Your World Tonight - Flights grounded, canola pressure, measuring hurricanes, and more

Episode Date: August 14, 2025

Air Canada and its flight attendants are pointing fingers — blaming each other for the growing impasse. Meanwhile, passengers are left stuck... or scrambling to make other travel arrangements.And: New Chinese tariffs on Canadian canola seed take effect. Ottawa is facing pressure to respond, while the industry braces to lose one of its biggest customers.Also: The latest tropical storm is taking shape in the Atlantic. And as scientists are assessing its strength, they’re also measuring the effects of a slew of cuts to the U.S. agency that tracks and predicts these kinds of storms.Plus: German soccer superstar Thomas Müller has arrived to join the MLS Vancouver Whitecaps, Donald Trump is shifting his tone and sounding more confident the night before a meeting with Putin in Alaska, and more.

So you're saying this airline forces the cabin crew to work for free. Tell me you're at least paid for boarding and de-plaining. No. Safety checks. No. Not even medical emergencies. No, but we'll always show up. But they're charging flyers more than ever.

And we're putting in thousands of unpaid hours. Where is that money going? Canada's airline, hey? Unpaid work is a true crime. Visit Unfair Canada.com to hear the whole story. A message from the Air Canada component of Cupy. This is a CBC podcast. The impact that this is going to have on our customers is profound,

and the cancellations will proceed and grow in magnitude. We expect that that will affect 130,000 customers a day, including 25,000 Canadians a day who risk to be stranded. With seatbelts fastened and tray tables in the upright position, Air Canada is prepared. for turbulence. Canada's largest airline and its flight attendants are flying full speed towards a weekend work stoppage, locked in a bitter labor dispute, with few signs of progress, and Canadian travelers caught in the middle. Welcome to Your World Tonight. I'm Susan Bonner.

It is Thursday, August 14th, just before 6 p.m. Eastern, also on the podcast. And for those assholes that were on the phone yesterday, talking crap to our state, stop it. You're the same people who trolled us during COVID. Tempers rising as officials in Atlantic Canada feel the heat from residents unhappy with blanket bans. But the wildfire rules are staying in place along with evacuation orders as the flames keep spreading. And I don't know that we're going to get an immediate sea spire, but I think it's going to come. See, I'm more interested in immediate peace deal, getting peace fast. Donald Trump, managing expectations as the U.S. President gets set for tomorrow's meeting with Vladimir Putin.

The flight cancellations have started, and Air Canada warns it's only going to get worse. The airline starting to wind down operations ahead of a strike deadline with its flight attendants. Both sides say they want a resolution. but both sides blame each other for the lack of progress. As many passengers scramble to make other travel arrangements, Ithel Musa has the latest. I'm feeling pretty stressed out right now. University of Toronto student Letitia Halberdell is understandably nervous.

The third year neuroscience student has a final exam on August 20th, but a labor dispute between Air Canada and its flight attendants could leave her stranded in Taiwan. I'm just really worried that if I don't get back on time and I can't take this, I'm not going to be able to graduate. Air Canada has already started suspending flights ahead of a possible strike Saturday morning. It's expected hundreds will be cancelled by the end of the week. That's very unfortunate. Air Canada officials were interrupted by QPI members, quietly holding protest placards during a press conference this morning. A sign,

negotiations between Canada's largest airline and the union representing more than 10,000 flight attendants aren't going well. They made the very last days of negotiations, meaningless by making unsustainable offers. Ariel Malul Wexler is Air Canada's chief human resources officer. They sent us a strike notice as soon as they were legally able to do so, forcing us to put out a lockout. Both sides continue to blame one another for abandoning the bargaining table and caught in the middle our travelers.

Just to reach a fair agreement and what's best for everybody causes a lot of disruption and it trickles down everywhere. So I think it's just, yeah, the sooner they can come to an agreement, the better. The main sticking points in negotiations include wages and something called ground pay, which covers the work flight attendants do before and after flights, including conducting safety procedures and assisting passengers. Natasha Estia with Coupie says flight attendants want to be fully paid for that vital work. We just want to get compensated for all the work that we do.

We want a contract. We don't want to go on strike. We don't want our passengers to be suffering. John Graddock is with McGill University School of Aviation. Flight attendants around the world really are asking that, you know, we want to get paid for the time that we, in fact, spend eating with safety issues, briefings, customer service issues, you know, getting greeting passengers on board, putting overhead bags away. All of that stuff currently is not being paid for directly.

Air Canada says its proposal offers a 38% increase in total compensation overfirm. four years, as well as a provision for ground pay. Federal jobs minister, Patty Heidu, says she's asked QP to respond to the airline's request for binding arbitration. She says the union has asked to have until noon Friday to respond. Ithelmuse, CBC News, Toronto. People in Newfoundland and Labrador are getting an idea of the scale of the loss happening in the ongoing wildfire crisis in Atlantic Canada. At least 100 homes have been destroyed. The update comes as one of the largest fires in the province continues to grow, and officials lash out at residents who are upset with measures being taken

to keep the situation under control. Nicola Sagan reports. We found out, like through our ring camera, that it was likely that our home was gone. Living with the dread that was then confirmed by their town's mayor, Robin Dwyer and Scott Chandler, now know their home is gone, burnt by the raging Kingston fire that's growing by the day. They evacuated last Monday with their seven-year-old son. He knows that his home is gone and his school is gone.

So just trying to maintain as much normalcy as we can for him. But it's getting harder. Since the family was forced to flee, Dwyer and Chandler have been spending all their time volunteering at the evacuation center in the Conception Bay North area, helping other evacuees. That wildfire is now burning more than 8,000 hectares or 80 square kilometers. Today, new estimates from Premier John Hogan on the damage.

There's potentially up to or around 100 structures, 100 homes that have been lost. Hogan says the extreme fire and smoke mean officials can't be sure. He's urging the thousands of evacuees to stay calm as they wait for news. It's very easy for me to ask that. I'm not the one sleeping in the gym. I'm not the one who doesn't know if my house is still there or not. As some grieve, others try to shirk the rules, like the newly imposed bans on fires and off-road vehicles.

Police in St. John's have arrested and charged a man for arson with disregard to human life and find him $150,000 after brush fires were set in downtown St. John's. Officials like Justice Minister John Hage are going head to head with those who, who disagree with the government's response. For those assholes who were on the phone yesterday, talking crap to our staff, stop it. In Nova Scotia, a new fire is growing quickly in the Annapolis Valley region, forcing around 150 people to evacuate.

Lois Steele grabbed her pets and important documents and fled her home this morning. They're up there working with machines right now at the hall, which is very close to me. So if they can save the hall, they might be able to save our houses. Even as fires in the region remain out of control and new ones continue to spark, some relief could come in the form of classic Atlantic Canadian weather. Gray skies, humidity, and drizzle are rolling into parts of Nova Scotia and Newfoundland,

giving firefighters some hope. Nicholas Sagan, CBC News, Halifax. rain may bring some relief for crews fighting a large wildfire on Vancouver Island. The Mount Underwood fire has been growing since Monday. It's burning near the city of Port Albany and has forced hundreds of people from their homes. Officials hope the weather overnight will cooperate, but warn the danger is not over. Stefan Hood is with BC fire. I wouldn't say that rain would put this fire out.

This is a challenging fuel type where we have a lot of... big heavy fuel out there, rain will only just serve to buy us some time. At least three communities are under states of emergency because of the wildfire. It has also knocked out power for hundreds of people on the island's west coast. Coming right up with new Chinese duties on Canadian canola now in effect, there are calls for the federal government to fire back and sink a deal to build BC ferries. and setting the table for a key summit with Vladimir Putin, Donald Trump prepares for tomorrow's talks in Alaska.

A new 75% tariff on Canadian canola seed took effect today. It's China's latest trade punishment on Canada, and it lands just as the harvest begins. Farmers are bracing for the economic consequences and Ottawa is under mounting pressure to respond. Kate McKenna reports. This was going to be our win, and now it's slowly dwindling every day.

Farmer Leroy Newman speaks from his canola field in Blackie, Alberta. He was looking forward to a bumper crop this year, but hit by new tariffs, he's worried about his bottom line and feels forgotten by Ottawa. Canada knows very well what it feels like to get a tariff put on them in the other industries, and they seem the government go out and protect them, but the good old farmers, we just have to take one for the team every time, and it's tiresome. Effective today, China is slapping a tariff on canola seed at a rate of more than 75%.

That's in addition to existing levies on canola oil and meal. The country claims Canada is dumping canola, though the federal government denies that. Experts believe the real motive is punishing Canada for putting tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles. The government could back off on their tariff. If it was really hurting an industry, like I know it's a fledgling start of the industry and all that, but still it's not hurting, but it's really hurting us. China is the biggest export market for Canadian canola seeds,

valued at nearly $4 billion a year. We need immediate action on this file. Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe says Canada's prime minister needs to meet with China and sort this out. His province produces more than half of the country's canola. He also questions whether Canada's tariffs on Chinese EVs, steel and aluminum, are worth the cost. I would say that we as Canadians, and certainly as a federal government,

need to have a very serious look at whether we're ready to sacrifice an industry that's larger than all three of those industries employing over 200,000 Canadians at this point in time. Yesterday, a billion dollars. That's what the Chinese tariffs cost, Western Canada. Manitoba Premier Wab Knew and federal conservative leader Pierre Paulyev are calling for Ottawa to intervene. In recent weeks, the federal government,

has offered relief to the steel and softwood lumber sectors. We might be able to stand up to Donald Trump tariffs on one side or People's Republic of China tariffs on the other side, but multiple tariffs stacking up in multiple directions, that's something that we have to be able to have a coherent plan for as a country. We lament the fact that Mark Carney has been so silent and so weak, failing to stand up for our farmers against these tariffs. In a statement, Prime Minister Mark Carney says he's working with industry to find

solutions. But with the harvest on the horizon, producers say they need action now. Kate McKenna, CBC News, Ottawa. Officials with the House of Commons are telling some parliament workers that hackers may have stolen their data. The alert was sent through an internal email seen by CBC News. It says thieves got a hold of personal information and other details about work computers and mobile devices. The breach was discovered last Friday. There's no word yet. on who's behind it. A recent report from the country's cybersecurity watchdog found Canada is under increasing threat from foreign nations, including China, Iran, and Russia. With less than 24 hours to go until a high-stakes meeting, Donald Trump is shifting his tone when it comes to the chances

of securing a Russia-Ukraine ceasefire. The U.S. President is sounding more confident he can convinced Vladimir Putin to end the war when the pair meet tomorrow in Alaska. Ashley Burke has the latest from Washington. It's like a chess game. Donald Trump starting his day on Fox Radio, the U.S. president describing his upcoming meeting with Russia's president as a strategic game where the odds of losing are low. There is a 25% chance that this meeting will not be a successful meeting.

After days publicly lowering expectations, Trump, shifting his tone. The president now says he thinks Vladimir Putin will agree to end his war in Ukraine. I believe now he's convinced that he's going to make a deal. Trump's facing growing criticism he hasn't been tough enough on Putin. But in the Oval Office today, told media he has sway. He would much rather take over all of Ukraine, but I am present and he's not going to mess around with me. Trump says when he's face to face with Putin, he'll know within minutes if there will be trilateral talks with Ukraine's president about a peace deal. He says that second meeting is more important and could include talking about divvying up land.

But both countries have already ruled that out. Ukraine's president in the UK meeting with Prime Minister Kier-Starmer to put pressure on Trump. Volodymyr Zelenskyy wants Trump to push Putin into an unconditional ceasefire. Trump's top diplomat, Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, says that is the president's goal. There are changes happening in the battlefield, which have an impact on what one side uses leverage or the other, which is why a ceasefire is so critical. But in Russia, no signs of a ceasefire yet. Putin released a video saying the Trump administration is making quite an energetic and sincere effort to stop the hostilities. Kiro Dmitriev, Russia's top negotiator already in Alaska, calls the summit a chance to reopen dialogue with the U.S. And there are lots of misunderstandings, misinformation about the Russian position.

And it's also a chance to sort of reset if the meeting goes well, U.S. Russia relations. Former U.S. ambassador to the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, Michael Carpenter, says this is all a critical test for Trump. Will he push back and insist that before they discuss the terms of a peace agreement, whether there's potentially land swaps involved in that or not, that Russia must abide by an unconditional ceasefire? If tomorrow's meeting goes well, Trump says he may have a joint press conference with Putin afterwards. If it goes badly, the president says he's heading straight home. Ashley Burke, CBC News, Washington.

Israel's finance minister says, it's a way to bury the idea of a Palestinian state, building thousands of homes in a new settlement in the occupied West Bank. It would effectively cut the territory into and inflame the already intense international anger over expanding settlements. Susan Ormiston reports from Jerusalem. Israeli finance minister, Bezalas Mottrish, provoked a political storm. Who, who menacea today in the world, to akir in a Palestinian.

Advancing plans to build out an Israeli settlement in the controversial E-1 area, which would divide the West Bank and cut it off from East Jerusalem. It definitely buries the idea of a Palestinian state, he said, because there's nothing to recognize and no one to recognize. Canada intends to recognize the state of Palestine. A swipe at Canada, the UK, France, and Australia, who recently said they would recognize a Palestinian state, in September.

At a coffee shop in Ramallah, a strong rebuke from resident Jamila Johar. Our reaction is we refuse it profusely. Profusely, we do not accept any kind of partition or any kind of annexation of any meter in Palestine. Smatrish announced over 3,000 new homes would be built after development in E1 had been frozen for years. potentially severing a continuous Palestinian territory between Romala and Bethlehem.

Hajid Ophran, with a monitoring group, Peace Now, says it breaks international law, which Israel rejects. It is located in the heart of the West Bank, where the majority of the West Banker, Palestinians live, and this is essential for a future Palestinian state. In a Hebram Bazaar, Mohanad Kaffasha says the message to him is clear. we look at the future and we see this Smutrich and Bankvir and his government statements, we see that their plan is to kick us out, they said it clearly, but also it makes us see that we don't have a future here, and that's what they exactly wants us to see. While the war rages on in Gaza, drawing much of the world's attention,

expansion of Israeli settlements has grown in the occupied West Bank, wedged between Palestinian towns. able to push these steps and to promote his policies because there are no consequences. Sarit Mikhaili with Betsalem, an Israeli human rights group, says the right wing is flexing its power. If Israeli policymakers don't face consequences for this huge violation of international law, then it will go ahead. Benjamin Netanyahu hasn't responded today, even as Smartrish said he had the Prime Minister's support. Last month, Canada said it strongly opposed E1 settlement, but final approval could come next week, adding another point of tension in an overheated region. Susan Ormiston,

CBC News, Jerusalem. Tropical storm Erin is intensifying in the eastern Atlantic, shaping up to become the first major hurricane of the season. The storm appears to be moving toward the Caribbean islands, but experts warn there's a lot of uncertainty about its path. In the U.S., that uncertainty is being amplified. After cuts to the agency that tracks and predicts these kinds of storms, and as hurricane season ramps up, some fear what that could mean when the next big one hits. Katie Nicholson reports. Exposed wires dangle from the ceiling of a Treasure Island beach house,

ripped open like a tin can filled with sand and debris. Helene just washed over the whole, I mean the whole barrier island and just destroyed everything. Two hurricanes tore through this part of Florida. First Helene, then two weeks later, Milton. Stephen Sigley is still cleaning up. So the road was, you know, 10 foot high sand on either side, debris, cars, just everything that you can imagine people's belongings, mattresses as you can still see. And it was just stacked all the way down.

was rough. And the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration says this season could also be rough, predicting an above-average season for hurricanes. But many are also worried about the impacts from the roughly 2,000 jobs lost under the Trump administration from NOAA and its National Weather Service. So much of what goes into that forecast is driven by actual humans. John Cortinus recently retired as a senior administrator at NOAA. Well, my greatest concern is that the lack of people that will be available to actually do the work that needs to be done, whether it's collecting observations or making a forecast.

Last week, the Trump administration okayed filling 450 positions at the National Weather Service months after cutting 500 jobs. It takes time to train people. It takes time to acclimate them to the kinds of things that the Weather Service does and the weather in the various areas and regions that they'll be responsible for. It's really a combustible mix to live in an era in which there is a higher chance that any tropical storm can become a category four or five hurricane. Veteran NBC Miami meteorologist John Morales is among those sounding the alarm. Now we're going to mix it with a degraded ability to study, monitor, forecast, and warn for these, potentially incendiary, and I'm very concerned.

We've had the same NOAA team. Tampa Mayor Jane Castor, who last year warned people they could die if they didn't evacuate, is also uneasy. Unfortunately, we're not going to find out the impact of those cuts until that storm comes. And so that is something that I'm very concerned about. Noah also shares a lot of information with Canada during hurricane season. Environment and climate change Canada says it does have contingency plans if Noah's ability to share important information is impacted. Katie Nicholson, CBC News, Treasure Island, Florida. 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. Another international soccer star is making the move to North America. and joining a Canadian team, the Vancouver white caps have signed Germany's Thomas Muller, a World Cup champion who has dominated European soccer for years. As Yasmin Renea reports, it's good news for a team that's facing an uncertain future. Thomas!

Join me in welcoming, Thomas Mueller, everybody. As soon as he touched down on Canadian soil, the German superstar was welcomed with open arms. At Vancouver International Airport, members of the Musquium Nation greeted him with a traditional drum march. While fans of all ages turned out in droves to get his autograph. Mueller joins the White Caps in the biggest signing in the club's history after spending his entire 25-year career with the German club, Bayern Munich.

Oh, beautifully done for Mueller. Although in North America, he might. not be as recognizable as Messi or Rinaldo, the attacking midfielder is one of the most decorated players of his generation and has a long list of accomplishments. He helped Germany win the FIFA World Cup in 2014 and is one of the greatest goal scorers in the history of the Cup. I was used to playing football now I'm playing soccer. Mueller, known for cracking jokes, says he's here to help the White Caps win more titles as Vancouver gets ready to host the FIFA World Cup next year.

Maybe the whole world is a little bit watching more and more to Vancouver as a football city. I want to take my part to grow it a little bit. Hard Joe Hall, a journalist who covers the white caps, says Mueller will be a huge asset. He has all the attributes you would want in a star caliber player, and he's only going to add to what the team has on the pitch. The star power comes as the white caps are racking up wins, but off the pitch face some big challenges. The club is up for sale and badly needs a new stadium to resolve scheduling conflicts.

The Major League Soccer Commissioner says there are no plans to move the White Caps at this time. Long-time fan Laura Ezesion certainly hopes so. I'd have to lose that. It would be a real loss. MLS journalist Ian Nicholas Quillan says the White Caps are also overshadowed by other West Coast teams. LAFC, the LA Galaxy, the Seattle Sounders, those are all big clubs that get big names, that have big attention from MLS fans. There are big hopes that Mueller will take the white caps to the next level,

both on the pitch but also to raise the team's valuation. Sunday's match against Houston is sold out, even though it's not clear if Mueller will play. Yasmil Ganea, CBC News, Vancouver. We closed tonight with an unidentified object in the night sky. Although the mystery didn't last long, it had stargazers briefly baffled. That's the weirdest thing I've ever seen in my life. When it came overhead, I thought it was a cloud.

And it looked like kind of the Batman signal. It wasn't Batman, Superman, a bird or a plane, but something was in the skies above North America Tuesday night. A strange-looking glowing light described by some as having a spiral or bow-tie shape to it. And while many mysterious sightings have their believability dented by a lack of witnesses. This one had a big audience and lots of video proof

as people were already focused on the night sky for the Perseid meteor shower. So what was it? Well, it didn't take long for excitement about a potential alien encounter to come crashing down. It's a UFO, but not anymore. It's an identified flying object up in the sky.

Robert LaMontagne is an astrophysicist at the Universite de Montagne. He says people were looking at a European rocket carrying a satellite into orbit that took off from French Guiana earlier in the evening. And as the second stage re-entered the Earth atmosphere, it was spinning a little bit. There was exhaust gases coming out from it, and that's what people saw in the sky. So, no superhero and no alien, but it was still pretty special. La Montaigne says rockets launch and re-enter the atmosphere all the time without anyone noticing. But this one had just the right timing and trajectory to put on a show.

Thank you for joining us. This has been your world tonight for Thursday, August 14th. I'm Susan Bonner. Talk to you again. For more CBC podcasts, go to cBC.ca.ca slash podcasts.