Your World Tonight - Air quality alerts as wildfires spread, caring for an aging population, and more

Episode Date: July 15, 2026

Canada’s biggest city is topping the wrong kind of chart of major cities with the worst air quality. The air is thick with a yellow haze and the smell of smoke is everywhere. And some places have it even worse. The culprit: wildfires burning across the country.Also: The country’s population is aging rapidly, putting more pressure on specialist care. But seniors are struggling to get access to specialists, which can lead to life-threatening consequences.Plus: WestJet flight attendants vote to strike, Trump’s choice for attorney general grilled at senate, Bank of Canada governor sees signs of economic growth, and more.

With the help of Google AI, CropMind is giving farmers early and accurate insights on crop health, helping them protect their harvests and increase yields. Innovation is Canada's story. Let's tell it together. Find out more at G.co slash Canadian Innovation. This is a CBC podcast. I did bring a mask. I may wear it.

I do have some lung problems. It's a little eerie, apocalypse now kind of feeling. But, you know, it's nice that it's nice that it. It smells like a cottage here, but it's bad when you know why. Thick smoke from wildfires smothers Canada's largest city, an area stretching from the north to the south of Ontario. People are being warned to limit their time outdoors with no relief expected for days. This is Your World Tonight. I'm Salima Shivji.

It's Wednesday, July 15th, coming up on 6 p.m. Eastern. Also on the podcast. Okay, y'all need to hurry up here. Like, seriously, we're in Caste and flames now. A terrifying moment for crew on a. CN train this week as fire appears to surround them near the community of Armstrong. Many people in northwestern Ontario have been forced to leave their homes, with no idea of what they'll find when they return. The smoke from those northwest Ontario fires has been heading south. Today, it covered Canada's largest city and much of Ontario.

One ranking had Toronto atop the list of the world's most polluted major cities. The smoky conditions could last until four. Friday. And as Anayat Singh reports, they will only become more frequent as climate change gets worse. Threat of wildfire, smoke coming down from Canada. About 800 or so wildfires burning now in parts of Canada. And a lot of that smoke is being directed directly into our area. So Canada's wildfires making international news again. The smoke blanketed Toronto in an orange haze summer camp programs and outdoor fan events for the FIFA World Cup were cancelled. And it all comes as climate change is,

making the smoke more frequent. Kate Hanneman, a doctor and heart researcher in Toronto, has studied the long-term effects of exposure to wildfire smoke. We found that patients who had breathed in higher levels of air pollution over a decade had more plaque in the heart, calcified plaque, overall plaque, and were more likely to have been nearing within their corner arteries, which tells us that there's a link between higher air pollution and more advanced disease in the heart.

The longer, more frequent and more intense wildfire season, is a new reality that many are still adjusting to. Taslim Nimji is an emergency physician in Toronto who's seeing people come in with breathing problems and chest pains. I think because people in Ontario are not as used to dealing with smoke from wildfires and it's increasingly, of course, becoming a reality. People tend to expose themselves more than maybe they would otherwise. All this is linked to greenhouse gas emissions which Canada was tackling,

bringing them down through a carbon price on major industries, amongst other measures. But Prime Minister Mark Carney's new government has reversed several parts of that plan. But in my judgment, that plan was not sustainable over the long term. It would have been too expensive for Canadians. That's Kani in his YouTube address in June on Canada's energy future. But what's also increasingly expensive for Canadians are the financial costs of all this wildfire smoke. Dave Sawyer, principal economists at the Canadian Climate Institute, worked on a new analysis that says wildfire smoke cost Canada $231 billion between 2014 and 2025, or about $19 billion annually in health impacts. So the chronic impacts include things like asthma and brachitis attacks.

We have avoided activity days so we can't go outside and enjoy the day or we can't work. So there's productivity and income hits there. And all that adds up to an economic number ultimately. A reminder that all this smoke is taking its toll on both our bodies and our economy. In Ayat Singh, CBC News, Toronto. After a slow start, wildfire season in Canada has now picked up in a big way. Hundreds are currently burning across the country. That includes nearly 130 in northwestern Ontario.

As Karen Pauls tells us, more evacuation orders are in place for several remote communities with some potentially facing wide-scale devastation. This could potentially overtake us here. This has gotten a little scary. CN Cruise posted terrifying video of a wildfire surrounding their train on Monday near the town of Armstrong, about 1,000 kilometers northwest of Toronto. Holy crap. The flames just outside the windows of the locomotive cab. Okay, y'all need to hurry up here. Like, seriously, we're encased in flames now. Cien says the crew was safely evacuated, along with all employees in the area,

and rail operations are temporarily suspended because of wildfires. About 30 kilometers west, dark smoke and flames billow over the tree line of the Collins First Nation. Just about everyone in the community had to escape. I can't describe what they went through. It's horrendous. It's horrible. Helen Pavla is the chief. She says everything has. happened so fast, one 13-year-old boy escaped by boat with flames at his back. They survived it, but now we have nothing. The community burnt down within less than an hour. Residents of six other communities have been ordered to evacuate, but some First Nations say

there are no accommodations in Thunder Bay for their members who are now being flown to Toronto. NDPMPP-Sul Mamakwa called on all levels of government to make sure there are beds for evacuees. We should be prepared to house, you know, five, six thousand people. Maybe it's 10,000, like, depending on what this summer looks like, it's only mid-July. Just keep praying that our homes are okay. Diane Labern is on oxygen for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Well, if I go without it, I can tell I run out of air pretty fast. On Tuesday, she fled from Armstrong to her son's home in Thunder Bay.

Really concerned. And now apparently nothing has burnt in Armstrong itself, but Clearwater Lake, those are all, some of them are year-round homes, some of them are summer camps. Some of them have burnt. Meanwhile, the Royal Canadian Air Force helped in an international rescue. We have two groups of YMCA campers that were north of the border in remote areas where the fires are burning pretty heavily.

Minnesota Governor Tim Wall says some of those rescued included teenagers with wilderness experience. He thanked Ontario Premier Doug Ford and Canadian emergency crews saying they mobilized immediately after Minnesota asked for help. It took one call and over the night all their forces were activated to go and rescue Minnesota campers. The Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Center says there are currently 838 active wildfire. in Canada, nearly 2 million hectares have already burned. Karen Paul's, CBC News, Winnipeg. Nova Scotia's Premier needed a police escort to leave an event today after protesters surrounded his car.

Tim Houston was addressing the Annapolis Valley Chamber of Commerce in Wolfville as his first stop on a speaking tour. When he arrived, about 50 peaceful protesters were outside. But by the time he left, the crowd had grown bigger, much louder. Some protesters surrounded his car and prevented it from driving off. At least one person climbed on top of the car and the windshield was cracked. After a few minutes, police escorted Houston back into the building and he eventually left in a police car. Argentina has beaten England to earn a spot in Sunday's World Cup final. It will be Argentina's seventh time in a FIFA World Cup final

and the team is the defending champion. They will take on Spain, which defeated France in the other semifinal. The third place finisher will be decided this Saturday when France plays England. Coming right up, the U.S. and Iran trade strikes for a fifth straight day, as Iran's military says it could shut down more shipping routes for oil and gas if the U.S. doesn't stop its aggression. Plus, Westjet flight attendants vote overwhelmingly in favor of a strike. That means Canada's second largest airline could be grounded as soon as the day before the August long weekend. And later, we'll have this story. When it comes to accessing specialist care in Canada, patients are frustrated.

There's going to be 20 to 24 months just for the consultation. Doctors are concerned. The wait times are just getting worse and worse. And a new report shows just how bad the crisis is getting. I'm health reporter Lauren Pellion, all of that story coming up on Your World Tonight. There's been a fifth day of American military strikes against Iran. U.S. Central Command says it's continuing to carry out waves of attacks as it fights to control the Strait of Hormuz. U.S. President Donald Trump

said once again today Iran wants a deal as he threatened more military action. Sasha Petrissik has more. Another wave of U.S. warplanes launched from aircraft carriers off the coast of Iran today. They targeted coastal defense systems and cruise missile sites. The U.S. says Iran uses to attack ships in the Strait of Hormuz. Iran has responded with attacks of its own. Drones hitting warehouses in Kuwait, targeting U.S. military facilities across the Mide, even as U.S. forces carried out seven hours of strikes yesterday. It's not the permanent termination of war promised in the deal signed by both countries last month. Indeed, U.S. President Donald Trump is vague on where this conflict is going and when it might end.

I don't like giving deadlines, but they pretty much know, they know this story. They better behave. Trump says fighting will continue until he says it stops. But pushback is building in Congress from Democratic Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer. Because Congress cannot continue business as usual, while Trump escalates one of the worst national security blunt. in American history. Pushback also from Iran, where defiant billboards feature depictions of Trump in a coffin,

where Iran's leaders have issued statements calling this an existential war with the U.S., with no plans for continued negotiations. We will defend our soil every inch of the way, says President Massoud Pezhkian, though he does not rule out further to be. diplomacy. Tehran says recent U.S. bombing has killed 30 Iranians and injured hundreds. But Washington insists the attacks are not over. In fact, they're underway again. Trump vows to target power plants and bridges next week, much like he did when the war was at its peak.

Sasha Petrusik, CBC News, Toronto. CBC News has learned Canada is expected to join an international fighter jet development program, one which does not include the United States. The UK, Japan, and Italy have all teamed up to build the next generation of stealth fighter jets by 2035. Canada has signed on as an observer to the project. Sources say the deal will be announced next week in the UK. The Bank of Canada left its key overnight lending rate, unchanged at 2 and a quarter percent today. The central bank says Canada's economy is showing encouraging

signs of growth. Exports are up and consumer spending has come in stronger than expected. But the bank warns there are still plenty of risks in the road ahead. Our Peter Armstrong has been following this story for us. So Peter, what should Canadians take away from the bank's decision today to keep that rate unchanged? You know, this is really just a big reflection of all of these contradictions that are so rife in the economy right now. The economy is weak, but it's showing signs of growth. The details under the surface are encouraging, but they're also super fragile and can come apart just as quickly as they've come together. Okay, so can we dig into those details just a little bit? The bank says growth is going to be pretty strong. Where is that growth coming from?

So we already have quite a bit of the data for the second quarter, so we know and we've seen. Things have definitely picked up, exports especially, but they're coming across the board from where they were. But where they were was pretty loud. We had two back-to-back quarters of contraction. Exactly. And, you know, go back even further. We've basically had no growth for 12 months now. So even some growth looks good by comparison.

And central bank governor, Tiff McClum, he flagged that today. When we talk to businesses, what we're hearing is they're adapting to this uncertainty. The other thing is that the U.S. economy is strong. That is creating strong foreign demand for our exports. U.S. orders, you know, they are starting to come back. So you take that. You add in pretty strong consumer spending, plus what looks like at least some stabilization in the housing market. And you can certainly see a case for some cautious optimism about the momentum in the economy. Okay, but cautious optimism. So should Canadians expect to feel that improvement this year?

Well, I mean, even a little bit better is an improvement from where we've been. but the forecast now shows growth of like 1.8% this year. That's obviously better than last year, but it's not exactly the kind of thing you're going to write home about it. And that's, of course, assuming the economy actually unfolds in line with the forecast. Yeah, it's been a rough year for forecasters. And there are all kinds of risks in the road ahead. There's this war between the U.S., Israel and Iran, the ongoing energy shock as a result of that due to the blockade and the Strait of Hormuz. Of course, the ongoing trade war, the uncertainty around Kuzma.

And Macklam, he knows that. We do think it is sustainable. But yes, there is a risk. Growth, particularly exports could stall going forward. If exports stall, I think investment will stall, hiring will slow down. So there are some risks. But increasingly the economy is looking like it is in expansion. But, you know, that contradiction, that hope that things might be getting better,

but the realization that a lot of things could still knock the economy off stride, I think that's how a whole lot of Canadians, not just central bankers, feel about the economy right now. OK, the CBC's senior business correspondent Peter Armstrong. Thanks, Peter. You bet. If you're planning a trip in the next few weeks, you might want to double-check your itinerary. West jet flight attendants have voted in favor of a strike that could potentially disrupt the August long weekend. Nisha Patel reports on the issues behind the labor dispute.

We are amongst the lowest paid in the industry. Dozens of Westjet flight attendants gather outside the... the company's headquarters in Calgary. They're holding signs that read, unpaid work, won't fly. Alia Hussein, president of the union that represents them, says employees are looking for better compensation as they negotiate a new contract with the airline. Our members visit food banks. Our members can't afford to live in some of the major cities in Canada when you look at our wage scale. The union claims flight attendants perform an average of 35 hours of unpaid work each

month. After 10 months at the bargaining table, workers have now voted in favor of a strike. An organization that is as successful as WestJet can afford to pay their employees appropriately. Workers are hoping to secure gains similar to those won by Air Canada flight attendants when they went on strike last summer. WestJet's CEO Alexis von Honsbrook says he recognizes the contract needs significant improvement. The last contract has been running for five years. was done in the middle of the pandemic. So there's a lot of catch-up to be done because they fell behind inflation.

If Westjet and the union can't find common ground, more than 4,000 flight attendants could walk off the job on August 2nd, or they could be locked out by the airline. Julius Smith, a labor studies professor at the University of Manitoba, says strikes can be an effective strategy for unions. Strikes are disruptive.

I mean, that's the point of them, is, you know, to cause disruption, to cause pressure. That being said, though, workers don't want to be there. Nobody wants to go on strike. They risk a lot by going on strike. It costs them a lot. And for travelers, strikes can be serious headaches. A full shutdown of the airline potentially upending the summer plans of tens of thousands of Canadians. AMA travel expert Nicola Barubei says passengers should stay on top of updates from the airline over the next two weeks. If you already have a trip booked with Westchette, it's the airline's obliges to rebook you or refund your money if they can't operate that flight.

That's in their contractual obligation. The talks are still ongoing, and the airline and the union both say they hope to reach a deal. Nisha Patel, CBC News, Toronto. Ottawa is no longer accepting applications this year from people who want to sponsor their parents or grandparents to come to Canada. A necessary decision, says the Immigration Department. The system is inundated with more than 60,000 applications. application still pending, and the current wait time for approval hovers around three years.

Two controversial figures poised to take on key roles in the Trump administration face tough questions from U.S. lawmakers today. Todd Blanche is Donald Trump's pick for Attorney General, and Jay Clayton has been nominated to lead the Office of the Director of National Intelligence. As Katie Simpson reports, both were pressed today on their loyalty to the president and how it could shape the way they do their jobs. And I'm here today to earn your trust once more. Todd Blanche defended his record as he made his case as to why he should be the next attorney general, a promotion up from acting age after previously serving as deputy attorney general and before that as Donald Trump's one-time criminal defense lawyer. You've shown you're still President Trump's personal attorney. Your tenure can be summed up in the four words you said, quote, I love you, sir, to President Trump.

Democrats, including Senator Dick Durbin, are united in opposing Blanche's nomination. Over the course of five hours, they questioned whether Blanche is capable of remaining independent. President Trump trusts me to give him counsel. Counsel does not mean a yes, man. They also skewered his handling of controversial issues, including the release of files related to the investigation of the late sex offender, Jeffrey Epstein. Any mistake that was made is not appropriate. And so, yes, I am sorry. While Blanche offered an apology, he refused to commit to meeting with Epstein survivors. Charlene Rochard, a Canadian who attended the hearing, was disappointed.

And if I can speak for all of the survivors, we do not want Todd Blanche to become the next Attorney General. One Republican joined Democrats with a tougher line of questioning, Senator John Cornyn. I believe you have said that the weaponization fund is a moot issue. Is that your position? Yes. It is a moot. issue. Cornyn repeatedly asked about the so-called anti-weaponization fund, the one that would have allowed January 6th rioters to seek financial compensation. While Blanche says it's not happening, he did admit that technically in writing, it still exists. For the most part, though, Republicans, including Senator John Kennedy, took a much softer tone. Has he ever asked you to do

anything illegal? No. Would you do it if he asked you? Absolutely not. The strategy may have somewhat backfired as Blanche had a slip-up that he had to correct. Are you in President Trump, friends? I'm his lawyer. Was his lawyer. Personal relationships and loyalty to Trump dominated another high-profile hearing for Jay Clayton, the nominee to become the Director of National Intelligence. Who won the 2020 election?

I'm not going to do this with you. Clayton refused to admit that Trump lost the 2020. election, appearing to fear retribution, several Trump nominees have done the same. Despite the tense hearings, Republicans have a slim majority, which means it's likely these picks will be confirmed. Katie Simpson, CBC News, Washington. A new report is shedding light on Canada's shortage of medical specialists and what it means for an aging population. Millions are struggling to access specialty care from dermatologists to psychiatrists. Lauren Pelly breaks down the data and hears from patients feeling the impact.

And I made it to the middle of a grocery store and I got this sharp pain in my hip. I had the shopping car, but I thought, I can't move. I can't do anything. How am I going to get to the car? Pat Fulton's arthritis keeps getting worse. The 72-year-old Calgary resident recently got a referral for specialist care. And then it said before you can see a consultant, it's going to be 20 to 24 months just for the consultation with the orthopedic surgeon. Wait times to access some specialists in Canada could get even longer as the country's population ages. Now, a Statistics Canada report reveals more than 6 million Canadians, aged 45 and up,

needed specialist care in 2024 alone. That includes seeing psychiatrists, dermatologists, rheumatologists, and cancer care providers. The new report found three in ten adults face difficulties accessing specialist care, totaling around 4.5 million people, while two in ten adults said they had unmet health care needs, making up 3 million Canadians across the country. And so this means that the wait times are just getting worse and worse. Dr. Robert Carruthers is a neurologist in Vancouver and president of the Advocacy Group Consultant Specialists of BC. That province had the highest percentage of older and middle-aged adults who said they had difficulties accessing specialist care. The major concern that

have is that people are going to worsen and that we'll miss opportunities to help people before it's too late. Many remote and rural parts of Canada lack access to any specialists at all, on top of a chronic shortage of family doctors. The fact that upwards of a quarter of Canadians don't actually have access to primary care provider makes it really hard for them to even get a referral in the first place. Dr. Samir Sinha is a geriatrician and researcher in Toronto. He says provinces need to tackle physician shortages and a drug.

the lack of transparency around specialist weightless. Since months-long wait times and unexplained delays can lead to dire outcomes, Sinha recalled one of his own patients with advanced arthritis. But by the time we got her the referral to a rheumatologist in the hospital, they basically said she needed to be started on treatment 10 years ago. Now it's too late for us to actually give her anything that's meaningfully helpful. And that was really hard for our team to hear. hard for the physicians and even tougher for the patients.

Lauren Pelley, CBC News, Toronto. Sold, $43 million. That whopping price tag, more than $70 million Canadian after auction fees at Sotheby's in New York yesterday. It was for one of the largest and most complete Tyrannosaurus rex skeletons ever found. And it is big, over 11 meters long or about the length of a large school bus. and roughly as tall as a flagpole, dating back about 67 million years to the late Cretaceous period. The skull is about 82% complete, which is incredible, super, super complete skull. There's bite marks all over the body.

You know, they either from fighting or from scavenging after it died, there's a big tooth mark right in the top of the skull where another T-Rex bit it. That's Cassandra Hatton, who heads Sotheby's Science and Natural History Department. She says the T-Rex specimen is affectionately called Gus. after the late South Dakota man who owned the ranch on which it was found about five years ago. Gary, who went by the nickname Gus, sadly passed about a year into the excavation. So the specimen was named in his memory, and we really wish he was here to see how magnificent it turned out, because I think if it wasn't for him, Gus wouldn't have been found.

The skeleton is about 61% complete, which is considered exceptional. It has 183 fossil bones and 30 gastralia, or belly ribs. Excavation took about three years, and then there was another three years that it took to assemble it all. They very carefully open up the field jackets, cleaned all the fossil elements, identified things, photographed things from every angle, cataloged them, inventoried them before putting this big puzzle together. The winning bid is the most ever paid for a dinosaur.

However, just who is taking us home has yet to be revealed. Thanks so much for being with us. This has been Your Will Tonight for Wednesday, July 15th. I'm Salima Shivji. Have a good night. For more CBC podcasts, go to cbc.ca.com.