Your World Tonight - Air Canada impasse, walkable cities, reboot summer, and more

Episode Date: August 13, 2025

Canadian travellers face chaos as the country’s largest carrier makes moves to suspend operations. A strike and lockout notice have the airline cancelling some flights for tomorrow and warning of much more to come.And: It sounds like a no-brainer — where you live influences how much you move. But a new study shows just how much and why it matters. Researchers tracked thousands of people who moved between cities and found their walking habits shifted with their surroundings. They say it's a powerful case for considering public health in urban design.Also: From How to Train Your Dragon, to Freakier Friday, Happy Gilmore and The Naked Gun — this summer Hollywood is all about rebooting and recycling.Plus: Zelenskyy and European leaders talk with Trump about his upcoming meeting with Russia, eastern Canada on high alert for wildfires, and more.

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Find the latest season wherever you get your podcasts. This is a CBC podcast. We're being told by some people to book another flight ourselves and then risk not getting a refund. Some people are saying we need to hang tight. There's so many things up in the air that we're just sort of in a panic stand still at this point. Canadian air travelers on standby waiting and worrying

about a potential labor stoppage that could ground aircraft across the country. Air Canada and its flight attendants at the bargaining table, but at an impasse. With a deadline nearing, the federal government staying on the sidelines, and the first round of cancelled flights just hours away. Welcome to Your World Tonight. I'm Susan Bonner. It is Wednesday, August 13th, just before 6 p.m. Eastern, also on the podcast. The hills were on fire, and it was like a bad apocalyptic horror film.

If this were a movie, the plot would be simple. Wildfires keep raging across Atlantic Canada and crews are doing everything they can to save communities from the end. It's the reality for thousands of residents across several provinces as fires remain out of control and the weather stays dangerously hot and dry. It's a high-altitude labor dispute

coming at the height of the summer travel season. Flight attendants with this country's largest airline have given strike notice and Air Canada is responding with the threat of a lockout. The two sides appear far apart as the potential for a major travel disruption gets closer. Rafi Bujucanian begins our coverage with the latest on negotiations. Welcome aboard Air Canada. Safety instructions right before takeoff often come a ways into a flight attendant's shift. But they say they are unpaid for any work prior to the shutting of the plane's doors,

like safety protocols or assisting travelers. Same once passengers get off a plane. We deserve to be paid like everyone else. Wesley Lassoski is the president of the Air Canada component for the Canadian Union of Public Employees. It announced a strike shortly after midnight last night. It says the employer would only agree to a 50% compensation for groundwork. I don't think our response to say, hey, this is what we require is unreasonable. I think it's unreasonable that Air Canada thinks that's all that their crews are currently worth.

Air Canada's response to issue a lockout of its flight attendants as it plans to cancel flights starting tomorrow, shutting them down by the weekend. News that's just starting to sink in now for passengers. I just panicked. Kelly Pearl is visiting St. John's Newfoundland from Halifax. She does not think her scheduled Air Canada return flight home will happen on Saturday. My schedule has been changed three times, so I've canceled the flight and booked with Porter. Air Canada maintains there's a huge gap between its employees' demands and what it is able to offer. The union's also been looking for a general wage increase after a 10-year collective agreement.

The air carrier says in a statement it had put a 38% global wage increase over four years on the table. It insists that would have also addressed the ground pay issue. You won't have a deal to show up until we'll have four or five days into a six. strike. John Graddock coordinates the aviation management program at McGill University. Before the strike and lockout notices, Air Canada was also asking the union to enter into binding arbitration overseen by the federal government. Graddock says that suggests the impasse was major. This conversation between the two parties should have been going on for the last eight months. Doesn't seem to have been much of a conversation. As for the federal government, Jobs Minister

Patty Haidu said she is met with negotiators for. from both sides and federal mediators remain available. But that was before talks went south last night and her office has not indicated what it intends to do next. Rafi Bujikan, Yon-CBC News, Arwa. A full shutdown of Air Canada flights could happen by this weekend, but the airline says, if there's no agreement, it will start canceling some flights

as early as tomorrow. It means travelers everywhere are scrambling, rethinking their plans, and rebooking their tickets. CBC's Jaila Bernstein reports. Just hours after the strike notice and passengers at Toronto's Pearson Airport are already feeling the impact.

Some are taking it in their stride. I hope for the best, everything worked well for everyone. Others are wondering if they should cancel their trips altogether. We know we can get there. It's just a matter of can we get back. Grant Brinton is flying to Halifax to see his family. At least he was. We're not sure if we're going to go or not.

It's not just summer vacation plans affected. Ontario resident Robin Bernard says her wedding is at risk. I'm trying to get a hold of all of our vendors all at the same time and see if they can move things if I need. She's supposed to be flying out Tuesday to say I do in Australia. There's so many things up in the air that we're just sort of almost in a panic stand still at this point. Flight attendants wouldn't walk off the job until Saturday morning at the earliest. But the airline says it will gradually.

start suspending some flights tomorrow with operations on Air Canada and Air Canada Rouge fully suspended by the weekend. That's 130,000 customers daily. Panic, instant panicked. Travel advisor Liz King is with first-in-service travel. She says she's been on the phone all day. I have someone that's going to a meeting in Las Vegas. It's a conference. He's panicking because it's a Rouge flight, which is what they have announced. Another one going on a cruise on the weekend, concerned that they won't make the boat, basically. They'll miss the boat. Her advice to passengers, take a breath, book a backup flight on another airline if possible, and wait and see. And we're also hoping that, you know, this is going to be solved within 48 hours. If that doesn't happen, Air Canada says it is offering refunds

and will do its best to rebook travelers affected. Anyone traveling between Friday and Monday can change their flight for free if their tickets were purchased before or as of today. That may be easier said than done. Air Canada says it's working with 120 airline carriers to try and rebook flights, but they're filling up fast as passengers scramble to save their summers. Jela Bernstein, CBC News, Montreal. In Atlantic Canada, the concern in the air isn't about flights, but smoke and flames from out of control wildfires that threaten communities across New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and Newfoundland and Labrador. Tens of thousands of people remain on high alert as crews fight the flames and officials

warn it could get even worse. Nicola Segan brings us the latest. It's looking bad anyway, right? You know, the smell and the heat. You can't turn off in the window, right? Outside a retirement home, just kilometres from St. John's, 80-year-old Richard Barrett carries a small duffel bag to his car under a white smoky sky. He packed it full of supplies as he prepares to leave at a moment's notice. The home where he and 96 other seniors live is under an evacuation alert as the Paddy's Pond Wildfire on the outskirts of the capital city remains out of control. We may be evacuating our families and our workspace at the same time and so we just support one another. Laura Lee Wetlofer is the director of operations for the company.

company that owns the home. She says staff are preparing for an evacuation order that could come at any time. Around 150 kilometers away, the Kingston fire on the Beta Verde Peninsula continues to grow, keeping more than 3,000 people from their homes. Jerry Roberts was evacuated from her community. She watched the roadsides burn as she drove away. Like many others, she doesn't know if her home is standing. We do know that the grounds all around it are scorched. The gardens all gone. The hill is burnt out. And we knew a little while ago it was still standing, but now we have no idea. With resources stretched thin across the region, officials are begging people to stay in line. Newfoundland police say they're investigating multiple cases of suspected arson after four brush fires were

reported downtown St. John's. A fire ban is still in place across the province with fines up to $150,000 and jail time. The province says it's also imposing a ban on all-terrain vehicles. In Nova Scotia, even going into the woods can get you find. I get that people want to go for a hike or want to go for a walk in the woods with their dog, but how would you like to be stuck in the woods while there's a fire burning around you. Nova Scotia Premier Tim Houston says firefighters responded to 17 wildfires Tuesday, including a fire believed to be human-caused just 10 kilometers from downtown Halifax that forced businesses and a health center to evacuate and remains out of control.

In New Brunswick, two uncontrolled wildfires continue to burn near Moncton and Miramishie as firefighters try to push them back. Most of the Atlantic region is under moderate to severe drought, and the good, hard rain that's needed might not come for days. Nicholas Sagan, CBC News, Halifax. Crews are also struggling to contain a large wildfire on Vancouver Island. The fire is burning near Port Albany, which is just west of Nanaimo. It's grown to 20 square kilometers,

forced widespread evacuations and triggered states of, emergency in three communities. One of those is Huayette First Nation. John Jack is its chief. This is a fire that hasn't really been seen on Vancouver Island. It's grown very quickly, and that's very concerning both for its impact directly, but also the smoke that's happening, and that's quite significant in the Albany Valley and surrounding area. The fire has also knocked out power for hundreds of people in the community along the island's West Coast. The region is bracing for more hot, windy weather over the next few days. Coming right up, not invited to a critical U.S.-Russia summit later this week.

Ukraine and European leaders meet to discuss the future of the country and the continent. And in Gaza, another air drop of Canadian aid, but it's not nearly enough to stop the suffering. Ukraine's president and European leaders made their case to Donald Trump today ahead of his meeting with Vladimir Putin. Their message, there should be no deal without their input. The U.S. and Russian presidents will meet in Alaska on Friday to talk about the war in Ukraine without Ukraine. As Ashley Burke reports, Donald Trump says this week's meeting is just a first step.

Thank you very much. Donald Trump on stage at a Washington performing arts center honoring his top artists. But it was his review of this morning's meeting with European leaders, reporters were waiting for. We had a very good call. He was on the call. President Zelensky was on the call. I would rate it at 10. Ukraine's president traveled to Berlin to join that virtual call with Trump. A last-ditch effort to urge the president to make sure his meeting with Vladimir Putin goes the way they want. There's a very good chance that we're going to have a second meeting, which will be more productive than the first, because the first is I'm going to find out where we are and what we're doing. Trump has called his upcoming meeting in Alaska with Putin on Friday a listening exercise,

where he'll know in the first two minutes if Putin is even open to making a deal. Now Trump says he's just trying to set the stage for the next round of talks. I would like to do it almost immediately, and we'll have a quick second meeting between President and Putin and President Zelensky and myself if they'd like to have me there. After the call, Volonimir Zelensky revealed that along with European leaders, he told Trump directly that Putin is bluffing and says he still wants to occupy all of Ukraine. But Zelensky says Trump assured him his main goal is to push for a ceasefire. I want to end the war.

Asked if he can convince Putin to stop targeting Ukrainian civilians, Trump played it straight. I've had that conversation with him. Then I go home and I see that a rocket hit a nursing home or a rocket hit an apartment building and people are laying dead in the street. So I guess the answer to that is no. But Trump did make one promise. If Putin doesn't agree to end the war, Trump says he will take action, but wouldn't say if that means stiffer sanctions like Zelensky's long-ass-for. There will be very severe consequences. A coalition of countries also met virtually with Zelensky.

Prime Minister Mark Carney on that call among those united with UK Prime Minister Kier Starrmer. We do stand ready also to increase pressure on Russia, particularly the economy with sanctions and wider measures as may be necessary. Starrmer says he still thinks a peace deal is viable, but ahead of the meeting, Trump is publicly keeping expectations low. Ashley Burke, CBC News, Washington. A capsizing off the Italian island of Lampedusa has killed more than 25 people. The boat was carrying migrants from Libya. Officials say the fiberglass vessel was overloaded and took on water before it overturned. Sixty people were rescued.

At least a dozen more are missing. The U.N. says about 700 migrants have died this year trying to cross the Mediterranean from northern Africa. Israel's military chief has approved the main car. concept for the controversial new offensive which will see the country take over Gaza City. The idea has been met with international condemnation. Israel remains defiant and heavy strikes in Gaza are ongoing. The country's prime minister says no ceasefire is possible without the release of all remaining hostages. Sasha Petrissik has the latest.

Canadian aid dropped from the sky again, nine tons of. pasta, lentils, canned fish, and more meant for desperate Palestinians in Gaza. Today's delivery flown in by the Jordanian Air Force. The UN declaring a food crisis and international pressure growing, Israel has allowed more aid trucks into the territory, too. More than 600 in the past couple of days, it says. But truck drivers lined up at the border say they've been repeatedly turned back. by Israeli troops. They tell you it's not labeled properly

or the pallet is crooked, says driver Kamel Mohamed. Inside Gaza, the suffering continues, with more severely injured, brought into Nasser Hospital, Gaza's largest. Many shot while trying to get aid, say witnesses. Getting aid is all deaths,

says Mohamed al-Najar. But we have no choice, since we need food and water. His cousin was killed today. Air strikes have been pounding Gaza City in advance of Israel's planned occupation of more parts of Gaza, Palestinians trying to get out of the way,

starving and sweltering in temperatures near 40 degrees. We have the fire of the heat and the fire of the bombing, killing us, says Umsakr al-Talbani. We will give them the opportunity to leave Gaza, says Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Hardliners in his government have been pressuring for the territory to be emptied of Palestinians so that Israel can set up settlements. Netanyahu says no one is being pushed out.

Arab countries have denounced the plans as they do Israel's military escalation. In Cairo, Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abd al-Dalati, is trying to restart negotiations for a ceasefire. We are talking with Hamas, with the Israelis, and we're still pushing for a deal. Egyptian officials say they're discussing Israel's demands that Hamas give up control of Gaza and its weapons. Hamas says no deal is possible

until Israel commits to pulling its soldiers out of Gaza altogether. There's no sign of a breakthrough or even a resumption. of talks. Sasha Petrissick, CBC News, Toronto. Montreal-based clothing company Gilden is buying the underwear maker Haynes Brands. The deal for the struggling but storied U.S. company is worth more than $6 billion. Gilden was founded in 1984. It also owns clothing retailer American apparel and footwear producer Peds. Haynes Brands has not turned a profit since 2021. It sounds like a no-brain. more walkable communities lead to more walking.

Now a new study shows just how many more steps people are taking depending on where they live and how different urban design could affect their health. Alison Northcott explains. I've never had a car the whole time I've lived in Montreal, so we walk everywhere. Anna Holson-Bake is strolling along Montreal's St. Denise Street in one of the city's most walkable areas. I wouldn't want to live in a city where I had to just take a car everywhere. A walkable city or neighborhood is one where you can quickly and easily get to places like grocery stores, parks and schools without relying on a car. A new study published in the journal Nature found when people moved from less walkable U.S. cities to more walkable ones,

they increased their levels of physical activity, says author Tim Altoff with the University of Washington. To put this in numbers, if you move from a less walkable city to a more walkable city, you might add about 1,100 steps a day on average. That's about 11 minutes of extra walking. The study captured smartphone data from 5,000 people who moved between cities, giving researchers a before and after snapshot of how one person changes their habits. It's a place where people can live and work. Epidemiology professor Laura Rosella from the University of Toronto says the study adds to other Canadian research looking at potential health benefits of walkable cities.

We've been involved in many of them that have shown decreased risk of type 2 diabetes. heart disease, pre-diabetes, also mental health benefits. In Peel region, west of Toronto, there's a high prevalence of diabetes and health officials want to give more residents, including newcomers to Canada, a chance to build physical activity into their daily lives. We have about 80% of our residents using automobiles to move around. Paul Sharma, director of chronic disease and injury prevention at Peel Public Health, says adding sidewalks and bike lanes can help improve people's health.

A lot of our work is sedentary behavior. We're not moving around. It will lead to people being, you know, not as physically active or moving around. And we're just not getting our daily physical activity allotment. Some critics worry this kind of change will create too much density or restrict mobility. Experts say it's a major undertaking that can take years. In this Calgary suburb, a lot of people get around by car. Residents like Donella Swan say they're used to that.

I think that's just part of living here. And having more nearby amenities. isn't necessarily what she wants. Before, like, the strip mall there with, like, the daycare and things were in it. One thing that we appreciated was that, really, if you didn't live here, there was no reason to drive up here. Rosella from U of T says city planners need to ensure changes to make neighborhoods healthier reflect the needs of all residents and says this latest study provides important evidence she hopes will influence how cities are designed.

Allison Northcott, CBC News, Montreal. Early advance voting numbers are in for next week's federal by-election in Alberta. About 14,000 people cast a ballot in the riding of Battle River Crowfoot over a four-day period. More than 200 candidates are in the race, including conservative leader Pierre Pollyev. He's trying to get back to Parliament after losing his Ottawa seat in April's general election. The by-election is set for Monday. This is Your World's World. tonight from CBC News. If you want to make sure you stay up to date and never miss one of our

episodes, follow us on Spotify, Apple, wherever you get your podcasts. Just find the follow button and lock us in. If you've gone to see a movie this summer, you may have experienced some deja vu. The slate of this year's biggest theatrical releases is full of reboots. Ali Shiasso now with a look at Hollywood's love of reliving the past. Maybe they're not as bad as we think they are. From How to Train Your Dragon to Freakier Friday, happy Gilmore and Naked Gun. For box office hits in the summertime,

Hollywood is all remake, reboot, and recycle. And moviegoers we spoke to are all for it. As long as they're interesting, I say go for it. We are not keeping this thing. Oh, Hannah means family. Family means nobody gets left behind. The Lilo and Stitch live-action remake? First movie to gross a billion dollars this year.

The happy Gilmore sequel on Netflix smashed audience records. Nearly 47 million people watched it in the first three days. People like what they like. I know friends of mine would rather see something that they're familiar with rather than like some new story that they may not like. That's why media analyst Paul Der Garabatian calls remakes and sequels box office insurance. The summer is the Play It Safe season for studios, and movie theaters within that 18 weeks of the summer, that generates close to 40% of the total year North American box office.

They love the tried and true in those known brands. If you're me and I'm you, then who is that? I'm Grandma, sweetheart. Like Freaky Er, Friday. Sophie Langell had her popcorn ready for that one. I'm really hoping this is a. It was. The Lindsay Lohan Jamie Lee Curtis reboot was number two at the box office on opening weekend, grossing $29 million. For director Nisha Ganatra, the nostalgia was nice. I think it's a craving people are having for, you know, connection.

It wasn't until studio execs called How to Train Your Dragon Director, Dean Dublois, that he even considered another sequel. And just said, what do you think we're kicking? We want to kick the tires on this idea of a live action reimagining. To me, it was like, okay. But does this mean Hollywood isn't also churning out original ideas? It's rare that you find true originals out there, but we are seeing it. Look at sinners, how well that film did it opened in April. Weapons, F1 is an original. The upcoming Toronto International Film Festival will usher in more new original movies,

but with another Avatar, Spider-Man, and The Devil Wears Prada in the works, reboots and remakes are hardly a thing of the past. Ali Chieson, CBC News, Toronto. First it got a shout out. Tonight, we are finally hearing from the pop star singing about a Canadian province and now promising to perform there. The subway is feeling they're gone up this city. The Subway is the latest single from American artist, Chapel Rhone, released two weeks ago.

As we told you at the time, it's getting a lot of attention in Saskatchewan. In the song lyrics, the singer muses about relocating to the province after a bad breakup. Well, Chapel Rhone isn't moving to the prairies, but she says she's determined to play a concert there one day. You know what? It's about time Saskatchewan get recognized globally. It's awesome. I've never been there, but. But I promise I will perform there one day. And I also just love that the capital is called Regina. Yes, exactly.

In a new interview with Apple Music, the Grammy winner talks about her love for Saskatchewan, even though, as she says, she's never set foot there. Rhone also elaborated on the lyric and her simple reason for singling out the province. Born in Missouri, Roan lives in Los Angeles. So why is she singing about Saskatchewan? Um, because like, it rhymed. Yes, exactly what I wanted you to say. Well, because I was like, I can't remember.

There was other options, but I was like, we'd already use Boston. Yeah. And I was like, you needed something on. The Saskatchewan shoutout has led to a spike in Google searches for the province. And its tourism board reported more than 50,000 social media interactions following the song's release. with many users tagging the province and quoting the song, saying they're also moving to Saskatchewan. Thank you for joining us. This has been your world tonight for Wednesday, August 13th. I'm Susan Bonner. Talk to you again.

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