CTV News Atlantic and Reuters
A new poll suggests the vast majority of Canadians are proud of their home and native land, but our sense of national pride is lower than it was a few years ago.
WesJet flight cancellations grew to over 800 Sunday afternoon, upending plans for close to 100,000 passengers as an unexpected strike by plane mechanics entered its third day on the busiest travel weekend of the season.
A B.C. man who reneged on a deal to split the cost of removing a tree with his next-door neighbour is now on the hook for the whole amount, B.C.’s civil resolution has ruled.
Several people were injured Saturday night after a man allegedly stole an occupied RV during a police chase at a campground in Lloydminster.
Scientists may be a step closer to that reality, thanks to new research that has identified six subtypes — or 'biotypes' — of major depression via brain imaging combined with machine learning.
A crowd of around 100,000 people were treated to a surprise appearance from a B.C. star during Coldplay’s set at Glastonbury Festival in England this weekend.
Most of us have felt the freedom and delight that comes with stripping down to a swimsuit on a sunny day and wading into a cool sea, the horizon twinkling in the distance.
Canada turns 157 years old this year, and several fireworks shows across the country are expected to paint the night skies in celebration. Here's a look at the forecast and fireworks celebrations across the country for Canada Day in 2024.
Toronto police say they're investigating a pair of suspected hate-motivated offences after two city synagogues were damaged early Sunday morning.
When Zhya Aramiy was living in Turkey and Iraq, he had to keep his Pride flags hidden away.
A rave at the Ontario Science Centre was the place where Greg LeBlanc says his relationship first began with his husband Mark in 1997.
Travellers flying with WestJet continue to watch as the airline cancels more flights due to a sudden strike by its mechanics union.
The remains of a soldier from Newfoundland killed in the battlefields of France during the First World War will be laid to rest in St. John's Monday, bringing an emotional end to a years-long effort in a place still shaken and forever changed by the bloodshed.
The city is entering the final stages of resuming water service through its repaired feeder main, as water consumption continues to fall below the city’s threshold level.
A grandfather and grandson duo proudly graduated alongside each other at the same northern Manitoba school.
A large basking shark was captured close to the shoreline on Nova Scotia's Eastern Shore.
The world's largest hockey stick could soon become the world's most in-pieces hockey stick as a Vancouver Island community prepares to tear down and carve up the Canadian landmark.
For half a decade, a Saskatoon family has been trying to bring their orphaned niece to Canada, they say now it’s a matter of life or death.