The World This Hour - The World This Hour for 2025/06/07 at 11:00 EDT

Episode Date: June 7, 2025

The World This Hour for 2025/06/07 at 11:00 EDT

The ocean is vast, beautiful, and lawless. I'm Ian Urbina back with an all new season of The Outlaw Ocean. The stories we bring you this season are literally life or death. We look into the shocking prevalence of forced labor, mine boggling overfishing, migrants hunted and captured. The Outlaw Ocean takes you where others won't. Available on CBC Listen or wherever you get your podcasts. From CBC News, the world this hour, I'm Gina Louise Phillips. We begin with the

spreading wildfire situation. BC flames have crossed the border into Alberta, prompting an evacuation order in Grand Prairie. Meanwhile in Manitoba there are 28 wildfires burning right now, many of them out of control. Residents of Snow Lake have until noon today to leave. Caroline Bargout reports. Firefighters spray water on trees and wooded areas surrounding the town of Snow Lake. Officials here declared a local state of emergency on Friday, forcing 1,100 people from their home. It's been horrible.

This is the fourth time Linda Smith and Tom Allen have had to evacuate. Ten days ago, the fires forced them to leave their home in Flynnflawn. They went to Baker's Narrows, then were told to evacuate. They slept in a tent for a few nights at Wacusco Falls and had to leave again. A park ranger they met said he would clean out his camper and they could stay in his backyard in Snow Lake. Now they have to move once again. I don't even know what to do. No income, nothing?

I don't know how to feel about it. Nelson and Cheryl Linklater packed a bag for each of their three kids and boarded a bus to Winnipeg. What if we come home to nothing? There is rain in the forecast but officials don't know if it'll be enough to slow the fires down. Caroline Bargoud, CBC News, Snow Lake, Manitoba. Air quality alerts are in effect across much of Canada as prairie wildfires send smoke eastward blanketing southern Ontario and Quebec.

Toronto, Ottawa and Montreal are recording some of the worst air quality ratings in the world. Environment Canada suggests residents consider limiting time outdoors and be mindful of smoke exposure symptoms. Prime Minister Mark Carney is putting joint international responses to wildfires on the agenda for this month's G7 meeting. He has just released his priorities for the Leaders Summit, among other issues on the list, peace and security including energy security, countering foreign interference and transnational crime and strengthening economies. Carney will be hosting the world leaders in Kenanaskis, Alberta, June 15-17.

Alberta is dealing with 778 cases of measles, the most in almost 40 years. Dr. Mark Joffey is an infectious disease physician who recently served as Alberta's chief medical officer of health. He says the province did take measures to prepare for an outbreak, but more could have been done. I think the part where we did not do as well as we could have was in mass communication to the population, advising them that immunization rates were inadequate to prevent an outbreak, that children and some adults might be at risk of developing measles, and that they should access vaccine, that vaccine is safe.

Jaffee says there's an urgent need to reach all parts of the population with that message, and he says it will take a number of months before cases start to settle down. In Sydney, Australia, clever birds are causing some trouble and intriguing scientists. First the birds were opening garbage bins, and now they're waiting their turn to operate and sip from water fountains. Phil Mercer reports. Using their claws, beaks and brain,

self-acrested cockatoos have been filmed repeatedly by researchers drinking from a water fountain in Sydney. Dr Lucy Aplin, an ecologist from the Australian National University, led the study. It's pretty impressive that they're able to work out. Experts believe the birds probably learnt what to do by watching people. They have equal ability in solving problems as chimpanzees. Professor Gisela Kaplan is an animal behaviour expert. We've always completely underestimated a bird's intelligence. Lucy Aplin

says they even help themselves to school lunches. We've had some really interesting innovations reported to us, include unzipping school backpacks and stealing lunch boxes. The raucous snow white birds are found in many parts of Australia. Previous research has shown that male cockatoos have also learned how to lift up the lids of household garbage containers in search of food. Bill Mercer for CBC News, Sydney. And that is The World This Hour. Remember you can listen to us wherever you get your podcasts, updated every hour, seven

days a week. For CBC News, I'm Gina Louise Phillips.