Your World Tonight - Remembering champion curler and broadcaster Colleen Jones, Carney’s pipeline gamble, RSV immunization accessibility, and more

Episode Date: November 25, 2025

Remembering Colleen Jones. The 65-year-old was a world champion curler, and a member of the Order of Canada. She was also a longtime CBC personality, telling the stories of Canadians over a career that spanned four decades, starting in 1986 as Halifax’s first woman sports anchor. Jones died today following a battle with cancer.And: For a deal that hasn't been officially announced yet, there's already a lot of debate in the House of Commons. Prime Minister Mark Carney was in Parliament today, defending a proposed energy agreement with Alberta. Plans the opposition says are moving too slow, while some in British Columbia worry about the idea itself.Also: Now that parents can immunize infants against RSV, hospitalizations are down roughly 80%. But not every province is publicly funding the pricey injections, so not all Canadians have equal access.Plus: Thomas King revelation reaction, more recall petitions in Alberta, optimism and apprehension in Ukraine peace talks, cuts to university sports programs and more.

This ascent isn't for everyone. You need grit to climb this high this often. You've got to be an underdog that always over-delivers. You've got to be 6,500 hospital staff, 1,000 doctors, all doing so much with so little. You've got to be Scarborough. Defined by our uphill battle and always striving towards new heights. And you can help us keep climbing.

Donate at lovescarbro.cairbo. This is a CBC podcast The whole whole life has been shaped around curling and throwing rocks. I got my career because of curling. You know, a simple game can kind of lead to so many other things in your life. On the ice and on the air. Colleen Jones. broke records in sport and barriers in broadcasting,

a champion and a charmer who brought stories to audiences across the country. Tonight, it's her story being remembered. Welcome to Your World Tonight. I'm Susan Bonner. It is Tuesday, November 25th, just before 6 p.m. Eastern, also on the podcast. I'm appalled, first and foremost. Right now, if you're a liberal from coastal British Columbia, you should be very deeply concerned. Backlash in British Columbia, with Alberta hoping an energy deal with Ottawa paves the way for a new pipeline.

Prime Minister Mark Carney is trying to smooth things over. She was a trailblazer in women's sports and Canadian broadcasting, doing it all with her signature smile. Colleen Jones has died after a three-year fight with cancer. Remembered, not only as a chance, champion athlete, but also a beloved national TV personality who connected as well as she curled.

Lisa Sching has more. Colleen Jones has won her third, the national title. A force on the curling rink, Colleen Jones's determination took her team to victory over and over again. Colleen Jones, he's on top

of the world again. A six-time national curling champion, two-time world champion. It's just great to be on top. We worked really hard this year for this. That work ethic, a testament to her success. Jones made 21 appearances at the Scotty's Tournament of Hearts National Championships and played more Scotty's games than any other curler in Canadian history.

Her son, Luke Saunders, remembers his mother as a legend and superstar. There were moments I could barely look at her and think she was a real person. It was like, how did I get this so lucky, you know, to have. Colleen and all her glory, driving me to tenants or wherever I was going, right? I just don't have an ounce of regret with my relationship with my mother. She was a role model for young athletes inducted into Canada's Sports Hall of Fame for curling. It's given us friends and memories and a discipline that has stayed with us. And we're all very thankful for that.

And we like to push that on to the next generation, the value of sports. Canadian Olympic curling champion Jennifer Jones remembers her larger-than-life personality. Colleen had a magic, a sparkle about her, and there was nobody like Colleen. I remember the first time I met her, she made me feel as welcome as if I'd known her for a hundred years. In 2022, Jones was appointed to the Order of Canada for breaking barriers for women in sport and broadcasting, spending four decades with the CBC, including as Halifax's first female sports anchor. It's great fun going into the communities and showcasing their communities. Oh, yum.

Fellow Canadians, can I share? If you believe he's letting me drive? Woo! Her friend, former colleague and CBC host Heather Hisscocks, remembers seeing her recently as she battled cancer for the last three years. She fought just like she tackled curling, just like she tackled broadcasting. She wanted every detail. She just gave everything to the fight.

never finished, right to the very end. I now have gratitude for today. At an announcement for her Nova Scotia Sport Hall of Fame induction earlier this month, she was determined despite her struggle. I think persevering in everything in life is just a character trait we all need to develop. Jones was a wife, mother, and grandmother. Her son, Luke, posted the news of her death online, writing, while looking out on the ocean from her favorite spot in Maiters Cove

with my dad, brother and myself beside her, mom passed away. Hurry and love hard. Lisa Xing, CBC News, Toronto. Well, for a deal that hasn't been officially announced yet, there's already heated debate in the House of Commons. Prime Minister Mark Carney was in Parliament today defending a proposed energy agreement with Alberta. Plans the opposition says are moving to slowly.

while some in British Columbia worry about pipeline talk getting ahead of itself. Kate McKenna reports from Ottawa. Even the specter of a new pipeline is exposing fault lines in the Federation. Energy Minister Tim Hodgson blew past reporters on his way into a cabinet meeting. I can tell you, we'll have something to say very soon. Thank you very much. Ottawa's Memorandum of Understanding with Alberta is set to be formally announced on Thursday. sources say it includes language about a pipeline to the West Coast, and it's expected to lay out conditions for which the province could be exempt from some environmental regulations. These revelations made waves on Parliament Hill, including during question period with conservative leader Pierre Paulyev.

On Thursday, he'll make one of his grand announcements waving around a meaningless so-called memorandum of understanding. If it's anything other than a public relations ploy, why won't he say on what? date will construction begin on a pipeline from Alberta to the Pacific? The memorandum of understanding that we're negotiating with Alberta creates necessary conditions but not sufficient conditions because we believe in cooperative federalism. We believe the government of British Columbia has to agree. Sources say federal support is contingent on trade-offs from Alberta,

including stricter industrial carbon pricing, carbon capture and storage, support from First Nations, and provincial consultation, with BC, putting the ball in Alberta's court. Alberta Liberal MP Cory Hogan welcomes a potential relational reset. And look, I think it would be a really important step if we managed to get to an accord between two jurisdictions that are not always on the same page. But behind the scene, sources say some BC liberals are angry.

They were not briefed in advance and learned about the broad strokes of the deal through the media. Well, I mean, I'm appalled first and foremost. NDP British Columbia MP Gord Johns has a message for the liberals. People on the western coast don't want a pipeline. Right now, if you're a liberal from coastal British Columbia, you should be very deeply concerned. Despite all the polling that everyone likes to throw around about British Columbia and supporting a pipeline,

I live in coastal British Columbia. I tell you, that's not true. The BC government has also said it's against any new bitumen pipeline. There's also opposition from coastal first nations, and so far no private company has stepped up to build it. These are key roadblocks that could turn Alberta's proposed pipeline, into a pipe dream. Kate McKenna, CBC News, Ottawa. The Prime Minister is also addressing his Who Cares comments

made at the end of the G20 summit in South Africa. Here's Mark Carney in question period today. I made a promise to Canadians. When I make a mistake, I'll admit it. That was a poor choice of words about a serious issue. And the serious issue is what progress are we making structurally best deal in the world, strongest budget in the world. Carney's off-the-cuff remark came Sunday he was responding to questions about when he last spoke with President Trump.

Negotiations between Canada and the U.S. have been stifled for weeks because of Ontario's anti-tariff ad. Carney's office has said he might visit Washington next week. It's not a done deal yet, but some Albertans could be asked to vote on whether to recall their United Conservative MLAs. There are now at least 14 approved petitions which will try to gather enough signatures to force a vote. And more could be on the way. As Catherine Garrett reports, the grassroots dissatisfaction could have serious consequences for the government. We need 16,006 by January 21st. The list of MLAs and the signatures to recall them is getting longer

and could be enough to potentially tip the balance of power in the Alberta legislature. Each recall petition needs 60% of the votes cast in the writing in the most recent election. The reasons differ for each petition, but there is a popular common thread. I think for me the biggest motivation, of course, was the act to force teachers back into the schools and legislate our contract. Melissa Craig is a teacher in Calgary. She started the petition aimed at MLA Rajansani in her Calgary Northwest riding. We had been trying to bargain for a better deal. and didn't end up getting that.

The recall legislation was introduced in 2021 under former Premier Jason Kenney's UCP government. Ordinary Alberta voters are the boss in our democracy. As the number of petitions grows, MLAs argue the recall system is not being used properly. I think the intent was always to have a way to deal with elected officials that had shown egregious behavior. Minister of Finance, Nate Horner, did not comment

on what he thinks the intentions of today's campaigns are. I'm not going to speak much about what we're seeing today. You can judge for yourself if you think that's how it's being used. Many petitioners cite a lack of responsiveness to community concerns or feel the targeted MLAs are inaccessible. Speaking during question period Tuesday, Premier Daniel Smith called the process abusive. Like the longest ballot, which is also meant to undermine confidence in our democracy,

Mr. Speaker, I don't think that's how it recall was in, and so we're taking a look at if we need to make changes. One political science professor at the University of Calgary notes, Alberta has not seen recall petitions since the 1930s. Lisa Young adds, in the past, it was repealed. One of the criticisms of recall as a mechanism is that it forces us to refite elections a couple of years in. She says at this scale, it appears to be a concerted effort.

Young says there's speculation that the Smith government will opt for an early election rather than allow the recalls to go forward. But notes it could be contentious given the UCP's current position. These petitions are, I think, indicative of, you know, growing frustration with some of the policy choices of the government. It's a long process. Each petitioner has three months to gather enough signatures to force a vote, meaning this could play out well into the new year.

Catherine Garrett, CBC News, Grand Prairie, Alberta. Coming right up, effective but expensive. The cost of a shot to protect infants from RSV depends on what province he live in, and a surprise character reveal how indigenous Canadians are reacting after the author Thomas King admits he's not who he thought he was.

Later, we'll have this story. I'm Alison Northcott in Montreal, where it's game over for many athletes at one of Canada's most prestigious schools. Now, they're speaking out about cuts to sports at McGill University. I was absolutely devastated and I was heartbroken by this decision. McGill's 125-year-old track and field program is among those the university will no longer support. Later, on Your World Tonight, the high-profile athletes criticizing the move and why McGill says it's necessary. We've been hearing more about the respiratory illness RSV in recent years,

especially during a post-pandemic spike in infant hospitalizations. Now that babies can be immunized, far fewer are ending up in hospital, but the shot is pricey and Canadians don't have equal access to it. Lauren Pelley explains. Hello, what can I get for you today? Today, this and this and this. Katrina Belavance's daughter is now happy and healthy, but two years ago when she was just a newborn, she suddenly couldn't stop coughing. I could tell that she was pulling, like in-drawing underneath her ribs.

Her baby was struggling to breathe. In that moment, we knew we had to get her to the hospital as soon as possible. Belavance's daughter was diagnosed with respiratory syncycial virus or RSV. She spent four days on oxygen in the hospital. RSV might not be a household term for many families. but it is the number one cause of hospitalization year in, year out in children during their first year of life. Montreal Children's Hospital, pediatrician and researcher Dr. Jesse Pappenberg says new data from multiple countries shows powerful monoclonal antibody shots targeting RSV are now keeping more babies out of hospital. And what they found was that over 80% effective at reducing the risk of emergency department, department visits due to RSV, hospitalizations due to RSV.

Pappenberg's own research in Quebec showed similar results. I cannot oversell how important reducing ICU admissions is because we have a very limited pediatric intensive care unit capacity in Canada. There are also vaccines available to mothers during pregnancy, which provide protection to newborns as well. This year marks Canada's second season rolling out these RSV shots, but many Canadians still don't. have access. While most regions now offer publicly covered antibody shots for all babies,

BC, Alberta, New Brunswick, and Newfoundland still don't. Meanwhile, Ontario remains the only province that publicly funds both the shot for infants and the vaccine in pregnancy. While it's not clear what each province pays, the list prices for these shots are hundreds of dollars. I think the logistics is a more complicated thing than the science, because the science is very positive. Infectious disease specialist Dr. Jeffrey Pernica is with McMaster University in Hamilton. He says access and uptake could be better. And he worries anti-vaccine sentiment might remain a roadblock. Political wins could make it harder for us to keep tiny babies out of the hospital.

Be careful. It's very hot. In Alberta, where Bella Vance lives, antibody shots are only being covered this year for high-risk infants. I think it should be accessible. The province told CBC News a cost-effectiveness analysis is being done before next season. Lauren Pelley, CBC News, Toronto. He is an award-winning author with titles including The Inconvenient Indian and Indians on Vacation. But the latest work from Canadian writer Thomas King is a newspaper op-ed admitting he's not indigenous. The revelation is sending shockwaves through the literary world and indigenous communities,

with many wondering why it took so long to find out. Macda Gaborselassay has more. I'm looking at forming my world, that world that I see around more native models. That is Thomas King back in 1993 talking about his book, Green Grass Running Water. The author had long claimed to be part Cherokee. Now in an essay in the Globe and Mail,

he reveals he's not. He says rumors questioning his heritage led him to tribal alliance against frauds, an organization that investigates claims of indigenous ancestry. During a video call with Taff, he says he learned he had no Cherokee ancestry. King, who said his mother told him his father was part Cherokee, says he's now reeling from this news. He was upset. He was really wounded by it. Daniel Heath Justice, who knows King, said he was asked to be on the call by Taff,

the professor of critical indigenous studies and English at the University of British Columbia, is also a member of the Cherokee Nation. He says for many people, this news comes as no surprise. I know that a number of people had been doing genealogical work on him. It wasn't just half. There were others. You just kind of know that this is coming if somebody hasn't been able to substantiate any relationship. King said in the past he tried tracking his father's roots and got nowhere. Now he joins the list of prominent artists whose indigenous identities have unraveled under questioning.

among them writer Joseph Boyden and musician Buffy St. Marie. It comes crumbling down pretty quickly to... Veldon Coburn is with the Indigenous Relations Initiative at McGill University. He says it's up to individuals to do the research to verify their heritage and it doesn't stop there. If organizations and institutions are going to hang their reputation on a particular individual and say this is our indigenous scholar, it's incumbent upon them as well to take some steps to verify, as Murray Sinclair said when he was chancellor then of Queen's University a few years ago, self-identification is insufficient. Along with writing, King has worked as an academic in

Indigenous studies. King says the only award he intends to return is his national, Aboriginal achievement for arts and culture he received in 2003. Celeste Pedry Spade with the Office of Indigenous Initiatives at McGill University is calling for more. you make off of these indigenous stories, donate them. Donate them to some initiative to support the future of brilliant indigenous writers. In the meantime, the fallout continues. The Edmonton Opera has now cancelled its adaptation of King's novel Indians on vacation. Magde Gebera Salessa, CBC News, Toronto. The White House says a few delicate details are all that's standing in the way of a Russia-Ukraine peace.

deal. A U.S.-backed plan tabled last week has now been updated with input from Europe and Ukraine, but so far, there's no indication Russia will stand down on its demands. Chris Brown has the latest on negotiations. I think we're getting very close to a deal. We'll find out. U.S. President Donald Trump signaled today his negotiators are making progress towards ending the war, without saying exactly what he meant. But that's not what it looks like on the ground. where at least seven people were killed when hundreds of Russian drones and two dozen missiles struck Ukraine's capital cave overnight. Polina Malishkevich came to console a friend who barely survived the barrage.

And she's like, oh, I'm so scary. This was just like an explosion in my house and her vinos are crushed. The White House didn't comment on Russia's attacks and instead posted that just a few delicate but not insurmountable details. need to be sorted out. But they appear to include the same intractable issues that have doomed previous proposals, including Russia's insistence that Ukraine give up territory in eastern Donbass that Russia hasn't been able to capture after almost four years of all-out war. Thank you very much, Vladimir.

Russia says its demands, which would also bar Ukraine from joining NATO and cap its military, remain the same as President Vladimir Putin presented to Trump during their summer summit in Anchorage. And Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov reiterated that those conditions must be part of whatever proposal Trump's team brings to them. Despite suffering a million casualties,

according to Britain's defense ministry, Vladimir Putin appears to believe he can outlast Ukraine and he may be buoyed by tactical successes of late on the battlefield. The initial draft of the 28-point plan included points that were not acceptable. British Prime Minister Kier-Starmer told Parliament that Trump's latest plan that surfaced at the end of last week heavily favoured Russia. Europe, though, has been sidelined in these discussions.

Today, in a huge conference call involving 36 countries, including Canada, meeting as part of the so-called Coalition of the Willing, France's president, Emmanuel Macron, urged the U.S. to intensify the pressure on Russia. And we are united in support for a just, dignified and lasting peace for Ukraine. Tonight, Trump posted on truth social that he's directed his negotiators to meet separately with both Putin and Vladimir Zelensky's officials, but that he will only meet with the other leaders when a deal is in its final stages. Chris Brown, CBC News, London. This is Your World Tonight from CBC News.

If you want to make sure you stay up to date and never miss one of our episodes, follow us on Spotify, Apple, wherever you get your podcasts. Just find the follow button and lock us in. It may be an even worse feeling than not making the team. Many student athletes at Montreal's McGill University won't even get the chance to try out because it's the teams getting cut. The school is axing more than a dozen programs, including track and field, tennis, and golf.

There are fears the impact could be felt beyond McGill. Alison Northcott reports. I was absolutely devastated and I was heartbroken by this decision. Wearing his red McGill University track and field jacket, second year student and sprinter, William Sanders, says the university's decision to end its 125-year-old track and field program is hitting him hard. For me, track and field was an enormous factor in where I went to university and many of my teammates and I would not be here if we had known that this was going to

happen. McGill's athletics department says it's reducing the number of competitive sport clubs and varsity teams it supports, saying an internal audit and external review made it clear the current structure was no longer sustainable. 15 programs will be cut, including fencing, men's volleyball, and women's rugby. It's a challenge to offer sports. It's not as simple as throwing out the ball and letting people play. Perry Karnovsky is McGill's director of wellness and facilities. There's a lot of effort and administrative oversight behind the scenes nowadays to ensure people participate in a safe manner. And we're here. That's what we're here for. We're here to provide opportunities, but within the limitations that we have.

The changes have resonated beyond the McGill community. On social media, Olympic champion Bruni Surin called it a major loss for both Quebec and Canada's athletic community. Glenroy Gilbert is the Olympic head coach for Athletics Canada. He worries athletes from across the country are not only losing the program itself, but could lose access to McGill's world-class track and field facility. Losing something like this is a big shot to university athletes, but also it may have impacts on how. higher level of sports.

For female rugby players and for women in sports in general, this is just absolutely, it's super disappointing news. As a first year student and member of the women's rugby team, Fianna Edgerton hopes McGill will reverse its decision as more people speak out. It's not just rugby players, really. It's the community that extends beyond. It's other women in sports. It's, you know, even people who don't play sports that just acknowledge the importance of having,

of having recreation, of having these athletics programs available to women at McGill. Edgerton and other athletes say McGill didn't consult them before the decision or offer a chance to come up with a solution. McGill Athletic said it had internal and external discussions that were candid and at times emotional and that the decisions were made with the long-term sustainability of McGill Athletics and recreation in mind. Alison Northcod, CBC News, Montreal. We end tonight with real-life suspense for a holiday stage production set back by a theft under the cover of night. I'm appalled, first and foremost. Right now, if you're a liberal from coastal British Columbia, you should be very deeply concerned. Bent Jorgon is the artistic director of Jorgon Dance, a ballet company. It's just begun an Ontario tour of the Nutcracker.

It puts a Canadian spin on the Christmas classic set in Algonquin Park. The stage is decorated with a group of seven artworks, a handcrafted schoolhouse, sleigh, and tree. After opening night in North Bay last week, the production was back in Toronto. All of its backdrops, set pieces, and even some costumes stored in a moving truck that was stolen early Monday morning. You know, we're the only company. that brings major productions of Classical Valley to some of these communities. So, you know, we go everywhere you've never heard of and every place that doesn't have a lot of access to the art,

that is what we focus on. Even with the lost truck, Jorgon says the tour would find a way to continue. The company got donations and designers started frantically building new sets. Then another dramatic turn, another late-night twist. Overnight, appeal regional police, recover the truck and all the contents within it. And so this morning, the show is back exactly as it should be. It's a happy ending.

You know, someone's sold Christmas and now it's back on. Jorgon says the crew is happy to continue the tour without having to build brand new sets. But he says what impressed him most was the outpouring of support from the dance community and beyond to make sure the show would go on. Thank you for joining us.

This has been your world tonight for Tuesday, November 25th. I'm Susan Bonner. Talk to you again. It's.