The World This Hour - The World This Hour for 2025/02/16 at 21:00 EST

Episode Date: February 17, 2025

The World This Hour for 2025/02/16 at 21:00 EST

In Scarborough, there's this fire behind our eyes. A passion in our bellies. It's in the hearts of our neighbors. The eyes of our nurses. And the hands of our doctors. It's what makes Scarborough, Scarborough. In our hospitals, we do more than anyone thought possible. We've less than anyone could imagine.

But it's time to imagine what we can do with more. Join Scarborough Health Network and together, we can turn grit into greatness. Donate at lovescarborough.ca. From CBC News, the world this hour. I'm Neil Herland. A massive winter storm has most of central Canada snowed in and a polar vortex is sending the prairies

into a deep freeze. Philip Lee Shanok has more. Yeah we really got spoiled last year. Trudging through the snow drifts and dodging traffic, Patrick Miseric says this feels more like the return to a traditional Canadian winter. And now it's really ramped up where it's like every week there's another snowstorm. After a midweek storm brought 40 centimeters of snow, the city is expecting another 25 centimeters more. Pearson Airport says between a quarter and a third of flights are expected to be impacted. So it's kind of hitting everybody

with everything all at once. Mark Robinson is a meteorologist with the Weather Network. He says this system is bringing warm, moist air from the Gulf of Mexico and mixing it with cold air coming out of the prairies. Much of Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba have been under extreme cold warnings. New Brunswick and PEI can expect up to 15 centimeters of snow and ice pellets. Nova Scotia's mainland and Cape Breton will get about 10 centimeters but wind gusts are making conditions deadly. Philip Lee Shanok, CBC News, Toronto. There are now just over two weeks until

US President Donald Trump's deadline to impose tariffs on Canadian goods and politicians in this country are eager to prove to voters why they're best suited to protect Canada's economy. JP Tasker reports. Conservative leader Pierre Poliev says he wants to go toe to toe with President Donald Trump, shifting his campaign rhetoric from denouncing the Liberals... Everything feels broken in Canada. ...to promoting the country at a flag day rally as it stares down an American adversary. We will bear any burden and pay any price to protect the sovereignty and independence of our country.

Mark Carney is the man pollsters say Poliev is most likely to face in the next general election. Carney says his focus will be on saving the economy from ruin. We can't control President Trump, but we can control what we do here at home to reinforce our economy. Both are promising to build new pipelines, dismantle provincial trade barriers and lower taxes if elected. Polls show a tightening federal race.

The Liberals are inching up after being on the back foot for months. Poliev hopes talk of putting Canada first will keep him and his party first among voters. JP Tasker, CBC News, Ottawa. The mayor of Montreal says police are investigating a case of anti-Semitic vandalism in the city. Valérie Plante says a swastika was painted on the wall of the Immanuel Bachelom synagogue. In a written statement, Rabbi Lisa Grushko warns of a rise in anti-Semitism in Montreal, and she urges non-Jews to show support and stand against acts of hate. Now to Austria.

It's an Islamic attack with IS-related issues. Gerhard Karner is the Austrian Interior Minister. He says the man suspected of killing a teenager and injuring five others in yesterday's knife attack was inspired by the Islamic State. Investigators say he's a 23-year-old asylum seeker from Syria. They allege he was radicalized online and recorded himself swearing an oath of allegiance to ISIS. Warners gathered near the site of the stabbing in Filach shocked and concerned.

For most of the people it's a shock, I think. I did not think that it could be happening in this town, as a peaceful town. It's really an international city. There are people from all around the world that work here, live here. Their future is here. And it's really bad that the locals will think that it can bring unsafety to their home. Six months ago, Austrian police foiled another plot to attack a Taylor Swift concert in Vienna. Authorities say that suspect also swore allegiance to ISIS. The British Film and

Television Awards were handed out tonight. The BAFTA goes to Conclave. The Papal Thriller Conclave won Best Film and a total of four awards. The immigrant drama The Brutalist also picked up four BAFTAs. And that is your World This Hour. For CBC News, I'm Neal Herland.