Your World Tonight - Corrupt cop allegations, Ottawa rolls out its auto plan, search for Savannah Guthrie’s mother, and more

Episode Date: February 5, 2026

Bombshell charges against Toronto Police. Seven active members and one retired officer are accused of bribery, drug trafficking, and robbery in a widespread investigation that includes an attempted murder and organized crime. It’s one of the worst cases of police corruption in Canadian history.Also: Ottawa sets aside billions of dollars to help Canada’s auto sector, hit hard by U.S. tariffs. The plan reintroduces consumer incentives for EVs, and says goodbye to EV mandates. The auto sector is chuffed. Environmentalists are not.And: Mystery disappearance. The frantic Arizona search to find Nancy Guthrie, the 84-year-old mother of American journalist and popular morning television personality Savannah Guthrie, and the bizarre circumstances surrounding the case.Plus: Key U.S. - Russia nuclear treaty ends, Canadian delegation in Greenland, hockey’s biggest rivalry, and more.

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This is a CBC podcast. This is a painful and unsettling moment. Corruption has no place in policing. It strikes into trust people place in us. Corruption, conspiracy, extortion, even a plot to kill. Serious allegations and the people accused of breaking the law are the same ones entrusted to enforce it in Canada's largest city. Toronto police rocked by criminal charges and a crisis of confidence.

Welcome to Your World Tonight. I'm Susan Bonner. It is Thursday, February 5th, just before 6 p.m. Eastern, also on the podcast. We have to prepare for all possibilities. We must take care of ourselves. Steering Canada away from the United States in a rapidly changing auto sector, Prime Minister Mark Carney, rerouting the federal government's approach by retooling Canadian assembly lines and reintroducing incentives for EVs,

all while putting previous sales mandates in the rearview mirror. The accusations involve bribery, drugs, brazen shootings, robberies. And at the center of sweeping corruption investigations are seven Toronto police officers accused of serious offenses and shattering public trust. Philip Lee Shenock has our lead story. This is a painful and unsettling moment. Toronto Police Chief Myron Demkew says the damage to public confidence by seven active and one retired officer is severe. To those charged today, you will answer for your actions in a court of law.

But these allegations are not representative of over 8,000 members. At a media conference, commanders outlined a sprawling set of connections between active police. officers and organized criminals, partners in drug trafficking, turf wars, stolen cars, even a failed hit. This is among the most complex and challenging investigations of my 28-year policing career. Deputy Chief Ryan Hogan says the investigation began last summer when a Toronto officer was implicated in an attempt to murder a senior corrections officer who worked at an Ontario detention center. Video from a police helicopter showed what investigators saw.

say was a coordinated attack on the home of the officer. Over the grass into a car. A police cruiser parked in a driveway was rammed. Three masked men seen launching a violent attack. Police foiled the murder, but that attack led investigators to 56-year-old Toronto police constable Timothy Barnhart. He's charged with accessing a police database to get the intended victim's home address. He faces 17 charges, including conspiracy to obstruct justice,

conspiracy to commit public mischief and numerous drug trafficking charges. Police say Barnhart used his connections and friendships to recruit others in the police force. York Regional Police Deputy Chief Hogan is leading the probe. It's alleged that information provided by members of the force was used to intimidate. Some occurred in Vaughn, Brampton, and London, Ontario.

Hogan says in some cases, shootings were tied to a tow truck industry turf war. It did occur at a commercial, complex with an affiliation to a tow industry. More than a dozen civilians have also been charged, including 43-year-old Brian DeCosta, who faces charges including offering bribes to a peace officer. Hogan says the charges involved organized crime and trafficking illicit drugs. Our allegation is that Mr. DeCosta was involved in the outbound exportation of illicit

cannabis, a significant volume of fentanyl. Trotum Mayor Livia Chow says any police officers convicted of crimes will be And the chief of police have requested an independent review of the Toronto Police by the Ontario's Inspector General of policing. Ian Scott, the former head of the Ontario Police Watchdog Special Investigations Unit, says it's unclear if any whistleblowers came forward. There was never a complaint within Toronto of what those officers were doing. Inspector General Ryan Tashner's office confirmed that a request for an independent investigation has been received and that he recognizes the public trust issues raised. He will announce his decision at a later date.

Philip Lishanak, CBC News, Toronto. It is not a full U-turn, but certainly a veer away from previous policy. Mark Carney has announced major changes to Ottawa's support for Canada's auto industry and its approach to electric vehicles. They're meant to drive the sector away from U.S. reliance, but there are concerns about the wear and tear on the air. environment. David Thurton reports. The future of the auto industry is increasingly electric and connected.

Prime Minister Mark Carney, summing up what's at stake for Canada's auto industry, a sector rattled by Donald Trump's aggressive America First Policy as well as technology changes and competition from China. Put simply, we're making Canada the best place to invest, the best place to build, the best place to build clean. Carney is bringing back consumer rebates for electric cars, plus strengthening tailpipe pollution standards. The Prime Minister also considering financial measures to keep auto plants from moving to the United States.

In short, companies that manufacture and invest here would earn credits. Already Canadians have started to see automakers' idle operations. Labor unions want to see how this federal plan protects jobs. Lana Payne is the head of uniform. That has to be the priority, is getting product in these plants, getting the idle plants up and running again. Ottawa is also repealing the previous government's controversial EV mandate that would have required all new cars and SUV sold in Canada

to be electric by 2035. Under the new policy, the government expects three in four new cars to be emissions free in a decade. Green Party leader Elizabeth May is disappointed to see the mandate dropped but gives Carney some credit. I definitely am pleased to see the rebate back in place. to encourage and assist Canadians. Conservative industry critic Raquel Dancho took a victory lap.

While conservatives welcome the end of the original EV mandate achieved through our sustained pressure, serious concerns remain that the new policy will continue to harm Canada's auto industry. To further encourage people to buy electric vehicles, the government is also promising $1.5 billion to install charging stations across the country. Travis Allen, with the Canadian Charging Infrastructure Council, says there have been improvements over the last couple of years, but more work needs to be done. For Canadians that live in condominiums or apartments,

it can be more challenging, and there is definitely going to be more work to do, and we hope that the government will have some funding to support those kinds of charging stations. The government says electric vehicles are still the way of the future, but with changing technology and changing politics in North America, they're going to have to shift gears. David Thurton, CBC News, Ottawa.

Canada's auto sector contributes over $16 billion to the country's GDP every year. So how are industry experts and consumers taking in the changes to electric vehicles? Nisha Patel reports. This is a very welcome step. Automakers are backing the Prime Minister's new strategy for electric vehicles. Brian Kingston, President of the Canadian Vehicle Manufacturers Association, says he supports getting rid of the old EV mandate, as well as introducing stronger greenhouse gas emission standards. The industry was under great pressure because of U.S. tariffs, and this EV mandate was redundant and putting significant cost on auto manufacturers.

The market for EVs has slowed dramatically, with new sales down 40% in the third quarter of last year compared to the year before. Ottawa is bringing back EV rebates for consumers, $5,000 for battery-powered models, and $2,000. 2,500 for plug-in hybrids. Automotive news editor Greg Lason says that may get car buyers excited. You can couple it with a provincial rebate and suddenly you're looking at discounts of anywhere from 5,000 federally to $7,000 or $8,000 combined. So it will make a difference. The rebates will only be available for vehicles imported from a country that has a free trade deal with Canada and that costs less than $50,000. There's no price cap on Canadian-made EVs. President of Electric Mobility Canada, Daniel Breton,

hopes the incentives will boost competition and bring down prices. It's going to encourage, I think, some carmakers to come to the market with either smaller, more affordable versions of electric cars or to lower the price of their current electric cars so that they can be eligible to the program. Some consumers, though, are still hesitant. I don't know if I'm 100% sold on it yet. I still think I'm just going to buy a combustible.

The technology isn't there yet, nor is it. readily available. That uncertainty is yet another barrier to Canadians making the switch to EVs, says Flavio Volpe, president of the Auto Parts Manufacturers Association. Some of that has to do with the infrastructure. Where do I plug in? Can I rely that it's there? Volpe is confident that Ottawa is driving in the right direction. There's a lot of investments here that have been announced that are going to make that charging density competitive so that people can contemplate the change without anxiety. To that end, Mark Carney has promised to improve the country's EV charging network

and says he'll reveal plans to double the capacity of Canada's electricity grid in the coming weeks. Nisha Patel, CBC News, Toronto. Coming right up, there were drops of blood, demands for money and an emotional plea for proof of life. But the mother of today's show host Savannah Guthrie is still missing. And with Greenland feeling threatened, Canadians arrive on a diplomatic mission

to strengthen Arctic connections. Later, love this story. When it comes to hockey, the long-standing rivalry between Canada and the U.S. is fierce. At the Olympics, players are focused on their game, but it's hard to ignore political tensions off the ice. I think any time we put on our respective countries, Jersey, that's who we want to represent, and it's always a battle, and there's no love loss there for sure. I'm Breyer-Stewart in Milan, where stakes might just feel a little bit higher, as Canada looks forward to face off with U.S.

United States. I'll have that story coming up on your world tonight. She has one of the highest profile jobs in American media and an audience of millions every morning. Her mother was abducted with hardly a trace and no one knows where she is. Now today's show host Savannah Guthrie is begging for help and proof of life in a mysterious kidnapping that has the attention of federal police, the president, and much of the country. Katie Nicholson has the latest. It was gripping and emotionally raw. Our mom is our heart and our home.

An Instagram video from today show host Savannah Guthrie, flanked by her brother and sister, responding to a credible ransom note for her mother, Nancy Guthrie, missing since early Sunday. We need to know, without a doubt, that she is alive and that you have her. We want to hear from you. The video was crafted in consultation with the FBI. The family, police say, have received no further communication from the author

who had requested millions of dollars in Bitcoin by 5 p.m. today. John Edwards is the assistant FBI agent in charge. If a transfer wasn't made, then I think a second demand was for next Monday. There were other ransom notes for the 84-year-old grandmother, one which quickly proved to be bogus. We have made one arrest related to an imposter. Ransom demand. Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos confirmed blood found around Nancy Guthrie's front porch was hers and presented a time frame during which she likely disappeared early Sunday morning.

At 147 a.m., the doorbell camera disconnects. At 2.12 a.m., software detects a person on a camera, but there's no video available. By 228 a.m. Nanose, says Nancy Guthrie's pacemaker disconnected from her phone app. Her doorbell camera is missing. And Nanos says they don't yet have a prime suspect. Nobody's eliminated, but we just really don't have enough to say this is our suspect. This is our guy. It's been six days since Guthrie was last seen alive, but Nanos remains hopeful.

Right now, we believe Nancy is still out there. We want her home. Every day she's missing, the more imperiled she is. Her heart is fragile. She lives in constant pain. She is without any medicine. She needs it to survive. That's striking video, says former FBI investigator, Catherine Schweite,

key to opening lines of communication with a ransomer. You want to open a conversation with a kidnapper or the kidnappers and make sure that they understand that you are there willing to do whatever you can do. to bring back the person that you love so much. And while hundreds of federal and local officers frantically dig in before the trail goes cold, Nancy Guthrie's friends and family seek comfort from one another and their faith as the hours without word stretch on. Katie Nicholson, CBC News, Washington. The last remaining nuclear agreement between Russia and the United States expired today,

signed in 2010, it has helped maintain global nuclear peace. Its end means that for the first time in more than 50 years, the world's largest nuclear powers have no deal restricting their arsenals. Erin Collins reports. The statement that I shall now read is being issued simultaneously in Moscow and Washington. Those words by Richard Nixon signaling a step back from the brink. This agreement is a major step in breaking the state. on nuclear arms talks.

Those talks leading to the Strategic Arms Limitation Treaty in 1972, the first of many deals between Russia and the U.S. to reduce their nuclear arsenals, commitments that ended today. The risk of a nuclear weapon being used is the highest in decades. Stefan Dujarik is a spokesperson for the United Nations Secretary General. This dissolution of decades of achievements could not come into worse. time. It's a shift that doesn't seem to worry Donald Trump. The president posting on social media today that the U.S. will work on a new, improved, and modernized treaty that can last long

into the future. The need for an expanded nuclear pact echoed by Secretary of State, Marco Rubio. In order to have true arms control in the 21st century, it's impossible to do something that doesn't include China because of their vast and rapidly growing stockpile. For now, China has said it It won't join any new nuclear talks, and some experts question abandoning agreements between the U.S. and Russia which still account for 90 percent of the world's nuclear weapons. The idea that we should get rid of all restraints just doesn't make any sense. Jim Walsh is a senior research fellow at MIT's Security Studies program. The thing to do would be if you were worried about China or worried that this was a different

world, then you would want to build on what you have, not tear it up. The U.S. and Russia have reportedly agreed to observe their old treaty while negotiating a potential new deal. But some worry about what happens in the meantime. An arms race is certainly possible. Georgia Cole is with the Royal Institute of International Affairs. China, obviously, but also the UK and France, who will be concerned about the global state of security

and may think that they need to build up their own forces as well. No risk of that in Canada. Ottawa says the federal government has no plans to become a nuclear power. Erin Collins, CBC News, Washington. U.S. President Donald Trump may have backed down from his threat to take over Greenland, but people in the Danish territory say the crisis is far from over. That's why a new diplomatic effort from Canada is warmly welcomed. With Arctic sovereignty questioned, Greenland is embracing all the friends it can get.

Chris Brown is in the capital, Nook. There were cheers and people in their seats waving the flags of both Greenland and Canada as an Air Inuit flight winged its way across the Labrador Sea en route to Nook, Greenland's capital. Eliza Lozhan from Nunavik in the northernmost part of Quebec was on board. I have some friends that live here. I'm really looking forward to connecting with them because, you know, we have everything in common with each other. So is Jessica Arjach. Inuit should help each other.

It's hard to get direct flights from Canada to Greenland, especially in the winter. And people in Newk have been under a lot of stress lately. So this visit, organized by major Inuit groups to show their solidarity with Greenlandic Inuit, came at a good time. It coincides with Friday's opening of Canada's first permanent diplomatic consulate in Greenland's capital. It will focus on trade, security, and climate change. Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand and Governor General Mary Simon

will be part of the ceremony. Watch your step. The deck might be slippery. So will the Canadian Coast Guard icebreaker, Gene Goodwill. It sailed through the ice flows and nukes harbor earlier this week to be part of the backdrop for Friday's opening. Icebreaking is my passion. Captain Catherine Lacombe showed CBC News around the vessel and said visiting Greenland and bolstering Canadian resources in the Arctic

is part of a broader mission to increase security and protect Canadian sovereignty. We are growing and focusing on Arctic issues definitely, and it's related to the diminution of the ice presence and the fact that there's more traffic in the Arctic. U.S. President Donald Trump's demand to take control of Greenland has left Greenlanders rattled. And although such talk has cooled off, the outcome of ongoing discussions with Greenland, Denmark,

and the Trump administration is still unknown. Which is why Canada's consulate is being welcomed here. This is a workshop in Nukk where people build traditional kayaks. Sika Nigua Klamor, a Greenlandic inook mother of two, was building a wooden frame for her kayak. She says broadening people-to-people ties with Canadians will make Greenland stronger. We are same people.

We are same. When we're told, so we can understand a little bit from us because this is where we come from. Greenlanders have been uncomfortable being at the center of a huge, geopolitical dispute. So greeting friends and others who've come to give them a collective hug appears very welcome. Chris Brown, CBC News in Newk, Greenland. This is Your 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. Hey everyone. It's Mark here. Just wanted to update you. you guys. I took a fall last night. I hit my head and I will not be able to compete in big air tonight, unfortunately. At snowboarder Mark McMorris with a disappointing message to fans, the Canadian was hurt during a practice run yesterday at Milano Cortina. McMorris is one of the nation's best-known Olympians and a three-time bronze medalist at the games. The 32-year-old says he hopes to be ready for the slope-style event. qualification begins on the 16th.

Canada's women's hockey team was supposed to play its first game at the Olympics this evening, but it's being rescheduled. Several players from Team Finland are sick with norovirus, and the game is being moved to next week. That's also when Canada plays its first game against the United States. As Breyer Stewart reports, the long-running hockey rivalry feels more intense than ever because of events taking place off the ice.

As Team USA took the ice in Milan and handily beat the team from Czechia, U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance cheered from the stands. A much tighter contest is expected next week when the U.S. women's team plays Canada. It's one of the most historic rivalries, I think, in sport. Megan Keller plays defense for the Americans. USA have gold.

She was part of the gold medal winning team in South Korea in 2018 and the squad that took home the silver medal in Beijing in 2022. And it's always a battle and there's no love loss there for sure. Canada's women's team has won gold at the Olympics five times since 1998 when women's hockey became an official Olympic sport. The U.S. team has won gold twice and got a big boost of confidence coming into these Olympics when they swept a four-game series against Canada at the end of last year. The Canadians know they may be considered the underdogs, Captain Marie-Philippe Poulin.

And obviously this tournament, there's a lot of teams, so we're going to have to focus on herself in one game at a time and go from there. Players haven't been keen to talk about any tensions taking place off of the ice, but it's hard to completely dismiss the heightened political dynamics of the long-standing hockey rivalry, whether it's women or men. This is the sound of Canadian fans booing the U.S. national anthem at the four nations face off last February. They were angered by talk about Canada becoming the 51st state. Our sporting rivalry with our neighbor to the south is at a fever pitch.

David Shoemaker is chief executive officer of the Canadian Olympic Committee and says expectations are high for the games. The rivalry with the United States is one that's, uh, decades and decades old, and yet I think there's a little bit more riding on it. Cheryl Pounder has won two gold medals playing hockey for Team Canada. So it changes, certainly, with the political climate. But she doubts that carries over much to the players. It's hockey, but it's also, you want to represent something bigger than yourself. The women had hoped to get a good warm-up tonight against the Finnish team.

But that had to be delayed because the Finns got sick with norovirus, So instead, a few Canadians took to the ice for more practice. Breyer Stewart, CBC News, Milan. Finally tonight, still with the rivalry theme, there is plenty of confrontation in store this weekend. It's Super Bowl Sunday. The New England Patriots take on the Seattle Seahawks. That's on the playing field.

But during the commercial breaks, there is another full-contact clash in the works between some major players in the field of AI. How do I communicate better with my mom? Great question. Improve communication with your mom can bring you closer. Here are some techniques you can try. That's an ad from the AI chatbot maker Anthropic

that will run during the big game, depicting a young man talking to his therapist who responds the way a chatbot might with the addition of some commercial content. Find a connection. through shared activity, perhaps a nature walk. Or if the relationship can't be fixed, find emotional connection with other older women on golden encounters,

the mature dating site that connects sensitive cubs with roaring cougars. What? Would you like me to create your profile? The 60-second ad is meant to poke fun at the potential perils of introducing advertising to chatbots. But it's a serious shot aimed at arrival. Last month, OpenAI announced limited ads are coming to chat GPT. The company's CEO was quick to tackle the Anthropic campaign. Sam Altman called the Super Bowl spots dishonest and deceptive.

Anthropic was founded by a group of former OpenAI researchers who left after disagreements over its direction. Both companies are worth hundreds of billions of dollars and are leading the charge of powerful AI startups, looking for field position in a game that has a lot of potential, not a lot of rules. Thank you for joining us for your world tonight for Thursday, February 5th. I'm Susan Boner. Talk to you again.

For more CBC podcasts, go to cbc.ca.ca.com.