Latest from Liam Harrap
CN pulling rail workers out of Jasper as Alberta mountain town rebuilds from wildfire
The Canadian National Railway (CN) announced it’s moving its crew change terminal out of Jasper. One-third of the buildings in the mountain town were burned down by wildfire in July.
Will B.C.'s massive new Site C dam on the Peace River have downstream impacts on Alberta?
B.C. Hydro started filling the Site C dam reservoir last month. As the $16-billion hydroelectric megaproject gets closer to becoming operational, worries persist — in Alberta and beyond — that it could lower water levels in the Peace River and other rivers downstream.
Jasper used to burn often. Why did that change when it became a national park?
While fires are not an uncommon in Canada’s Rocky Mountains, studies suggest the amount of fire and their size has significantly decreased over the last century, including in Jasper National Park.
This Alberta scientist hopes to shine a light on the secrets of dark matter
Dark matter has never been seen, but scientists think it could help explain our universe if ever detected. One Alberta researcher is trying to build a machine to detect it.
Looking for a lump of coal in Alberta? This mine is your last chance
While there are still five active coal mines in Alberta, only one sells coal to the general public — Dodds Coal Mine, located near the village of Ryley, about 100 kilometres southeast of Edmonton.
Without them we'd be dead. Why microbes play a major role in climate change
While they make life possible, scientists say microbes are not included in most climate modelling and emission reduction goals, which is problematic.
Climate change could mean Alberta cuts more fire-killed trees for timber
Since 2016, Alberta has harvested approximately 20 million cubic metres of timber each year, but the proportion from salvaged logging can vary, according to data from the Alberta government. Some years, fire-killed trees make up less than one per cent of the total harvest, but other years it’s substantially more.
Accordion repair is a dying occupation. Meet an Albertan keeping it alive
In Edwin Erickson’s workshop, there’s row after row of busted accordions. Some need tuning, others have crooked buttons or blown out bellows. Erickson has been fixing accordions like these for more than 50 years.
Keeping ants as pets: Enthusiasts in Edmonton say it's becoming a thing
With its river valley, Edmonton has a lot of good habitat for ants, says Zachary Liu, a second-year biology student at McGill University in Montreal. Liu owns a business called Canada Ant Colony.
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Canada's lakes are becoming less blue — but that could be good for fish
As glaciers retreat or disappear because of climate change, the Canadian Rockies' iconic turquoise-coloured lakes will be lost.