The World This Hour - The World This Hour for 2025/08/31 at 05:00 EDT

Episode Date: August 31, 2025

The World This Hour for 2025/08/31 at 05:00 EDT

We are gathered here today to celebrate life's big milestones. Do you promise to stand together through home purchases, auto upgrades, and surprise dents and dings? We do. To embrace life's big moments for any adorable co-drivers down the road. We do. Then with the caring support of Desjardin insurance, I pronounce you covered for home, auto, and flexible life insurance. For life's big milestones, get insurance that's really big on care at Dejardin.com slash care. from cbc news the world this hour i'm neil kumar as students in alberta prepare to return to class uncertainty looms about whether 51,000 public catholic and francophone teachers will go on strike

Sam Samson has the latest. We're in this in-between situation right now. We know that the group that represents school boards in Alberta voted on a potential lockout on Friday, but they won't make the results public just yet. If the vote is in favor, it will give the province the power to lock teachers out. 51,000 teachers say they're ready to give their 72-hour notice and walk off the job if the union and the province can't reach a deal.

The provincial group that held the lockout vote said it will only come to that if it looks like union tactics could harm students and families. Negotiations between the teachers' union and the province broke down Thursday night. They were in mediated talks, but the province says the teachers walked away. The union says teachers want to be in the classrooms and getting back to their students, but that depends on negotiations. Sam Sampson, CBC News, Edmonton. A new initiative is trying to change the college experience for aspiring teachers, were indigenous, focusing on traditional knowledge and allowing them to stay in their communities as they train. Deanna Suminick Johnson has the story.

In this special program by the University of New Brunswick, teacher trainees of indigenous backgrounds learned from their elders, then bring that knowledge back to the communities. Juan Rodriguez Camacho, Amuiskas from Colombia, is with UNB and organizes this training. It was an amazing opportunity to revert the damage caused to indigenous people by not allowed. indigenous people to teach their own indigenous people. The program is one of a dozen across the country to qualify for funding by the Rito Hall Foundation. Aspiring teachers can get their education while staying in their communities, and that's key, according to Marty Ford, Associate Dean of Indigenous Education at the University

of Manitoba. Always, it is best to be able to not only train the people in the communities, but also to be able to keep them in their community. But these experts say it's the students. Indigenous kids not used to seeing teachers, who look like them and understand their culture who will reap the true benefits. Deanna Sumanak Johnson, CBC News, Toronto. Quebec universities are dealing with a drop in admission request from international students who want to study in the province.

The schools say it's due to the recent tightening of immigration laws and that it's also hurting them financially and damaging their reputation. Coppina Duro reports. Christian Blanchet, the president of Universite de Quebec at Troa Rivier, says applications for international students drop 46% between April 24 and April of this year, across all universities in the network.

And international students are key to enable us to reach the economic goals that we have. The federal government has implemented a two-year cap on international study permits with a target of 437,000 permits for this year and next. While in February, Quebec cut the number of international students that can enroll by 20%. Universite de Montreal spokesperson Jean-Rév-Omiré, says, These policies are the issue. The message that the numerous policy changes send is that maybe Canada and Quebec are no longer welcoming international students.

Blanchette agrees and says both levels of government need to understand the damage being done. Kubino-Duro, CBC News, Montreal. Government employees in British Columbia could walk off the job as early as this Tuesday. The BC General Employees Union issued a 72-hour strike notice Friday, for more than 34,000 workers. Issues stem around better wages, remote work options, and fewer non-union managers. The provincial government says the two sides will return to the bargaining table this week. The transport minister says essential services will continue even if the union strikes.

According to the British Columbia Wildfire Service, the number of active blazes in the province have almost doubled since midweek. As hot and dry conditions persist alongside the potential for more lightning starts. It says about 130 wildfires are burning across the province, which is up from just 68. on Wednesday. And that is your world this hour. For CBC News,

I'm Neil Kumar.