The World This Hour - The World This Hour for 2025/01/23 at 08:00 EST

Episode Date: January 23, 2025

The World This Hour for 2025/01/23 at 08:00 EST

All right, get in here. We have a lot to talk about. My name is Alameen Abdelmahmoud. I am the host of Komotion. You know that feeling when the group tat is lighting up, maybe talking about a new movie that just came out or a new Netflix show or like a big TikTok trend of some sort?

That's what Komotion does every day. We get the smartest, funniest people together and we talk about the big stories in pop culture, arts and entertainment. I think you should join the Komotion group tat. Find us wherever you get your podcasts. big stories in pop culture, arts and entertainment. I think you should join the commotion group chat. Find us wherever you get your podcasts. From CBC News, it's the world this hour.

I'm Joe Cummings. Any would-be candidates looking to enter the liberal leadership race have until 5 p.m. Eastern Time today to officially join the campaign. That means putting down a $50,000 deposit to go along with 300 signatures of support. But from there the next step is to start landing high profile endorsements. Janice McGregor explains. It's not just the names you line up, it's whether these higher profile liberals also bring with them a team that helps you win. Radio Canada is reporting that this

weekend Francois-Philippe Champagne is going to throw his formidable and formidable networking skills behind Mark Carney. That, on top of Melanie's earlier support, is huge, especially in Quebec, where Liberals have to hold their ground.

If you look at some of the other junior cabinet ministers and MPs in Carney's camp, they are some of the other junior cabinet ministers and MPs in the camp, they are some of the best fundraisers and organizers, particularly in the greater Toronto area and BC's lower mainland. That too is fundamental.

But remember, because of this party's national point system, where writings are weighted equally, whether they are currently held by liberals or not, it is just as important for candidates to sign up supporters in places like Western Canada. And these endorsement lists don't really tell us how that ground game might be going. Janice McGregor, CBC News, Ottawa. The Canadian Council for Refugees is calling on immigration officials to allow transgender refugee claimants in the United States to seek asylum here in

Canada. It follows President Donald Trump's executive order that declares the U.S. will now recognize only two sexes based solely on biological characteristics. The council says the policy is concerning on a number of fronts, including the possibility of transgender women being placed in detention facilities with male detainees. Emergency crews in LA County are dealing now with yet another fast-moving wildfire, this one 70 kilometers northwest of Los Angeles. Out here it's more sparsely populated.

However, out here we are dealing with high winds, along with a thick fuel bed and steep topography. At his local fire official, Matthew Van Hagen, evacuation orders have been issued for more than 50,000 people living in the immediate area, but the fire has changed direction and some of those orders are being rescinded. At the same time, another new fire is now burning near the exclusive Bel Air neighborhood. Meanwhile, it's been six months since wildfires ravaged the town of Jasper, Alberta. For those who lost their homes, the wait for temporary housing continues.

Julia Wong has more. This further state of Limbo is actually awful. Loni Kledell stands in an empty lot in the town of Jasper. After losing her home in the wildfire, she's been in a hotel for six months, and temporary housing, promised by the Alberta government, has not arrived yet. The Alberta government offered roughly $100 million to build permanent single detached houses. But there's only room for 60 of those units on the parcels of land set aside by Parks Canada. The town says it needs high-density housing for more than 600 households.

Alberta's community seniors and social services minister Jason Nixon says the province isn't budging from its single-family home position. If we don't have a project that meets those requirements, then this money can't be spent. Parks Canada is working to get interim high-density housing. But without the province's contribution, there won't be enough for everyone who needs it. Director of Recovery for the Municipality of Jasper, Michael Fark. Now that we understand that the province is not going to be bringing any interim housing, we need to find other solutions.

Julia Wong, CBC News, Jasper, Alberta. The Supreme Court of British Columbia has certified the government's class action lawsuit against opioid manufacturers and distributors. This clears the way now for the province to proceed as a plaintiff on behalf of other Canadian jurisdictions looking to recover health costs related to opioid addiction. BC Attorney General Nikki Sharma says her office is committed to holding pharmaceutical companies accountable for their role in the opioid crisis, which was declared a public health emergency by the province back in 2016.

And that is The World This Hour. For CBC News, I'm Joe Cummings.