Your World Tonight - New Governor General, child murderers guilty, B.C. warm weather danger, and more

Episode Date: May 5, 2026

Louise Arbour will be Canada's next Governor General. She is an accomplished jurist – having served as a Supreme Court Justice, and as chief prosecutor of the International War Crimes Tribunal in the Hague. We have more on her career, and on how she plans to tackle her new duties.And: An Ontario couple has been found guilty in the first-degree murder of a 12-year-old boy who was in their care. They’re also guilty of the torture and confinement of his younger brother. The case raised questions about the systems that are supposed to protect vulnerable children in care.Also: Heat records are being smashed across B.C. And a shrinking snowpack is elevating wildfire risk, and even threatening the region's water supply.Plus: Whales and people get too close off the B.C. coast, Toronto unveils command centre for FIFA security, advocates demand more action on Red Dress Alerts, 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.ca. Good point. Point S, tires, and auto service. This is a CBC podcast. I'm not sure I could do much more to try to persuade them otherwise on the basis of what I've done before.

But going forward, yeah, I will engage. Louise Arbor, former Supreme Court Justice, wants the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights and a prosecutor of war criminals, known to be outspoken on many issues, combative and has her critics. Something Arbor says won't change now that she's set to become Canada's next next. Governor General. This is your world tonight. It's Tuesday, May 5th, just before 6 p.m. Eastern. I'm Stephanie Skandaris. Also on the podcast. Ultimately, the president's going to make a decision whether anything were to escalate into a violation of a ceasefire. But certainly we would urge Iran to be prudent in the actions that they take to keep that underneath this threshold.

When pushing almost leads to shoving, U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hagseth says the ceasefire in the war with Iran is not over, even though there have been numerous attacks on commercial ships in the Strait of Hormuz and on U.S. troops and allies. Hegseth describes it all as expected churn. The Pentagon calls it harassing fire, but neither says it justifies calling it a resumption of war, at least not yet. The job is often seen as ceremonial, shaking hands, handing out medals. But the Prime Minister says it's what people don't see. that'll make Louise Arbor a valuable Governor-General.

Her legal background is lengthy. She's made a career of speaking truth to power. But looming fights over Canada's unity may soon put that experience to the test. Kate McKenna has our top story. On my recommendation, His Majesty has approved the appointment of the Honorable Louise Arbor as the 31st Governor-General of Canada. It's arguably Prime Minister Mark Carney's biggest appointment to date. Internationally renowned jurist Louise Arbor will serve as the King's representative and the commander-in-chief of Canada's armed forces, replacing the first indigenous governor-general, Mary Simon.

As Mary Simon has, Louise Arbor will represent the best of Canada to Canadians and to the world. I will strive to serve with honor, dedication, and integrity. The Montreal native comes with a long resume. She has already earned the country's highest honor, the companion of the Order of Canada. She served as Supreme Court Justice, prosecuted war crimes in Rwanda and Yugoslavia, and served as the UN Human Rights Commissioner. It also tells us something about what Louise Arbor will bring to Rita Hall. The conviction that institutions are the load-bearing walls of a civil society and that they remain trustworthy only as long as someone is willing to hold them accountable. Her appointment comes at a time where national unity is in jeopardy.

There may be separation referendums in both Alberta and Quebec. Luis Arbor is a great Canadian, point-blank. Eric Antoine Maynard is a political strategist in Quebec. He says this appointment may help bridge divides between the two solitudes, following criticism that Arbor's predecessor never became fluent in French. Nobody will ever have unanimous support across the board. This is a very diverse country. But I think her track record makes her particularly ideal for the moment

in which Canada finds itself. I must admit that even if there are some issues about which I would not agree with Madame Marbeau, I have the utmost respect for that woman. Black Quebecois leader I Francois Blanchet says he admires the choice, but his party will never support the monarchy. There's no possibility to create a bridge on the gap between us and the British monarchy. Meanwhile, some conservatives have raised concerns over the years about her previous work, like helping craft a global pact on migration,

that some saw as a threat to sovereignty and condemning Israel's actions against the people of Gaza during a 2008 conflict with Hamas. She says she will serve all Canadians. I will reach out not only to those who agree with me. The kind of cheerleading mode, I think, is not always conducive to change and to progress. I will reach out to anybody who wishes to engage with me,

to debate, to discuss. I will listen. Arbor is expected to start her new job next month. Kna, CBC News, Ottawa. The U.S. is trying to draw a line between its war with Iran and its new mission, trying to get commercial ships out of the Strait of Hormuz. Despite exchanges of fire, Washington maintains a ceasefire is still holding, even as a key Gulf ally says it was targeted in renewed attacks. Katie Nicholson has the latest from Washington.

We're in a little skirmish military. I call it a skirmish because Iran has no chance. The U.S. President dismissive of Iran, even as he continues to be confounded by peace negotiations, and its stranglehold on the Strait of Hormuz. They should wave the white flag of surrender. But they haven't. Instead, they've responded to Donald Trump's new Project Freedom, a military effort to help guide ships through the strait with Monday attacks on U.S. vessels. Despite that, Trump insists the April ceasefire is,

still intact, but wouldn't say what might break it. Well, you'll find out because I'll let you know. They know what to do and they know what to do. They know what not to do. No, the ceasefire is not over. Pentagon head Pete Hankseth parroted his boss in a defense briefing and insisted three times that Project Freedom was not connected to the original Iranian Operation Epic Fury.

This operation is separate and distinct from Operation Epic Fury. An important point for the administration because it has claimed that the ceasefire paused the clock on the war powers resolution, which would require the White House to get congressional approval to continue the war after 60 days. If it were to restart, that would be the president's decision. The briefing took a hard turn toward cold war fodder when General Dan Kane was asked to respond to reports Iran might deploy kamikaze dolphins strapped with explosives into the strait. It's like sharks with laser beams, right? And I can't confirm or deny whether we have kamikaze dolphins, but I can confirm they don't.

In the UAE, not dolphins, but missiles and drones keeping air defenses busy for a second day. The country's Ministry of Defense says they were fired from Iran. Iran denies this. The UAE has been a champion ally. The attacks have left close Trump advisor Senator Lindsey Graham, questioning whether the ceasefire is really holding and whether the U.S. should do more to protect its ally. They've done everything we ask and then some. They've taken the brunt of this war.

So I want them to know we have their back. I'll leave that up to President Trump. But at the end of the day, Iran's not going to quit. The recent escalations also caused consternation in Saudi Arabia, whose foreign ministry today called for de-escalation and restraint, while Iran, seeking to formalize its control over the Strait of Hormuz, officially launched the Persian Gulf Street Authority, which it says will regulate traffic through the strait.

Katie Nicholson, CBC News, Washington. Russian attacks have killed at least 20 people across Ukraine just ahead of ceasefires proposed by both sides. Ukraine announced it would observe an open-ended ceasefire starting at midnight unless it is fired on again. Russia said it would honor a ceasefire for Friday and Saturday to mark its own Victory Day festivities, but also warned it would retaliate if those celebrations

are disrupted. Coming right up, a couple in Ontario is found guilty of a horrible crime. The murder of one child entrusted to their care and the torture of another. Also, Ottawa backs a pilot project for a red dress alert system in Manitoba, hoping to save lives. Critics say the idea is good, but it should be national. Also, an incident between a jet skier and a gray whale in Vancouver leads to questions about how to balance the enjoyment of nature with protecting it. And later, we'll have this story.

I'm John Hernandez in Vancouver, where heat is shattering century-old temperature records. The warm weather might mean more people are going to the beach, but there's also mounting concerns over the region's water supply and heightened risks of wildfires. We're at about 45% of our normal snowpack for this time of year, so it would be more than double this is what we would like to see. I'll have more on BC's scorching start to the spring on your world tonight. The question at the heart of a trial in Ontario, how, despite multiple warnings, did an indigenous boy end up dead in the basement of a couple that was trying to adopt him?

Today, the couple was found guilty of first-degree murder and of torturing the boy's younger brother. Jamie Strasson has the disturbing details and the calls for change. He was loved. We were sorry for what happened to him. We're sorry that we weren't there for them. In 2017, the two brothers whose identities are protected by a publication ban and known only as LL and JL left their foster mother, Heather Walsh's Ottawa home. Five years later, L.L. was dead. The paramedics who found his emaciated body in the Burlington, Ontario basement of Brandy Cooney and Becky Hambur, had trouble believing the razor-thin boy on the floor was really 12 years old. They were loving kids, they were caring kids, they were happy kids.

Happy, smart, beautiful. The couple brought the two indigenous boys into their home, planning to adopt them. But instead, as Justice Clayton Conlon laid out in his 300-plus-page decision, LL's death capped a vicious cycle of torture and abuse. The woman testified the brothers were out of control that L.L. had a severe eating disorder, defending their actions, which included withholding food, zip-tying the boys into wetsuits for days at a time and locking them away in their rooms. Conlin dismissed their evidence as unbelievable. They hated the boys. They loathe them,

Conlon wrote. They deeply resented them having come into their lives and not having turned out to be what was expected. He won't get his dreams. It's just not fair. assistant Kathleen Crabb spent hours with LL before the couple took him out of school altogether. In the years leading up to this tragedy, Crabb and others brought concerns to the Halton Children's Aid Society. But the boys remained in the home. This never happened to this kid. I have his name tattooed to my arm. I wake up every morning and I have a coffee and I look at his picture and I talk to him.

Sarah Biasetti was J.L.'s grade two teacher. and contacted children's aid four times. They sent me photos of them zip-tide, which I submitted to CAS, and nothing was done. It still affects me because I don't know what else I could have done to help these kids. None of the children's aid societies involved would speak directly about the circumstances of this case. Neither would the provincial minister responsible for agency oversight.

Predictable, says Ontario's former child advocate, Erwin Elman. I think we need to have an investigation into that. I think we need to have an inquest. He says it's the only way to ensure the tragic death of this boy will not be forgotten. Jamie Strash in CBC News, Milton, Ontario. A long red dress flowing in the breeze. It's a simple but powerful symbol of Canada's missing

and murdered indigenous women and girls. And on this National Day of Awareness, known as Red Dress Day, there are urgent calls. for governments to move faster to put a public alert system in place. Olivia Stefanovic reports. We need some action now. At a rally on Parliament Hill,

Bridget Toley helps lay out dozens of photographs featuring indigenous women, each with loved ones still searching for answers about their disappearances or murders. I don't want to be here, but I have to be here because somebody needs to be a voice for our missing and murdered indigenous.

On this National Day of Awareness, known as Red Dress Day, Prime Minister Mark Carney received a sacred bundle from families and survivors during a private ceremony in Ottawa, symbolizing the responsibility to ensure healing and safety. We hope that it is treated by an emergency. Sandra Delirond attended the ceremony with Carney. She heads an organization in Manitoba that's receiving $300,000 in new federal funding, to pilot a red dress alert, an emergency notification system for missing indigenous women,

girls, and gender diverse people. We'll say, you know, our hope is that we're able to decrease the number of homicide. The red dress alert is expected to be tested in Manitoba this fall, then potentially used as a model across the country. Not fast enough for the NDPMP of Winnipeg Center. And they need to implement a red dress alert immediately. Leah Gazan co-led consultations with the government on the new emergency system three years ago. Now she says she no longer believes it's a priority.

It's not on their radar. What's on their radar is the $25 billion for corporations, the $13 billion for the military spending. Meanwhile, people are falling through the cracks. But the Crown Indigenous Relations Minister disagrees. This is big, big work. this is a crisis and it's not done by one government in one day. Rebecca Altie says preventing violence against indigenous women and girls is still a priority, and a red dress alert is one part of the solution.

We can't take our foot off the gas. The last government invested a lot in housing. We've got to continue that investment as well as in the community safety and community healing. Marion Buller is the former chief commissioner of the National Inquiry into missing and murdered indigenous women and girls. She applauds the government for moving the red dress alert system forward. Let's put this way. There's been a number of excuses thrown around.

There just hasn't been the political will from my perspective. And now the people in Manitoba have pushed, they've demanded. Buller says she hopes that momentum helps bring attention to the inquiry's 231 calls for justice. delivered seven years ago, most recommendations are still waiting to be fulfilled. Olivia Estefanovich, CBC News, Ottawa. Saskatchewan is mailing out postcard surveys, asking residents whether there should be restrictions on social media platforms for children under 16. Premier Scott Moe says the results could shape the government's next move. It may come back that, you know, the majority of parents not only want a limitation on it, they want an outright ban.

and that would be the government's position. So we won't, we're not going to try to predict or we won't get ahead of ourselves on what that is. It's why we're asking the question. The survey is being mailed out in the next few days. Manitoba was the first Canadian province to announce a social media ban for youth. Hosting the FIFA World Cup poses enough challenges when it's just in one country. This year, Canada shares the responsibility with the U.S. and Mexico, with just five weeks now until matches kick off here.

Vancouver and Toronto are busy making plans to try and keep everyone safe. She and Desjardin reports. Policing FIFA is the longest continuous operational period, requiring the largest deployment of members in Toronto Police Service history. And Chief Myron Demkew says the city is up in its game. The command centers we already had were not designed to support the scale, complexity, and operational demands. So this new command center here was built for FIFA.

In a secret location in Toronto's east end is the central hub, with big screens at the front and rows of desks lined with computers. It's able to handle much more all at once, says Superintendent Dave Ecclund, using city cameras, traffic cameras, even drones. We'll be able to monitor activity across the city in real time, including crowd movement and traffic conditions. And with the flood of visitors expected for the World Cup this summer, that's critical, not just at games.

FIFA Fanfest is still in its early set of days. That alone is expected to draw thousands, and there will be other events all over the city, says Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow. We have been preparing for everything from crowd management to emergency response to making sure people can get where they need to go safely and reliably. The federal government is stepping in two,

announcing last week $145 million for security in Canadian host cities Toronto and Vancouver. But it's still not clear exactly where all that money will go. So security isn't just a Canadian concern. For the first time ever, the tournament has been hosted by three different countries, Mexico and the United States too. Douglas Olson, the special agent in charge of the U.S. game, says collaboration will be important. I think the key to supporting an event as big as the World Cup is having a common operating picture across not only the United States, but also having a common operating picture with our partners to the north in Canada and our partners to the south in Mexico.

But one of his biggest safety concerns is a threat posed by unmanned aircraft systems, aka drones. Chief Demkew didn't divulge much of Toronto Police's plan to deal with those, only that it has one. The Toronto Police is working with our partners to make sure we have the tools necessary. to keep everybody attending these events safe, and that includes from any concerns around drone technology. The specifics on how we're dealing with that, we won't be discussing it this time.

As for Vancouver, their police department is expected to share more on its World Cup security plans tomorrow. Sheand de Chalde, CBC News, Toronto. The World Health Organization says victims of Hanta virus on a ship in the Atlantic Ocean may have been infected before joining the cruise. The WHO says it was likely trained. transmitted from human to human on board, although that is rare.

Three people have died, four others are sick. Dr. Maria Van Kerkoff is WHO's chief of epidemic and pandemic preparedness. She says medical personnel are trying to make sure there is no more spread. We have heard from quite a few people on the boat. We just want you to know we are working with the ship's operators. We are working with the countries where you are from. We hear you. We know that you are scared.

We're trying to make sure that the ship has as much information as they can. Kirchov says the WHO is trying to track anyone who had already left the ship before the cases were identified. The ship is still stopped off the coast of Cape Verde in West Africa. 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. This year is proving to be a challenge for gray whales in the Pacific Ocean. Researchers say their numbers are dwindling because of declining food stocks.

And as they search for new sources, experts are warning of another emerging issue. Human interaction. Caroline Bargut explains. As boaters and spectators gathered for a glimpse of a gray whale in Vancouver Harbor, you could hear jet skiers speeding across the water. As the whale came up for air, it was struck. sending the man flying. Holy shit.

Oh my God. Richard Savage watched it happen. You think how lucky we are to live in a place where the, you know, nature and the urban environment can come together and exist harmoniously. And, you know, that kind of fiction was shattered by, you know, this person irresponsibly, you know, driving and, you know, I'm sure harming the whale.

BC Health Services says the man was taken to hospital in serious but stable condition. With the whale, the Department of Fisheries and Oceans will try to assess whether it was injured. The incident has angered many Vancouverites. I think he was just some dude bro on a jet ski seeing how fast he could go. Andrew Aikenhead said the man operating the watercraft should have known better. Even before it happened, I think people were going, you idiot, slow down. There's whales in the area.

Aikenhead doesn't know if the man intentionally hit the whale or if he even saw it before the collision. Vancouver police are investigating. Constable Darren Wong couldn't say if charges would be laid. We haven't determined yet what's going to happen with that. There's going to be a lot of conversations between our agencies to determine what the next course of action is then. Recently, orcas and this gray whale have been spotted in Vancouver Harbor, which has led to people flocking to see them.

DFO says it received a number of calls about people getting too close. It's illegal to disturb marine mammals. That includes approaching, swimming, or interacting with them. And there are rules about how close you can get. People in watercraft must stay 100 meters away from whales, dolphins, or porpoises, and even further from killer whales in B.C. or any whale with calves. The whale might swim away, but it remains to be seen if the whale survives. Jackie Hildering is with the Marine Education and Research Society.

She says gray whales in the Pacific Ocean have been struggling to find food, and it's likely why this whale was in Vancouver Harbor. The very fact that they're ending up, some of them in places where they don't normally feed, suggests and supports that they might need to feed on the way back up to the Arctic feeding grounds. She says this incident should serve as a reminder to people to slow down on the waterways. Caroline Bargut, CBC News, Vancouver. On land across BC, heat is the big concern. Temperatures have been spiking, causing records to fall.

In some regions, the risk is drought. For others, it's fire. John Hernandez tells us more about the problem and the prevention efforts. You're worried about drought and water usage in the lower mainlands. High up on Cyprus Mountain on Vancouver's north shore, streams of melted snow pour down rock walls. Most of the landscape is bare and brown. Ken Bradshaw hiked up to the peaks with his dog,

something he does dozens of times each year. It is quite warm and there's hardly any snow left near the top. I didn't even have to wear microspikes today. We could just walk in in hiking boots and that's unusual for this time of year. A warm fall meant a below average snowpack atop the mountains. The snowpack in Metro Vancouver is the lowest it's been in a decade. And the record-breaking spring heat means it's melting fast. We're at about 45% of our normal snowpack for this time a year. So we'd be more than double this is what we would like to see. Heidi Walsh is in charge of the district's water management, lawn watering is already banned in Metro Vancouver. Walsh says

more restrictions are expected in the coming weeks to preserve critical reservoirs that serve more than 3 million people. Stage 3 is really almost a full ban on outdoor water use, so it gets quite a bit stricter. So we will, we won't want to see people washing their cars, you know, hosing their driveways down. As snow melts on mountains across the province and little rain in the forecast, concerns are mounting over wildfire risks. There are more than two dozen active fires burning across BC. Carly DeRosier is a fire information officer with the BC Wildfire Service. We're now seeing temperatures about 8 to 10 degrees above seasonal average,

so that's really accelerating that drying, increasing the wildfire risk. Camp fire bans are expected to go into effect across BC's South Coast on Thursday. Head researcher Andrea Doyan says the story. soaring temperatures could be a precursor to an exceptionally hot summer. In 2021, there were more than 600 heat-related deaths across BC. Diane says it's not too early for people to consider heat safety plans. Where does it look like for me to cool down? Where might I be able to go stay if I have to be somewhere for a few days?

Spring temperatures that haven't been seen in more than 100 years, and the warm season is just getting started. John Hernandez, CBC News, Vancouver. Finally, today is Cinco de Mayo, a holiday that celebrates Mexican culture, food, and of course, music. The band Los Paisanos has been playing mariachi music in the Ottawa area for more than 30 years. Jose Luis Cantana is the lead singer. 1990, yes, yes, yes. I remember very well because it's the year.

marry, so it's always on my mind. And this is my second marriage, this band, with my colleagues. We spent time together for a long, long time together, all the weekends. And, oh, yeah, sometimes my wife gets jealous. Kintana's bandmate, Miguel Moreno, says Los Paisanos has no plans to stop. Mnuchesu never, never retire. They die playing. Yeah, believe me, believe it or not, For me, it's like that. I will keep until the end. And they have a full slate today, starting early, ending late.

They've played restaurants, bar mitzvahs, funerals, Indian weddings. Kintana and Moreno say it shows that mariachi music may have started in Mexico, but it has universal appeal. We make people dance, no matter they don't understand the Spanish, but the rhythm, we transmit. And people, they start jumping and dancing. It's just incredible the reaction. It's amazing how the people react when we start playing.

And people really, really enjoy it. And that's what it please us. Here's a bit more of Lost Paisano's transmitting that rhythm. This has been your world tonight for Tuesday, May 5th. Thank you for being with us. Stephanie Scandaris. Good night. For more CBC podcasts, go to cBC.ca.ca.com