Your World Tonight - Severe winter weather, Anger in Minneapolis, Parliament returns, and more

Episode Date: January 25, 2026

It's all that many Canadians are talking about this weekend - the extreme, bone-chillingly cold weather, and heavy snow. A mass of Arctic air is gripping much of the country, east of Alberta. And southern Ontario is projected to see record snowfall.Also: There is growing heartbreak and outrage in Minneapolis. The sub-zero temperatures are not deterring mourners and demonstrators from standing up against ICE - after its officers shot and killed another person in the city.And: The House of Commons is set to return on Monday - and Donald Trump's latest threats are already dominating the conversation. The U.S. president is warning Canada could face a 100% tariff if it strikes a trade deal with China. You'll hear how this could shape the session ahead, as all parties weigh their next moves.Plus: Faith-based hospitals refusing to perform MAID, Jamaica tries to revive tourism, The St. John's woman passing down her secret haggis recipe, and more.

Hey, it's me Gavin Crawford, host of the Because News podcast. If you're looking for some kind of group therapy for the news, well, we've got you. On Because News, I quiz the brightest and funniest Canadians about what's going on in the world, all in front of a live audience. So whether you spent the week quoting aphorisms of Thucydides or binge-watching heated rivalry, we'll catch you up on the Canadian headlines. Follow us wherever you get your fine podcasts for free. This is a CBC podcast.

Take it easy out there today. I have to go to work or I wouldn't be doing this. Trust me. I would be inside today. Winter weather warnings across much of Canada. Heavy snow in the east could break records and the polar vortex is plunging the prairies into a deep freeze. This is your world tonight. I'm Kimberly Gale. Also on the podcast. Parliament returns Monday at the top of the agenda. New tariffs from U.S. President Donald Trump if Canada makes a deal with China. We can have men in masks running around, dragging people out of cars and taking children and working apart of families. This is just horrendous. A day after immigration officials shot and killed a man in Minneapolis, residents are resolute in their opposition to ICE,

accusing the federal force of terrorizing their streets. It's all that many Canadians are talking about this weekend, the extreme bone-chillingly cold weather and heavy snow. A mass of Arctic air is gripping much of the country east of Alberta, and southern Ontario is seeing projected record snowfall. Environment Canada is warning people in and around Toronto to expect up to 50 centimeters of snow. And that's causing all kinds of disruptions. Philip Lee-Shanock reports. 90% sure will be canceled.

It may say on time on the departures board, but Vivian Wu is skeptical. her flight to Miami will be leaving. Her drive to Toronto's Pearson International Airport gave her a big clue. On the road is terrible. Within like 200 meters, so you can't see anything. More than half of the flights were cancelled by noon Sunday. Sean Davidson of the airport authority says during winter storms, the airport manages the rate of takeoffs and landings.

Really, that gives our crews out in the airfield more time to clear snow in between each takeoff and landing. The Ontario provincial police report. hundreds of accidents as heavy and blowing snow made road markings invisible. Howard Berger posted video of his drive into Toronto for work. Take it easy out there today. I have to go to work or I wouldn't be doing this. Trust me. I would be inside today. We're visibilities where you can't even see the front of your car.

Dave Phillips with Environment and Climate Change Canada says the polar vortex caused by a drop in the jet stream set up the storm. Without the wind chill, minus 50, minus 55. We've seen those in Manitoba and Saskatchewan. He says that's combining with a major storm system from the U.S. With moisture from the Pacific Ocean from the Gulf of Mexico. It's coming northward and it's colliding with the cold, cold air from Canada. Phillips says the storm could break one-day records for snowfall in the Toronto area as it heads eastward, where there are already warnings about the strain on the power grid.

About 20,000 households in Montreal were without power. In the Coat St. Luke neighborhood, Leslie Satinstein stayed in a community center overnight after his home lost power and heat. I'm just waiting for power to go back to normal. It's going to be very slow. Hydro-Cabect says a substation failure was the issue. In St. John's Newfoundland, the Bay Despair power plant has not been able to generate full power because ice has stopped water from flowing properly through the turbines. Rob Collette of Newfoundland Hydro says divers have been able to clear some ice from the system.

Very positive news. To be clear, we're not out of the woods, but we're absolutely seeing daylight. The utility is trying to import electricity, but it's warning residents that rolling blackouts are still possible. But St. John's residents like Marie Baldwin are adapting and staying warm. Woodstow, only when we go out for any length of time, we'll have the heat on. Across Atlanta, residents are being asked to conserve power in the face of an ongoing cold snap and expected snowstorm that could last days. Philip Lichanak, CBC News, Toronto. Similar scenes of intense winter weather are hitting the U.S. Snow plows drive through the streets of New Jersey as the storm reaches the northeast.

Heavy snow is pummeling a wide swath of the country, stretching all the way down to Texas. I see roads and relentless precipitation are disrupting travel, closing highways, and stranding cars. Thousands of flights are canceled, and down trees are triggering power outages, affecting over 1 million customers. New York Governor Kathy Hochel is warning residents to stay indoors and off the roads. An Arctic siege has taken over our state and many other states across the nation. and the snowstone we've expecting is now underway, but it is brutal. It is bone-chilling and it is dangerous. So we are anticipating the longest cold stretch and the highest snow totals the state has seen in several years.

The National Weather Service says snowfall is expected to continue through Monday and dangerous conditions could linger for several days. There is growing heartbreak and outrage in Minneapolis. The sub-zero temperatures are not deterring mourners and demonstrators from standing up against ice after immigration officers shot and killed another person in the city. Alex Prattie is being remembered as a dedicated nurse who cared for veterans. But the Trump administration continues to insist he was a domestic terrorist, despite any evidence to the contrary.

Katie Simpson is in Minneapolis for us tonight. Ladies name, Alex Prudy. A frozen snowboard. on the side of a busy road has become a gathering spot for mourners to grieve together. There are flowers, candles, signs, even a stethoscope on a large mound of ice, the place where Alex Preti, the 37-year-old ICU nurse, was shot and killed by U.S. federal agents. I'm broke. I don't know what to do.

So we're here. This guy was a hero. And I don't care what anybody else says. He's a Minnesota hero. Jason holds back tears and leans on his wife Stacey, both determined to pay their respects, even as the temperature hovers around minus 24 degrees Celsius. It was just as cold some 24 hours earlier

when Preddy was filming ice agents with his smartphone. Video show he stepped in to help another observer who had been shoved and pepper sprayed by an officer. Pretty was surrounded when it appears an officer pulled a gun from his waistband. He was a legal gun owner and had a permit to carry. Preddy was in the process of being pinned to the ground when at least 10 shots were fired. Oh my God! Despite these videos showing the before, during, and after,

federal officials continue to make claims that appear to directly contradict what those clips show and what witnesses have recalled. He was in the scene actively impeding and assaulting law enforcement. Without evidence, Greg Bovino, the head of customs and border personnel, Patrol accused Prattie of wanting to carry out a massacre, saying he was brandishing a gun. Allegations he stood by during a heated interview with CNN's Dana Bash. With respect, it feels as though in some ways you're blaming the victim here. The victims are the border of patrol agents.

I'm not blaming the border patrol agents. The victim are the border patrol agents. The suspect put himself in that situation. The victims are the border patrol agents there. The language and actions by the Trump administration, again, enraging ministers. Governor Tim Wals. This is an inflection point, America. If we cannot all agree that the smearing of an American citizen and besmirching everything

they stood for and asking us not to believe what we saw, I don't know what else to tell you. State and local officials filed a lawsuit ordering federal agents to preserve evidence at the crime scene. Like the investigation into the killing of Renee Good, they are being charged. shut out again. Find all the evidence you can, man. Let's get rid of these people out of our state, man. Mourners temporarily backed away from the shooting site for about 20 minutes as state investigators arrive to collect whatever evidence may still be there

and to canvas for witnesses. National Guard troops are also in the area, wearing yellow reflective vests, so no one mistakes them for ice agents. Do you like some donuts, have chocolate or coffee? National Guard members handed out refreshments to protesters who had gathered outside the federal building headquarters. Despite what's happened, demonstrators vowed to remain vigilant, including Kelly Calloway. Someone was getting attacked or abused. I would have to step in. I'm not trying to sound cool, but if I go that way too, then I've led a good way.

Demonstrators are dug in, while the Trump administration shows no signs of preparing to wind down its immigration enforcement operations. Katie Simpson, CBC News, Minneapolis. The House of Commons is set to return on Monday, and Donald Trump's latest threats are already dominating the conversation. The U.S. President is warning Canada could face a 100% tariff if it strikes a trade deal with China. J.P. Tasker explains how this could shape the session ahead as all parties weigh their next moves.

We can't let Canada become an opening that the Chinese poor, their cheap goods into the U.S. MPs are back on Parliament Hill and looming over the legislative agenda is U.S. President Donald Trump's latest trade threat. This time, he's floating a huge tariff on Canadian goods if Ottawa signs a trade deal with China. And U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent says he means it.

There's possibility of 100% tariffs if they do a free trade deal. That's something Carney says is not on the table. We have no intention of doing that with China or any other non-market economy. What we've done with China is to rectify some issues that developed in the last couple of years. In exchange for tear-for-leaf on Canadian farm products like canola, Carney agreed to lift levees on a set number of Chinese electric vehicles.

Earlier this month, Trump seemed unfazed about such an agreement. If you can get a deal with China, you should do that. But on Sunday, there was an about-face as he unleashed on social media, saying Canada is systematically destroying itself. The China deal is a disaster for them will go down as one of the worst deals of any kind in history. While only months ago, the two leaders appeared to have developed a rapport, exchanging compliments in the Oval Office.

I think Canada chose a very talented person, a very good person. After Carney delivered that well-received speech in Davos, Trump poked at the prime minister, calling him Governor Carney like he did with Justin Trudeau. We have to keep the focus on protecting Canadians, protecting our communities, protecting our borders, protecting our way of life. The government is preparing a flurry of legislation to do just that, says House Leader Stephen McKinnon. We will have a very aggressive series of introductions of bills over the course of this session, dealing with crime, measures dealing with affordability. And in a shift from the last sitting, Conservative leader Pierre Pauliev is offering his support, writing in a letter to Carney,

We are here to help you start. As the party claims the government has been all talk, no action. Here's Conservative House leader Andrew Shear. It's all well and good to say those kinds of things in front of a crowd like at Davos. What really matters is Canadians not being able to afford groceries. As part of that more conciliatory approach, the Conservatives are offering to push through bills to bolster trade ties with the UK and Indonesia. They're also floating a bipartisan delegation to Washington to help smooth things over ahead of the Kustma negotiation.

And despite Trump's threats, Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand tells CBC News Carney is not letting up on his push to diversify trade, with trips planned to India and Australia in the coming weeks. J.P. Tasker, CBC News, Ottawa. Still ahead, Jamaica needs tourists back to help revive its economy. But even three months after a devastating hurricane, the damaged infrastructure is still making it hard to play host to visitors. That's coming up.

on Your World Tonight. It's yet another tragedy for migrants attempting to cross the Mediterranean Sea. 50 people were reported drowned this weekend after their small boat capsized. The sole survivor among the asylum seekers is in hospital in Malta. As Megan Williams reports, his story reflects the extreme danger of the sea crossing. He says the sea was all he could see, waves, darkness, pieces of broken wood floating around him. The man identified on Facebook as a Brima Conte from the West African country of Sierra Leone, Haldon. The boat left Tunisia with at least 51 people on board.

On Tuesday, the NGO alarm phone sent out notice that they'd been alerted by a group fleeing Tunisia by boat. The weather was bad, they said, and they needed immediate rescue. Italian and Maltese authorities searched the area between the south of Italy and Malta, but found nothing. Three days later, the boat capsized. By the time a merchant vessel spotted him, everyone but hebrimaconte had disappeared beneath the sea. This morning, the Italian Coast Guard issued an alert to all vessels that eight separate ships, with almost 400 people on board, had left Tunisia over the past 10 days and never arrived. Earlier this week, two one-year-old twin girls from Guinea drowned when their small, overcrowded metal boat was battered by Cyclone Harry.

after leaving Tunisia with 60 people surviving. As people continue to risk their lives at sea, escaping conflict, extreme poverty, and in Libya, kidnapping and torture, European governments have tightened border controls and cracked down on rescue ships, assigning the boats to distant ports, delaying disembarkation,

and says Julia Mesmer of the NGO rescue group Sea Watch. Detention or even confiscations, including financial fines, who completely disregards, court rulings and international law in the Mediterranean Sea. So our work is really directly targeted. This weekend, Sea Watch saved 18 people, including two small children. They're now heading to the Sicilian port of Catania.

Megan Williams, CBC News, Rome. In Mozambique, authorities say at least 12 people are confirmed dead after severe flooding. That number is expected to rise, as rescue teams from Brazil, South Africa and the UK continued to search for missing people. The floods began two weeks ago, after heavy rains caused rivers and dams to overflow.

Multiple towns have been submerged in water, forcing hundreds of thousands to flee their homes. Officials say it's the worst flooding the country has seen since 2000. That killed at least 700 people. The World Health Organization says the United States is making the world less safe. Last week, the USA officially broke up with the WHO, fulfilling an executive order President Donald Trump issued on his first day in office.

The Trump administration accuses the UN agency of mishandling the COVID-19 pandemic, an allegation the WHO rejects. As Jennifer Lagrasa reports, health experts are now fearful about the future of public health around the globe. This is a very bad thing, not just for WHO, but for the end. entire world, I would say. Dr. Maduka Pai, head of McGill University's global and public health department in Montreal, says what has happened since the U.S. announced it would be leaving the World Health Organization last January is worse than his worst nightmare. Critically important research projects have all been paused or stopped. And the global burden of disease as such is worsening. Funding cuts have already led to significant job reductions, hollowing out

departments forcing others to merge. If WHO is weaker, it just won't be able to do its job as well. Providence Jha, a global health professor at the University of Toronto, says that job includes everything from infectious disease surveillance, rolling out vaccinations for the flu and malaria, to managing illnesses like HIV and tuberculosis. All of that at risk without the U.S., the WHO's top funder. So that does mean that other countries do have to step up, including Canada. Viruses don't need passports. They don't respect political boundaries. Continued cuts mean some

diseases could get worse. For example, tuberculosis. The leading cause of global deaths by a single infectious agent is projected to kill an estimated 2 million more people by 2030. There are a lot of exciting developments for TB, even in terms of the treatment regimens. Aittha and John is a senior policy advisor with results Canada. She advocates for strategies to lower tuberculosis rates. Any cuts on that front would significantly reverse reverse progress in the TV space. With the U.S. on the outside, Lawrence Goston, director of the World Health Organization Collaborating Center on Global Health Law, says it could limit their access to the WHO's health data. While the United States is used to being front in the line for innovative vaccines and treatments,

when the next health crisis hits or the next pandemic hits, we could be at the back of the line. While the U.S. says the divorce is final, it's legally not, according to some experts. Along with a one-year notice, the U.S. needs to pay outstanding dues, which total more than $260 million. Senior officials say that won't be happening, and that despite removing themselves from the WHO, the U.S. will still be a leader in global health. but experts say they're not sure how without a seat at the table. Jennifer Lagrasa, CBC News, Toronto. It's been almost three months since Hurricane Melissa struck Jamaica,

devastating nearly everything in its path. The tourism-reliant country needs visitors to return to kickstart its economy, but they just aren't coming. Freelance reporter Xavier Savafornier brings us there. Driving around Jamaica's central is a bit parish, There are areas with no trees, no power lines, and no houses. As you can see, it's all broken down. I don't pick up pieces as it.

Everything totally matched up. Del Rey Levy's house was destroyed after Hurricane Melissa struck last October. No area was hit harder by the Category 5 storm than St. Elizabeth Parish. Rebuilding everything would take months if people had government support, which Delroy Levy does not. How old are you? I'm called it to 59, about 9.000. And you have to solve all over again.

All over again. The Jamaican government, however, created a billion-dollar fund to help his tourism industry recover from the disaster. Around 30% of the country's GDP comes either directly or indirectly from tourism. In Montego Bay, in northwest Jamaica, data from the local airport last November shows the number of visitors dropped 73% compared to 2024, while last December saw a 43% drop. There's not a lot of clients coming to Jamaica.

Marie Inboe is originally from Quebec, but now works as a tour guide in Montego Bay. She says since the Rican Melissa hit, hospitality workers have been trying to stay positive amid unprecedented chaos. We're supposed to be busy, where we're supposed to be like, oh, this is where we work hard, and we're not working hard. Many people in and around Montego Bay are still without power and water, and badly need tourists' income to help repair their damage homes. In Liddy, a 45 minutes drive from Ontario Bay, Harry, who declined to give his last name,

had a popular bamboo raft attraction before Melissa destroyed everything. I'm one of many whom I lost it all, too. I found myself being homeless. This isn't my home. Since the industry reopened, most tourists aren't venturing beyond the resort. And Harry now has no clients. No, without the accessibility of working, then you don't know what's going to be happening. It's going to be always the trend in need, you know.

But life is great. We just have to give thanks, give thanks because many have lost their lives. I cry for my situation, and when I cry for my situation and I venture else places, I quit crying for me because I've seen people worse. Jamaica now faces a new challenge, evolving hurricane seasons made worse by climate change, and the country can't rebuild half the island every year. From my knowledge and experience, most of them are doing a significant amount. Climate researcher Susan Othwakan is with the Faculty of Science and Technology

at the University of the West Indies. She says the tourism industry has been doing a great job on climate change adaptation projects since the 1980s and 90s. At the same time, that industry promotes a postcard version of Jamaica without seaweed or mangroves, which protect the shores against hurricanes and erosion. That creates a dilemma for the country and its biggest industry. So that's why there's also talk about, you know, should we move towns and cities back further from,

rivers and the sea. And then with respect to tourism, most of our tourism is based around beaches. How far back are they going to move? A question that hasn't found an answer yet, as everyone is focused on the current situation and not the one that might be coming. Xavier Sauer-Fornier, for CBC News, Montego Bay, Jamaica. There are growing calls to change the rules around medical assistance in dying. families say faith-based hospitals shouldn't be able to refuse made, arguing it leads to rushed and undignified deaths. The push follows cases in Ontario and BC, where patients were forced to transfer facilities at the end of their lives, adding stress and disruption to their final hours. Caroline Bargut reports. She was suffering, and she didn't want to suffer anymore.

Ashley Freeman says in the summer of 2021, her sister, Rishorey. Golby applied for medical assistance in dying, also known as maid. The 47-year-old mother had been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer six weeks prior and had gone to St. Paul's Hospital in Vancouver for pain management. But her cancer was so aggressive, she was hospitalized the entire time. St. Paul's is a Catholic-run hospital that doesn't allow maid to be administered on its premises, so Golby and her family had to scramble to find another place to take her. The only option was an outpatient facility. It was very clear that this was not a room that was equipped to take care of a sedated inpatient. They didn't even have a bed for her to lie in. So we did our best to get her settled into

a lazy boy recliner. That is where Risha Golby died. After her family said their goodbyes, they were told the room was needed for someone else. I remember Jess feeling devastated at the loss of my sister, but more than that, feeling confused and shocked that her last hours were allowed to go ahead like that. Providence Health runs St. Paul's and says the hospital has a longstanding moral tradition of compassionate care that neither prolongs dying nor hastens it. Faith-based facilities in BC are not required to provide services that are inconsistent with their religious mission and values, but they must ensure patients are connected with another health care provider who can accommodate them. Dying with Dignity

Canada says there are more than 100 faith-based hospitals in this country with about 13,000 beds. Alberta is currently in the process of adding 700 more Catholic beds in Edmonton. Daphne Gilbert is a University of Ottawa law professor and vice chair of dying with Dignity Canada. A lot of places don't offer choices. A lot of cities, the faith-based hospital is the only game in town. And so people are having to leave their city, their home base to access. care. The organization is currently involved in a lawsuit in BC to change provincial government policy so that people can receive maids at whatever hospital they may be in. Helen McCaffrey hopes they win. You know, the Catholic Church should not have that right. In order to receive maid,

her husband, Jim, was forced out of the Elizabeth Breyer Hospital in Ottawa that he had been in for four months. The ambulance was two hours late, and when the 87-year-old man finally got to another facility, he was placed in an office to die. The ordeal was so traumatic. that his wife needed therapy for two years to deal with the guilt. He just had zest for life, and I'm sorry that it was so sad for him, that he should be treated. We really, like a piece of garbage. It was dreadful, dreadful.

Breyer Health says it's sorry to hear about what the McCaffreys went through. A spokesperson says it's not reflective of the experience we would want for anyone we care for. Families say they understand if individual doctors or nurses don't want. to perform maid, but say publicly funded hospitals should not have more rights than patients. Caroline Bargoot, CBC News, Vancouver. January 25th is Burns Night, and for Scots, that means one thing, Haggis. But in St. John's, it's the end of an era for that particular dish. A woman who's been selling haggis out of her kitchen for more than four decades is passing

down her secret recipe. Laura Howells got a taste. I started making haggis by accident back in 1979. She's known as the haggis lady. For nearly half a century, Jennifer Whitfield has been a go-to source for that Scottish staple. Sheep organs, suet and oats, often cooked in a sheep's stomach. People were craving it, and I discovered I could make it, and I made it well. If I could fill that spot, then it was a gift I could give my own people.

Whitfield says she's cooked thousands of pounds of Hague's, all out of her kitchen in St. John's. But now, in her 80s and facing health challenges, she's decided to pass down her secret recipe. First of all, it's broken my heart. But as Tang goes by and we age and it's a lot of work, one person in the kitchen doing it all by hand. I've loved doing it and the customers are marvelous that I've met over the years. I've had some customers for those 40-odd years

and I can hardly tell them that I'm not doing it anymore but I didn't want my recipe to die. Whitfield looked for someone she could trust with the recipe and was connected with Steve Canning who owns a local meat shop. Kidney, the heart, the liver, suet.

So you get the whole thing. Yeah. It's humbling. You know, it's absolutely fantastic. Canning had never tried Haggis before meeting Whitfield, but now she's helping him get the recipe up to her standards. So that's the last one I've done. It's good. Yeah, it's getting there, right? Oh, yeah, definitely. That's my goal, my dear. Jennifer has a very distinct recipe, and, you know, I'm dedicated to sticking with that and getting that just the way she's done it as close as I.

I can. You'll never get it exact. I mean, at the end of the day, it's the person that is the last ingredient to any recipe. For the first time, canning is cooking haggis for burned suppers this year, not the haggis lady. I put a lot of paper because that does give it a good kick. Right. Passing on the recipe has been hard on Whitfield, but she's glad the Scottish community will still get their haggis. Are you ready to give Steve Haggis your blessing and say, you know, you can have the recipe? Well, yeah, just about. Laura Howells, CBC News, St. John's. Haggis being piped into a dining room,

a Scottish tradition on this Robbie Burns Day, as people commemorate the birthday of Scotland's most famous poet, born more than 200 years ago, and considered somewhat of a Scottish Shakespeare. You might not think you know any of his works, but you'd be surprised. Choose all the acquaintance be forgotten. And tonight, some of you might be tucking into a Burns' supper with a dram of whiskey, haggis, turnips, and potatoes. It was weird to say it like that.

In Scots would say, haggisneeps and tatties, or in Gaelic, Tagish, Schnape, Agaspontata. That's Scottish actor Kenny Boyle taking us through the traditions. Then the host recites a Burns poem called the Selkirk Grace. Some he meet and cana eat and some wadi that want it. Here in Canada, a group of kilted ice skaters in Fredericton, brave to wind chill of minus 35 to celebrate the day. Organizer Cynthia Wallace says it's a testament to this Scottish celebration. We're tough Canadians and we enjoy the winters and the cold, right?

So yes, they would. They would be here. And we'll say there are many settlers through the 19th century that endured far worse conditions than this in tents. But if bone-chilling skates, haggis, or, traditional bagpipes aren't your thing, there are modern Burns Day playlists for 21st century sensibilities. Here's Scotts Wah Hay, a Burns poem interpreted by Vancouver Celtic punk band, The Real McKenzie's. This is your world tonight. I'm Kimberly Gale. Thanks for listening. For more CBC podcasts, go to cbc.ca.ca slash podcasts.