The World This Hour - The World This Hour for 2025/03/21 at 15:00 EDT

Episode Date: March 21, 2025

The World This Hour for 2025/03/21 at 15:00 EDT

What do you see when you look around? Lively cities, growing neighborhoods, things that connect us. For those into skilled trades, it's a world they helped create. Discover more than 300 careers, paid apprenticeships, and the unmatched feeling of saying, I made that. Learn more at Canada.ca slash skilled trades. A message from the government of Canada. From CBC News, the world this hour.

I'm Dave Seglitz. Canada's oldest retailer has been given court permission to start liquidating the company's assets. An Ontario court today approved a plan by Hudson's Bay to close all but six of its stores across the country. Paula Duhotjic has the latest. The Bay says the news about its financial troubles has led to a flurry of sales. Shoppers flocking to the retailer to pick up a Bay blanket before stores close. That means the

company has enough financial wiggle room to keep six stores open, all of them in the Greater Toronto or Greater Montreal areas. But there's still lots of uncertainty ahead, including for the Bay's roughly 9,000 workers, many of whom will likely be out of a job. Kevin Grell works for the Bay.com Distribution Centre in Toronto. I will be 62 in May and my plan was to work till 65 and retire. But it looks like that's not going to happen. The six stores identified by the Bay could still close if a restructuring solution isn't found soon. Paula Duhaczek, CBC News, Calgary.

Both Canada's Conservative leader and Ontario's Premier face questions today about their relationship. This follows a recent report that Pierre Poiliev called Doug Ford to seek his advice on the upcoming federal election, but the Premier declined. Karina Roman has more. Conservative leader Pierre Poiliev called to congratulate Ontario Premier Doug Ford 18 days after Ford was re-elected. A Toronto Star story says the call was awkward and stilted, and that Poirier asked Ford, a fellow Conservative, for help in the upcoming federal election, and that Ford said no.

Poirier says that's inaccurate. I'll be working with Premier Ford and all Premiers across this country to bring home the country that we knew and still love. Ford confirms there was no ask for help or for an endorsement, but he also says he doesn't interfere in federal elections, nor take sides by giving endorsements. I don't care about political stripes, I just don't. What can you do for Ontario? Ford also says that phone call was the first time he had ever spoken with Poiliev.

Carina Roman, CBC News, Ottawa. Mayors of Canadian border towns say they're worried about the looming trade war with the U.S. Nearly a dozen held a virtual meeting to discuss the implications for their communities and to ask Ottawa for more support. Mike Bradley is the mayor of Sarnia, Ontario, which shares a border with Port Huron, Michigan.

We're in a very difficult situation as border cities. We need the federal government to fully understand as they look to different sectors to assist them through the tariffs that will be coming that duty-free stores and border communities specifically need direct support to deal with what's happening here. We're feeling the pain and we're on the front line. The Canadian government says it has a comprehensive plan to support Canada's interests, industries and workers in the process. Heathrow Airport, one of the world's busiest, is slowly resuming operations. A power outage today forced the closure of the entire complex. A fire at a substation serving the airport was to blame. More than 1,300 flights, including

some to and from Canada were either grounded or diverted frustrating thousands of passengers. I called my airline I'm flying Air Canada but I was on hold for over an hour I gave up I've been looking at flights out of other airports in London but there are not as many options because I think people are scooping them up. One airline analyst called today's disruption quote a contained version of 9-11. Heathrow officials say the airport will operate at a reduced capacity for some time. It could take days to clear the backlog.

Ottawa has signed a pharmacare deal with the Yukon government. The 9.5 million dollar agreement will improve access to a number of drugs and medical devices, including contraceptives, diabetes medications and devices. As of January 2026, those will be available to Yukon residents at little or no cost. And this has been Your World This Hour. For news anytime, you can visit our website at cbcnews.ca. For CBC News, I'm Dave Seglands.