The Globe and Mail reports in its Saturday edition that climate change is catching up to Canada's telcos. The Globe's Alexandra Posadzki writes that across the country, events related to extreme weather are increasingly damaging or threatening telecom networks, forcing the industry's major providers to devote more resources to keeping the nation's communications infrastructure intact. This year, the record start to Canada's wildfire season is proving particularly challenging. Many industries -- from agriculture, to insurance, to oil and gas -- are grappling with the effects of climate change. For the telcos, the need to maintain their services during extreme weather events such as wildfires, hurricanes, floods and mudslides is particularly critical, because connectivity serves as a lifeline for residents in affected areas and is an essential tool for emergency responders. Bell Canada spent $44-million last year repairing the damage to its network caused by natural disasters, including $30-million on hurricane Fiona alone. More than 25,000 hours of overtime were put in by Bell employees responding to the disaster. This year, Bell has already seen $8-million of costs relating to weather events, not including wildfires.