The remains of hotels in Jasper, Alta., on Friday July 26, 2024. The business community of Jasper — a town whose economy depends on tourism, particularly the crucial summer season — is facing an overwhelming challenge in the months ahead. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Amber Bracken

Here is a roundup of stories from The Canadian Press designed to bring you up to speed...

Jasper's small businesses brace for challenges after wildfires

Jasper's small business community is facing a difficult road ahead as it grapples with the destruction and loss of visitors caused by recent wildfires.

Owners of local businesses have been scouring photos from firefighters and other officials to try to ascertain the extent of the damage to the community's shops, restaurants, boutiques and hotels.

Federal officials have said about one-third of the buildings in the Jasper townsite were lost in the blaze, and it's already clear that some business owners lost their homes as well as their corporate properties.

Ashley Kliewer, co-owner of The Peacock Cork & Fork, hasn't been able to personally assess the damage to her restaurant, but has seen photos suggesting the building's roof is badly damaged.

While Kliewer has business interruption insurance, she says it only covers a few weeks of lost revenue.

Report coming on container ship fire off B.C.

The Transportation Safety Board will release a report today on the fire and loss of more than 100 containers from a cargo ship off British Columbia's coast.

The containers fell off MV Zim Kingston in October 2021 as it sat off the west coast of Vancouver Island and a storm blew in, bringing strong winds.

The Kingston moved to the waters off Victoria, then days later fire erupted in one of the containers and spread on the ship, taking several days to put out. Just four of the 109 containers that tumbled from the ship were found.

Here's what else we're watching...

StatCan to release May GDP figures today

Statistics Canada will release its May gross domestic product report this morning. A preliminary estimate last month suggested the economy grew 0.1 per cent in May.

The federal agency will also publish an estimate for economic growth in the second quarter today.

RBC says it expects the data to show a weakening economy in the second quarter.

Historic B.C. town to reopen after wildfire threat

The British Columbia gold rush town of Barkerville is set to reopen Friday after a nearby wildfire forced residents and tourists to evacuate the region earlier this month.

The historic town says in a news release that its programs will resume, though guests may see "elevated smoke" and its campgrounds, cottages and guest houses will remain closed until about mid-August.

The Antler Creek wildfire triggered an evacuation order on July 21 for the tourist town, the nearby community of Wells and the popular Bowron Lake Provincial Park.

Coutts murder-conspiracy trial set to go to jury

A jury is set to begin deliberating today the fate of two men accused of conspiring to kill police at the Coutts, Alta., blockade in 2022.

The panel has been hearing testimony for seven weeks in the Court of King’s Bench in the case of Anthony Olienick and Chris Carbert.

The two were charged after police seized guns, ammunition and body armour at the blockade, which tied up traffic for two weeks at the U.S.-Alberta border to protest COVID-19 rules.

The defence has argued the two went to Coutts to make a statement that individual freedoms must be protected.

Sahara sands causing lull in hurricane season

Scientists say tiny grains of sand from the Sahara Desert are responsible for the almost month-long lull in this year's Atlantic hurricane season.

Researchers have found that every June and July, there is a peak in the amount of dust from the North African desert that is lifted high above the North Atlantic, where it disrupts the formation of tropical storms.

Only three named storms have formed over the Atlantic since hurricane season started on June 1 — tropical storms Alberto and Chris and hurricane Beryl, which on July 2 became the earliest Category 5 hurricane to be recorded over the Atlantic.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 31, 2024.

News from © The Canadian Press, 2024