World Report - May 8: Thursday's top stories in 10 minutes

Episode Date: May 7, 2026

KLM flight attendant, 2 cruise passengers in Singapore, being tested for hantavirus after contact with woman who died in South Africa. Prime Minister Mark Carney's government planning changes to speed approvals for pipelines and other resource projects. Mexico brings trade mission to Canada ahead of summer review of CUSMA trade agreement. Israeli strike on Beirut marks first major violation of April ceasefire. Class action lawsuit alleging WestJet didn't have adequate harassment procedures and protocols back in court today. Care workers say company scrambling to replace staff as long-standing workers leave. 

Hello, Steve Patterson here, host of the debaters, Canada's best comedy debating competition because we're the only one. We bring comedians together to battle it out all across the country, and this week's episode asks, is London, Ontario superior to London, England? Let's see if these two can lobat this one out of the park. Don't miss this week's episode of the debaters, wherever you get your podcasts. This is a CBC podcast. This is World Report. Good morning. I'm Martina Fitzgerald. I want to be unequivocal here.

This is not SARS-CoV-2. This is not the start of a COVID pandemic. This is an outbreak that we see on a ship. Words of assurance from the World Health Organization. Maria Van Kerkow says there are now five confirmed cases of HETA virus associated with the Dutch cruise ship, including three deaths. Three more cases are presumed.

The WHO is warning the number of infections could rise. officials have already identified one possible new case, a woman who is never on the cruise ship. Let's bring in the CBC's Crystal Gamansing, who is following developments this morning. Crystal, we're now hearing of a KLM flight attendant who has fallen ill. What more can you tell us about that? Yeah, that flight attendant is in hospital in Amsterdam with symptoms of hanta virus. The Dutch health ministry says the flight attendant was on the same plane as the 69-year-old woman who died in Johannesburg. Now, the airline KLM put out a statement saying that the 69-year-old was on one of their planes,

but only briefly. She was not permitted to fly because of her state of health. Now, health authorities are now reaching out to everyone who is a passenger on that flight and asking them to monitor for any possible symptoms. We're also hearing reports of two people in Singapore who were on that cruise who weren't well. Yeah, so there's two individuals aged 67 and 65. They are currently in isolation with hantavirus tests pending. They will, however, regardless, be kept in quarantine for at least 30 days. Both of those people were on the ship at the start of the voyage from Argentina on April 1st. The communicable diseases agencies says they were also on the same flight as that 69-year-old woman from St. Helena to Johannesburg.

Thanks very much, Crystal. You're welcome. The CBC's Crystal Gamancing in London. The federal government is moving to change the process for approving natural resource projects, including pipelines. CBC News has learned Ottawa is going to propose changes that would make it faster and easier to get the green light. As Kate McKenna reports, it would apply to all projects,

not just the ones on the government's priority list. The Kearney government is set to release a proposal, to speed up natural resource projects and federally assessed projects like ports. It's the next step and it's promised to have one review per project and to make final decisions within two years, including any proposed pipelines. Sources say indigenous consultation would remain a requirement and environmental assessments will not be watered down. They say consultations are expected to be launched this week.

The full proposal was not shared with CBC News, and sources say things are subject to change. But because this could be a comprehensive process change, the government is planning to consult before tabling any legislation. The federal government did pass a law last year called C5, which allows lawmakers to overrule laws and regulations to fast-track projects deemed to be in the national interest. So far they've named 15 projects, most of which were already underway. This new proposal is different in that it will affect all projects, not just the ones handpicked by government. Kate McKenna, CBC News, Ottawa. Mexico is launching a trade mission to Canada.

It involves hundreds of businesses and meetings over the next couple of days. Mexico and Canada are looking to strengthen bilateral ties ahead of this summer's Kuzma Review. The CBC's Jorge Barrera is in Mexico City, speaking to some of the executives involved. We want to open the doors with different Canadian companies that are interested. Luis Arzani is chief commercial officer for Group Express International, a logistics company, one of 240 Mexican businesses in Canada for a two-day

trade mission starting today with stops in Toronto and Montreal. That's the potential of this mission, that we can try to find a way to integrate directly Canada and Mexico. The visit follows a team Canada mission to Mexico in February. This round will see Mexico's Secretary of Economy, Marcelo Ebrard, meeting with Canada U.S. Trade Minister Dominic LeBlanc for Canada-U.S.-Mexico agreement talks. I think they can confirm that this North American trade agreement should prevail. Armando Ortega was a Mexican negotiator during North America free trade agreement negotiations in the 1990s.

He says bilateral trade has yet to reach its full potential. The fact that Mexican capital starts to invest in Canada, in my view, will be a game change. Fernando Vargas, CEO of Digital Services firm Bloom White Label Partners, says stronger ties between the two countries can create stability in turbulent economic times. Both countries are very interested in working with each other. Mexico's Secretariat of Economy says there are about 1,800 meetings planned

over the two-day visit. Jorge Barrera, CBC News, Mexico City. Crews are still clawing through the debris of a leveled apartment building in Bay, route this morning. The Israeli military now says it killed its target, the head of Hezbollah's elite Radwan force. The Lebanese health ministry reports at least four people were killed in the strike, including two women. Israel says the operation was a necessary act of self-defense. International mediators say the move has brought the month-old ceasefire to the brink of collapse. A class action lawsuit alleging Westjet did not have adequate harassment procedures and protocols, is returning to court. It was put on hold in February when the judge said the plaintiffs did not

have enough time to review the terms of the proposed settlement. Caroline Bargut has more on what the court will hear today. You're fighting against Goliath here and that's certainly what we experienced. Mandelena Lewis is the lead plaintiff in a class action lawsuit involving about 3,500 female flight attendants. She claims she was sexually assaulted by a Westjet pilot on a layover in Hawaii in 2010. The lawsuit alleges the airline failed is female employees by not having adequate anti-harassment policies in place between April 4th, 2016 and February 28th, 2021. Today, the judge will review a settlement a decade in the making. If we are walking away from this, and this is a finality that, you know, we know that we've fought till the very end for justice. In February, Westjet offered to pay $4.5 million to class members but admitted no liability under the terms of the proposed

agreement. Lewis accepted West Jett's offer. Some class members did not. They will have two days to object in front of a judge who will ultimately decide if the case gets settled or goes to trial. Toby Goldback is an assistant professor at the University of British Columbia, Peter A. Allard School of Law. The class action mechanism has really taken on this role of addressing social justice issues where the regular, you know, criminal law track or civil litigation has not been adequate to deal with these issues. Goldback says cases like this should send a message to companies that there will be repercussions if they don't take sexual harassment seriously. Caroline Bargoot, CBC News, Vancouver. Workers at a private Nova Scotia company responsible for caring for some of the province's

most vulnerable people are speaking out. They say longtime staff are leaving, furious their employer, told them for years their wages were non-taxable. They were also worried the company is hiring replacement workers who can't do the job. Shana Luck has this CBC News investigation. There are a critical number of people who are quitting. Steve Ketty has worked at Arden Professional Client Care in Nova Scotia's Annapolis Valley for seven years, but plans to leave. Across the province, Arden workers are responsible for more than 50 adults with disabilities and children in government care. Each client is placed in a house. Each client is placed in a house. generally with two staff 24-7.

Arden sources say it's around-the-clock emergency care for clients with issues like extreme schizophrenia and non-verbal autism. Violence, you encounter people, you know, are highly agitated. Recently, a CRA audit caused turmoil among workers. They say, for years, the company suggested they were like foster parents and their wages weren't taxable. The company even stated that in letters to the workers. But the CRA audit revealed that was wrong.

In recent weeks, many workers have left, fearing financial ruin. NDP MLA Kendra Coombs says she's heard from at least 15 who stayed and are working overtime to fill gaps. Oftentimes without breaks, you know, I've heard like 36 hours without a break. Finding qualified replacements is a problem, says Ketty. Ketty says until now, experienced workers kept things on the rails. If you bring someone in brand new who hasn't been in those situations, it's, you know, can potentially be dangerous. The province said it follows up and corrects anything that could affect safety. It doesn't plan to bring in stricter licensing or training standards for Arden because it's considered temporary care.

Arden declined to comment on the workers' concerns. Shane Aluck, CBC News, Halifax. That is the latest national and international news from World Report. I'm Martina Fitzgerald. This is CBC News. For more CBC podcasts, go to cBC.ca.ca slash podcasts.