Your World Tonight - A new Alberta oil pipeline to B.C. is a step closer to reality

Episode Date: October 1, 2026

A new pipeline carrying Alberta bitumen to southern B.C. has been declared a project of national interest. Ottawa will fast track approvals and consultations for the West Coast Pacific Link – drawing praise from industry and pushback from some First Nations and environmental groups.Also: New details of the botched execution of Tennessee death row inmate Christa Pike.And: Canadian Joshua Kutryk is among four astronauts on a joint NASA-SpaceX mission to the International Space Station.Plus: India celebrates the “hero” pilot credited with preventing a Flydubai crash; Canada, the U.S. and other G20 nations talk trade in Milwaukee; and pollution alert! Would you wear a gadget that warns you of bad air?

One summer evening when she was 20 years old, something terrible happened to Vienna-Luc. I can't figure it out, but I do know that it was a violation. Then people started asking questions. What a creep. Who else knows about this? From CBC's personally, this is Agent Leila, the story of how a victim went undercover. So bring it on, let's go. Let's get a confession. Available now on CBC Listen, or wherever you get your podcasts. This is a CBC podcast.

I'm proud to announce that the government of Canada is officially listing the West Coast pipeline, now known as Pacific Link, as a project of national interest. A first under the Carney government's Building Canada Act, a project designed to take Alberta oil to the BC coast. Standing alongside Alberta's Premier, the Prime Minister promises it will bring billions of of dollars and thousands of jobs. But environmentalists and some indigenous leaders denounce the plan, with some questioning the potential cost to taxpayers.

This is your world tonight. I'm Salima Shivji. It's Thursday, October 1st, just before 6 p.m. Eastern, also on the program. We certainly have technical talks with the Canadians. The reality is there are a handful of outstanding issues that are quite difficult to resolve. The U.S. trade representatives speaking at a G20 summit also dismisses. facing Canada's ability to find sufficient trade partners outside the U.S. This while Ottawa works to cement details of a new pact with the European Union.

Mark Carney promised Canadians he would build Canada strong and do it fast. Today he underwrote that promise, officially designating an oil pipeline from Alberta to the BC coast, as the first project of national interest to be fast-tracked for government approval. The announcement may appease some in Alberta as the province prepares for a referendum on separation. But as Jennifer Yoon reports, there are hurdles that could hold up the pipeline's progress. Canadian taxpayer is going to make a lot of money off this pipeline. Prime Minister Mark Carney on why he is fast-tracking a major new oil pipeline with this announcement. The government of Canada is officially listing the West Coast pipeline,

now known as Pacific Link, as a problem. of national interest. The Pacific Link pipeline would carry a million barrels of oil a day from Alberta to the West Coast. Carney says with this new designation it's no longer a question of whether it will be built. It's a matter of how. Standing next to the Prime Minister, Alberta Premier, Danielle Smith, the leader of a province on the cusp of deciding if it wants to leave Canada, with separatists fueled,

among other things, by economic frustration. Smith says this shows Alberta can push its interests without leaving the federation. This is one example, I think of demonstrating that cooperative federalism can work in action. While Carney might warm some Western voters feeling alienated by Ottawa, he risks igniting a firestorm elsewhere. Indigenous groups concerned that the government pushed this through with the controversial Building Canada Act. It allows the government to fast-track approval processes for projects it considers to be of national. interest. Terry TG is the regional chief of the BC Association of First Nations. It's really important to recognize that projects that violate, I suppose, First Nations

rights title and interests and treaty rights is of great concern, and perhaps this will be challenged in court. Some indigenous leaders are talking about mounting a legal challenge, says Jessica Klog, a lawyer who has represented First Nations groups on pipeline files for over 20 years. Chiefs will have 30 days to file in federal court, and that is why many nations and their counsel right now are considering all legal options to oppose this designation. Government officials also admitted today there'll probably be a legal challenge in a briefing for journalists. The question, how much could that gunk up the gears for Carney, a prime minister who's intent on moving as fast as he can? Ryan Adams is a former advisor to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

on Western issues. Are we going to be able to do better consultations with First Nations on time? There's money writing on the answers to those questions. Only 10% of the pipeline is owned privately. But the government says more investors are waiting to see if Canada is able to get this pipeline built fast. Jaddafer Yun, CBC News, Ottawa. The Prime Minister says this pipeline will be good for Canadians and for Canadian business. It is projected to generate thousands of jobs and inject billions of dollars into

the economy. Julia Wong now with reaction from the energy industry and the communities that stand to benefit. There's an extra million barrels a day. That amount of cash flow back to Canada is significant. Designating the Pacific Link Pipeline, a project of national interest, something Dennis McConakey has been waiting to hear from Prime Minister Mark Carney. He is actually committed to making this pipeline occur. The former Trans-Canada Pipeline Executive says the project could be an economic boon for the country. It's expected to create up to 140,000 jobs. Karnie today outlined the work to come in the coming months. Everything from community consultations to route mapping, ecological surveys, cost estimates, procurement, workforce planning. It could all be good news for Edson.

The town sits along the pipelines proposed route, and history shows the ripple effects could be profound. Mayor Kevin Zahara. What we've seen with the previous Trans Mountain Pipeline project were thousands of workers in our community and supporting thousands of other jobs by, you know, supporting local businesses, restaurants, hotels. The Canadian Association of Energy Contractors applauds the announcement saying it gives the sector certainty, President Mark Schultz. We're going to be recruiting a lot of people. We're going to be training a lot of people.

But what this allows us to do is plan. We have a roadmap of essentially making sure the equipment's ready to go as well as the complemented workforce. But the reviews are not all glowing. Clean Energy Think Tank Pampina Institute says the project may make sense amid geopolitical tensions. But executive director Chris Severson Baker says it doesn't make economic sense. This is not where the taxpayer funding should be going in Canada right now. You should be going towards preparing us for the age of electricity, electrifying the economy,

and actually bringing consumer costs down as a result of adopting those cheaper technologies that are available today. Mechaniki, the former oil executive has his own reservations, pointing to the cost of an accompanying carbon capture project plus one other claring issue. There are still some fundamental risks that hang out there, and it's evidenced by the fact that there were no customers with him today. There was none of the five major oil sands producers saying that they are signed up. Carney, sure, that won't be an issue.

This is the best country in the world, major economy in the world, to invest. And I'm sure those companies and companies across the country will take that into account as they build Canada strong. Confidence in a project Ottawa says will benefit all Canadians. Julia Wong, CBC News, Edmonton. Canada appears to be making strides in its push to diversify trade beyond the U.S. At a meeting of G20 trade ministers in Milwaukee, the Canadian delegation says it has advanced talks with both the European Union and India. But that push may be irritating the host country with Canada-U.S. trade talks at a standstill. Katie Simpson has more.

Canada has everything and we need everything. When you speak to European Trade Commissioner Maro Svkovich, there is a palpable sense of enthusiasm about the possibility of a new agreement between the EU and Canada, strongly suggesting it remains on track to be reached and announced by the end of this month. We want to focus on building the alliance of the future. On the sidelines of the G20 trade summit in Milwaukee, Sefkovic met with his Canadian counterpart trying to finalize the details. He says it includes Canada supplying more critical minerals

and updated digital services packed and the likely purchase of dozens of Canadian-built water bombers. These outside talks, he admits, are a bit unusual to be on U.S. soil negotiating new agreements as a way to work around the host country. I think that the... United States simply decided to go for, I would say, that trade policy in a way which is parting from the traditional approaches. So I think it takes some time to adjust.

That adjustment to the Trump administration's America First agenda loomed large over this gathering. Canada's international trade minister, Meninder Soudou, says by comparison, the U.S. uncertainty can make Canada look good to new partners. They know we're not a country that will turn the taps off and on at our will. We'll abide by our contracts. In addition to talks with the EU, Minister Sodu held a bilateral meeting with his Indian counterpart, as Canada seeks to land a deal there as well by years end. And so I would say India, I'm feeling very good about that one. Minister Sedu's feelings toward the U.S. were far more subdued.

While he's not formally involved in bilateral negotiations with the Americans, he did have a brief chat with the U.S. trade representative. Jameson Greer about the need to reach a deal. We certainly have technical talks with the Canadians. The reality is there are a handful of outstanding issues that are quite difficult to resolve. Ambassador Greer also shrugged off any concern about other countries looking to reduce dependence on the U.S. economy.

These are very low-growth jurisdictions. And low-growth, plus low-growth, is still low-growth. So we are actually totally fine with countries trying to find other people to take their surplus production. Like, that's fine with us. Canada has more trade talks planned with the EU and India as early as next week as it pushes ahead with its diversification strategy. Katie Simpson, CBC News, Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Coming up, the Indian captain of a Dubai airliner is hailed as a hero, a day after fighting off a violent attack by his co-pilot,

helping others on board regain control of the plunging plane. Plus, Canada's Joshua Kutrek rockets into space for a six-month-stice. on the International Space Station, a mission that includes work on a number of Canadian science experiments. And later, we'll have this story. When wildfire smoke fills the skies, it's easy to think about the quality of the air we breathe,

but what about the rest of the time? Particulate air pollution costs about 7 million premature deaths per year annually. And when I first learned the statistics, I was floored. I'm on Andram in Toronto. Coming up on your world tonight, how one researcher is making the invisible scene through art and technology, literally shedding light on air pollution.

The co-pilot suspected of trying to crash an Israel-bound plane has now been handed over to the United Arab Emirates. Officials looking into motive for the mid-flight stabbing attack say they're considering all possible scenarios, from terrorism to mental health. The co-pilot has not been named publicly, but Israel says he's an Omani citizen. As for the injured pilot, the Indian,

embassy says he's recovering well. And as Susan Ormiston reports, he's being called a hero for preventing a potentially deadly disaster. Outside his parents' apartment block in Mumbai this morning, a swarm of people. He's always been very jovial, very kind and very family-oriented. Smith Machar lived here with his family until moving to Dubai four years ago. Close neighbor, Akshay Doshi, told us the pilot is calm and balanced. The kind of bravery that he has shown, it speaks.

volumes of his character. It's a testimony of what he's been trained for. And it's a very proud moment for all of us. A dentist who treated him on board says the pilot's hand was almost split in half because of the stabbing. His wife is there and his parents flew from Mumbai this morning. Very proud of what the son has done, but definitely very emotional and very nervous at the same time. Already the story of Machar fighting off a co-pilot who was allegedly trying to crash the plane is the stuff of legend in India. His name, his country's name. He saved his name, his country's name,

and over 100 people, said Indian politician Perig Shah. India's Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, hailed his heroism, saying he showed immense courage and an unwavering resolve to protect the lives of others. Echoed by Israel's Prime Minister, commending the pilot for saving 174 passengers, including many Israelis. My first commercial flight was...

On an Indian podcast just last year, Machar talked about his career. He'd never had a flight emergency, he said, but many medical emergencies on board. In the interest of safety, we could have always continued, but in the interest of safety, the best thing to do is put her on the ground.

He couldn't do that this time. On the floor, bleeding, he was still able to flick a switch to open the cockpit door so two reserve pilots could enter and bring the plane down safely. He is a world hero. Why only country? He's a world hero. He's served so many people's life. There will be a hero's welcome when he comes back to Mumbai, said the local politician. But first he needs to fully recover and be with his family. Susan Ormiston, CBC News, Mumbai.

British police have arrested a dual UK-Iranian national on suspicion of plotting a terrorist attack. Police say they arrested the 27-year-old man in London today and searched two properties. On Sunday, five British men were detained near a military airbase used by the U.S. to carry out strikes against Iran. Prime Minister Andy Burnham says there are strong indications Iran is involved in the suspected plot, something Iran has strongly denied. In Tennessee, a death row inmate is in critical condition but still alive after two lethal injections failed to kill her. The botched procedure horrified witnesses and is raising serious questions about what went wrong. Paul Hunter has the reaction and the renewed debate about the death penalty.

There are very few answers this morning. It's very early. There are a lot of questions. That's Tennessee Governor Bill Lee on the horribly botched execution attempt in his state. last night that has this country stunned over what could go so wrong in the attempt to put a prisoner to death. I'm highly disappointed about what happened last night. What happened is macabre. Christa Pike, a 50-year-old woman, sentenced to death for a brutal 1995 killing back when she was a teenager, was supposed to be executed last night by lethal injection. But when strapped to the gurney in the execution chamber and the lethal drug pentobarbital was Injected into her body, she didn't die. So they injected some more, and she still didn't die. Witnesses describe it like this.

At one point at 734, she said my arm feels like it's about to burst open. Then she smiles really big. Then she starts talking about that one spot on her arm. Does this happen like that? The one spot, she's talking throughout this, then starts breathing, moaning, snoring. She lifted her head up and was looking around at one point. She said that there was a spot that was burning and hurting and asked if that was normal. Her lip quivered at one point. It sounded like she was almost choking. At 7.54, she let out a lot of grunt, lifted her head up, her mouth opened. The snoring then began again. After more than an hour of that, she was taken away by ambulance.

There's no denying the killing for which Pike was sentenced was brutal. A fellow teen was tortured, slashed with a box cutter, her skulls smashed in by asphalt. Pike accepted blame, though it was later argued that mental health and prior sexual assaults against Pike were key factors in her murderous behavior. After years of legal wrangling in the run-up to the attempted execution, Pike warned authorities that a lifelong blood disorder would make lethal injection problematic. They went ahead with it anyway. Tennessee should not be torturing its citizens in the name of justice.

That's Stephen Farrell with the Federal Defender Services of Eastern Tennessee. Our office calls for the commutation of her death sentence after what she's been put through. Pike is now in critical condition in hospital under what's described as life-saving care. Tennessee is investigating what happened and has paused all executions in the state. For now, Paul Hunter's CBC News, Washington. not be quiet. We will not go away. We file these two lawsuits today to put officials on notice that we have not forgotten. Renee Good's brother and wife are suing the Trump administration and several immigration officials. The mother of three was fatally shot in her vehicle by an immigration

officer in January. It happened during a massive immigration crackdown in Minnesota. Brent Gangor is Renee Good's brother. In the day since my sister's death, ICE agents have continued to intimidate, assault, hurt, and kill innocent people. Since Renee's death, no meaningful change has occurred. The deaths of innocent Americans by taxpayer-funded government agents should not be a partisan issue, and it should alarm every American. At the time of goods' death, Homeland Security claimed the officer was acting in self-defense. The lawsuits allege wrongful death and excessive force, as well as conspiracy to interfere with civil rights.

Riot police disperse protesting high school students in Lille, France. The students are angry about overcrowded classrooms, teacher shortages, and dilapidated buildings. The demonstrations began last week near the Capitol and have spread to cities across the country. Hundreds of people have been arrested, most of them minors. Dozens of protesters and police have been injured in the clashes. A Nova Scotia judge has dismissed a sexual assault case, against Trailer Park Boys actor Mike Smith. The actor who played bubbles on the program was accused in connection with an alleged assault in 2017.

He had pleaded not guilty. The trial was set to start today, but the Crown offered no evidence and the defense requested the case be dismissed. The complainant has told CBC News she decided the emotional toll of testifying would be too difficult to endure. The show's production company says Smith will resume his role as managing director. Canadian astronaut Joshua Kutrick blasted off in a rocket this morning on his very first space mission, destination, the International Space Station. The former Air Force Colonel, along with two Americans and one Russian, will replace the crew who've been there since February. Karen Paul's reports from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Storm clouds threatened the launch all morning, but liftoff went as scheduled, says NASA administration.

illustrator Jared Isaacman. That missions like this have become so reliable that they can almost feel routine, but they are not. The SpaceX rocket carrying a crew that includes Canadian astronaut Joshua Kutrick, the first Canadian to blast off as part of NASA's commercial crew program, and only the fourth Canadian to spend an extended time aboard the International Space Station. Hello, everyone, what he tells me I'm in space, I don't really believe it yet. It does feel weird, though. Spacex, thank you for the ride. It's good to be here. Good to be there, but Kutrik leaves behind two children and his wife, who will have a baby while he's away, raising questions.

Is there any kind of parental leave? We're going to have to talk about the parental leave part. Yeah, so we'll look at which labor code applies. But other than that, Kutrik is laser-focused on the mission, a large part of which is research to understand what happens to the human body in microgravity. Studying bone and muscle loss, changes to blood and red blood cells, cardiovascular health, vision, and even mental health. And in some cases, we'll be doing the research on myself.

Launch escape system disarmed. This launch comes during a trade war and tension between Canada and the United States. Melanie Jolie, the minister responsible for the Canadian Space Agency, says she's confident the collaboration will continue. Canada is a reliable and ambitious partner. We know that NASA wants to go further, faster. We know that they have different ways of using... commercial flights and also NASA flights, we want to do more of that.

Asked about Canada's role going forward, Isaacman kept the door open. Canada has immense expertise in robotics, clearly, as demonstrated from the Canada arms performance from shuttle to the ISS, when you build a moon base, as much as we look forward to the imagery of the astronauts walking on the surface, it should, as the base becomes operational, it should almost be the last choice to send somebody outside in that very demanding and dangerous environment and you're going to need extensive robotic capabilities. Welcome to orbit. This mission, especially timely, as U.S. President Donald Trump,

pushes NASA to move faster in a race to return to the moon. It wants to do that by 2028 ahead of China, which is planning a crude lunar landing by 2030. Karen Paul's, CBC News, Kennedy Space Center, Florida. You can't see it, you can't touch it. Yet the air we breathe can be bad for our health. Now, one Canadian researcher is trying to make invisible pollution particles a little more tangible to help people become more aware of the danger. Anand Rahm has more. Let me give you an idea of how this garment looks inside.

In her quiet Toronto office at York University, researcher Grace Grotehouse slips on what looks like a lead apron. But this one is pulsing neon green in the shape of lungs. So what does green mean? Green means the air quality is pretty good. This wearable tech uses a sensor to detect the immediate air quality around you and then sends that information to the lighting at the front. And as it gets worse, the color changes, from green to yellow to orange, red and purple. As each color progresses on the garment, the breathing, the slow fade on and off of the lights, goes faster.

Grouthouse says this project started in 2019 while doing her masters in the U.S. She wanted to find a way to make invisible pollutants visible, while you, using her skills as an artist. The illumination of the lungs, which sort of bring the atmosphere that we can't see into the body and make it something that is suddenly visible. As Canadians deal with days of wildfire smoke seemingly every year, it's really not hard during those moments to see how harmful pollutants like PM2.5 can be to our health. But when the sky's clear, environmental and health issues.

All of them, all of them get forgotten. Michael Pinsky is a London-based artist who uses environmental themes in his work. From dredging up bikes and fridges out of a Parisian canal and putting them on display, to his pollution pods, see-through domes where people get to walk into the recreated air of different cities. You go from cool and pure in Norway to quite polluted in London but still quite cool. The idea is that an in-your-face experience like that challenges the senses becoming a potential agent for making change. You know, their arts being cultural, play an important role.

You have to move beyond, oh, wow, the whole world's going to blow up. You have to make it unfashionable to do certain things. They would really love to see it have positive message. Grodhouse is now working on a more everyday device, a small sensor that can fit in the palm of your hand. And consulting a Toronto community group led her to redesign it to be more visually friendly and less tech-focused. Art can make things felt or seen, but community research can make it useful.

And she hopes to do more research with that community who are sandwiched between Toronto's downtown airport and busy expressway. She's recruiting residents for a pilot project that will capture daily air quality data from those redesigned sensors. On the Ram, CBC News, Toronto. And finally, October is here, and we all know what that means. We've got pumpkins here, pumpkins there. and pumpkins of all shapes, colors, and sizes. That's Danny Dill of the Dill family farm in Windsor, Nova Scotia. His late father, Howard, was known as the king of pumpkins, and for good reason.

He bred and developed Dill's Atlantic Giant, a type of pumpkin that set records for size and weight, and is still doing so all around the world. Today, a giant pumpkin was grown in England, and where have you, over 2,000 pounds. and they all, the roots will trace back here to Windsor to this patch. The farm on the edge of the Annapolis Valley is also the setting for this weekend's pumpkin way off, which attracts hopeful growers from across the region. A drought last year produced some disappointing results, so the question is, how are things looking this time?

I'm way happier this year with our giants and we're at. You know, they're still kind of babies, but it is what it is. Anyhow, but what I'm seeing and hearing out through the pump, pumpkin vine, it could be quite a, could be a good way off. Whatever the result, it won't be the end of the line for the giant vegetables. Some of them will reappear Thanksgiving weekend when both Windsor and Shelburne, Nova Scotia, host regattas. That's when pumpkins are carved out to serve as boats for some very optimistic paddlers. Looking around his farm, Danny Dill has some thoughts on what the racers should opt for.

Well, it depends on the size of the paddler, of course. This one here is probably about 600, I'd say. And, you know, it's blocky. You know, it's not high in one and dip down the other. And just not every giant pumpkin can make a boat. So, yeah, that would make a perfect boat. It could be a winner right here. Best of luck from all of us to both growers and paddlers.

This has been your will tonight for Thursday, October 1st. I'm Salima Schiffey. Good night. For more CBC podcasts, go to cbc.ca.ca slash podcasts.