Welcome back! Since TeachingKidsNews.com doesn’t publish over the summer, here are some news briefs on stories you may have missed.
Federal election
The Canadian federal election kicked off in earnest this summer, with the candidates debating and airing television ads for their parties. The election will be held October 19. The leading candidates are Stephen Harper (Conservatives; current Prime Minister); Tom Mulcair, (New Democrats); Justin Trudeau (Liberals); Elizabeth May (Greens) and Gilles Duceppe (Bloc Quebecois).
Wildfires in BC, Alberta, Saskatchewan
In July, wildfires raged in western Canada including BC, Alberta and Saskatchewan. Thousands of people were forced to flee while firefighters battled and subdued the blazes.
Pluto images
In mid-July, a NASA probe, called New Horizons, flew by Pluto. It captured and sent back to Earth some of the clearest images ever seen of Pluto. The probe will
spend the next year transmitting high-resolution images back to Earth. Each signal will travel at the speed of light for about 4.5 hours–across three billion miles–to reach the Earth.
Loblaw closing locations
In late July, the Loblaw grocery chain announced that it would shut down 52 of its locations because they weren’t profitable enough.
Earth-like planet discovered
NASA announced that it has discovered a planet that has many characteristics in common with Earth. The planet is called Kepler 452b.
Thank you to CBC Radio for assistance in planning this summer round-up.
