Your World Tonight - Fire evacuations in Manitoba, Hudson's Bay closes for good, how exercise can help cancer survival, and more

Episode Date: June 1, 2025

Fast-moving fires in Manitoba are burning up the land and threatening communities - including those in a remote First Nation in the north, where hundreds of people still need to be evacuated. But once they’re brought to safety, the province is running out of places to house people.Also: A company that was built before the nation even existed is closing up shop. It is the last day of sales for the Hudson's Bay Company. The retailer is closing all of its department stores - leaving thousands of people out of work.And: There are many benefits to taking a brisk walk, or a jog. But a new study suggests it may also have a noticeable impact on cancer survival. You'll hear about the research and why doctors say it's time to start prescribing exercise.Plus: Ukrainian drone strikes on Russian airfields, looking ahead to the first ministers meeting, and more

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sponsored by IG private wealth management. This is a CBC podcast. Hi, I'm Stephanie Scanderas and this is your World Tonight. Some of them are tired, they're hungry, they're scared. First Nations leaders say more support is needed for evacuees as a massive effort is underway to clear out an entire northern community and bring people safely to Winnipeg. Also on the podcast, the Prime Minister touches down in Saskatoon to meet with the premiers and armed with a promise to fast-track major infrastructure projects. They've taken everything away from me and then leave me with nothing and very little opportunities to move forward.

More than 8,000 people now out of work as Hudson's Bay stores close for good. We begin tonight at the epicenter of the wildfires burning across the country, Manitoba. Fast-moving flames are burning up large areas of land and threatening whole communities. Every effort is being made to protect people's lives and homes, including a large evacuation for people stuck in a remote northern First Nation. But as Josh Crabb reports, even once people are brought to safety, there aren't many places to house them. A Canadian Forces Chinook helicopter carrying about 40 people lands at the airport in the Pah.

This northern community is serving as a hub for Manitoba wildfire evacuees, largely from Mathias Colombe Cree Nation, also known as Puketawagan. It's a place for them to rest, eat and drink before moving in with family or going to hotels or shelters in southern Manitoba. Serena Moore of Pukatawagin arrived Saturday evening after a frightening few days with fire threatening her First Nation. It was very hard and lots of smoke. You couldn't even go out and staying inside was worse. And I don't know, it was scary scary especially at night. On Friday night we had a really good scare. They woke us all up at 4 a.m. to get out of our houses to go further into the community because the fire was coming. That was the

scariest thing I ever went through. The Canadian Armed Forces are assisting with evacuations using helicopters and now fixed-wing aircraft to evacuate Pukatawagan. The community's airport had been closed due to smoke but has since reopened allowing more people to be rescued. Ban councillor Kelly Linklater says around 1700 people still needed to be moved as of Sunday morning. People are concerned for their safety because there's still children there, elderly, the vulnerable that need assistance with mobility. So the stress is pretty high.

Once evacuees are brought to safety, the challenges continue with shelters and hotels bursting at the seams in Manitoba. First Nations leaders are calling on the province to take action. Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs Grand Chief Kyra Wilson says hotel space should be freed up for evacuees. And it's really sad to see you know our children having to sleep on floors, people are sitting waiting in hallways waiting outside and right now we just need everybody to come together you know our people are tired. Manitoba premier Wab Kinew says the government has started sending evacuees out of province to seek shelter in neighbouring Ontario.

Well we've got about 3,500 people going to hotels in southern Ontario. I think 300 are leaving today and there's several thousand more rooms available. It's not the first time Serena Moore has been displaced. Two years ago we had an evacuation in Pac-2. It's my second time. Moore is staying with family in a home in western Manitoba where more than 20 people are living under one roof as the wildfires uproot families and lives with no definitive timelines on when anyone will be able to return home.

Josh Crabb, CBC News, The Paw, Manitoba. Firefighters are also still struggling with wildfires across northern Saskatchewan where another community has been put on evacuation order. Alexander Silberman is there. So Alexander, what's the latest on the situation there where you are in Saskatchewan? Well Stephanie, I'm currently in the Cree community of Montreal Lake in northern Saskatchewan where the situation here is changing rapidly. Right across the lake from us is one of 15 active fires currently burning in the province and with gusty winds blowing in this direction, it's moving closer to homes. The community next to us, Timber Bay, received an evacuation alert today and people there

have had to pack up and are arriving here in Montreal Lake for help. We're also seeing local firefighting crews scrambling to get ready to protect the village, delivering hoses and other equipment to the front lines. Upwards of 8,000 people have now evacuated in Saskatchewan, but it's tough to determine precisely how many as no centralized agency is coordinating evacuees. And the province says these hot and dry conditions are making containing the fires challenging.

Here's what Steve Roberts from Saskatchewan's Public Safety Agency had to say at a news conference this afternoon. The weather that we have been experiencing for the last number of days, high temperatures during the day, warm evening temperatures and high winds. This will drastically impact our ability to contain some of these fires and will actually cause some of these fires to grow in size.

We also heard that more than 80 structures have burned so far in Saskatchewan and more than 600 firefighters are currently on the ground across the north. And so what are you hearing from evacuees and people on the ground? Well the situation for so many has been hectic and scary. One of the places people have been forced to leave is the community of Wayakwin, north of Prince Albert and many of those evacuees have gone to nearby Montreal Lake First Nation. That's where we met Lisa Powder and her children.

The fire was extremely close to the community. The smoke came down. It got progressively worse at Lake Itt. It was really close. You couldn't hardly see and it just went instantly dark from sunshine to darkness. It was scary. Powder says they had to climb on buses and were taken to Montreal Lake.

Another 100 cots are on the way from the province to be able to shelter people in a gym. With hotels in the north full, evacuees in this region are being told to go to Regina, a five hour drive away. And Stephanie, the province is warning with these challenging weather conditions more people could be forced to evacuate in the coming days. Okay Alexander thanks so much. Thank you Stephanie. In

Colorado federal and local authorities are investigating an attack in Boulder they say a suspect was setting people on fire. Katie Simpson in Washington is watching all of this for us. So Katie, Boulder police held a brief news conference this evening. What do we know about what happened? It was just after 1 p.m local time in Boulder, Colorado with this incident happening in a pedestrian mall area. Officials say it was a beautiful Sunday afternoon when the 911 calls started coming in. Reports that a suspect with a weapon was lighting people on fire. Some witnesses have claimed a suspect was throwing Molotov cocktails at people. However,

that has not yet been confirmed. There are multiple victims with injuries ranging from minor to very serious. This happened in a specific area that on weekends members of the Jewish community and allies gathered to rally and call for hostages in Gaza to be freed. The FBI and the governor of Colorado they've described this as a targeted terror attack. However, Boulder police chief Steve Redfearn says that's not his conclusion just yet. So I've been in contact with our local FBI multiple times so we are in contact with them here. We are not calling it a terror attack at this point.

Again, it's way too early to speculate motive. You know, I know there's a lot out there in social media, but I ask people just to give us a little bit of patience while we work through a really complex scene. It remains unclear why local police are saying something different than the FBI and the governor. Local officials are not naming the suspect at this time, but he was taken into custody after witnesses pointed him out to police.

Okay, breaking story. Katie, thanks so much. Thanks. Still ahead, a new study finds exercise, like a brisk walk or jog, can make a big difference in preventing and surviving cancer. So much so that some medical researchers think it should be prescribed.

You'll hear about the findings coming up on Your World Tonight. The Prime Minister says nation-building projects are at the top of his agenda at the First Minister's meeting in Saskatoon tomorrow and several premiers have already started pitching their ideas hoping to get them fast-tracked by the federal government. JP Tasker has more. On his first trip to the prairie since the federal election, Prime Minister Mark Carney

says he's serious about getting big things built as he looks to tamp down Western alienation. The world's certainly more divided and dangerous and the imperative of making Canada an energy superpower in all respects has never been greater. Promising Alberta oil patch executives today, his government will fast track major infrastructure projects, including ones in the energy sector. We will do everything we can at the federal government level to support those partnerships. According to an internal memo obtained by CBC News, Ottawa is preparing to streamline regulatory approval for some national projects.

Everything from new mines and nuclear plants to ports and roads could be given the green light. The commitment comes as Carney prepares to face disgruntled Western Premiers at a First Minister's meeting in Saskatoon on Monday. I have said that we want a sovereign Alberta within a United Canada. Alberta Premier Daniel Smith has a list of demands including Ottawa's blessing for a new oil pipeline. What I'm really hoping for is some commitments from the federal government to move some of these projects forward. We have some major nation-building infrastructure projects we'd like to advance. R.J. Simpson,

the Premier of the Northwest Territories, wants CARI to sign on to an all-season road through a resource-rich part of the North. There's enough resources there to really impact Canada's GDP and to create jobs. Saskatchewan Scott Moe, meanwhile, wants the federal government to develop a port in Manitoba to connect the West to Hudson's Bay and then markets overseas. Let's prioritize some projects. Let's get them across the line. Unleashing the natural resources sector could help turn the page on the last Liberal government, Mo says. I do truly believe there is a path forward, notwithstanding the feeling of alienation that many people in my province and other areas of Canada have felt.

Also on the agenda for that meeting with Carney, breaking down internal trade barriers like trucking and labelling laws and limits on the free movement of workers. We're going to focus on making sure that we defend the hostile economic attacks from President Trump. Moe cut a deal with Ontario's Doug Ford to do just that on Sunday. Let's get rid of all this regulation and red tape that's prohibiting us from moving forward at a rapid speed because it all depends on the speed right now. After decades of broken promises, Carney says the feds will do their part too and cut red tape to have free trade in Canada by July 1st. JP Tasker, CBC News, Ottawa. It's the last day of sales for

the Hudson's Bay Company. The retailer that began its life as a fur trader in the 17th century is closing all of its department stores and laying off its entire workforce. Michelle Song has more on the last of the Bay Days. A lineup of people charged the doors to the iconic Hudson's Bay Company for the last time. The historic retailer is closing all of its 96 stores across the country after 355 years of business. You're just here to browse and see one of Canada's treasures before it closes down. With the final day of its liquidation sale, customers are looking to buy the last bit of inventory, even walking out with

the mannequins. But for many Canadians, this department store also carried many memories. My husband bought his wedding suit there years and years ago. The Bay is for me is part of my own being because it's like I'm just like a kid that grew up with this store, right? But the end of Hudson's Bay was not a surprise. The retailer was in financial turmoil for a long time. In March, it filed for creditor protection. The Ontario Superior Court ultimately gave the company

permission to liquidate and to lay off its more than 9,000 employees. According to court documents, the company is nearly a billion dollars in debt. The only analogy I can give you that people will understand is I feel like a jilted lover. Hazel Harris worked at the HBC distribution center in Scarborough, Ontario for nine years. Last month, she received a termination letter. It outlined the devastating news that all Hudson's Bay employees will not receive severance.

I'm heartbroken. They've taken everything away from me and then leave me with nothing. And very little opportunities to move forward. Harris is now looking for a new job. But the hunt has been difficult with the economy on a downturn. Without us, there would be no HBC. This is a company that's 355 plus years old. How could you let this happen? Harris says the company was mismanaged, a sentiment shared by many experts.

The biggest lesson is you have to change with the times. Bruce Winder is a retail analyst. He says the Bay failed to reinvent itself and keep up with the newer generation of customers, ultimately falling behind. It's a mixed legacy. It's a complicated legacy. More recently, it's a legacy of underachieving,

underperforming, neglecting stores. And with employees left without compensation, Winder says the end of that legacy could leave a bad taste in Canadians' mouths. Michelle Song, CBC News, Toronto. Canada Post is rejecting the Canadian Union of Postal Workers' request for binding arbitration. It says that process would drag out uncertainty for both customers and workers, noting the union has rejected binding arbitration in the past. Canada Post says it's waiting on its request

to the Industrial Relations Board to set up a vote on its final offer. The two sides have been in contract negotiations for 18 months. A day before a second round of peace talks between Ukraine and Russia, Ukraine's president Volodymyr Zelenskyy is praising a large-scale drone attack on Russian airfields. Swarms of drones targeted warplanes deep inside Russia. Ukrainian authorities say they've been planning this for more than a year and a half. Briar Stewart has more.

Video circulating on social media shows small quadcopter drones launching from the back of transport trucks. The buzz is interrupted by gunfire, an attempt to shoot them down. This was all part of an audacious attack on military airfields across Russia. Video released by Ukraine, taken from a drone, shows planes on an airstrip being hit and erupting in flames. Ukraine says it hit 41 Russian planes, including long-range strategic bombers worth billions of dollars. It's not possible for CBC News to verify those claims. We expect in a day or two to have higher resolution satellite imagery.

Jakub Janowski is an independent military analyst based in Prague. He says if 41 aircraft were hit and unable to be flown again, it would be significant. It wouldn't completely stop Russia from launching more missile attacks, but Russia would have to be way more careful, move additional air defences to rear area bases, etc. Russia confirmed that five air bases were targeted and said several planes caught fire at two

of the locations. One airstrip was in the north in Murmansk. The other was in the Irkutsk region, more than 4,000 kilometers from the border with Ukraine. Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the planning for the attack took more than a year and a half and it involved 117 drones. Unnamed Ukrainian officials said those drones were smuggled into Russia, then concealed in wooden sheds, which were loaded onto the back of trucks and launched remotely. Just hours before Russia's airfields came under attack, so did the Ukrainian city of Zaporizhzhia, where today residents were trying to clean up the buildings damaged in drone strikes.

It was very loud and scary, says Lyudmila Sinkush, who points to her black swollen left eye, an injury she got while quickly running for shelter. All the attacks came as delegations from Russia and Ukraine prepare for a second round of peace talks in Turkey. The first meeting ended after just a few hours and there's little optimism there will be much more progress this time around. Briar Stewart, CBC News, London. In the Middle East there are denials and finger pointing after a deadly attack on Palestinian civilians.

The Red Cross says gunmen killed at least 21 people near an aid distribution center and injured more than 100 others. But who is responsible is disputed as both Hamas and Israel blame one another for the attack. As Tom Perry reports, it comes as the U.S. tries to forge ahead on a ceasefire plan. Stretchers carrying the injured crowds carrying the dead wrapped in white plastic. A chaotic scene at a hospital in Hanunis after a deadly bout of gunfire in southern Gaza near an aid distribution site. Dr. Victoria Rose is leading a medical team stretched to the limit. These are all gunshot wounds and as you can see behind me, we've got all the bays are

full and they're all gunshot wounds. It's absolute carnage here and there are even more people in the main emergency department. Gaza's Hamas-run health ministry blames the Israeli military for the shootings. Israel denies it fired at civilians and released drone footage not verified by CBC News that it says shows masked gunmen firing on civilians as they gather looted aid near Hanunis. Idomob is Israel's ambassador to Canada. We have to do our job, we have to do our due diligence. Israel is investigating, it is also informing everyone directly and immediately of its findings. While there are questions around this incident, Gaza

remains under intense Israeli bombardment. Israel has repeatedly been urged to show restraint. In a joint statement last month, the leaders of Canada, the UK and France demanded Israel halt military operations in Gaza and stop construction of settlements in the West Bank. Israel this week responded to that second demand by announcing a plan for 22 new or expanded settlements. before our land, this our land, this our land, this our land. Nizar al-Mughrabi is mayor of a Palestinian town bordered by an Israeli settlement. He says settlers seized a spring that supplied water to Palestinian land. People haven't been able to go near it for two years, he says, for fear of being shot. Canada, the UK and France warned of sanctions if Israel ignored their demands. Omar Awadallah, Assistant Foreign Minister with the Palestinian Authority

in Ramallah, says the three countries must now act. So we believe sanctions are needed today, not tomorrow actually, and to take actions, not only good words and statements are not enough, they are good, but they are not enough. Amid all this, talk of a ceasefire in Gaza has now bogged down, Hamas requesting changes to the U.S. broker deal, a conflict with no end in sight on any front. Tom Perry, CBC News, Jerusalem. They haven't been seen or heard from since March. 238 Venezuelan migrants deported by the Trump administration and sent to a mega prison in

El Salvador. Legal efforts in the U.S. to secure their return haven't worked so far. But as Manuel Rueda reports, in South America, the fight for their freedom is ramping up. Dozens of people march down the streets of Capacho, a town in western Venezuela, demanding the release of their friends and relatives from prison in El Salvador. The protesters are dressed in white and carry posters with the photos of the men who are now stuck in one of the toughest prisons in the world. Alexis Romero says she hasn't been able to talk to her son, Andri Hernandez, since he was sent there more than two months ago.

I don't know how he's being treated or what food he's having, she says. It's a very stressful situation. It's a worry that one has every day. Hernandez was a makeup artist in Capacho. He left the small town a year ago in search of better job opportunities in America, but also seeking a place where he could be himself. His best friend, Reyna Cardenas, says that as a gay man, Hernandez had to keep his lifestyle hidden.

There's a lot of homophobia had to keep his lifestyle hidden. There's still a lot of homophobia here, she says. You can get attacked on the street and there's discrimination at work. Hernandez crossed the U.S. border in August after getting an appointment to apply for asylum through a program that was set up by the Biden administration. But he was immediately sent to a detention center after officials noticed two tattoos of crowns on his wrists. Melissa Shepard, a lawyer who is defending Hernandez, says that U.S. officials described

the tattoos as evidence that her client could be a member of a violent gang. Some of the paperwork that we have received, they indicate that because he had tattoos and also because sometimes Tren de Aragua members have tattoos, that he was somehow associated with them. Hernandez's friends say the tattoos represent the Three Kings procession, an annual event in the town of Capacho. Jorge Cardenas is one of the organizers of the event. He got the tattoos because he was honored to be part of this tradition, he says, adding that Hernandez would design costumes for some of the characters in the procession and was also one of the main actors.

In March, Hernandez was deported from the U.S. without due process and sent to El Salvador's notorious Saccot prison, along with dozens of other Venezuelan migrants who were also accused of being gang members. A video published by El Salvador's government shows the detainees being herded into crowded cells by officers in riot gear who force them to walk with their head and torso bent towards the ground. Hernandez's lawyer, Melissa Shepard, says that the detainees should be returned to the United States. The correct process would be to allow the immigration judge

to hear their claims and decide their case. The correct process is not to disappear someone in the middle of their proceedings and take that authority away from the immigration judge. The Trump administration says Hernandez and the other someone in the middle of their proceedings and take that authority away from the immigration judge. The Trump administration says Hernandez and the other Venezuelan prisoners are now under the jurisdiction of El Salvador's government. But the fight for their freedom continues.

Some of the migrants' relatives are now petitioning in El Salvador's Supreme Court for their release. And they're planning to travel to that country to have their voices heard. Manuel Reda for CBC News, Bogota. You're listening to Your World Tonight from CBC News. And if you want to make sure you 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. There are many benefits to taking a brisk walk or a jog. It strengthens your heart, gives your immune system a boost, lifts your mood. A new study suggests it may also have a noticeable impact on cancer survival. Christine Birak explains

the research and why doctors say it's time to start prescribing exercise. Stepping onto a treadmill in Kingston Ontario, Terry Swain Collins is checking in with her physiotherapist. At the beginning, Ontario, Terry Swain Collins is checking in with her physiotherapist. At the beginning it was difficult. Swain Collins underwent surgery and chemotherapy for colon cancer in 2021. She's cancer-free now but the disease recurs in about 30 percent of patients. That's part of the reason why she took part in a trial intent on answering the question, does exercise improve cancer survival?

Now the results are in. I think there'll be tremendous interest in this. I think patients are going to want this and expect it and be excited by it. Dr. Christopher Booth is an oncologist at Kingston Health Sciences. He helped lead a large study now published in the New England Journal of Medicine. Researchers recruited nearly 900 patients in several countries. Half were randomly assigned to receive booklets promoting exercise and healthy eating. The other half took part in a structured exercise program monitored by a physiotherapist or consultant.

Patients like Swain Collins did about 45 minutes of brisk walking or 25 minutes of jogging up to four times a week for three years. Booth says the findings show the exercise group saw clear benefits. And the really exciting part was they had a marked reduction in the risk of having relapsed cancer, having a new cancer, and their survival was longer as well. Seven years out, 90% of patients in the exercise group

were still living, compared to 83% of patients who received the educational materials, a 7% difference. This data now gives us a lot more. Dr. Sami Chatty is a colorectal surgeon at the University Health Network in Toronto. We asked him to put a 7% survival difference in perspective for patients. To put it into context, chemotherapy in the setting of stage 2 or stage 3 colon cancer might only improve their survival by maybe 15%. So it's half as good as an actual medication. I'm not saying it's a substitute in any way

whatsoever. It's part of an entire recipe. — Terri Swain-Cullen says the exercise program also offered her something greater. — Yeah, well, looking back, I think it's probably one of the best decisions I made for my own recovery. I think it gave me a sense of purpose after my cancer. Study authors hope the trial will encourage doctors to prescribe exercise and governments to fund programs, noting cancer drugs can cost $200,000 per patient, while a trainer can be as little as $1,000 a year. Christine Birak, CBC News, Toronto.

It's the 1866 waltz, forever tied to futuristic journeys. The Blue Danube, composed by Austrian Johann Strauss II, became associated with the cosmos thanks to the Stanley Kubrick movie 2001 A Space Odyssey, earning itself the title Anthem of Space. And now it's taking its rightful place among the stars. A performance by the Vienna Symphony Orchestra being beamed up to celebrate the European Space Agency's 50th anniversary and the 200th anniversary of its composer's birth. It's a big moment of respect for the famous waltz,

which has been passed over for similar occasions before. passed over for similar occasions before. Last year NASA worked with Missy Elliott to beam her song The Rain, Super Duper Fly, out to Venus, more than 254 million kilometers away. NASA celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2008 by sending the beetles across the universe into deep space. They slither wildly as they slip away across the universe. The Blue Danube was even skipped in the Voyager Golden Records in 1977,

a collection of classical music sent up with NASA's twin Voyager spacecrafts. The Vienna Tourism Board says today's event corrects that cosmic mistake. The music was converted into radio signals and beamed out by the European Space Agency's radio antenna in Spain. It got past the moon in a second and a half, past Neptune in four hours, past Voyager 1 in 23 hours, and now straight to you. Here's a little more of The Blue Danube by the Vienna Symphony Orchestra on your universe or just your world tonight. I'm Stephanie Scanderis.

Thanks for listening. ["Pomp and Circumstance"] For more CBC podcasts, go to cbc.ca slash podcasts.