New code makes power outlets safer
The code, which is expected to be adopted by the provinces and territories, requires that new homes and renovation projects use tamper-proof electrical outlets.
The receptacles have a built-in shutter system designed to prevent foreign objects such as pins, keys or nails, from touching the live electrical wires. The shutters automatically open when the two prongs of an electrical plug are inserted in the receptacle. "But if you try to put something in just one [of the outlet slots], it won't work," explained Stephen Brown of the CSA.
Over the course of a six-year study, researchers found that 365 children in Canada received electric shocks by sticking objects into household electrical outlets. Many parents have tried to make their homes safer by placing plastic covers over electrical outlets. But such covers can still be removed by curious kids. The new code "will certainly protect many, many children who have not been protected until now," Mr. Brown said.
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Battery-electric buses hit the roads in Metro Vancouver
VANCOUVER - TransLink's first battery-electric buses are taking to the roads in Metro Vancouver as part of a pilot project to reduce emissions.
The first four zero-emission buses picked up commuters in Vancouver, Burnaby and New Westminster on Wednesday. Six more are expected to be brought in.
"With so many people taking transit in Vancouver today, electric buses will make a real difference," said Merran Smith, executive director of Clean Energy Canada, a think tank at Simon Fraser University, in a release.
According to TransLink, each bus is expected to reduce 100 tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions and save $40,000 in fuel costs…
