Your World Tonight - Fire damage in B.C., Toronto airport rift, order your own MRI, and more

Episode Date: July 28, 2026

As wildfires tear through B.C., more than a thousand firefighters are battling the flames. And while they're managing to extinguish some, new ones are popping up.Also: Some turbulence has formed between the Ontario and federal governments over the proposed expansion of a downtown Toronto airport. Ottawa pulled its support for the project last week, and CBC News has learned Ontario didn't see that coming.And: Alberta is about to become the only place in Canada where you can get a medical diagnostic test, like an X-ray or an MRI, without a doctor's referral.Plus: Both Israel's and Ukraine's leaders visit the White House, fires in France and Spain, vats of putrid, rotting fish sauce are finally being removed from a plant in Newfoundland, and more.

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It's been very hard for me to think about people losing everything. It's just very aggressive. And it's choosing its path and it's not letting anything stop it. Massing the damage, authorities in British Columbia take stock of the destruction in the province's interior amid the explosive growth of wildfires. Officers have handed out tens of thousands of dollars in tickets to people breaking the campfire ban. This is Your World Tonight. It's Tuesday, July 28th, just before 6 p.m. Eastern. I'm Angie Seth, also on the podcast. A strong earthquake rocks the main island of southern Japan.

There's concern for those who are missing, and for the... the impacts of a widespread power outage, especially for the elderly, with heat in the forecast. As wildfires tear through British Columbia, more than 1,000 firefighters are battling the flames. And while they're managing to extinguish some, new ones are popping up. Across the province today, there are more than 130 active wildfires, evacuation orders for 32 communities, and evacuation alerts for another 32. As Carolyn Bargut tells us, it's all causing people, a lot of distress.

I was positive the whole day that it wasn't going to come anywhere near us because our property had no trees. Crystal Ann Smith was ready to leave her home south of Clinton at a moment's notice, but didn't think it would come to that. Then flames came over the mountaintop, so she grabbed her family and fled. She's since seen photos of her home online, burned to the ground. It's devastating to lose everything you've ever had. Like, right from my own childhood, I had things that I'll never see.

see again. Clinton officials say an assessment team is on the ground surveying the damage. At this point, residents are not allowed back in. You know, in 2017, when they evacuated us, nothing even burned, and they didn't let us back for three or four weeks from what I can remember. So I can only imagine how long it's going to take. Roland Stanky is the mayor of Clinton. He says he's heard of damage south of the village, but the village itself is still standing. My latest report is that there's no buildings or businesses that have been destroyed. Of course, with the hot embers and the little flare-ups, there are a few structural buildings that are damaged. There are nearly 200 firefighters assigned to the Pear Lake Wildfire, along with 19 helicopters and 76 pieces of heavy equipment. BC Wildfire

Service Information Officer Paula Wahlbauer says the weather is not making things any easier. We're expecting extreme fire behavior expected today and significant growth on these incidents is possible. Our fuels remain heavily impacted by drought throughout the area and are highly susceptible to increase fire behavior. There is a province-wide ban on campfires right now, with the exception of parts of the Prince George Fire Center. Conservation officers handed out nearly $22,000 in fines this past weekend for people breaking that ban. Gene Strong is with the BC Wildfire Service. Our data over time typically shows that around 6% of the wildfires that we respond to each year are started by campfires.

So not an insignificant amount in the province. And what's really, no matter how small the number is, it should be zero. Crystal Ann Smith is still coming to terms with her loss. It's so unbelievably unexpected. And, you know, I try not to feel stupid for thinking that the house was going to be okay because I was right up until the end confident that that fire was not going to touch our house. And it absolutely flattened everything. She and her husband planned to rebuild once the fires are out and they're allowed back in.

Caroline Bargut, CBC News, Vancouver. Some residents near Spain's capital are getting that chance. Officials allowed some to return home today or to what's left, after fires tore through some regions. While in France, more people were told to leave. She and Desjardin has the latest on the wildfires still raging in both countries. From the sky, a terrifying scene. A column of dense white smoke grows for me.

glowing sliver of relentless flames as fire crews on the ground in France fight back. The fire is big. It's like David against Goliath. And the conditions making it even harder, according to France's national firefighters' Federation spokesperson Eric Boccardi. The winds is very strong. Extreme droughts, very high temperatures and difficulty to end have made this fire highly unpressurable. Despite that, cruise overnight did manage to keep a fragile hold on the vast inferno burning west of Bordeaux in the Gironde region. Officials say it's not fully contained but not growing either.

That grip could slip, though. The area expected to be heating up again. Temperatures forecast to hit nearly 40 degrees. Prompting an evacuation order for roughly 4,000 people at tourists. sites on the Atlantic coast, says Giron Prefect Sophie Brocah. The Genan fire has burned through an area four times the size of Paris and forced hundreds of thousands to leave. Stefan Dar is a professor of Wildland Fire Science at Swansea University in Wales. We live in a time now where we see more extreme heat waves, longer heat waves, drier regions basically. So the fire weather is becoming

more extreme and the fire seasons are becoming longer. In eastern Spain, water bombers join the attack. Prime Minister Pajos Sanchez says they are making progress. And can therefore begin to see the light at the end of the tunnel in the fight against these wildfires, he says. But several blazes are still out of control, including its largest on record, burning outside Madrid. He says the days, than hours ahead will be especially challenging. Claire Nullis is a spokesperson for the World Meteorological Organization.

We've had heat wave after heat wave after heat wave. And the country bracing for more extreme heat. Temperatures hit 37 degrees in Madrid Tuesday, and it's expected to get hotter. We are in for another extreme event, the latest in unfortunately a series combined with extreme drought. Adding fuel to the full. fires already tough to contain. She and Desjone, CBC News, Toronto.

It's early Wednesday morning in Japan and the searches ramping up again for victims of a powerful earthquake. Originally reported as a 7.1 in magnitude, then revised to 6.8, the sudden shaking caused widespread damage, injuring dozens, possibly hundreds of people. And although no fatalities have been confirmed, as many as 30 people are missing and feared dead in just one location alone. a popular shopping mall that collapsed. The CBC's Ana Siddhu reports. The terrifying shaking began just before 4.30 Tuesday afternoon local time, causing panic on Japan's southern island of Kewu.

Aerial video soon after showed buildings burning, a train derailed. And part of the centuries-old wall surrounding Kumamoto Castle left in ruins. Authorities said there are. no reports of damage at three nearby nuclear power plants, but power has been cut across a huge area and nearly 300,000 people were told to move to evacuation centers. Japanese Prime Minister Sinae Takaiichi says the initial damage included collapsed buildings, damaged roads and many fires. The quake also led to the collapse of the region's largest,

shopping mall possibly due to a gas explosion, leaving twisted steel and piles of concrete, with emergency crews still searching for people missing inside. The area it's in is especially at risk, says Western University Earth Sciences professor Katsu Goda. Kumamoto region is a seismic region, which is relatively close to the subduction zone of the Pacific side. So they would expect the relatively large earthquake every 10 to 20,000. 50 people died in the earthquake that struck the region 10 years ago.

Goda traveled there in the aftermath. He says that tragedy prompted widespread rebuilding and stronger construction standards. Since 2016, a lot of things has been kind of restored, a little fitted. So the Kumamoto has been just in a good shape for the next earthquake. So that is why we don't hear catastrophic kind of damages of the structures, like a failing. But officials are warning the danger isn't over. Aftershocks could continue for days, and Goda says some could be powerful. Statistically speaking, that the aftershock would be smaller.

But given that the magnitude 7 main shock happened, aftershock could be as large as maybe magnitude 6.5 or 6.0, which could cause additional damages. Japanese officials are also worried about heat in the forecast, with many elderly people living in the quake zone and many homes now without power for air conditioning. Global Affairs Canada says it is not aware of any Canadians affected by the earthquake.

Ina Sedu, CBC News, Calgary. Coming right up, could Ottawa's proposed high-speed rail be headed off the tracks? A source says Ontario is considering withdrawing its support after the federal government opted not to get behind adding jets to Toronto's island airport. Plus, world leaders paid tribute to the late U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham and hope for FaceTime with President Donald Trump. And later, we'll have this story. It's a putrid stink that's plagued a small Newfoundland town for years.

Thousands of leaders of rotting fish sauce in an abandoned factory. But now, finally, it's getting cleaned up. We're smelled you ever smelt in your life, time's that by a hundred. I'm Laura Howells in St. Mary's Newfoundland, where I'll tell you how they're driving that stench out of town. Some turbulence has formed between the Ontario and federal governments over the proposed expansion of a downtown Toronto airport. Ottawa polled its support for the project last week, and CBC News has learned Ontario didn't see that coming.

Now the province could be rethinking its own support for a major federal project. The CBC's Kate McKenna is following this story for us. So, Kate, what is happening behind the scenes? Well, so far, Ontario Premier Doug Ford and Prime Minister Mark Carney have been close allies, but trouble could be brewing. Two sources with knowledge of discussion say Ontario was surprised by the federal government's decision not to support the airport expansion

because both levels of government had a loose agreement that the Kearney government would support the Billy Bishop expansion and in exchange the Ontario government would support the high-speed rail project Alto running between Ontario and Quebec. Both projects face considerable pushback and both governments would be expending some political capital. This news was first reported by the Toronto Star. Now a source says the provincial government's support for Alto is wavering,

saying the province is actively evaluating options to make sure rural Ontario farming voices are heard and respected before supporting the rail project. And publicly, the Ford government is tossing some barbs at Ottawa. Take a listen to Ontario Transport Minister, Pramit Sarkaria. We've seen the federal government here listen to a small French group in Toronto. But we as the province will continue to push forward on modernization of this airport. We urge the federal government to continue to consider that proposal because it's a proposal that makes sense for people that want to travel through air

and have different options. And it's also about building big projects. If Prime Minister Carney and his team want to, this is how they're going to treat bigger projects, I don't think you'll get much built. In a statement, the Prime Minister's office says Alto is a good project that would transform travel and support economic growth. So what do we know about why the federal government came out against the airport expansion? Well, it's an interesting question. The statement from Transport Minister Steve McKinnon says they made the decision because of feedback from consultations,

but it also comes ahead of a federal by-election in Beaches, East York, and the liberals are hoping to keep that seat. A senior liberal source says the timing was no coincidence. They know that the NDP was planning to hammer on their support for the airport expansion during the campaign, and they wanted to get out in front of it because they were hearing from residents who were strongly opposed to it. But this issue will linger. Ontario says it's not giving up the fight to expand the airport. And now the high-speed rail project might face a lot more opposition.

Kate, thank you so much for this. Thank you. The CBC's Kate McKenna Force in Ottawa. More Canadians will now be able to renew their passports online. Ottawa has expanded the program to all eligible adults applying from within the country. Immigration Minister Lena Metledge-Diab says it will make the process easier for many people. We are removing the limit on the number of people who can access this service. That means eligible Canadians will no longer have to wait for an online,

application spot to become available. They will be able to begin their renewal online whenever it is convenient for them to do so. Online renewals are restricted to adults whose passports will expire within six months or are already expired. Any Canadians living abroad will need to apply in person at a government office or by mail. Well, politicians that dignitaries gathered in Washington today to pay tribute to the late U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham. He was a strong backer of the U.S. Israeli war against Iran and a vocal supporter of Ukraine in its fight against Russia.

Both Israel's and Ukraine's leaders were in the capital for the memorial and met with U.S. President Donald Trump at the White House. Tom Perry reports. A political heavyweight who leaves a complicated legacy. Republicans and Democrats gathering to remember Republican Senator Lindsey Graham, who died suddenly this month at the age of 71. He was a man who gave America the full measure of his good and mighty heart until that heart itself just gave out. Graham went from being a staunch critic of Donald Trump to an adoring supporter and influential voice in Trump's orbit. Graham helped persuade the president to pursue his war against Iran. He traveled frequently to Ukraine and worked to prod a reluctant Trump into backing the country's fight against Russia.

And he was extremely hawkish. I will tell you, he never saw war that he didn't like. Both Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelensky, and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu traveled to Washington to attend Graham's memorial and just as importantly meet with Trump. For Netanyahu, this was his first visit to the White House since the start of Israel and America's war against Iran in February. Israel's U.N. envoy, Danny Donn, says Netanyahu's message to the president is that the Iranians, regime remains a threat. We fought shoulder to shoulder against Iran and we are prepared to continue supporting

the U.S. in pursuing peace and stability in the region. As the Iran war has dragged on, tensions have emerged between the U.S. and Israel over how far and how long the campaign should go. We are joined by phone with our president, President of the United States, Donald J. Trump. Donald Trump went on Fox News today and was asked about warnings from Netanyan. Iran is building up and fortifying pickax mountain, a key nuclear site. Well, I don't need BB to tell me that. BB's telling me that because he wants me to stay involved.

As for Zelensky, the Ukrainian leader posted photos of his meeting with Trump and thanked the U.S. president repeatedly. A safeguard, perhaps, after the Ukrainian leader's disastrous Oval Office encounter last year, when Trump and his vice president, J.D. Vance, attacked Zelensky for, among other things, not showing sufficient grievous. gratitude for U.S. military support. Zelensky says he and Trump today discussed the U.S. licensing Ukraine to build its own patriot missiles and also talk diplomacy. But most of all, Zelensky says he expressed his condolences over the death of Graham, who Zelensky calls

a true friend of Ukraine. Tom Perry, CBC News, Washington. It's putrid pungent and horribly persistent. The smell for more than a hundred huge, huge Vats of rotting fish sauce has been hanging over the entire town of St. Mary's Newfoundland for a very, very, very long time. 25 years, in fact, ever since a fish sauce factory was shuttered. Locals have been raising a stink about the offending smell ever since, with no action on protecting their olfaction until now. Laura Howells reports.

Thick brown sludge gushes out of a huge vac, releasing a stink so putrid, Journalists on a tour of the site today became nauseous. Worst smell you ever smelt in your life times that by a hundred. And you still have to take worse than that. Rodding fish sauce, decades old. Finally, now being taken away. A bit of all snow. A lot of time, but in this project, too much.

Mayor Steve Ryan has spent years working for this day. Watching the first truckload of the decomposing Kaplan product drive away from the dilapidated building where it was being stored. The smell has tormented residents of this town of around 300 people, described at times as unbearable. I'm even known as the sauce plant there. I'd rather be known for something better than that.

The Atlantic Seafood Sauce Company opened this factory in 1990, with a promise of new jobs for the community. But it was abandoned roughly a decade later, after legal and regulatory battles, leaving more than 100 huge white vats of decomposing sauce behind. There was a stalemate. between the federal government and the province on who would pay for cleanup. The town of St. Mary's took possession of the plant a couple years ago

after the owner failed to pay municipal taxes. And the province recently agreed to pick up the cleanup tab. But the province says that doesn't mean there won't be future legal action against the polluter. Inside the derelict plant by the water, lead engineer Glenn Sharp shows how they're mixing the waste with peat to help solidify it. It's then being trucked to what looks like a giant swimming pool in another, town's landfill about two hours away. It'll all be sealed up and covered in grass. There's about 890,000 liters of old sauce in there. It'll take about 200 truckloads to get it all out. The process not expected to be complete until October. And officials here say, before it gets better,

the smell is expected to get worse. We cut into one. The smell became significantly worse just by cutting one vat. We've got 110 to cut and break open. So we expect the smell. to get considerably worse as we open them. But for now, a day of relief in a town that's been holding its breath for more than two decades. Laura Howells, CBC News, St. Mary's, Newsome and Labrador. Our CMP in Nova Scotia are asking for the public to help solve a break and enter that led to the deaths of thousands of chickens. The incident happened at a poultry farm near Lunenburg. Corporal Mandy Edwards says someone entered the barn Friday night and shut off the fans.

They turned the system off, and that meant the temperature increased. So when the owners came out the next morning, they could smell before they saw what had happened. She says temperatures in the barn soar to about 37 degrees and led to the death of some 10,000 birds. Police say nothing appears to have been taken, and the motive for the break-in is unclear. Europe's soccer body is accusing FIFA of putting the game's soul up for sale. FIFA has announced a plan for a new enterprise. to oversee commercial and event operations. It would allow private investors to take part,

including a fund run by the brother of Jared Kushner. Kushner is U.S. President Donald Trump's son-in-law, and the plan deepens the divide between UEFA and FIFA, which is already one of the world's wealthiest sporting organizations. Well, in just a few days, Alberta will become the only place in Canada where you can get a medical diagnostic test, like an x-ray or an MRI, without a doctor's referral. The province says having that private option

will lead to earlier detection of cancer and other illnesses. But critics worry it will hurt the public health care system. Christine Birak has that story. Early detection means better outcomes and healthier people. Alberta Premier Danielle Smith calls it proactive health care. Starting Friday, Albertans can pay out-of-pocket for MRIs and other medical scans. No doctor's referral needed.

I would be very, very cautious and weary about undergoing one of these tests if you're not having any symptoms. Dr. Eddie Lang is a professor in the Department of Emergency Medicine at the University of Calgary. He says he can understand why people might think there's no harm in testing. But most medical experts disagree with the move. Warning, it goes against evidence, delivers virtually no health benefits for average patients and threatens to overburden the public system. Total body MRI will not extend your life by a single day. And the reason for that is because it will detect abnormalities that would have never bothered you in the first place.

In a report, the Alberta Medical Association says these paid scans offer little actual value. Instead, they frequently catch harmless findings that spark unnecessary anxiety and invasive procedures. And when patients take those results back to public doctors, it costs taxpayers an estimated $784 per test in follow-up care. is going to provide a significant burden on the health care system. And when it comes to Alberta patients with a referral, the province's latest data shows 41% less than half of Alberta patients get an MRI on time, with the typical weight standing at nearly two months. Estimates show private MRI testing starts at around $1,000 for a single area

with appointments taking a few days to two weeks and will pull staff away from those who are not paying. There's still just a finite pool of highly-skinned. skilled professionals who are able to perform these tests. So necessarily there's going to be some diversion of resources away from the public health care system. Dr. Andrew McCrae is an emergency room physician and associate professor in Calgary. He says direct-to-consumer testing isn't new. In other jurisdictions like Europe and South Korea, where they have privately paid direct-to-consumer testing, it's led to an industry that has preyed on the fears and

and concerns of patients. The Canada Health Act says care must depend on need, not your wallet. As Alberta sets up a fast track for those who can pay, federal officials told CBC, they're defending public care, but wouldn't say if Alberta's plan crosses the line. Christine Beirak, CBC News, Toronto. And finally. That's the sound of the winning throw at Canada's Rock Skipping Championship

in Blue Rocks, Nova Scotia, On Sunday, Tristan Williams managed to bounce his stone 55 meters into the harbor to take the title. I guess my second stone, I just managed to get the right wind and throw at the right angle. It's Williams' third year at the tournament. His win this time is thanks to some intense training. Every day, out there, whipping rocks. My dog doesn't like it when I skipped stones, so I came in pretty fresh this year. Well, for the first time this year, the competition acts as a feeder event for the intervie.

national championships in Scotland, which they call the World Stone Skimming Championships. Organizer Carl Masters says there is strategy to the sport. Angle of rock is important, so the way you throw the rock out is important. But what's most important is the rotation you put on the rock. So you want the rock spinning. Also helps you put a lot of juice on the rock when you throw it. Competitors Jack Shaw and Aidan McEwen are taking notes. It didn't go great. I think my technique was a little bit off. I threw it directly into the water.

So I only got like one skip. The name of the game was just get the rocks deep, but didn't quite accomplish that goal. But there might be a chance maybe next year. Maybe you just get out to the beach and throw a couple more rocks. Well, winner Tristan Williams says he hopes he's able to travel to Scotland this fall to compete for the world title. In a sport, he's played ever since he was a kid growing up in Wales. I like it because everyone can do it. It's very accessible. There's no barriers to entry. You just have to get near the ocean, get a flatish rock and throw it, and you're away.

Indeed. Well, thanks for being with us. This has been your world tonight for Tuesday, July 28th. I'm Angie Seth. Good night. For more CBC podcasts, go to cbc.ca.ca slash podcasts.