- Archeologists Discover Missing Ship 155 Years LaterShow articleAHN News Staff
Iqaluit, Nunavut, Canada (AHN) - Canadian archeologists announced on Thursday they discovered a missing ship 155 years after the vessel disappeared in the Arctic Bay.
The vessel is one of three ships that Parks Canada is seeking to locate this summer. The two others are the HMS Erebus and the HMS Terror. The three vessels were trapped in 1850 in the icy waters of Mercy Bay, located 600 kilometers north of the Arctic Circle.
The wreck was found in shallow water days after Parks Canada archeologists started the search for the 422-ton vessel along the Beaufort Sea. The team found the ship upright in silt, the three masts missing. Because of the ice cold water, the ship did not deteriorate so much. The archeologists used side-scan sonars from inflatable Zodiac boats to search for Investigator.
Parks Canada photographers will use underwater cameras to take pictures of the wreck this week. The agency\'s divers will be deployed next summer to further investigate the ship\'s hull.
Environment Minister Jim Prentice, who visited the Parks Canada camp on Tuesday, said finding Investigator will help Ottawa assert Canada\'s claim to the Arctic area.
On Aug. 10, two members of Parks Canada will continue searching for Erebus and Terror in the area. Sir John Franklin led the three vessels in 1845 to complete a crossing of the Northwest Passage. Ottawa named in 1992 Erebus and Terror national historic sites even if the two vessels are still missing. Investigator and another vessel, the HMS Resolute, were sent to search for Erebus and Terror.
Archeologists said Mercy Bay being ice-free this season helped them locate Investigator. The area has been ice-free during summers since 2007.
Article © AHN - All Rights Reserved - Despite Verbal Abuse Charges, RCMP Head Likely To Keep PostShow article
AHN News StaffOttawa, Ontario, Canada (AHN) - Even if it is senior Mounties who have filed charges of verbal abuse, Royal Canadian Mounted Police Commissioner Bill Elliott would likely keep his post. Reports said Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper is inclined to keep the top Mountie in his position.
One reason cited for Harper\'s confidence in Elliott is that the prime minister placed a civilian head over the agency to help bring order to the RCMP and appears to be delivering, even if he has bursts of temper.
Among the complainants against Elliott is Deputy Commissioner Raf Souccar, who had a yelling match with the commissioner. Their verbal battle was heard by other RCMP staff even if the incident happened in a closed room.
Harper has ordered Clerk of the Privy Council Wayne Wouters to conduct a probe of the RCMP complaints against their head.
On Wednesday, Elliott and the 11 deputy commissioners issued a statement promising to cooperate with Wouters\' investigation. Seven of the 11 commissioners have filed complaints against their head.
Elliott, who has been heading the RCMP for three years, is in the middle of reshuffling the organization\'s management. The clash with Elliott is viewed by many Mounties as linked with the revamp of the RCMP.
Article © AHN - All Rights Reserved - Study: Phytoplankton Population Down 40 Percent In 60 YearsShow article
AHN News StaffHalifax, Nova Scotia, Canada (AHN) - A Dalhousie University study released on Wednesday showed that the world\'s phytoplankton population is down by 40 percent in 60 years. Study lead author Boris Worm explained the population decline to rising sea surface temperatures and changing water conditions.
Phytoplanton are microscopic marine algae that need sunlight and nutrients to grow. The warming temperatures in oceans are limiting the amount of nutrients from the ocean surface to deeper parts of the ocean.
Worm said the phytoplankton are critical to planetary life-support it produces half of the oxygen humans breathe. Seabirds, fish and tiny zooplankton are among the marine population that feed on phytoplankton. With the population decline, everything in the food chain is affected, according to the three-year study.
Over the past six decades, the decline translated into a 40 percent drop in phytoplankton population. The population decline was observed in eight of 10 ocean regions.
Boyce said in a statement, "Phytoplankton is also important in maintaining sustainable fisheries operations and the overall health of the ocean. We need to make sure that the numbers do not continue to decline."
Boyce added more research is needed on the impact of the declining phytoplankton population, but stressed a good start is to lower the temperature of the world\'s oceans. The report was published Thursday in the Nature journal.
Article © AHN - All Rights Reserved - Travel Guide Names Vanuatu Happiest Place On EarthShow article
AHN News StaffMontreal, Quebec, Canada (AHN) - Travel guide Lonely Planet released its latest list of the world\'s happiest places. On top of the list is the South Pacific island of Vanuatu, while Montreal in Quebec came in second.
Lonely Planet said it was not surprised by Vanuatu emerging as the happiest place because the general idea of a happy life has images of a hammock in a white-sand beach. All these could be found in the island, known for its blue waters teeming with life, lush vegetation and scenic environment.
The travel guide pointed out Montreal is considered a happy city because it hosts Just for Laughs, which is one of the world\'s biggest comedy festivals during summer. Although it holds the comedy festivals on summer, it is a happy city all year round. Lonely Planet said the Quebec city is also clean, welcoming and multicultural.
The travel guide said other happy cities could be found in Wuyi Shan in China and Malawi in Africa. Wuyi Shan is described as a place of secret valleys with waterfalls and mysterious caves. Malawi is known for greeting visitors with effusive grins.
In 2009, Forbes.com named Rio de Janiero in Brazil as the world\'s happiest city, followed by Sydney in Australia.
Article © AHN - All Rights Reserved - Canadian Premiers Step Into Census FrayShow articleAHN News Staff
Ottawa, Ontario, Canada (AHN) - Canadian premiers are joining the growing federal and provincial voices about the controversy created by Ottawa\'s decision to scrap the long census form.
The 13 premiers, who are holding their yearly meeting next week, are expected to voice their support or opposition to the federal government\'s initiative which has apparently divided the nation.
The Quebec and Ontario governments are for a reversal of the scrapping of the long form, but Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty acknowledged there is not much room for a compromise.
Quebec Finance Minister Raymond Bachand earlier wrote federal Industry Minister Tony Clement to reverse Ottawa\'s decision. While Quebec has its own statistical agency to analyze statistics, Bachand said the province relies heavily on raw data collected by Statistics Canada. Bachand quoted an Institut de la statisque du Quebec position that a voluntary survey would be harmful to the reliability, comparability and coherence of data.
New Democratic Party leader Jack Layton said the party is in favor of a solution to the census long form controversy that would protect the validity and integrity of the census data.
The scrapped form has 40 pages. Canadian law mandated that residents must accomplish the long from in full or face a $500 penalty or three months prison term. However, no one has been jailed for not fully accomplishing the survey form. But the depth of the questions, which includes some very personal matters, had been the subject of complaints by Canadians.
Article © AHN - All Rights Reserved