Your World Tonight - Intense winter weather, Europe cut out of Ukraine peace talks, Speedskating camp in Iqaluit and more

Episode Date: February 16, 2025

Huge winter storms are making their way across Canada. Much of Ontario, Quebec, and parts of the Maritimes and Prairies are being hit with everything from heavy snow, to blowing winds and below freezing temperatures. You'll hear how people in multiple regions are coping with the intense weather.Also: European leaders sound the alarm after the White House cuts them out of talks for a Ukraine peace plan. Some leaders are deeply concerned Washington will sell Europe down the river to get a quick deal with Russian President Vladimir Putin. And: We'll take you to Iqaluit, where future winter Olympians got to take part in an elite speedskating camp, taking lessons from an Olympic veteran.Plus: The potential cancellation of a Canada - U.S. water treaty, an obstetrician shortage in northern Ontario, and more.

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But it's time to imagine what we can do with more. Join Scarborough Health Network and together, we can turn grit into greatness. Donate at lovescarborough.ca. This is a CBC podcast. Hi, I'm Stephanie Scanderes, and this is your World Tonight. I feel it's beautiful. It's a nice scenery to see it. It's really pretty and it's lovely

to just be out in it. Well those folks may be walking in a winter wonderland, but Environment Canada is still warning about potentially hazardous conditions caused by the heavy snow blanketing much of Ontario and Quebec. Also on the podcast, European leaders sound the alarm after the White House cuts them out of talks for a Ukraine peace plan and... It doesn't matter where you're from, you call it Quebec, Montreal, if you have a dream and you follow your lead, well, anything can happen. An Olympic medalist trains the next generation of speed skaters in Nunavut.

The groundhogs tried to warn us the winter weather has been brutal across much of the country, a polar vortex is sending the prairies into a deep freeze and a massive storm has most of central Canada snowed in crews are plowing through but as Philipp Lee Shanok reports they're overwhelmed. Yeah we really got spoiled last year. Trudging through the snow drifts and dodging traffic Patrick Mazurek says this feels more like the return to a traditional Canadian winter.

And now it's really ramped up where it's like every week there's there's another snowstorm. After a midweek storm brought 40 centimeters of snow. The city is expecting another 25 centimeters more. He's hoping his girlfriend will be okay. She has a flight tonight actually going back to the UK. So we're worried that she might not make it. Pearson Airport's Erica Vela says between 1 1⁄4 and 1⁄3 of flights are expected to be impacted. We're right now on track to potentially exceed what we saw for the entire 2023 2024 winter season just in this last seven or eight days. So it's kind of hitting everybody with

everything all at once. Mark Robinson is a meteorologist with the Weather Network. He says this system is bringing warm moist air from the Gulf of Mexico and mixing it with cold air coming out of the prairies. Much of Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba have been under extreme cold warnings. It really is sort of tracking along the Great Lakes and sort of up through the ST Lawrence and then eventually out into New Brunswick and Nova Scotia. He says two storms in a row have hit densely populated cities along the way. So we are running out of places to where we are going to put that snow, especially when you're talking about the GTA and even Montreal.

Philippe Sabarez with the City of Montreal. From my personal experience in 20 years, it's one of the biggest challenge the city is facing with two huge snowstorms in a row. He says there's a backlog in clearing 11,000 kilometers of city roads. the cities facing with two huge snowstorm in a row. He says there's a backlog in clearing 11,000 kilometers of city roads. It's gonna take the weeks to complete the loading operation. So everyone will have to be patient.

New Brunswick and PEI can expect up to 15 centimeters of snow and ice pellets. Nova Scotia's mainland and Cape Breton will get about 10 centimeters, but wind gusts reaching 160 kilometers an hour are making conditions deadly. Just became more and more and more real that serious trouble. Snowmobiler Dave Metcalf got stuck in a deep snowbank in the Cape Breton highlands. He spent the night in high winds and freezing temperatures before he was rescued this morning. I had it in my mind for the last hour or two that I'm 100% gonna freeze to death.

A reminder that while they can be beautiful, Canadian winters can also be deadly. Phillip Lee Shannock, CBC News, Toronto. And severe weather in the U.S. has turned fatal. In Kentucky, eight people are dead after heavy rain caused creeks to swell and flood roads. Andy Beshear, the state's governor, says 1,000 people have been rescued after the storms left them stranded and high winds knocked out power for tens of thousands of homes. In Atlanta, Georgia, one person is dead after the wind knocked a tree onto a home early

Sunday. Well there are now just over two weeks until the extended deadline for US tariffs expires. Canadian politicians are eager to prove to voters why they're best suited to protect this country's economy. JP Tasker reports. Mounting tensions between Canada and the US spilled out onto the ice in a high stakes hockey matchup Saturday night. But it's not just the players who are ready for a fight. Canada first!

Canada first! Conservative leader Pierre Poliev says he wants to go toe to toe with President Donald Trump. The unjustified threats of tariffs and 51st statehood of Donald Trump have united our people to defend the country we love. Shifting his campaign rhetoric from denouncing the Liberals. Everything feels broken in Canada. To promoting the country at a flag day rally as it stares down an American adversary.

We will bear any burden and pay any price to protect the sovereignty and independence of our country. Mark Carney is the man pollsters say Poliev is most likely to face in the next general election. Like his conservative opponent, Carney says his focus will be on saving the economy from ruin. We can't control President Trump, but we can control what we do here at home to reinforce our economy. Both are promising to build new pipelines, dismantle provincial trade barriers and lower taxes if elected.

But the former central banker who helped Canada through the last recession says the populist Poliev is the wrong guy to take on Trump. Why am I here now? Because we're in a crisis. This, you know, for better or worse, my career, my experience prepares me for this moment. Canada is going to be a very serious contender to be our 51st state. What many people initially thought was a joke from the president is now seen as a real threat. After meeting with one of Trump's senior advisors this week in Washington, Canada's premiers were told, take what Trump says at face value. I came away from the week knowing this administration wants to turn the U.S. government's approach on everything upside down.

That left some of them shaken, including UConn premier Raj Pillai. I don't believe the administration has our friends. Polls show a tightening federal race. The Liberals are inching up after being on the back foot for months. Poliev hopes talk of putting Canada first will keep him and his party first among voters. JP Tasker, CBC News, Ottawa. Meanwhile, anger in this country over the tariff threats has led to some people calling on their leaders to rethink ties to the U.S. In B.C, that could mean tearing

up a six-decade-old water treaty. As Yvette Brand explains, that treaty prevents flooding and ensures Americans get a reliable source of power. Crystal Spicer walks near the frozen edge of the Arrow Lakess Reservoir near Edgewood, BC remembering the flooding. It's devastating to look at. Decades ago, water swallowed her family's farm, so many homes and so much First Nations land. Everything was so drastic. I'll never forget the paradise it was before. Historian Eileen Delahunty-Perks believes Canada gave up too much in the Columbia River Treaty. The cross-border pact controls water flow to cut flood risks and allow power management.

Canada has succeeded in improving the situation for it and its water use because it held a line. It said to the U.S. your sweet deal is done. A new deal was struck last July but it's not ratified yet and some fear it will get rejected with the new US administration. And if Canada really wants to play hardball Canada can say we're serving notice of termination we're gonna run this river exactly how we want to run this river. Trump sees the Columbia as a faucet. So you have millions of gallons of water pouring down from the north with the snow caps in Canada and all pouring down and they have essentially a very large faucet. The idea that there is a faucet first of all is misinformation. He was claiming that if

we just turned on the Canadian faucet there was water that flowed to California and solved their fire problems, which is not true. UBC environmental anthropologist John Wagner has studied the Columbia River Treaty and water governance for years. He says the treaty limits power production on this side of the border. I think Canada would do very well without the treaty in place. We would lose a little bit of revenue from the Canadian entitlement. I mean, we could do really wonderful things though without having that obligation.

People are asking me this question by email and by text and when they see me at the Safeway at Kingsway in Tyne they ask me, well can't we cut off something, right? So people want to take action. Adrienne Dix, the minister responsible for the treaty says these days people want to unplug U.S. power. People are angry as Canadians with what's happening. We have to be effective as well. Dix says treaty termination is not an option.

It would take 10 years and potentially illicit retaliation. That doesn't scare Crystal Spicer. I would expect it but I would hope that Canada would stand its ground. She says Canada needs to ignore the roar of turbulence downstream and worry about the river, the fish and the water fluctuations right here. Yvette Brand, CBC News, Vancouver. Still ahead in Northern Ontario, there are not nearly enough doctors available to deliver

babies. That's leaving pregnant women in the region in a precarious position. You'll hear one woman's story of having to travel hundreds of kilometres just to give birth. That's coming up on Your World Tonight. In Moscow, hundreds of people pay their respects at the grave of Alexei Navalny. It's been one year since news broke that the Russian opposition leader died in an Arctic penal colony. Navalny, a former lawyer, was the most prominent critic of Vladimir Putin and earned admiration for choosing to return to Russia after surviving an assassination attempt.

Canada was one of several countries that issued a joint statement on Sunday saying the ultimate responsibility for Navalny's death lies with Russia's leaders. European leaders will meet on Monday, France's foreign minister says, to talk about Ukraine and the new US administration. The French president Emmanuel Macron called the summit after White House officials stunned the EU this weekend, announcing Europe will not have a seat at the table for peace talks that are set to begin this week in Saudi Arabia between Russian and American officials. As Abiy Kugadasen reports, EU leaders are deeply concerned Washington

will sell Europe down the river to get a quick deal with Vladimir Putin. European doubts about US support were only amplified in the Bavarian capital this weekend. In his welcome address at the Munich Security Conference, German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier said there are many reasons to work with Washington but acknowledged that the new American administration has a different worldview. One that has no regard for established rules, established partnerships and trust. After Washington confirmed peace talks would begin with Moscow, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said he's ready, but...

Only after we will have common plan with Trump, Europe, and we will see it with Putin and stop the war. But when US Vice President JD Vance took to the main stage, it became evident the White House is not on the same page as its allies. The threat that I worry the most about vis-a-vis Europe is not Russia. That was one of several U.S. comments

that raised eyebrows in recent days. After a call with Russian President Vladimir Putin, Trump suggested Ukraine may not regain territory occupied by Russia, and a senior American official said, Ukraine's NATO membership is unrealistic. That they've basically conceded on many of the core demands that Vladimir Putin laid out. Raphael Loss is a policy fellow with the European Council on Foreign Relations in Berlin.

That means that essentially having won in Ukraine, Putin can now turn to revising the European Security Automotive broadly. Another major concern is about who will be invited to the negotiating table. Canadian Foreign Affairs Minister Melanie Jolie met with her G7 counterparts on the sidelines of the conference. We need to make sure that Ukrainian voices are at the table, that Europe and Canada is at the table, because ultimately it is also about Ukraine's security, but it's also about the Euro-Atlantic security.

But when the U.S. envoy to Ukraine, Keith Kellogg, was asked if Europe would be included in the process to end a war on its own continent, The answer is no. Europeans fear Trump may appease Putin to get a deal done quickly. A failed Ukraine would weaken Europe, but it would also weaken the United States.

Clear that appeasement also always, always fails. Some argue the West has already tried that strategy with Putin. When the Kremlin annexed the Crimean Peninsula in 2014, Western allies imposed some restrictions on trade, but critics felt these were mere slaps on the wrist. And the German coalition government at the time, under Angela Merkel, moved ahead with the lucrative Nord Stream 2 project, a gas pipeline connecting the country to Russia.

Berlin believed for decades that engaging economically and diplomatically with Moscow would prevent disaster. Until... We're live in Ukraine, a country at war, after a huge Russian military offensive by land, sea and air. Three years ago this month, the Kremlin brought war back to Europe. Thousands of Ukrainians have been killed, millions more displaced. Zelensky says any peace deal must ensure that Putin can never attack his country again.

We cannot just agree to a ceasefire without real security guarantees. He made it clear that such guarantees require U.S. backing. But the unwavering support Kyiv has come to expect from Washington no longer exists. And allies on the continent are not convinced a transactional Donald Trump will uphold and protect the post-war transatlantic alliance. Abhi Koelas in CBC News, Berlin. One of the U.S. officials going to Saudi Arabia to discuss a Ukraine peace plan is Marco Rubio.

The Secretary of State is on his first official visit to the Middle East, where he met with Israel's Prime Minister. President Trump is the greatest friend that Israel has ever had in the White House. Benjamin Netanyahu calls his meeting with Rubio productive, saying they discussed preventing Iran from developing a nuclear arsenal, as well as the future of the war in Gaza. On that front, Netanyahu says Israel and the Trump administration are on the same page. We have a common strategy and we can't always share the details of this strategy with the

public, including when the gates of hell will be opened, as they surely will if all our hostages are not released. An Israeli delegation is flying to Cairo on Monday to discuss the continuation of the ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas. 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. Montreal's mayor says police are investigating anti-Semitic vandalism in the city. In a post on X, Valerie Plante says a swastika was painted on the wall of the Emmanuel Beth

Shalom Synagogue. In a written statement, Rabbi Lisa Grushko notes a rise in anti-Semitism in Montreal and urges non-Jews to show allyship and stand against acts of hate. Pregnant women in northern Ontario are facing a serious problem. The region used to have 35 hospitals that delivered babies. Now there are only nine. Nick Perdon tells us about Ontario's maternity ward desert. So I get you to lift your shirt. We're going to go measure. It's all the way up there.

How's your breathing? Mireille Morrissette is 37 weeks pregnant. She's at a checkup at her local health clinic in Hurst, Ontario. That's about a thousand kilometres north of Toronto. Measuring right on the ball. Mireille knows there's nobody to deliver her baby in her hometown of 5,000 people. The nearest obstetrical department is hours down the highway, and in winter driving isn't

always an option. Well, the roads were closed last night. Even if I wanted to travel, let's say my labor would have started since I'm 37 weeks, that's a possibility. I couldn't have traveled because the roads were closed. What do I do in this type of situation? Do I risk my life traveling on bad roads? Or I risk my baby's life by staying here?

Like, I don't understand. Now that Marie Cet is close to giving birth, she's been told to relocate hundreds of kilometers away to a town that still has obstetrical services. Her nurse, Mireille Fortin-Ukraine, says there's a price to relocation. I think it's terribly stressful for moms knowing that I can't deliver safely in my own town and I have to travel and have those increased risks.

They might change our whole life because of that. One of the issues in Northern Ontario isn't just that there aren't enough doctors to deliver babies, but there's also burnout of the ones who still do. For five years, Dr. Richard Clavo was the only person in Hearst with obstetrical training. So I would often spend 24 hours up just delivering babies, going back to the office the next morning and then you know trying to rest what I could at certain points. You don't want to get up in the morning, you don't want to go to work. You know that this is going to be a hard day or they've called you at 2 a.m. so can't fall

asleep again until 6 a.m. type of thing. So I would often be going into work exhausted. Dr. Clavaud says the stress of the job led to a heart attack and when he recovered he resigned from full-time obstetrical work. But there's a doctor here fighting back. Dr. Jessica Quapis sent a plan to the provincial government months ago to increase funding for obstetrical care but she never heard back. When I contacted the ministry they said they're still analyzing her proposal. What worries me is that a mom and or her unborn baby or her newborn baby will die as a result of lack of this coverage in our area. I've worked in the third world before that is

a reality overseas. I never thought it would be something that we'd be talking about here in Ontario. Mireille Morissette, just a few weeks away from having her baby, was still deciding what to do. I know one of the reasons I wasn't feeling so well during this pregnancy was caused by anxiety of not knowing how my delivery is going to go. In the end, Maurice had relocated to Timmins, Ontario, 300 kilometres away from her home. She had wanted a natural birth but she says waiting was too stressful

and so she decided to have a c-section instead. Nick Perdon, CBC News, Hurst, Ontario. If you want to know more about this, you can watch Nick Perdon's full story on The National's YouTube page. The PWHL is trying to introduce new audiences to women's hockey with a North American tour. For people in Edmonton, the league needs no introduction. Tonight's game there is sold out and Edmontonians are trying to show there's enough love in their city for a team of their own. Emily Fitzpatrick reports. Close to 18,000 fans bought tickets to watch the best players in women's hockey battle it out inside Edmonton's Rogers Place. 11 year old

Kingsley Head and her hockey team made the trek from Grand Prairie, four and a half hours northwest of Edmonton. It's a really great like motivation for like us to like because knowing we can get to that level and like just really fun being with my hockey team and watching them. Team manager Vicki Milligan says us to like, because knowing we can get to that level and like just really fun being with my hockey team and watching them. Team manager Vicki Milligan says giving her 16 players this experience was worth the logistical headache of securing tickets for the sold out event. I think it just makes it real, right?

Everything on TV, I think it's hard to really just show how real it is and you know it's not any different than movies or what not but then in real life you see that these are real people and they were 11 years old at 1.2 and what they've had to do to get to this point and how hard they've had to work so I think it makes a big difference for them. The PWHL is in its second season currently with six teams. Amy Scheer is the VP of business operations for the league. She says the reasoning for the tour is twofold.

The first is to grow the fan base. The quality of our hockey is so high and so much fun. So we want people to have the experience live, not just via social, not just via TV. So important for us to get out to different markets for people to see what we have to offer. And the second is to potentially grow the league. We're currently reviewing potential expansion markets.

We're looking at the potential to grow by two teams next year. If we feel we've got the right markets with the right infrastructure, we'll make that decision to expand, but we're still undergoing our research." If this is a test to see if Edmonton can support a future expansion team, Edmonton-based podcaster Quinn Phillips says the appetite is certainly there. We know Edmonton is a hockey city. There is just no ifs, ands, or buts about it.

So you knew that Edmontonians a hockey city. There is just no ifs, ands or buts about it. So you knew that Edmontonians were going to support this. And with the growth of women's hockey, you know, not only in Edmonton, the province, but across the country, there's just going to continue to be more and more interest. As for Kingsley and her teammates, they're ready for more representation. I would watch like every game and I would love if I could, if they would expand the league so then there's more teams that we can see and then it could if they would expand the league so there's more teams that we could see and then it could grow as big as the NHL one day.

Judging by the size of this crowd, that dream could become a reality. Emily Fitzpatrick, CBC News, Edmonton. Now let's skate from Edmonton all the way to Icaloete, where future Winter Olympians got to take part in an elite speed skating camp taught by an Olympic veteran. Karl Cardinal has that story. Young speed skaters skated lapsed around the Arctic Winter Games Arena, sharpening their skills at a 90-day training camp.

There were workshops, conferences, and training sessions for the next generation of Olympic hopefuls. We're starting the first movement is this, left leg up. Six-time Olympic medalist Charles Hamlet was one of the guest coaches for the camp. He says the North has a deep well of talent. There are some great skaters that come from here. Michael Gilley is one of them. He started here in Calais, moved to the Northwest Territory and then became an Olympian, skated with

me for a few years. Amlay hopes to inspire the children and show them anyone can achieve what he did if they have the drive and passion for it. It doesn't matter where you're from, even like, EqualWit, Quebec, Montreal, if you have a dream and you follow your lead, well, anything can happen. Martine Dupont is the head coach of the Nunavut Speed Skating Association and the EqualWit Speed Skating Club. She says while it took months of planning, giving the young athletes a chance to learn from one of the best in their sport is well worth it. It is a long commitment, but it's so rewarding when you see how much they improve throughout

the week. It's crazy. Even after just one day of these higher level coach being here, you can see that they all improve. Mika Dour considers the club as her second family. She competed in previous Arctic Winter Games and is looking ahead to what's next. It's fun, it's challenging, but it pays off and it'll help us for the next competition. One, two, and three. Drive, drive, drive. The skaters and their coaches are hoping the training camp pays off. They'll get a chance to show off what they've learned at the territorial this fall, and maybe even walk away with a few medals at the 2026 Arctic Winter Games.

Carl Gardner, CBC News, Icaro Luiz. When I'm working, well I know I'm gonna be, I'm gonna be the man who's working hard for you Selena. That's how the BAFTAs kicked off in London. Host David Tennant belting out the Proclaimers hit I'm Gonna Be 500 Miles miles getting various audience members like James McAvoy and Anna Kendrick to join in for the Dalatas. There were some big winners at the 78th British Academy Film Awards.

The Pope is dead. The throne is dead. The throne is vacant. Vatican thriller Conclave went in with the most nominations at 12. It ended up winning four, including Best Picture and Outstanding British Film. The Brutalist took home Best Director, Leading Actor for Adrienne Brody, Cinematography and Score. Zoe Saldana continued her award season sweep in the best supporting actress category for Amelia Perez, which also won best film not in the English language. And best leading actress went to Mikey Madison for Anora. While Take That performed their song that was featured in that film, Greatest Day.

We'll leave you with more of that on your World Tonight. I'm Stephanie Scandaris. Thanks for listening. Tonight, stay close to me Tonight this could be The greatest night of all lives Let's make a new start The future is hours to find Can you see it? Can you see it in my eyes?