All I Want for Christmas 1s ‘El Nino’?

» El Nino may bring a milder and warmer winter than previous years

Aaron Guillen
Staff Reoorter

1 Nifo, a mass of unusually
warm ocean water that is
transferred by wind currents,

has significantly emerged along

the equatorial region of the
globe for the first time since
2010. Weather shifts such as
these, usually occurring every
two to five years, have been
known to “rock the boat”—and
this time around have brought
devastating results to the
people of Mexico.

Mexico was recently hit
by Hurricane Patricia—a
category-five hurricane with
wind currents of up to 325
km/h fueled by El Nifio’s warm
temperature. These numbers
broke records held back in
2005 by Hurricane Wilma,
which had reached highs of
295 km/h. Storms at such
high category ratings ensure
maximum catastrophic damage,
which Mexicans located in the
southwest are still recovering
from.

While meteorologists
predict horrible droughts in
Australia, overwhelming floods
in Peru and Ecuador, and a bad

TOPEX/Poseidon 1997

: monsoon season in scattered
: parts of Asia, the outlook for
: Canada doesn’t seem so dire.

David Philipps,

: Environment Canada’s senior
: climatologist, shared his insight :
? with CTV’s Canada AM: “It

: typically doesn’t arrive for us
: until late fall and winter. Yet

: unlike the rest of the world, it
: does create, perhaps for some
: people, a good news story. If you :
: don’t like your winters tough, El :
: Nifio does bring balmier-than-
: normal weather.” Philipps has
: been predicting the effects of

: El Nifio on the Canadian winter
: since back in May. So, what can
: we expect from the upcoming

: winter season?

Starting off with Atlantic
Canada, there will likely be a

: significant drop in the number
: of hurricanes. Precipitation in

: the form of rain rather than

: snow is the projected outcome
: in the coming months for the

East.
Meanwhile in Central

Canada, if El Nifio is strong,
: the populations of Ontario and
: Quebec will be able to evade

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: the repeat of a harsh winter.

: “Ontarians and Quebecers may
: have to break out the rain boots :
: more often than not,” suggests
: CBC.

Over in the Prairies,

: winters are usually dry, so

: El Nifio will have a minimal

: impact. The results of

: the system will be more

: recognizable come spring—

: there will most likely be fewer
: floods, a relief for residents

: remembering the damage done
: by ones in years past.

The North is expected

: to mimic minimal impact,

: contingent on the warmer

: gusts making their way to

: the uppermost region. A five-

: degree difference during the

: winter is the worst that could

: occur. There will still be a

: bounty of ice and a demand for
: snowmobiles.

On the Pacific Coast,

: British Columbians will receive
: the bulk effects of El Nifio on

: Canada. As the closest location
? tothe warm body of water, BC
: residents might not see snow

: this year. Yet have no fear, rain
: somehow always finds its way

: back to Vancouver.

As El Nifio unleashes

onto Canada in late fall or
: early winter, only then will

forecasters be able to make

: more precise predictions.

: Philipps implied to CBC that

: there was no need to jump to

: conclusions: “Would I cancel my
: winter holiday? No, I wouldn't.”

Only time will tell. There’s

: no mistaking that the slopes

: in Whistler might not have as
: much snow as hoped, so plan

: ahead this holiday season and
: be prepared for a not-so-white
: Christmas.

 

Vancouver City Council decides against Uber

» Uber will not be allowed to start service downtown despite speculation

Mercedes Deutscher
News Editor
& news@theotherpress.ca

Dc a shortage of taxis

available in Vancouver,
especially during peak hours
on weekends, ride-share
businesses such as Uber will not
be allowed to start servicing the
Vancouver area. The decision
was made by the Vancouver
City Council on October 29.

“What council decided
unanimously is we should
stick with what we know
and are doing well, which is
providing quality taxi service,”
Vancouver City Councillor
Geoff Meggs said to CTV. “The
ride sharing issue [...] really
belongs at the provincial level.”

In addition to disallowing
ride-sharing, the city also
decided against enlisting help
from suburban taxi companies
during weekend rushes due to
the differences between their

“To solve a problem here
and create it somewhere else
doesn’t make any sense,”
Kalwant Sahota, president
of Yellow Cabs, told CBC.

According to CBC,
Vancouver doesn’t even have

: half the amount of taxis per

: capita as Halifax and Montreal. :
: Those working for Vancouver :
: taxi companies rejoiced at the :
: decision, many of whom have
: been ardently against Uber

: starting service in Vancouver.

“It’s not push back

: from us. It’s about making a
: proper living,” said Carolyn
: Bauer, general manager of

: Yellow Cabs, to CBC.

Bauer went on to say that

: Uber hadn't attempted to

: obtain a licence to operate in
: Vancouver, although she also
: expressed that she was not

: opposed to Uber entering the
: city so long as drivers were

: held to the same standards as
: those for taxi companies.

The city hopes to

: decrease wait times for taxis
: by adding 99 new licences

: into the system exclusively

: for Fridays and Saturdays.

Michael Van Hemmen, the

public policy manager for Uber;
contracts and those of Vancouver. ! Canada, argued to CBC that Uber
: would not infringe on the profits
: of taxi companies in Vancouver,

: a fear that is held by many who

: work in the Vancouver taxi

: industry. Van Hemmen instead

: argues that due to the increasing

number of people deciding to opt of Vancouver, and that the safety

: out of buying a car, Uber would

: help alleviate the workload. In

: addition, he says that Uber could
: help increase the number of

: those wanting rides in and out

: fears about Uber are common
: misconceptions that can be

: broken down through discussion. :
: : Taxi Association during the
: 2014 municipal election.

Van Hemmen is not the only

: person disagreeing with the city
: council’s decision. Some have

  

Image via thinkstock

accused the city council of being
: biased, having accepted a $53,000

donation from the Vancouver