Your World Tonight - Staff picks: Food insecurity, Churchill port expansion, Artemis moon mission, and more

Episode Date: October 13, 2025

As many Canadians gather to share a big meal and give thanks, more people than ever are going hungry. With the rising cost of groceries, one in four households is struggling to put food on the table. It has municipalities declaring hunger emergencies, food banks scrambling to meet the need, and experts calling for systemic change.And: The federal government has announced some of the "nation building" projects it intends to fast-track. We take you to one town slated for a major infrastructure upgrade: Churchill, Manitoba. It's home to North America's only deepwater port with access to the Arctic Ocean. Residents share their anticipation and concerns about what a port expansion could mean.Also: NASA is sending humans back to the moon, and a Canadian is one of them. We hear from astronaut Jeremy Hansen about his upcoming lunar flyby.Plus: The latest COVID-19 vaccines are here but not all Canadians can get them for free anymore, new research into why women are at higher risk for Alzheimer's, a Saskatchewan First Nation aims to reestablish its independence, and what a dry summer means for this fall's pumpkin crop.

Hi there. Steve Patterson here, host of The Debaters. We're very excited to be celebrating our show's 20th anniversary, and we can't believe our years either. If you're a long-time fan, thanks for being a glutton for pun-ishment. If not, come laugh with us to all the topics you didn't even know were funny until we started arguing about them. Find us wherever you get your podcasts for extended episodes and special behind-the-scenes features you won't hear on any other airwaves. The The debater's 20th anniversary season, comedy, worth arguing about. This is a CBC podcast. Our neighbors, our fellow employees, are not able to afford the food they need to live a happy, successful life.

On a holiday dedicated to big dinners and harvest gratitude, we hear about Canadian communities under food emergencies and working people worried. about running out. We need action, and we need it now. Welcome to your world tonight. I'm Susan Bonner, also on the podcast. The opportunities for social, economic, industrial development is just absolutely unprecedented. But the challenges are enormous. With the backdrop of a trade war and threats to Canada's Arctic sovereignty,

we take you to Hudson Bay, where an old port could be getting a new life. and T-minus four months or so until a Canadian goes out of this world. For many Canadians, this is a day to give thanks and maybe enjoy a family feast. But with the cost of groceries climbing, there are new warnings about food insecurity and more households than ever going hungry.

Colin Butler reports. At this grocery store in London, Ontario, shoppers' budgets are tighter than ever. Cost of living is uncomfortable, difficult. Greg Cowie depends on disability benefits to put food on the table. After rent, he's left with $300 a month for food, making every trip a careful balancing act. Small-scale meals, being content with hot dogs and stuff like that. But I had to cut back a number of years ago when I was put on disability. Tight budgets like his are now,

a reality for millions of Canadians. Food insecurity is surging nationwide. One in four households struggles to pay for groceries. We're seeing the horrific stats play out on the ground. Neil Hetherington is CEO of Toronto's Daily Bread Food Bank. He says the issue of feeding families is being overshadowed in the political chaos. Unemployment had been historically rather good for the past number of years, yet food bank usage was rising dramatically. In the past year, seven Ontario cities from Toronto to Cochran have declared hunger emergencies. Aurelia is the latest. Nearly one in three households there struggles to afford groceries.

Our neighbors, our fellow employees, are not able to afford the food they need to live a happy, successful life. Chris Peacock is the executive director of the Sharing Place Food Center in Aurelia. We need action and we need it now. And so this declaration is a great example of what we need to do to truly create awareness, develop true strategies that will solve these problems. But the issue of food poverty didn't happen overnight. Experts say it's the result of years of growing economic pressure and systemic neglect.

Food insecurity is a problem that's been festering in Canada for years. Professor Valerie Tarasuk studies food insecurity at the University of Toronto. She says political parties have been talking kitchen table politics for years, but none have actually addressed what's on Canadian family's plates. Both the Kearney government and the opposition have been silent on this topic. So, you know, this is a problem that isn't going to fix itself. Families, seniors and children across Canada are struggling to pay for what they eat. Food bank visits have doubled in five years,

and every trip to the grocery store now is a reminder. Paying for groceries is still a daily struggle for too many Canadians. Colin Butler, CBC News, London. Ontario. Canadians are eager to see this fall's federal budget. It's expected to include financial details of government major infrastructure projects. One location the Prime Minister has flagged for an upgrade is the continent's only deep water port with access to the Arctic Ocean. Karen Poles takes us to Churchill, Manitoba, on Hudson Bay. Chris Avery talks to port workers as they unpack pallets of supplies from the morning train. He's feeling optimistic.

So there has been some activity. We want more. Avery heads the group that owns the port and the railway, made up of 29 First Nations and 12 northern Manitoba and Nunavut communities. The economic benefits of what we do will go back to the communities. It doesn't go back to Bay Street or Wall Street. The Churchill Plus proposal, worth billions, would upgrade Canada's only deep water Arctic port. and the rail line connecting it to the rest of the country, maybe even include an icebreaker and oil and LNG pipelines,

aiming to become a vital link between Canada and emerging Arctic shipping routes. We're proud to be able to be part of our national solutions for our national goals, which is to diversify our trade, particularly away from the U.S., to become a global energy superpower and also to assert our sovereignty in the north. So the opportunities for social, economic, industrial development is just absolutely unprecedented. But the challenges are enormous. Faye Wang heads the Churchill Marine Observatory, the University of Manitoba researcher, is studying the potential impacts of more commercial shipping,

such as an oil spill. There will be risk, there will be impact, and that's why we need to develop this knowledge to make sure we reduce that impact to the minimum. Talk to almost anyone here, and you'll hear concerns the port expansion would jeopardize a way of life, tourism, and the animals that live here. David Daly takes tourists on sled dog rides all year round. He says Churchill has been reinventing itself ever since the Danes arrived in 1619, looking for the Northwest Passage. Come on, Rhea. Come on, Comet. He remembers a time when Churchill had six thousand.

residents, some with the military, others working at the port. Now, maybe 800 people live here year round. Most work in tourism, but those who don't have few options. Yeah, we hope better jobs for our kids, better jobs for our grandkids in the future. But he also worries more commercial shipping could impact tourism, and he hopes there will be more consultation. Tourism has saved Churchill. I think the people that have the tourism relationship here, here in town. I think that they're a little apprehensive about, like, is this going to be rammed down our throats? The balance is pretty critical here. Churchill's mayor, Mike Spence, says this proposal could generate up to $1 billion in economic

activity. But he knows that brings risks and responsibilities. You know, as indigenous people, we're stewards of the land. You know, we need to respect what a creator has asked us to watch over. A delicate balance between the economic payoff and the potential cost to wildlife and tourism. Karen Paul's, CBC News, Churchill, Manitoba. Coming right up, you may now have to pay for a COVID vaccination, depending on which province you live in, and why some Canadian farmers are worried about the future of the pumpkin patch. Later, we'll have this story. This space suit has been designed for the astronauts to pretty much survive any anomaly.

I'm Paul Hunter at the Johnson Space Center in Houston, where NASA has brought together all things space, ahead of the now looming Artemis II mission around the moon and home again. I'm proud to wear the flag on this mission. I'm proud that Canada's here. We sit down with Canada's Jeremy Hansen, who along with three U.S. astronauts, is set to go further from the Earth than any human has ever traveled. A mission update later on your world tonight. The latest COVID-19 vaccines are rolling out across the country. While most Canadians can still access them for free,

two provinces are now charging for the shots, starting at $100 per person. Christine Birak reports. Inside a senior center in Edmonton, A friendly game of badminton turns glum when we ask about COVID-19 vaccines and Alberta's decision not to cover them for everyone over 65. We are one of the most susceptible groups. I think it's cruel.

I will pay for it because I need it. I don't want to get COVID again. Now made in Canada, Moderna's COVID-19 shots, along with others, are going into arms. So we asked an expert, do we still need one? By far, COVID-19 is not a thing of the past. It is an ongoing problem with ebbs and flows, but right now we're on the uptick. Donald Vinn is an infectious disease doctor at McGill. He agrees with Canada's independent vaccine panel that is recommending COVID-19 shots for high-risk groups,

including anyone over 65 or pregnant, along with those over six months with underlying medical conditions, living in long-term care or in underserved communities. Dr. Vins has updated COVID-19 vaccine. vaccines offer everyone's strong protection. You actually will get a nice fourfold increase in the antibody levels compared to if you didn't get this vaccine. For most Canadians, COVID vaccines will be free, except in Alberta and Quebec, which plan to charge residents up to $180.

Santa Quebec has been talking about is let's go preventative, preventative, preventative, which I think is laudable. And yet now we're going backwards with COVID. Darren Bass Middijan is a pharmacist in much. He says offering free flu and COVID shots was a logical way to protect people. Now some families will have to make tough choices. Their families simply cannot afford $5, $700 to immunize the whole family. They're going to have to take their chances and that may end up being worse for them and may

compromise their health. While Quebec plans to cover all high-risk groups, Alberta isn't and shots won't be offered in pharmacies citing waste and cost. It's just looking at that cost of the vaccine itself. ignoring those long-term costs. And it just doesn't make sense from that perspective. Jeff Johnson is a public health researcher at the University of Alberta. He says the average cost estimate of a COVID-19 hospital stay is over $24,000. COVID-ICU admissions are over $50,000. Back at the badminton game, Donna Tachuk says she won't pay. No, I will not. I will go to Saskatchewan

to visit family or BC to visit France and I will get the shot there. For her, it's a simple step to stay out of hospital and on the court. Christine Beirak, CBC News, Toronto. We've known women are more likely than men to suffer from Alzheimer's and other forms of dementia. Researchers are now investigating why. As they dig deeper into all the risk factors, one in particular is starting to get more attention. Jennifer Yoon explains. She just kept on going.

She never rested. Working three full-time jobs and raising kids, Angelita Cox says, her mom, Sonia, never slowed down until Alzheimer's disease slammed the brakes. She forgot my dad first and she wasn't able to respond to my brother. So I became primary care provider. In Canada, almost two-thirds of people with dementia, including Alzheimer's, are women. For a year, scientists assumed that was just because women tend to live longer. But now, researchers are looking at other factors too. I think we're beginning to be in an inflection point and that's really exciting.

University of Toronto psychologist Jillian Einstein holds a research chair in women's brain health and aging. She says researchers now know the timing of hormonal changes is key. The longer the reproductive period, women have, the lower their risk of late life Alzheimer's disease. Having one up to three children also seems to lower the risk. Dr. Walter Rocka, a neurologist at the Mayo Clinic, says estrogen protects the brain against dementia. But as women go through menopause, the hormone declines naturally. Women who go through it early need special attention, he says. These women should be treated appropriately to avoid these deficiency of hormones.

We need to catch up. We're playing catch-up. But there's still so much scientists don't know yet about women and Alzheimer's risks, says Natasha Raja, a leading researcher in brain health at Toronto Metropolitan University. Even in the clinical trials, we're not represented. It makes no sense. you think this disease affects more females than males. Raja is now conducting a study, searching for early signs of Alzheimer's through brain scans and blood samples.

We're trying to understand whether or not menopause is a window at which some females might be showing early signs of Alzheimer's disease and whether we could capture them early so they could enter treatment and decide to alter their lifestyles to better age. There is no cure for Alzheimer's, but there are drugs that can help manage some symptoms. and lifestyle changes that can promote brain health. Raja also hopes to study a diverse racial population, which would better reflect Canada today.

She actually had a full hysterectomy. Angelida Cox now knows her mom was at greater risk for Alzheimer's because her ovaries were removed. That induces menopause. It's led to different choices for her. When it became time for me to deal with my fibroids that I had, I chose not to have a full hysterectomy. Cox is sharing the knowledge with her daughter,

as well as with others in the black community, hoping others can make informed choices too. Jennifer Yun, CBC News, Toronto. They were forced together by the federal government. Now, more than a century later, a Saskatchewan First Nation wants to break apart. in an effort to reclaim its independence and re-establish its identity. Alexander Silberman has more on a community's fight for recognition. This was just a canola field a year half ago. In the heart of central Saskatchewan,

Adam Whitehead walks between dozens of quickly rising buildings in his busy First Nation community. A new neighborhood is taking shape next to fields of wheat. Yeah, come on in. This is one of our houses that I was talking about. There's a deep sense of pride over the plans for 28 multi-generational homes, each with six bedrooms and built to last. Just the start of a long-awaited future for Peter Chapman First Nation. So is the government that we are serious. Whitehead, a band counselor, says the construction boom is part of a renewed push to become an independent First Nation band.

The federal government forced it to merge with two others in the early 1900s and still considers Peter Chapman part of James Smith Creenation. Peter Chapman is spending funds from a recent settlement with Ottawa to build a new community. It received $50 million for broken treaty promises. The next step for us would be to get that ban recognition from Canada. Chief Robert Head says his ancestors, began living in the area in the late 1800s after founding leader Peter Chapman moved there with Cree families from northeast Saskatchewan.

They should have allowed us to evolve as our own first nation, but all that was taken away from us. The community lost parts of its reserve and its status as a band under the merger. Nearby Chekestepasin lost its land entirely, also becoming part of James Smith. We were stripped from our own community. Chief Calvin Sanderson says each nation continued to maintain their own identities. He says becoming an independent band would allow each community to secure direct funding and control how it's spent. It could mean new agreements with Ottawa for housing, health care, and education.

Light at the end of the tunnel is coming and hopefully we can light that channel and once and for all. The federal government says it's currently engaged in a process with the three communities. to consider the split. It's uplifting. In Peter Chapman First Nation, Elder Phyllis Head says watching the community grow gives her hope. For many, many years, this issue has been worked on, and it's going to become a reality, you know. A reality, the three communities say, will help write a historical wrong. Alexander Silberman, CBC News, Peter Chapman, First Nation. Spiced Lattees, Thanksgiving pies. Jackal Lanterns? What do they all have in common? You guessed it, pumpkins.

But erratic weather over the summer has some farmers disappointed with this season's crop and worried about the years ahead. Sarah Levitt explains. On a farm northeast of Montreal, Sylvain Etier pulls up a pumpkin vine to show a dry, rotting plant with only one small pumpkin on it. The farmer says all his plants are suffering. 30 to 40% more of strouille in the shun. There are 30% to 40% fewer pumpkins this year, Etienne says. Heavy rain in early July, followed by almost no rain for a month and a half,

has made for unhealthy fruit. Optimal pumpkin conditions call for full sun and dry soil, but not too dry. On the McKenzie Produce Farm in Stratford, Prince Edward Island, owner Greg McKenzie says this year has been too dry. Probably 33 years since I've been on this operation and there's only been one or two years that by record show a struggle such as this. While McKenzie has some beautifully orange gourds, he too says about 40% of his crop has been affected. Anytime you don't have the yield that you were planning on, again, it's going to be on your bottom line.

Our input costs are all still the same. So, you know, seed prices weren't reduced. We have the little tiny ones. At Black Fox Farm and Distillery in Saskatoon, the weather also didn't cooperate, but in a different way, says owner Barb's definition, Cote. It's just a really immature pumpkin that'll never produce. You know, even if we had time till December, it wouldn't work.

She says the problem here was cool temperatures and too much rain. So this year, the farm's highlight event, the pumpkin festival, had to be cancelled. We had games for the kids and wagon rides and pumpkin soup and pumpkin donuts and pumpkin pie. But we can't really run it if we don't have the pumpkins. Farmers always at the mercy of the weather worry climate change and forecast unpredictability will lead to tough years ahead. They're concerned Canadians will turn away from local crop to imported pumpkins every October. Sarah Levitt's CBC News, Montreal. This is Your World Tonight.

I'm Susan Bonner. You can hear your world tonight wherever you are. Just subscribe to our podcast on your favorite podcast app. Or download the CBC News app. Just go to the local tab and press play. NASA is gearing up for a historic, mission around the moon next year, the first of its kind in half a century. It will also mark a first for this country with a Canadian astronaut on the journey. Paul Hunter caught up with

Jeremy Hanson as the crew of Artemis II prepares for liftoff. This is the Orion Crew Survival System spacesuit. So this space suit has been designed for the astronauts to pretty much survive any anomaly. Jammed with space experts and space stuff. at the Johnson Space Center in Houston, it's one last chance for NASA to talk up and show off its long-awaited historic mission sending astronauts around the moon and back to Earth for the first time in more than 50 years. Look at all the data we have.

The Artemis II mission set for early next year. So some cool things about these shoes. On display, space boots with special clamps to keep feet in place during liftoff. There's a mock-up of the space capsule. simulators in action, and biological test kits that'll go up aimed at testing the effects of radiation for a crew going further from Earth than any human has ever gone before. So as they do the lunar fly-by operation, they're going to be taking photos out the windows. They have a little guide as to all the different features that they're going to look for on the moon.

But the real focus is the four astronauts who'll make the trip, including, of course, the first Canadian who will ever leave Earth's orbit. Hansen. And to my fellow Canadians, you should also be extraordinarily proud that we are represented in the Artemis program. And it wasn't a gift. You earned it. Hansen gave a shout out to NASA and the Canadian Space Agency and his three American fellow astronauts, who in turn credited Hanson for his hard work, sense of humor, and constant creative thinking. Artemis II Commander Reid Wiseman. There is nothing that he doesn't just think about. Like, well, what if you did this? What if you did that? What if you did this?

Why does it work this way? How could it work a different way? And those questions, when you're flying a spacecraft for the very first time, those questions lead to a lot of discovery. The mission itself is a testing ground for Artemis 3 aimed at landing up there for Hansen and crew. Looping around the moon and then home safely is a giant leap toward that. Are you having fun? I'm having a great time. I really am. Yeah, I love this. I love this stuff. When we sat down with him, Hansen underlined the lesson for those at home

while he goes beyond the far side of the moon. I think it's extraordinary that we're the second country in the world to send a human into deep space. And if we're doing this, imagine what we can do next. So it's very powerful for me. With the launch now set as soon as February, the training for Hansen and others intensifies as the moon awaits. Paul Hunter, CBC News, Houston.

Thanks for joining us. This has been your world tonight for Monday, October 13th. I'm Susan Bonner. Have a good evening.