Your World Tonight - Hantavirus watch, Iran ceasefire shaky, census underway, and more

Episode Date: May 11, 2026

They’re off the ship, and into isolation. A total of ten people are now being monitored in Canada for symptoms of hantavirus. Most — although not all — were on the MV Hondius cruise where an outbreak began.And: The U.S. president says the ceasefire with Iran is on life support. Donald Trump calls Iran’s latest offer a “piece of garbage.” But there’s no real sign of what’s next from either side.Also: Have you filled out your census yet? It happens every five years, and the data is supposed to help Ottawa plan for the future of the country. But some people are saying — count me out.Plus: Insolvencies up in Canada, AI sovereignty, Starmer under pressure, and more.

What's that noise? I don't know. I get that checked. Quickly. Yeah, good point. Point S, tires, and auto service. You think Point S has good deals on tires? Definitely.

What makes you say that? This. Until May 31st, get up to $125 on a prepaid card when you buy four eligible Yokohama tires. Details at point S.ca. Good point. Point S, tires, and auto service. This is a CBC podcast. These Canadians have been through a very difficult number of weeks,

and it showed last night they were tired, I would say exhausted, but very relieved and grateful to be back here in Canada. Finally home, after the crews that went horribly wrong, hit with a hantavirus outbreak that led to three deaths and trapped many people on board. Passengers and crew are now going back to more than 20 countries, and some have already tested. positive. This is your world tonight. I'm Stephanie Skandaris. It's Monday, May 11th, coming up on 6 p.m.

Eastern. Also on the podcast? I would say the ceasefire is on massive life support where the doctor walks in and says, sir, your loved one has approximately a 1% chance of living. Fighting words, US President Donald Trump says he did get a peace offer from Iran, but didn't bother finishing it, calling it garbage. It did not contain any promises to agree to a ban on nuclear weapons. Trump says the Iranian leaders are either in his words, stupid people or lunatics. The last passengers are now off the MV Hondias. The final six disembarked today from the cruise ship that was hit by the hanta virus outbreak. Every Canadian linked to it is back on home soil and in isolation. The global number of people infected continues to rise.

But health officials stress the risk of more spread is low. Aaron Collins has the details. I could not imagine sailing through these circumstances with a better group of people. The captain of the M.V. Hondius Jan Dabrogowski praising how passengers and crew dealt with a hantavirus outbreak on board the Dutch cruise ship. I've witnessed your caring, your unity and quiet strength. Most of the passengers have now been flown home. The rest expected to be. to leave today, with the ship and remaining crew sailing to Holland. Monica Garcia is Spain's health minister.

We have refueled the boat and we will provision the ship. Finally, we will disinfect our port according to the health protocol. As passengers return home, they're being placed in isolation, among them four Canadians who landed in Victoria late Sunday. All four were and continued to be well and have no. symptoms. Dr. Bonnie Henry is BC's provincial health officer. The people who arrived here yesterday were transferred directly from the airport, where they have begun a minimum of 21-day period of isolation.

South of the border, 18 Americans landed in Nebraska early today. Let me be crystal clear. The risk of hanta virus to the general public remains very, very low. The head of the U.S. Public Health Service, Admiral Brian Christine, spoke in Omaha. Two of the Americans who landed there were flown to a biocontainment unit in Atlanta. One tested mildly positive for the virus, while the other has symptoms. The Andes variant of this virus does not spread easily. Even so, we have taken this situation very seriously from the very start. And the virus can be serious. The Andy's strain can kill between 20 and 40% of those infected.

In Spain today, another former passenger tested positive for the virus. Meanwhile, officials in France say an infected passenger, isolating in Paris, has now been hospitalized and her condition is deteriorating. Dr. Gerald Evans is an infectious disease expert at Kingston's Health Sciences Center. The majority of individuals, if they've gotten infection and it's now resulting in illness, they're going to actually present likely within about a four or maybe at most, five-week period. In addition to the four Canadians isolating in BC, authorities say they are monitoring six other people for potential exposure. Three in Ontario, one in Quebec, and two in Alberta.

Aaron Collins, CBC News, Calgary. Negotiations to end the war in Iran have hit another wall. U.S. President Donald Trump says Tehran's latest peace proposal is, quote, garbage. And as for the ceasefire, Trump calls it unbelievably weak. He's accusing Iran's leadership of changing its mind and hoping to wait him out. Paul Hunter reports from Washington. It's a stupid proposal and nobody would take it. From U.S. President Donald Trump in the Oval Office, after receiving Iran's response to the latest U.S. peace proposal, this assessment of the month-long ceasefire as it now stands.

It's unbelievably weak, how we say. I would call it the weakest right now. After reading that piece of garbage, they sent us. I didn't even finish reading it. As Trump then put it, I would say the ceasefire is on massive life support where the doctor walks in and says, sir, your loved one has approximately a 1% chance of living.

It's unclear where this goes from here with diplomacy at an apparent standstill, the warfare bringing a global, energy crisis and a continuing insistence by the U.S. that Iran's concessions to end the war altogether must include reopening the Strait of Hormuz and assurances Iran will end its nuclear program. Iran has said the latest U.S. proposal amounts to a surrender and says it will not bow. Through an interpreter, here's Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Bakhai. Everything we put forward in our proposed text consisted of reasonabre

and responsible demands and generous proposals. Meanwhile, one of the most tangible effects of the war in the U.S., rocketing gasoline prices, now averaging 450 U.S. per gallon, or about $1.65 a liter Canadian. That has Trump pledging to now suspend the U.S. federal tax on gasoline, something Canada has already done. In the U.S., such a step would still need approval from Congress. How long are you to suspend that tax for it?

Until it's appropriate, yeah. It's a, you know, it's a small percentage, but it's still money. But suspending the gas tax would also cost the U.S. government tens of millions of dollars a day in lost revenue. At the pumps in Washington, D.C., I believe it when I see it. Trump's pledge to pause the gas tax comes as barely a third of Americans approve of his work in office. And so from passerby, Oz Mangrum, on what's caused the prices to go up in the first place. I think it's the big guy that's down the street in a White House.

Oil prices said Trump today will come down, as he put it like a rock, as soon as the war ends. Paul Hunter, CBC News, Washington. Coming right up, putting the Canada A in AI. Ottawa announces new AI data centers in B.C. and the expansion of another, calling it part of its strategy for digital sovereignty. Also, UK Prime Minister Kirstarmer feels the heat after local elections hand labor big losses, signaling a shift to the right and spurring calls for him to be replaced. Later, we'll have this story.

It only happens twice a decade, and it's surprisingly political. Once again, it's time to fill out the census. Proponents say it's important data that helps inform good policy, and critics say it's government overreach. I thought all of our data was being scraped every single day that they'd have all the data that they need. I'm Kate McKenna in Ottawa. Later on Your World Tonight, Canada's census.

It may be mandatory, but not everyone likes it. The Prime Minister and others have compared it to the railway from Canada's past, while touting it as the economic foundation of the future. Artificial intelligence. The federal government says the first of its big AI, data center projects is moving forward in BC. It's not just about developing the technology.

As Kyle Bax tells us, Ottawa is also hoping AI can help Canada move further from dependence on the U.S. It's the infrastructure that Canada needs to compete in the age of AI. The Federal Minister of Artificial Intelligence Evan Solomon in Vancouver, announcing a trio of new data centers in BC. It's part of a push by the federal government for more data centers domestically, to keep Canadian data within the country. To build the economy of the future,

at a time when the political realignment is happening as fast as the technological acceleration. Ottawa is partnering with TELUS. Company chief executive Darren Entwistle describes the projects, which are the first to be selected by Ottawa. Right here, right now, Canada takes its place amongst the global leaders

in sovereign, sustainable AI infrastructure. The federal government received 160 proposals, for new data centers after putting out a call for projects that meet certain criteria, including an economic and sovereign benefit and also environmental considerations and overall cost. There is more work ahead before a potential deal is struck between Ottawa and TELUS. Solomon says it's imperative to keep more data within Canadian borders. So we have to build it. You can't run a sovereign AI strategy on someone else's servers, governed by someone else's rules and in someone else's jurisdiction.

This is probably going to be one of the single biggest tech issues that we are going to deal with as a country. Ratesh Kotak is a lawyer and technology advisor. He points to a recent example when the U.S. Department of Homeland Security allegedly asked Google for the private information of a Canadian who had criticized the Trump administration on social media. It's not the first time, nor will it be the last time where foreign governments have requested data on Canadian citizens. And there is demand for more data. data centers. A facility opened by TELUS in Quebec in September last year is at capacity, having to turn potential new customers away, says Entwistle. This, without a doubt, empirically, clearly validates the strong market demand for sovereign

AI infrastructure and compute capabilities. Tellis aims to have one of its new data centers up and running by the end of this year and the other two by 2029. Kyle Bax, CBC News. News, Vancouver. Signs of ongoing economic uncertainty in Canada are showing up in different ways. We've seen unemployment rising, a spike in gas prices. New numbers paint another worrying a picture.

Financial stress catching up with more and more Canadians to the point of insolvency. Business reporter Nisha Patel has that story. Month after month after month, the pressure just builds. Insolvency trustee Doug Hoyes says he's hearing from a growing number of Canadians who can't pay their bills. Faced with a shaky job market on certain economic outlook and budgets stretched by higher food and gas prices,

many have been relying on debt to survive. Of course, every month you've got to pay interest on your debt. And a lot of people are now reaching the breaking point. They just cannot do it. That's pushed consumer insolvencies up 8.5% in the first three months of this year, compared to the same time a year ago. With more than 37,000 Canadians,

filing, it's the highest quarterly volume since the financial crisis of 2009. They're frustrated, but they're also embarrassed. And as the real estate downturn deepens in Ontario and BC, Hoyes predicts there may be more financial pain in the months ahead. It's up until a year or two ago. If my credit card debt was getting out of control, I could refinance my house because my house price went up. That's no longer possible. Adjusted for population growth, the numbers aren't as dire. Still, Hoyes says rising insolvencies aren't a sign of a healthy economy.

And the consumer insolvency system is often a bit of a canary in the coal mine. Anna Lund, a law professor at the University of Alberta, agrees the trend is worrying. She says Canadians can file for straight bankruptcy where they lose their assets, or consumer proposal, which comes up with a plan to pay creditors back. With both of those proceedings, it gives people the chance to get rid of debt that they're never going to be able to repay. And it also gives them what's called a stay, which prevents all creditors from taking enforcement action. So it gives them that breathing room to kind of figure out their finances. There are distinct regional disparities, too. British Columbia and Ontario had

some of the highest rates of increase in consumer insolvencies, two provinces that have also been hit hardest by the trade war with the U.S. She says while Canada has fairly robust social safety nets, there's room for improvement. to lower bankruptcy rates. I mean, one thing that we need to think about is how, as a society, we've created all these gaps where people are living with extreme levels of economic and financial precarity. Hoy's the insolvency trustee says now more than ever is time to get the financial house in order. Keep your expenses as low as you can to free up as much cash as you can to ride out these tough times.

If you can build up an emergency fund, that's great. Do it. if you can keep your debt as low as possible, especially the high interest rate stuff, do that. In an uncertain economy, hope for the best, but prepare for the worst. Nisha Patel, CBC News, Toronto. Britain's Prime Minister says he's not going anywhere. A defiant Kier-Starmour is pushing back against growing calls

from his own MPs to step down. Starrmer is promising change after local elections that were a major setback for his ruling Labor Party. Senior international correspondent Margaret Evans explains what he's up against. The leader of our party, Keir Starrmer. British Prime Minister Kier Sturmer, beginning his day with the speech Bill does make or break for his leadership and not for the first time. But this one comes after his governing Labour Party was given a drubbing in local elections last week

to the benefit of Reform UK, the right-wing populist party of Breast. exit champion Nigel Farage. In his speech, Stammer said to step down would plunge the country into chaos. I know that people are frustrated by the state of Britain, frustrated by politics, and some people frustrated with me. I know I have my doubters, and I know I need to prove them wrong, and I will. But he might not get the chance to try. Gullam Murphy, who lectures in modern British political history at Queen Mary University here in London, says Starrmer's speech was good, but likely not good enough for his critics. We can see that in the fact that scores of MPs from his own party, the Labour Party, have come out publicly and called for him to go after he

made that speech. The number of Labour MPs calling for Starrmer to step down grew as the day went on, and at least four junior ministers resigned from their roles. 20% of Starmor's MPs, 81 of them, would need to back a replacement candidate to trigger a leadership contest. Starrmer hasn't even been in the job for a full two years. And even though he led labor to one of the largest parliamentary majorities in modern British history, his approval ratings have been hovering around 20%. His critics on the street say Starmor has lost the confidence of the people, that they don't know what he's. stands for. There's been too many U-turns, too many bad decisions, and I think there is time to change and see what a new leader can do. Others remember the year 2022, when the governing conservatives of the day went through three different prime ministers in less than two months. We've had too many

different leaders over the last few years, and I think more change on top of change is not going to do any favors? For now, it's not a decision up to the British electorate. Kier Starmers' fate in the hands of his own caucus. And some analysts warn would be challengers to be careful what they wish for. The burden of decades-old economic stagnation inherited from previous administrations and a war in the Middle East further destabilizing the cost of living. Margaret Evans, CBC News, London. Canada is part of an international coalition sanctioning individuals and institutions

linked to the forced transfer of Ukrainian children to Russia. Officials estimate 20,000 children have been taken to Russia or Russian occupied territories. Ukrainian foreign minister Andri Sabia says it's a deliberate policy by Moscow. What Russia is doing to Ukrainian children is evil. This is not an accident of war. This is not a conflict.

damage. This is a deliberate Russian policy aimed at destroying Ukrainian identity. Canadian officials say so far 2,100 children have been returned to Ukraine. Overall, Ukraine's forces have held out against the stronger, better-equipped Russian army for more than four years. But the war is taking a toll on Ukrainian troops. Now the army has issued orders for a mandatory rotation of frontline soldiers, more medical exams, and more frequent rest periods. Breyer Stewart has that story. Nearly every day, Ukrainian officials proudly share video of the latest strikes carried out on energy facilities in Russia. The images are widely circulated online, but other photos released by the public have thrown a spotlight on the

toll of the grinding war. Last month, photos of a handful of Ukrainian soldiers were posted on social media. The men appeared emaciated, and there were complaints that they hadn't been supplied with enough food or water. Helena Telyuk's husband Volodymyr has been on the front line for five months. The first time she was able to connect with him on a video call was in April. And what did you think when you saw your husband? Shock, she said. I think he definitely lost 15 kilograms.

Tellyuk shared videos her husband sent her showing dry peas that they were and moldy white bread sitting on the shelf. After his wife complained to the military, her husband said the conditions improved. While his brigade disputes his claims, after photos of four extremely thin men from a different unit were posted, a senior commander was dismissed. In response, Ukraine's president Volodymyr Zelensky said the government would introduce reforms, which are expected to start in June. Soldiers will be paid more and would be rotated off frontline positions after a maximum of three months.

But it's not clear how Ukraine will accomplish that given that it struggles with recruitment. They're up against a series of extremely harsh constraints. You have a limited supply of personnel. I mean, there's... Jacob Perakilis is a defense researcher at Rand Europe, a think tank. He says the constant threat of drones has made it very difficult to move to. troops around at all. It's dangerous for people to leave the bunkers and for new replacements to be sent in. You can't have convoys of armored vehicles. You have to move small groups of soldiers

very, very short distances on foot or on very small, low-profile vehicles. Ukraine is already relying on robots and drones to move supplies like water and ammunition around the battlefield. Moving groups of soldiers more often will prove much trickier. Breyer-Stewart, CBC News, London. 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.

Bye. And Lisa Simpson. For fair a grand announce. Quebec fans of the Simpsons are getting something they've been demanding for months. The long-running animated series will once again. be dubbed in Quebec-Ira French. Last summer, chorus entertainment decided not to renew its broadcast rights, and that meant after 35 seasons,

there would be no more Quebec-specific version. Tens of thousands of people signed an online petition to save it. Bell Media now says it has reached a deal with Disney to continue dubbing the series in Quebec. The version is dubbed by local actors and adapted with cultural references specific to the province. Canada's latest census is due tomorrow. Yours may be done already,

or maybe it's sitting in a pile of papers on a table. The questionnaire is used to gather key data on personal things and form demographics. But some Canadians believe it's a little too personal. Kate McKenna explains why. We opened it up on Friday night, I believe, and sat down in front of the laptop and logged in and went through question by question.

It might not be everyone's idea of a fun weekend night, but for Kitchener resident Adam Betridge and his wife, filling out the long-form census was exciting. We want to do what's right for our community and what's right for our society. If I'm a geek, you can call me a geek on it. We were happy to do it. I was impressed and with how granular the questions were. The census has been politicized for decades. Former Prime Minister Stephen Harper eliminated the mandatory long-form census in 2011, replacing it with a voluntary version, citing privacy and personal freedom. Justin Trudeau brought back the mandatory version shortly after being elected in 2015.

Today, the former Prime Minister posted a picture of himself with the census on social media. Meanwhile, a small protest movement exists with some people online, frustrated about having to share more personal data. I thought all of our data was being scraped every single day that they'd have all the data that they need. But no, let's find Canadians $500 if you don't fill out this census. Daniel Fryhead is a Toronto lawyer who says many of the questions in the long-form census are pretty personal. How much property tax you're paying? How many bedrooms? How much do you think your house is worth? You know, they ask questions about your ancestors, where your ancestors from. They ask a lot of very private information on the long-form census.

And his concerns are about how well that info is safeguarded. By law, the information gathered is kept confidential for decades, but breaches have happened in the past. Oh, my concerns with the census is data storage, data protection, security. We've seen there, look, security breaches are much more common than people think. They're more extensive than people think. And, you know, it's a little bit like the Stanley Cup, the Grey Cup, and the Walter Cup all wrapped up into one for us statisticians. Jeff Bolby is the manager of this year's census. He says this is a huge undertaking for Statistics Canada,

but it's worthwhile because the census helps inform most policy decisions that will be taken over the next few years. One of the great strengths of the census is the ability to look at very local areas, neighborhoods. He says if you haven't filed your census, expect to receive reminders, letting you know there's a legal obligation to complete the questionnaire. Kate McKenna, CBC News, Ottawa. Finally, science. about looking at the world around you and going, hmm, sometimes a eureka moment can come from

just looking out your window. Hi, I'm Kira, and my family and I love squirrels. But have you ever dealt with them riding your bird feeder? Me too. That's Kira Egett, a grade 10 student in Guelph, and part of a video she made for a science project on squirrels. Why squirrels? With my family being from Serbia and then us immigrating to Canada, back in Serbia, they're really isn't many squirrels, they're only in zoos. So my family absolutely love squirrels, and we've been obsessed with them. So I thought, why not do something about that?

Iget says they love watching the uncaged Canadian critters bound around their yard. But back to the bird feeder problem. Egett wondered if color could attract or repel the critters. To find out, she placed five different colored pots in her backyard, each with a peanut inside. Turns out squirrels have something called di-chromatic vision, which means they can clearly distinguish between blue and yellow hues,

but not red and green ones. So my hypothesis was that then squirrels would be more attracted to blue and yellow. Egett says she learned a valuable lesson about trial and error because her hypothesis turned out to be wrong. The squirrels loved the yellow, but not the blue. Instead, red was choice number two. The least favorite was gray. So how could this help people in their never?

ever-ending battles against the furry fiends? Yeah, that's a very question. So there are many practical applications to my experiment. For example, in wildlife rehabilitation centers, red and yellow forge toys could be used to encourage engagement and activity in squirrels. Or if you're wanting squirrels to raid your bird feet or less, you could get a great one.

Eke's project has now landed her a spot at the National Science Fair later this month in Edmonton. She says she can't wait to take a trip to the Rocky Mountains, where she could see more new animals. Like a moose or a pica. This has been your world tonight for Monday, May 11th. I'm Stephanie Skanderas. Thank you for being with us.

Good night. For more CBC podcasts, go to cbc.ca.ca. slash podcasts.