Your World Tonight - Student data hack, major concern on major projects, UFO files, and more

Episode Date: May 8, 2026

Thousands of schools around the world have been hit by a cyber attack. Student data — including names, email addresses, ID numbers, and messages — may all have been compromised.And: Environmental groups are warning about Ottawa’s latest plan to cut the red tape and get natural resource projects moving more quickly.Also: The Pentagon releases files on UFOs, also known as UAPs. There are no clear photos of little green men or flying saucers, but there is a somewhat mysterious picture taken from the surface of the moon during the Apollo 17 mission.Plus: A CBC News exclusive interview with a top executive at Live Nation, Canada’s newest sports team — The Toronto Tempo — make their debut in the WNBA, the concerns around flavoured vapes, and more.

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That's kind of like a nerve-wracking thought. As if exam time wasn't stressful enough, a cyber attack hit schools across Canada and around the world, students unable to access their coursework, their study materials, and for some, their personal information left exposed. This is your world tonight. On Friday, May 8th, just before 6 p.m. Eastern, I'm Stephanie Skandaris. Also on the podcast, They're proposing to water down the Canadian Navigable Waters Act, gutting the Fisheries Act. It really is like a wholesale weakening of our entire environmental safety net. Ottawa says it's changing rules to speed up natural resource projects.

Advocates say that'll turn back the clock on environmental protections. Thousands of schools around the world. and at least three Canadian universities have been hit by a cyber attack on Canvas, the learning management platform. Student data, including names, email addresses, ID numbers and messages could all have been compromised. As Deanna Sumanak Johnson reports,

the extent of the breach is still unclear. I wouldn't want my information to be shared. That's kind of like a nerve-wracking thought. That's to say the least. These University of Toronto students woke up to distressing news Their online learning management system was down. After the university learned, it was compromised by a major cyber hacking incident. It impacted more than 9,000 universities in schools that used a software called Canvas,

including UFT, University of British Columbia, and Harvard. The word of the magnitude of the breach spread quickly among the students. I got like a text this morning from my girlfriend saying, hey, it's actually all the way in the Netherlands that they're doing this too. And I was like, oh my God. At stake, data of 275 million people are veritable goldmine for cyber hackers. In this case, a group that calls themselves shiny hunters whose previous victims include Ticketmaster and Microsoft. Lou Connolly is a threat intelligence analyst with MZSoft in Ottawa.

They're generally acknowledged to be a group of teenagers and young adults based in the United Kingdom and the United States. And they have a site on the dark web where they post... which victims they claim to have breached in order to try to pressure the victims to pay a ransom. The exact information hackers stole during this breach is not yet clear. In a statement, University of Toronto said that demographic data, including government identifiers, financial information, etc., were not compromised. Still, Robert Falzon, head of engineering for a checkpoint software in Calgary, says this breach is of major concern.

It might be things like class schedules. It could be things like where that student might be at a specific time, which is problematic. It could also certainly include information about private conversations with instructors that might include information of greater concern. What happens next? The cyber hackers group has asked Instructure, the company that makes Canvas software, to reach out to, quote, negotiate a settlement or they'll leak a batch of information on May 12th. Falzon says the greater lesson here is for institutions to make their cybersecurity a priority. There needs to be a cooperation very deeply between the third-party providers of these services. They have an obligation and a responsibility to make sure the services there are providing are safe and secure. Experts like him also urge individuals to do what they can to protect themselves,

including frequently changing passwords and, if possible, signing up for multi-step authentication. Deanna Suminac Johnson, CBC News, Toronto. We're getting more details from the government on planned rule changes to supercharged natural resource projects, including pipelines and mines, high-speed rail and clean energy. The aim to slash red tape and fast-track approvals and propel Prime Minister Mark Carney's mission to build bigger and faster. But as David Thurton reports, it's too fast for some

who worry about the effect on the environment and indigenous rights. Well, Premier, welcome. Welcome. Welcome back. Thank you. On a date that Prime Minister Mark Carney was hosting the Alberta Premier, his government announced possible changes to Canada's environmental laws. Laws and regulations, Premier Daniel Smith, has long complained about. And Alberta wants to continue to build major projects in partnership with the federal government. The federal government says it's ready to overhaul a regime. It says, bogs down nation building infrastructure.

For the next 30 days, the government will consult on ways to remove the red tape. Today we're launching public engagements. Intergovernmental affairs minister Dominic LeBlanc said the changes are aimed at streamlining the process. All of the major projects that are going to be reviewed and require federal authorizations. All of the major projects now will benefit from a more robust and a much more timely approval process. According to a consultation document, the government will review and make decisions in normal more than a year. Projects like interprovincial pipelines or transmission lines would no longer require a separate impact assessment. Federal Cabinet would also have the authority to pre-approve

whole geographical regions for energy production or mining. Despite the considerable changes, Indigenous Services Minister Mandi Goldmast, he says, the process will improve the consultation with Indigenous rights holders. One of the things that's important is if you want your project to be successful, that consultation is critical. And I also think for those individuals who are investing into a major project, they want that reassurance of knowing that everybody who's involved in Canada is at the table and committed. But environmental advocates don't see it that way. I am absolutely speechless, flabbergasted. Anna Johnston is a lawyer with West Coast Environmental Law. She's been reviewing the changes which she says eviscerates Canada's environmental rule. They're proposing

that pipelines would get approved before they've gone through any kind of environmental review. They're proposing to water down the Canadian Navigable Waters Act, gutting the Fisheries Act. It really is like a wholesale weakening of our entire environmental safety net.

All of this is happening as the Prime Minister and Alberta's Premier seek to advance a new energy accord. Because I think in Alberta, there does need to be a demonstration that Canada can work. It also comes as concerns over Alberta separation grow. David Thurton, CBC News, Ottawa.

While the Carney government tries to jumpstart the country's economy, Canada lost nearly 18,000 jobs last month. So the unemployment rate climbed up again to 6.9%. Let's bring in senior business correspondent Peter Armstrong. Peter, what do these numbers tell us about the state of Canada's labor market. Yeah, they confirm, I think, what most Canadians already knew, right, that the economy is weak and that lousy reports like this aren't just a one-off. If you go back to the beginning of this year, January, 2026, Canada's lost 112,000 jobs. Even scale out over the last 12 months, Canada's only added 67,000 jobs. That's like 5,500 a month. It's not exactly the stuff of an economy that's growing. Okay, so the economy is weak. What does this report tell us about where that week? is coming from. I do think that that's part of what's interesting here. That it's not just one

sector that's getting clobbered. It's kind of easy in these situations to blame this on the trade war or the situation in Iran, but it's not just one thing. This is a pretty broad-based weakness. By way of one example, we lost 47,000 full-time jobs. We added 29,000 part-time jobs. That's not a trade anybody wants to make. But we hear from Ottawa that Canada is outperforming its peers. How do we square that? Well, look, both things can be true. The federal government loves to tell us that Canada has the second best growth rate in the G7, and it does. Only the U.S. is posting better growth, GDP growth than Canada. Remember, though, the U.S. is running, what, a trillion dollar deficit to help support the economy there.

But, Stephanie, better doesn't mean good. And yes, Canada's economy has performed better than many thought it would through the uncertainty caused by the trade war. But it's still weak. It's still struggling. What does the forecast for the rest of the year tell us? The Canadian economy is in, it's in for a pretty rough road, right? Growth rates are going to be subdued through the rest of this year, right? You can go through all the private sector forecast, GDP's forecast to come in at like 1.2%.

The unemployment rate's probably going to stay roughly about where it is. And then hopefully, if everything sort of comes in about as planned, next year, we're going to start to see some growth. So under that forecast, will Canada avoid a R-word-coming risk? Right. So remember, the definition of a recession is just two back-to-back quarters of negative growth. That is not expected to happen. But the difference between a little bit of growth and a slight contraction isn't much for the businesses and the households that are really going through it. People feel like it's a recession out there. And the fact that we haven't met the technical definition of a recession doesn't mean much to them. Peter, thank you. You bet. Senior business correspondent Peter Armstrong. Coming right up, Live Nation fights back. As fans deal with soaring ticket prices, a U.S. federal jury said Live Nation and Ticketmaster should break up.

Now, in a CBC exclusive interview, Live Nation says that's too high a cost. Plus, these tickets are sold, the big names are in town, the flag is flying over City Hall, Toronto is ready to welcome Canada's first WNBA team. The Toronto Tempo season opener is tonight. You'll hear about the excitement in the air. Looking further into the sky, we also have this story. I'm Paul Hunter in Washington, where alien enthusiasts are rejoicing. As the Pentagon unclassifies and releases piles of documents, photos, videos on unidentified flying things,

with high hopes for a breakthrough. Well, let's see the evidence. Let's see the little green guys in pickle jars. Let's see the wreckage. But is the evidence now out there for real? Find out later on your world tonight. Live Nation runs the venues. Ticketmaster sells the tickets.

To a U.S. federal court, that control means high ticket prices and not enough options for consumers. CBC News spoke to an executive at Live Nation, the first interview with the company's top brass since the verdict. He says the company will fight the decision and won't sell off Ticketmaster. Dave Seglins reports. It was a big deal in 2010 when Live Nation sought approval in the U.S. to merge with Ticketmaster. At the time, Live Nation CEO Michael Rapino assured lawmakers that the integration would not harm consumers.

Our motivation is to keep the ticket price as low as possible and get everyone in the building. But since then, prices have soared as the live event industry has grown and evolved. Part of it, Live Nation and Ticketmaster have a dog. adopted dynamic and platinum pricing, meaning they now charge different prices for each seat, more money depending on how close you are to the sports field or concert stage. First of all, it's not just Live Nation that does this. Everyone in the industry does this. Live Nation executive vice president Dan Wall tells CBC News he thinks that charging more for front row and premium seats actually helps offset the cost for lesser seats,

making them more accessible. This differential pricing, platinum pricing, whatever you want to call it, is for the benefit of the artists and the fans, because it creates this spread of pricing that allows the higher price seats to subsidize a lot more lower priced seats. And that actually increases attendance, which is what artists are interested in first and foremost. I think what's most telling here is the motive and objective,

make more money. Consumers be damned. Richard Blumenthal is a U.S. Senator from Connecticut. They have all the power. Ticketmaster Live Nation combination has such dominance and power in the market that they can use these tactics and techniques to increase their profits at the expense of everybody else. He's tabled a Senate subcommittee investigation report calling for changes in the industry. The main recommendation is break up ticket mask for Live Nation. But the company disagrees and says it doesn't accept a jury's recent verdict that it's operating an illegal monopoly and overcharging fans.

The company plans to appeal. In the coming months, Live Nation will square off in court against more than 30 U.S. states which brought the case before a judge who will ultimately decide the company's fate. Dave Seaglin, CBC News, Washington. Public health authorities say three more Canadians are self-isolating for potential exposure to hanta virus. Two people in Alberta and one in Ontario may have had brief contact with an infected person on a flight. That's six people in Canada who are now being monitored. Chief Public Health Officer Dr. Joss Reimer says none of them have symptoms. I recognize that Canadians may find the news or images about this issue to be upsetting.

At this time, the overall risk to the general population in connection with this outbreak of the Andes hantavirus is low. Onward spread within Canada is not expected, even if an infected individual were to arrive here. However, given the rarity of this virus, it is important that we take a precautionary approach to ensure that Canadians are protected. Four Canadians are still on the cruise ship where the outbreak began. They are also asymptomatic. The public health agency has sent a representative to meet with them when the ship docks in the Canary Islands this weekend. A small community, just south of Ottawa, is in shock

after officers arrested a 17-year-old in connection with a triple murder. Darrell Boyd is with Brockville Police. The victims were a 49-year-old mother and her two daughters with 17 and 15 years of age. And police have confirmed the youth accused was in a relationship with one of the deceased, daughters, indicating that this is an incident involving intimate partner violence. Police found the bodies of the women inside a home Thursday. They believe all three were stabbed to death. The teen appeared in court today. He is charged with three counts of first-degree murder. His identity is protected under the Youth Criminal Justice Act. They're sweet, fruity,

some taste like pop, flavored vapes are driving a surge in vaping among young people. Nearly one in three young Canadians say they vape regularly. For years, health experts have called on the federal government to ban vaping flavors. And for years, Ottawa has said it would. But as Marina von Stackleberg reports, that still hasn't happened. You get more of an instant flavor rush. So it's part of the addiction process. After decades of smoking cigarettes, Jacob Wolloshan found himself with a new addiction to vaping.

I'd wake up in the middle of the night. And, yeah, I'd take a couple puffs off the vape. And then, yeah, you just need so much more nicotine. While it helped the Ottawa bartender quit more harmful cigarettes, the sweet taste was part of what kept him coming back to his vape. There's banana, mango, pineapple, ice. They don't need that much. They should definitely have at least heavy restrictions, if not full-on ban.

Research shows the flavors are also key to attracting kids to vaping in the first place. That's why the federal liberals have been promising to restrict flavors to only mint, menthol and tobacco for five years. But they haven't. Now Canada's health minister, Marjorie Michelle, won't clearly say if the government still plans to. So why not just act now? Now is when? Now today? Well, as I said, I am working.

I am on it. I know the issue. I know the state courters ask. I am working with my team, the provinces and territories, and I will have more to say very soon. While Ottawa hasn't acted, some provinces like Quebec have. David Hammond is a leading researcher on nicotine use. He says early data suggests a potential association between provinces that brought in flavor bans and teenagers vaping less.

Despite the restrictions, there also appears to be no significant uptick in the youth smoking rate. Flavors matter more to kids than they do matter. to an adult smoker who might be trying e-cigarettes to quit. And that's what the data shows. But vaping companies warn flavor restrictions could trigger unelicit market. And they say the taste is one of the reasons vaping is an appealing alternative for adult tobacco users. But Hammond says the nicotine industry has another reason to keep flavors around.

They've helped grow the market for the first time in decades, especially with young people. The majority of Canadians who vape are under 25 years old. There's this massive tsunami of nicotine addiction that's coming. Dr. Hassan Mir, a cardiologist at the University of Ottawa Heart Institute, has opened a clinic just to help vapors quit. He says many are young, and some of his patients are vaping the nicotine equivalent of 100 cigarettes a day, without even realizing. And instead of using vaping to quit smoking, the opposite is happening.

It's actually people that were like, oh, I started vaping when I was 15. It was too harsh on my lungs, so I ended up switching to cigarettes. And this is not a one-off. Records show the nicotine and vaping industries and their proxies have been aggressively lobbying members of the liberal government and Health Canada, trying to stop any flavor ban. Marina von Stackleberg, CBC News, Ottawa.

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. The truth about aliens is out there somewhere, and now so are the files. The Pentagon is declassifying decades of UFO documents.

It's the first wave of a rolling release after U.S. President Donald Trump ordered them made public. Paul Hunter has more from Washington. This is Houston. Say again, seven. Be it bits of audio. This from NASA astronaut Frank Borman in 19, While in Earth's orbit, seeing what he called a bogey, code for something, who knows what, somehow, flying out in front of his Gemini rocket capsule. Or a rendition of a giant metallic orb floating in the air is described by multiple witnesses in the U.S.

as having emerged from a bright light of some sort one afternoon three years ago. Or reports of unidentified flying something or others throughout the years in Kazakhstan. Syria, Massachusetts, you name it. Sound like stuff out of the movies? Consider that some spotted objects are described as a high-speed bouncy ball or dots of light, and at least one as yes, a flying saucer over Sweden in 1948, as noted at the time, not coming from, quote, any presently known culture on earth. All, unexplained, all now public, all of it,

an alien life enthusiasts dream, a trove of the stuff. Freshly unclassified documents, photos, videos from the Pentagon released en masse today with the promise of more to come. US President Donald Trump promised as much some time ago. Now, writing on his truth social platform, as he puts it, the people can decide for themselves what the hell is going on, have fun and enjoy. The bad news for those who love this stuff.

There's no smoking gun, nothing that sort of stands out and says, these are the aliens or not the aliens or whatnot. Winnipeg's Chris Rutkowski, who studied the phenomena of such unidentified, unexplained objects for years, is now sifting through this latest batch of unexplainables. But as exciting as it is, what's missing, he says, is actual hard data, something, anything, literally alien. We'd have to have the chunk of whatever it was. You know, something was shot down, for example.

Let's see the evidence. Let's see the little green guys in pickle jar. let's see the wreckage. There's no question that's information, but it's not necessarily scientific data. And yet, it is all certain to spark more questions, more theories, more guesswork in the never-ending hunt to get those big questions finally answered.

Are we alone? If not, who else has been here? And when are they coming back? Paul Hunter, CBC News, Washington. And expecting a crowd of some 12,000 people, all of them here to witness the latest chapter in the history of women's sports, the debut of the WNBA. Going back a few decades with that one. That was season one, game one of women's basketball going pro. The average female player's salary, $28,000 U.S.

Michael Jordan had just signed a contract for $30 million. Fast forward to tonight. The WNBA is tipping off its 30th season. top players are making more than a million, and Canada now has a brand new team of its own. She and Desjardin reports. In basketball and in Canada, this moment will never happen again. Toronto Tempo Guard Kiki Rice is taking it all in.

You don't get to play the first game in franchise history very often. Canada's only WNBA franchise, making its regular season debut tonight. of a hometown crowd. Yeah, I mean, this is a really cool opportunity on a lot of levels. It's significance not lost on teammate Julie Almond. We're really excited for tonight. Like, we know it's going to be a big moment, not only for the fans, but for us too. Backed by big names like American tennis legend Serena Williams, Canadian entertainer Lily

Singh and Maasai O'Geri, who led the Toronto Raptors to an NBA championship in 2019. Excitement is palpable. The preseason game, sold out. Season tickets gone months ago. And President Teresa Reisch is expecting the momentum to carry forward. We know that Canada is ready for this team and we'll settle to the occasion. The city also rallying behind the team. Mayor Olivia Chow flying at the tempos' plum-colored flag at City Hall. At stores, Team Swag is selling fast. Fans are eager to get in on the action. I'm really excited that we finally are getting more representation.

of women's sports in Canada. It's been long overdue for a women's basketball team and just excited to cheer them on and see them grow from the ground up. It's something that they get to see, like, the actual product. It's no longer just a dream. Gabriela Estrada says that could inspire a whole new generation of Canadian players.

You can't be what you don't see. She's with Girls Forward, a group dedicated to empowering girls through sport. And now you have girls that can literally see themselves represented in the coaching staff, in the athletes, on the court that look like them and that they have a future if they want to play professional women's basketball here in Canada. Or hockey or soccer. Women's sports are booming in popularity. WNBA players pushing for the salary increases they're getting this season. Tepo coach Sandy Brondello says they have a responsibility to be role models. And that excites us because that's a part of the

whole package too. It's, you know, what kind of legacy do we want to leave? Brondello is telling players to stay in the moment. And hopefully that leads to a solid first season. You have to day it a dream. She and Desjarday, CBC News, Toronto. In these extraordinary times, there is one thing that can offer solos to everyone. The wonder of the natural world. He's the most authoritative and recognizable voice on the beauty of nature. His work watched by hundreds of millions of people. Today, David Attenborough marks his 100th birthday. His broadcasting career took off in the 1950s with the BBC program Zoo Quest. He went to remote parts of the world with a team from the London Zoo,

finding animals like an orangutan in Borneo. We heard a crashing in the branches ahead. And there, only a few yards away, we spotted a great furry red form swaying in the trees. The series was groundbreaking, introducing viewers to animals many had never seen before. and to Attenborough's warm style. He used his stardom to warn the world about the human effects on the natural environment. Right now, we're facing a man-made disaster of global scale.

Our greatest threat in thousands of years. Climate change. His birthday is being marked with global tributes and a live concert at London's Royal Albert Hall. Attenborough says it wasn't exactly, how he planned to mark the day. I had rather thought that I would celebrate my 100th birthday quietly, but it seems that many of you have had other ideas.

I've been completely overwhelmed by birthday greetings. He did receive many birthday gifts, some long-lasting, if unconventional. London's Natural History Museum is naming a species of parasitic wasp after him. one of more than 50 animals, insects, and plants that'll carry part of the Attenborough name forever. This has been your world tonight for Friday, May 8th. I'm Stephanie Skendaris. Thank you for being with us.

Good night. For more CBC podcasts, go to cbc.ca.ca slash podcasts.