Your World Tonight - Midnight tariff deadline, Edmonton gurdwara attack, navigating Hudson Bay, and more

Episode Date: August 21, 2026

With only hours left to yet another deadline, Canadian and U-S negotiators try to reach a deal. The White House is threatening to pile on more tariffs at 12:01 on Saturday morning. And: Police investigate a stabbing at a gurdwara in Edmonton. The World Sikh Organization of Canada says there has been a documented rise in anti-Sikh hate across the country. Also: Climate change is changing shipping in Canada. And the deepwater Port of Churchill – in the Arctic -- is not as difficult to reach as it used to be. We’ll have the story of why shrinking sea ice on Hudson Bay means smaller, more affordable icebreakers can be used at the port.Plus: Montreal police to get body cams, National 2SLGBTQ+ monument, BTS fever, and more.

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As the marathon talks go on in Washington, the questions persist. Will a trade deal with the U.S. happen before Donald Trump's latest deadline at midnight Eastern, what might Canada be conceding? And how will the country respond once all the terms of any deal are made public? This is your world tonight. It's Friday, August 21st, just before 6 p.m. Eastern. I'm Kimberly Gale. Also on the podcast.

This makes our vision for Churchill much more doable, much more achievable, and it will bring benefits to the entire region. Manitoba's Premier Tout's new research, which says, receding ice on Hudson Bay could allow year-round shipping in the northern port without the need for costly new icebreakers. The time is short and the details are still scarce with hours to go until more tariffs kick in on Canadian goods. There's been no public information on what terms are even being discussed. And pressure is building on the Prime Minister who will need to sell industry, premiers and the Canadian people on any deal. Tom Perry has the latest on what we do know.

For Dominic LeBlanc, it's like Groundhog Day. The minister responsible for Canada-U.S. trade back in Washington, D.C., for another day of talks, facing another midnight deadline and more questions. Is the deal falling apart? While the Canadian team has been busy, much has been happening behind the scenes on the American side. Sources tell CBC News, Donald Trump's Commerce Secretary, Howard Lutton, has been expressing dissatisfaction with the proposed deal, arguing against reduced tariffs on Canadian steel, aluminum, and autos. Vice President J.D. Vance was recorded saying Mark Carney,

in his words, tried to out tough Trump, but ended up climbing down. Despite all the drama, the U.S. president today sounded positive. I only make good deals. Much better deal for the United States, both with Canada and Mexico. Thank you very much. how Canadians will see the deal is another matter. I don't think anybody in Canada really is thrilled about the situation we find ourselves in. Northwest Territories Premier R.J. Simpson is waiting to see what any final agreement looks like, but thinks U.S. tariffs may be here to stay. The president is going to continue with tariffs in one form or another.

I'm confident of that. And so we're going to have about three years here during his term where people are going to have tariffs. And then the next president is going to come in and businesses will have adapted to, in the United States have adapted to living with these tariffs and organize their operations around that. And so I don't see those being removed in the future either. Opposition leader Pierre Pahliav is urging the Prime Minister to not accept what he calls a one-sided deal. If our aluminum steel, lumber, and automobile companies are paying tariffs and competing with Americans, businesses that are tariff-free, then we might see a large

sucking sound of Canadian jobs moving south of the border. That concern not isolated to the opposition benches, Christia Freeland, the former liberal finance minister who led Canada's efforts negotiating the Canada-US-Mexico Free Trade Agreement during the first Trump administration, says Canada accepting U.S. tariffs will be bad for both countries. Other voices have yet to be heard, most notably Ontario Premier Doug Ford, who has been a staunch critic of Donald Trump and who has consistently demanded a return to tariff-free trade,

which this deal, it appears, doesn't do. Tom Perry, CBC News, Ottawa. Canadian businesses are on edge as they await the outcome of talks in Washington. Existing tariffs continue to weigh heavily on the economy and the threat of more has businesses desperate for some kind of certainty. The CBC's Peter Armstrong has been talking with, many of them today. Peter, what are businesses telling you? This is an incredibly anxious time. There's rumors and there's numbers and there's details that are

just swirling around. But repeatedly, the businesses and the business associations I'm talking to are telling me to just wait and review the fine print because the fine print's going to matter a great deal here. You know, the U.S. is going to say one thing. The Canadians will say another. The text itself will be slightly different in how that text is interpreted and then implemented is going to be key. But you can start to see the outlines of a deal here. And we've got some news on softwood lumber that we can add to the pile. Two sources have told CBC that they've been told there's real progress on eliminating the 10% sectoral tariffs on softwood lumber. That would still leave the bigger issue of the countervailing, the anti-dumping tariffs. We're told those

should be addressed in September. So maybe not an outright win, but some pretty solid progress there. So we heard in Tom Perry's piece that some are pushing back saying this potential deal isn't good enough. How do those businesses measure a deal like this? I think it largely depends on what you use as your starting point, right? Are we comparing what we're getting out of this deal to pre-Trump, to Trump during his first term? And maybe Kuzma, are we comparing it to the beginning of this term? Or are we comparing the potential outcome of what we might be able to get in a deal today or tomorrow or whenever this sort of resolves itself to what might have happened if talks broke down on Tuesday night.

And you have to think about that as a very real scenario to compare this against where talks just completely broke down. We walked away from the table. There would have been countermeasures. The Americans would have had reciprocal measures to our countermeasures and a very real, very deepening of the crisis. And every business that's trying to manage this will have a different starting point. So their answer about how they measure what this deal is or is. and if it's good or not, will depend on where they start and what they're comparing it to.

So we talk about these individual industries that have been hit by tariffs, steel, aluminum, autos, but they're made up of vastly different companies. How aligned are each of these sectors? They're not aligned at all. And all of those companies are facing very different starting points, as I say, and very different expectations of what they want to get out. And I think we need to be sure we're understanding that and squaring those differences as we're trying to figure out what this means for,

of those industries. All right. Thanks for this. You bet. CBC's senior business correspondent, Peter Armstrong, in Toronto. Donald Trump's White House ballroom project can continue for now. Supreme Court Justice John Robert said construction can go ahead while lawsuits are considered. The temporary order came hours before a lower court ruling, halting construction, took effect. The Trump administration says the president has authority to renovate the White House. but critics say it needs congressional approval.

The administration says work replacing the East Wing is already 65% done. It is priced at more than $400 million. Coming up, amid allegations of racial profiling by some officers, Montreal's mayor says city police will soon be equipped with body cameras. And a new monument in Ottawa recognizes the federal government's decades-long purge of 2SLG. B.TQ Plus Canadians from the military, RCP, and public service. Later, we'll have this story. Canadians have been waiting years for this.

BTS is back in Toronto with two sold-out shows and thousands of fans ready to welcome them. Everyone's crying. The K-pop superstars are taking over the city from the stadium to the streets. I'm Griffin Yeager in Toronto, the BTS phenomenon and what's behind the excitement. Coming up on Your World Tonight. Police in Edmonton are investigating an attack on a sick gurdwara early this morning. Police say two people were injured inside the temple. The World Sick Organization of Canada is calling for heightened security at places of worship,

saying there's been an increase in harassment and violence across the country. Brian Labby report. An early morning attack in the largest Gurdwara in Alberta, a sprawling place of worship, with large domes, arches, and gold-colored finials, a sacred place for six. Around 5 a.m., morning prayers interrupted when a man walked inside. He walked upstairs where our prayer hall is, and the morning prayers were going on at that time. Armarik Segal speaks for the Nanakshar Temple. He says the man caused a disruption.

The guy, you can tell, apparently wasn't listening. to anything. So they tried to subdue the guy. The guy tried to push back. The guys were able to subdue him down. Police say two men aged 51 and 75 were stabbed. They suffered non-life-threatening injuries. A 27-year-old man who police say has a history of violent offenses has been arrested. Acting Inspector Eric Stewart. The EPS hate crimes unit has also been engaged and is working closely with the investigators to determine if this incident was hate motivated. It's an act of violence that's shaken the community. A lot more anxious, a lot more anxiety in them, right?

Because the first thing that comes to our mind right away will be like, was this a hate crime? Was it an isolated incident, right? The violence comes just two days after threats were made against two Gurdwaras in Calgary. Someone threatened to demolish the temples. Raj Siddu speaks for the Dashmish Culture Center in Calgary, which received one of the threats.

We're going to come and we're going to demolish your temple or place of worship. Calgary police say the investigation is ongoing, but they don't believe there is an active threat to the community or the temples. Sedu says he's not sure why this is happening. I think social media plays a huge role into it, just like certain aspects, misinformation and issues that are arising, that it can lead to someone just maybe not understanding how Sikhs work or who they are. Acts of hate against Sikhs are increasing, according to police reports.

Rina Kukhraja is a professor of global studies at Queen's University. She says the increase in hate is part of the political discourse we're seeing across the country and around the world. On the other hand, what we are also witnessing is, as you must have seen, just a day ago our CMP issued a note saying that the community might face attacks from unnamed sources because of the separatist agenda. The World Sick Organization of Canada is asking Gerduarez across Canada to review and strengthen security proceedings. and to remain vigilant. Brian Labby, CBC News, Calgary. The RCMPs say they have arrested a minor in Montreal on terror allegations. In a statement, the police say he had been plotting a school attack and that he used AI to help plan the attack.

Their investigation used intelligence shared with them from the FBI. The suspect's identity was not released under the Youth Criminal Justice Act. Body cameras are coming to Montreal's police force. The city's mayor made the announcement today alongside the chief of police. It comes at a time when confidence in Montreal's police officers has taken a hit. Alexander Silberman explains how that's driving the move. This is a tool of transparency. Montreal Mayor Soraya Martinez-Ferata announcing body cameras for city police.

A step she says towards restoring a fractured trust between residents and officers. But acknowledging, the move is only a start. in restoring confidence. There's much work to be done and many conversations to have. Again, this is one of the tools, but this is not the magic tool. The city will equip 3,500 police officers

with body cameras, with $40 million set aside for the rollout in the city budget. It's not a miracle solution. Montreal Police Chief, Fadidigar, says the cameras will help strengthen accountability. He says community members had been asking for them, and policies will ensure the body cams are effective.

It's not going to be free to the police officer to decide when it's on, when it's off. It's going to be, when we start to do the interpulation, the check. The announcement comes amid growing demands for action on systemic racism in the city's police. In June, 16 officers at a station in Montreal North were accused of coordinated hateful acts, targeting black and Arab residents. According to a Radio Canada source, they're accused of cutting off locks of hair during police stops to collect his trophies and racial profiling. The sentiment on the ground is not good. Alain Babineau is a former RCMP officer and a community activist.

He says body cams are long overdue. It's not a silver bullet. I will caution folks that thing that all of a sudden racial profiling is going to curb and not going to happen. most major Canadian police forces have already adopted them, including the RCMP in 2024. Tandip Sidu is a criminology professor at the University of Manitoba. He says research shows mixed evidence that body cams reduce use of force rates or public complaints. Those people in those communities that have a historically or contemporarily marginalized relationship with police, this likely isn't going to do anything to repair that relationship or improve perceptions of

transparency. For Samuel Bunch, the body cams make no difference for his anxiety around police. He says officers in LaValle pulled him out of his car by his dreadlocks and struck him in the head during a traffic stop. The incident recorded in a video. For the trust to get built back, the behavior needs to be stopped. That shattered trust, both police and community members say, will take time to rebuild. The body cams could take up. up to a year to be seen on officers. Alexander Silverman, CBC News, Montreal. For more than 40 years, members of Canada's 2SLGPTQ Plus community

were systematically purged from the public service, including the military, government agencies, and the RCMP. Today, a monument recognizing that discrimination was unveiled in Ottawa, paid for, in part, by money from a class action settlement. Katie DeRosa reports. There's more to this monument than its surface. Wayne Davis reflects on the national monument called Thunderhead.

The cylindrical shell is pierced by the shape of a thundercloud. The tiny mirrors only visible from the inside. Hidden at first, they sparkle when bathed in light. People are not going to forget the glitter. For Davis and the other Canadians purged from the military, RCMP and civil service for their sexuality between the 1950s and 1990s, it sheds light on the discrimination of 2S-LGBQ-plus people during Canada's history. The 79-year-old Vancouver man still remembers the shock of standing before his RCMP supervisor

and being asked why he'd been spotted in a gay bar. So if someone was in a gay bar because I'm gay, I thought it was okay. Davis was forced to quit and had to pack up his things by the end of the day. It was 1985. Davis had risen within the ranks to Staff Sergeant, working in B.C., Ottawa, and then Toronto. A dream career for a self-described high school dropout from Drumheller, Alberta.

That was the career I envisioned. The rationale at the time was their sexuality could be used against them as blackmail. Eleanor Serco says no one in her family talked about what happened to her great uncle until after he died. This was a very shameful and stigmatized thing that happened in my family.

Sergeant Robert David Van Norman, a decorated RCMP officer, was forced to resign in 1964 after he was outed as a gay man. He forfeit his pension. He died in poverty. His life was never the same. Sterco is gay and a former BC RCMP officer. She's now a provincial legislator in BC. Both Davis and Sterco were in Ottawa in 2017 when former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau apologized for the purge. Both were in Ottawa today to see the unveiling of a monument years in the making. And when Ivan Coyote was speaking and did the spoken word performance, talking about

how a thunder cloud is something that shifts and changes us and brings in something new in the environment. The monument was funded by some of the settlement from the class action lawsuit filed against the federal government for the purge, although many of the victims died before they could get any restitution. For Davis and Sterco, it's a permanent reminder of hard-fought rights, ones they say Canadians cannot take for granted. Katie de Rosa, CBC News, Victoria. The United Nations is warning of an exponential Ebola spread in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

The latest data shows more than 2,500 confirmed deaths from the virus. That's out of nearly 5,300 confirmed cases. Julian Arnais is the UN Senior Ebola Coordinator and says half of the deaths happened in the last 20 days. He says they need far greater support from the international community. We're unable to bring in the amount of money that is required to pay the workers, which has led to great unhappiness amongst frontline workers. And then eight cuts over the years, particularly the last two years,

have reduced the capacity of humanitarian organisations by more than 30%. Arnais says they only have enough funding to operate for a few more weeks. And any delays in support mean the epidemic will become more. more deadly and more expensive to contain. Expansion plans for Manitoba's port of Churchill are gaining some momentum. A study claims year-round shipping could be possible on Hudson Bay. The report points to shrinking sea ice and technological advances. She and Desjardin reports.

It's telling us that Churchill could be a year-round port right now. The boosted Manitoba Premier Wab canoe has been hoping for. It makes us the netherlands. next big resource platform in Canada. New studies released in Winnipeg today suggest that year-round shipping is technically possible on Hudson Bay, with the right ships, ice conditions and infrastructure, that is. Specialized ice-breaking vessels necessary,

just likely not the most expensive ones on the market. What that means is a longer shipping season, more economic opportunity. That could be easier, said than done, though. This area is known as the polar bear capital of the world, Northern Manitoba, where the port only operates roughly four months a year. Heavy ice makes it tricky for ships to navigate. And while climate change is warming, the water, and the ice is shrinking, it's still a bit of a wildcard and big factor in determining success.

Churchill has enormous potential. Rebecca Chartran is the Federal Northern and Arctic Affairs Minister. That does not mean ships begin operating 365 days a year tomorrow. It means we now have strong. evidence to answer the next question. What will it take to do this safely, responsibly, and commercially? For the port looking for a major expansion, the mayor possibility remains excellent news. Mayor Mike Spent says it needs to be done right. That means building economic opportunities while representing and respecting the thriving Churchill tourism market, potential impacts on wildlife.

At a time when the ongoing trade war with the U.S. has Canada exploring other companies. customers, routes, possibilities. But this project is expensive and needs money. The studies released just weeks ahead of a summit in Toronto, where Manitoba is pitching its port expansion project to some of the world's biggest investors. Some have raised concerns in the past about what year-round traffic could mean for polar bears or the belugas who call those waters home.

Ryan Brooke is a wildlife ecologist. Both very, very sensitive and potentially impacted by, any development or worst-case scenario, any kind of accidents that can occur. Lifelong Churchill resident Joe Stover says it's about balance. As long as it's done responsibly with prosperity and protection, the balance being there, then full speed ahead as far as I'm concerned. Mayor Spence, ready to. We are now positioned to play a much larger role in Canada's economy and the future of our home.

She and Desjaldane, CBC News, Toronto. Prince Harry and Elton. John are among high-profile claimants having to pay nearly $18 million to the daily mail. They lost their privacy lawsuit against the London newspaper. The group made 97 claims against the paper, including phone hacking. But those claims were denied in court. The claimants could still be on the hook for millions more in additional costs. After years away, K-pop global phenomenon, BTS, is making a much-anticipated return to

Canada. Thousands of fans are expected to gather in Toronto bringing massive crowds and a boost to business. Griffin Yager reports on how the city's preparing for the surge. I was the first person in line. I was here at 10.20 at night. I was here since midnight of last night. I was number six in the queue. Yeah, we waited like 4 a.m.ish. A fandom so devoted, they called themselves Army, waiting all night to get their hands on some BTS merchandise more than a day. before the band's return. The kings of K-pop will play two sold-out shows at Toronto's Rogers Stadium this weekend, their first time in Canada in nearly a decade and the only Canadian stop on their Arirang World Tour.

Everyone's crying. That's Sukfin Lee, who runs the BTS Army Toronto Fan Club. From young to old, they're just like, BTS is here. So it's like, it's just full of emotions and people are just ecstatic. It's just so special to be part of something that is going down in the history books. Like Toronto did something huge for BTS. And the BTS takeover isn't just at the stadium. It's spilling into Toronto's streets and its businesses.

All across the city, events, pop-ups and parties are easy to find. We're really excited. Marissa Lee is planning a BTS dance party. It's going to be the pre-party before the big concert. We're getting everybody hype. bringing the energy. Toronto is even temporarily renaming a stretch of Young Street to BTS Boulevard in the city's Korea town. If people want to immerse themselves in BTS, this is the weekend to do it.

City counselor Lily Chang hopes it brings business to the area. It really just highlights this community that has a rich Korean culture. After COVID, a lot of the mom and pop shops have really struggled. I talk to the business owners and they tell me how hard it is. So it's just showing them some love. Smooth like butter, like a criminal undercover, don't pop like trouble breaking into your heart like that. The last time BTS played Toronto in 2015,

it was for a crowd of less than 1,500. Now they're making up for lost time, playing for 100,000 throughout the weekend. A decade later, the scale of the fandom is almost impossible to miss. But for Jordan Van, it's the connection between fans that makes the weekend. worthwhile. Everybody has been waiting, like, years and years and years for this. It's just really special because everybody connects no matter, like, where you come from. Years of waiting one weekend and for BTS fans, a moment they won't forget.

Griffin Yeager, CBC News, Toronto. And finally, he is absolutely our hero. She just was not having that bear touch us. That's Collette Schwetz of Nipigan, Ontario, describing her dog Chloe. who was just inducted into the Purina Animal Hall of Fame for an act of canine heroism last September. Chloe had just been let out to do her business before bed when she suddenly darted back into the house. Schwetz and her husband, Joe, told the story this week

to CBC Thunder Bay's Superior Morning. As she ran through the door, I saw the bear behind her, and I tried to shut the door. And I couldn't, the bear just pushed me, pushed through the door. pushed me out of the way. As I run out, I went around the corner and looked in the kitchen, I'd seen the dog had a hold of the hind leg of the bear, trying to pull it towards the door. Joe Schwetz tried to pull the bear out, but it began attacking him.

All the while, Chloe hung on to the animal's back leg, eventually maneuvering the bear into the couple's basement. We shut the door and she did what she had to do. Like, she stood guard. Kept it downstairs. Yeah, she wouldn't let it back up. She did it. She did it. Like she put herself between the bear and us and gave us time to go and sort of take cover and call for help. Chloe and her people all suffered injuries, but are now fully recovered. One more thing. Chloe is a rescue dog, a mixed-sized mixed-breed yellow dog taken in by the family as a puppy. And the Schwetzes think the gratitude they feel likely goes both ways. She's fiercely protective of us, I guess, because being rescued, I guess.

She's an old soul dog. She doesn't have a lot of friends. She doesn't trust a lot of people, but she's very loyal. Thanks for being with us. This has been your world tonight for Friday, August 21st. I'm Kimberly Gale. Good night. For more CBC podcasts, go to cbc.ca.ca slash podcasts.