The World This Hour - The World This Hour for 2025/12/24 at 17:00 EST

Episode Date: December 24, 2025

The World This Hour for 2025/12/24 at 17:00 EST

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From CBC News, The World This Hour, I'm Halley Cottenham. The extreme cold in the Yukon is putting extreme pressure on the territory's power grid. Temperatures drop below minus 40 again today, and the electrical grid is operating at near capacity. Julian Green reports. Officials have floated the prospect of imposing blackouts in Whitehorse for days, but territorial power companies say they would be. be a last-ditch effort. For now, Yukon Energy and Electric Power Company, Atco, are calling on residents to use less energy. They say that'll help put a cap on peak electricity demand,

which earlier this week hit an all-time high. On Monday, Yukoners used 90% of what the grid can supply. Jay Massey with Atco, Yukon says the grid buckled under the pressure. Still, he says rolling blackouts are a ways away. We're as prepared as we possibly can be. is with Yukon Energy. She says residents should use appliances at off-peak hours. It is allowing us to not turn on as many diesel engines and to have that little bit of buffer. The Yukon-R-CMP is telling people to travel only if absolutely necessary and to just stay home where it's warm. Julian Green, CBC News, Whitehorse. U.S. weather officials say a dangerous and potentially life-threatening situation is unfolding in Southern California.

An intense storm pummeled parts of Los Angeles, San Bernardino, and Santa Barbara overnight. There are evacuation warnings and orders in place across several counties. More than 7 million people in those areas are at high risk of flash flooding. The rains and winds have knocked out power to more than 100,000 homes and businesses. This holiday season, many Canadians are struggling with the cost of putting Christmas dinner on the table. Grocery prices continue to outplace inflation. Prime Minister Mark Carney says it will take time and sacrifice to make life in Canada more affordable. He was speaking with CBC Chief Political Correspondent, Rosemary Barton.

Absolutely recognize the pressure on Canadians, the pressure, particularly low-income Canadians, pressure of food prices, pressure, just literally the cost of living. And there's a series of adjustments that we're taking. The first thing we did as a government was to cut taxes. To afford this, Carney says the government will have to trim the public service. The plan is to reduce the federal workforce by 10%. Carney says this will allow the government to cut costs without cutting social programs that benefit lower-income Canadians

such as dental care, child care, and pharmacare. Carney says Ottawa also plans to increase federal transfers to provinces and territories. Many Canadians are traveling this week to see family and friends and maybe even visit a sunny beach, but new data show Canadian travelers continue to shun U.S. destinations. Liam Britain has more. Canadian Tracy Lamori has family in the U.S.

My brother and his wife, they just bought a beautiful home. Publicist's work. So it really is across industry, across borders, in terms of client base. And travel ambitions. And I always didn't want to go to New Orleans. But citing the political situation there, she's paused her plans. And the latest stats can figures covering October show Canadian return trips to the U.S. are down about a quarter from the year before, while international travel to Canada is up about 3%.

Toronto Metropolitan University Tourism Researcher, Frederick Demange. For Canada, I think it's good all over. You know, traffic is likely to increase. We should definitely expect better continuous results in 2026. Lemurie isn't sure when she'll go back stateside. I don't imagine that America's ever going to be something that I'm going to feel is an aspirational travel destination ever again. Liam Britain, CBC News, Vancouver.

And Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, is threatening retaliation after an officer was injured by an explosion in Gaza. Netanyahu is blaming the bombing in Rafah on Hamas and is accusing the group of violating the ceasefire. Hamas officials insist the incident happened in an area fully controlled by Israel and that the explosives were an unexploded Israeli bomb. And that is the world this hour. For CBC News, I'm Halle Cottenham. Thank you.