Pace of blue-green algae blooms in Alberta lakes so far 'a little bit concerning,' researcher says
CBC
Edmonton resident Jill Hunter was surprised to find visible blooms of blue-green algae along the shore when she arrived at Astotin Lake, Alta., in Elk Island National Park Wednesday.
"This seems really early," Hunter said, after canoeing at the popular swimming and recreation area located about 60 kilometres northeast of Edmonton.
Rolf Vinebrooke, a professor of fresh water ecology at the University of Alberta, agrees.
He said the number of new health alerts is coming at a pace that's "a little bit concerning."
There are currently 13 blue-green algae advisories in place for Alberta lakes. Nine were issued within the last 10 days.
"Since we're not even into July, right? And it's feeling like the blue-green algae are kind of already thriving as they would normally later in the summer," Vinebrooke said.
Blue-green algae, also known as cyanobacteria, need the same sorts of resources plants or crops do, and tend to thrive at higher temperatures, he said.
Vinebrooke added that recent precipitation has likely contributed to the growth of blue-green algae, with the rain carrying nutrients from the landscape into the waterways.
"So we're kind of getting a combination of ideal growing conditions so far with how this summer kind of progressed and sunlight is going quite well right now with the haze and the wildfires kind of diminishing," he said.
Alberta Health Services says people and pets should avoid all contact with water where a blue-green algae advisory is in place. It can make people sick, and can be lethal to pets.
Vinebrooke said it's too early to tell if this summer's blue-green algae levels will be higher than previous years, and analysis has not shown a clear trend.
"Other than it seems to be that there's much more variability across years, like one year will be really bad, the next year won't be that bad at all," he said. "So it's a very difficult thing to predict right now."
AHS currently has advisories in place for the following lakes:
Coming in contact with the algae can cause skin irritation, sore throats and eyes. If ingested, symptoms include fever, nausea, vomiting or diarrhea.
The new year will be bringing with it Toronto’s first traffic czar.
For the first time in 111 years, items once belonging to the late Albert Mullins were back in the hands of his family members thanks to the detective work of one Montreal historian.
The year that saw the remains of two First Nations women brought home from a Manitoba landfill and a search get underway for the remains of a third showed how far reconciliation efforts have come — and how far they still need to go, the families say
The RCMP has just released a warning stating there are dangerous, armed individuals on Big Island Cree Nation, near Meadow Lake.
A new land-use plan that Alberta’s government has for the province’s Upper Smoky region is drawing criticism from environmentalists who say they believe it lacks sufficient environmental safeguards, which poses a significant threat to the endangered southern woodland caribou.
Canadian officials made pains to show they were cracking down on illicit drug production in the country in 2025.
A year after the City of Hamilton cancelled its overnight warming bus, it is funding a new all-night warming centre for men at St. Paul’s Presbyterian Church on James Street S.
This year has, without a doubt, been a turbulent one for the Canadian auto industry. Uncertainty dominated the sector — both for auto workers hit with job changes and companies trying to manage a mix of tariffs and changing market conditions.
A woman died at a ski resort in the Canadian Rockies over the weekend, after falling into deep snow.
Two pregnant women who would otherwise be living in a cold tent. A man whose leg wound was so bad it required intravenous medication. Two young people who no longer need to couch surf to get by.
The province has added 12 kilometres of designated trails for all-terrain vehicles in western Prince Edward Island that will connect existing routes in O’Leary and Tignish.
Every year, CBC North publishes hundreds of stories online — breaking news, investigative reporting, political coverage, community features, longform storytelling, and much more.
After a wild year in Canadian politics that began with Justin Trudeau's resignation and ended with Conservative MPs crossing the floor to join Prime Minister Mark Carney's Liberal government, 2026 is shaping up to be just as action-packed.