Your World Tonight - Toronto’s U.S. Consulate targeted again, new B.C. wildfire evacuations, physician burnout in Canada, and more.

Episode Date: July 27, 2026

Toronto Police are investigating another case of gunfire outside the U.S. consulate. The building was previously targeted in March, leading to three arrests as part of a wider probe into shootings around the city that are believed to be linked to gun-for-hire schemes involving youths.Also: Wildfires rage across large parts of B.C., triggering new air quality alerts due to drifting smoke, and new evacuation orders – adding to the hundreds who are already out of their homes.And: New data highlighting the toll on ER doctors across Canada, and how it is causing many to walk away from their careers.Plus: Gordie Howe International Bridge opens to traffic, Europe wildfire danger, Canadian spying allegations, and more.

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You would expect a highly visible police cruiser stationed right in front of the consulate would act as its turn. It perhaps speaks to the brazen quality. of this act, the recklessness that's involved. Gunfire at the U.S. Consulate in Toronto for the second time this year. Police are working to determine any link to a shooting and vandalism at two Jewish-owned bakeries in the city over the weekend. This follows last month's charges by Toronto police that allegedly involved criminal-for-hire networks.

This is Your World Tonight. I'm Helen Mann. It's Monday, July 27th, coming up on 6 p.m. Eastern. Also on the podcast. I told my wife, I called her, said, did everything you can get in our vehicles? We've got to go now. Like, we're going to lose it all. Fear and frustration in the southern interior of British Columbia. Fast-growing wildfires have forced even more people out of their homes

and damaged some properties as a lack of water makes firefighting efforts even more difficult. At the same time, the fires in France and Spain are so massive, they're creating their own weather systems. In a city already on edge due to gun violence, Another high-profile shooting in Toronto has raised anxiety even further. Early this morning, the U.S. Consulate in Toronto was the target of gunfire for the second time this year, an attack that led to a dangerous high-speed car chase and to questions about possible links to other violent incidents over the weekend on Jewish stores in the city. The CBC Cheyenne Desjardins has the details.

You would expect a highly visible police cruiser stationed right in front of the consulate would act as a turn. At least one shot was fired despite that, says Toronto Deputy Chief of Police, Frank Barreto. The officer had been deliberately positioned outside the U.S. consulate after a previous shooting in March. He was the one to call it in around 4.45 Monday morning. It perhaps speaks to the brazen quality of this act, the recklessness that's involved. Burretto says a white Honda accord with no license plate sped away. Officers managed to locate the car. Chavez facing it in a high speed pursuit at some points. The speeds were in excess of 140 kilometers per hour, so we are dealing with quite a dangerous individual or individuals.

The sheer speed making it too risky to continue, though. Leaving the consulate a crime scene with one bullet casing found damage to the outside of the building. But no injuries. As officers scour the property for answers that Mayor Olivia Chow is determined to find. I want to say to the person or persons responsible, we will get you. These acts are horrific. They shake our values to the core. Gary and Andersenegri is the Federal Minister of Public Safety in BC today speaking about gun crimes. Two bakeries that were hit over the weekend as well as what appears to be gunfire at the U.S. Council General.

Police in Toronto are already investigating the damages to those two Jewish-owned bakeries. They don't know if everything is linked, but aren't ruling it out. Members of the community won action. It's terrible. It's just terrible. Nothing's changing. It was surprising. It was actually surprising to see here. I live in the neighborhood. This latest incident at the U.S. consulate also bears some striking similarities to a shooting there earlier this year. Three arrests have been linked to that investigation. At the time, police believed it could be part of a wider gun for higher scheme,

with targets also including Jewish schools and synagogues. A Toronto police officer died carrying out a search warrant in that case. Javid Ali is a former U.S. government counterterrorism official. I would have to imagine that that kind of work is going on right now too, to see is this completely separate from the, the threat from earlier in the spring or is related and if so, who are the individuals involved and what are their relationships, both in Canada and perhaps other parts of the world? It's still not clear if there is any connection there either.

The RCMP say they're working with Toronto Police and international partners on the investigation, adding it's too early to determine the motive. Shia and Desjaldane, CBC News, Toronto. Complex planning, hard work. and overcoming obstacles have all led to an economically significant moment in Canada-U-S. trade, the opening of a new bridge at the busiest border crossing between both countries. But as Rafi Bujic Canyon tells us, it's also a reminder of the ongoing tariff tension that remains unresolved. The first car to drive over the Gordy Howe International Bridge from Windsor, Ontario to Detroit, Michigan,

carried another Gordy Howe, the legendary hockey player's grandson and his wife, Margaret. It feels historic. It feels like personally a memory that we will treasure both of us. It was also out of reach for a while. I know it's been frustrating for a lot of people. And so I think that makes today all the more amazing. Initially announced as a deal between former Prime Minister Stephen Harper and the state of Michigan in 2012, Mark Carney's government, wound up agreeing to split net revenue from tolls with the U.S., despite Canada financing the bridge's construction.

That finished earlier this year with a projected opening date in June. Not only did it get delayed, but the latest tariff threats from U.S. President Donald Trump, 50% on Canadian goods covered by the free trade agreement between Canada, the U.S. and Mexico, Kuzma, saw Ottawa cancel a joint opening ceremony with American officials. I was happy to celebrate with 3 to 400 Canadian folks. No regrets, says Drew Dilkins, the mayor of Windsor. The bridge is the city's fourth connection with Detroit, expected to save hundreds of thousands of hours in congestion to truckers annually.

With about a billion dollars of trade per day between the two countries passing through this border, Dilkins says he wants the dispute between Canada and the U.S. resolved soon. I really do hope, sincerely, that we'll be able to find a time in the future, hopefully the near future. We can close the Gordi-Hau Bridge for an hour or two hold the proper celebration with all of the right people from the U.S. side and the Canadian side. Trade lawyer Mark Warner says the likelihood of a deal before a coming August 19th deadline for the new tariffs is low. Canada's put too many preconditions. Ottawa's been asking for the U.S. to lift punishing existing tariffs on sectors of the Canadian economy like steel and aluminum. The White House is threatening

the latest levies, it says, because of... of Canada's response to those, how most provinces have forbidden the sale of American booze and unwillingness to remove supply management protections on sectors like dairy. Warner says there is also international pressure on Trump to look strong in his global trade war. I don't think that Trump is going to give Canada that victory. When any American president acts, even an unpopular one as unpopular as Donald Trump, they're sending a message to the rest of the world. Climb down or not, talks are continuing.

Canada-US relations minister Dominic Leblanc on his way to Washington, along with chief trade negotiator to the state's Janice Charette. Rafi Bucucanion, CBC News, Ottawa. Coming right up, battling fire, wind and dry conditions in British Columbia. Wildfire forces hundreds of more people from their homes with more challenging weather conditions in the forecast. Plus, we're learning more about the Canadian woman, working at a branch of NATO who faces charges, including spying on behalf of a third country.

And later, we'll have this story. Hospital overcrowding and hallway medicine, unsafe working conditions, and staffing shortages. These are just some of the experiences Canadian emergency doctors say they are up against, and it's pushing some to walk away from the profession. And if we see more physicians leaving, then I think the emergency care system is going to collapse. I'm Tashana Reid, and I'll have more about new research highlighting how burnout is impacting Canadian ER doctors. Coming up on your world tonight. More British Columbians are being chased out of their homes today by raging wildfires.

70 Mile House is the latest area under evacuation order as multiple fires merged into a monster fire over the weekend. There are now 32 evacuation orders and 28 alerts across the province, with the flames putting thousands of people and their properties under threat. Caroline Bargut has more. We could see the big plume of smoke getting closer and closer. For days, Marianne McKenzie watched as an out-of-control wildfire crept closer to her home. She lives in the village of Clinton, which was ordered to evacuate Friday. There's a lot of gratitude toward the firefighters that saved the village Friday night and Saturday morning.

There's also some frustration. Frustration because she says some area. were deprioritized and suffered great losses. So far, 630 square kilometers of land have burned from fires in the area and at least 20 properties damaged. McKenzie moved her horses south of town and continues to search for updates on the fires. There is still great concern. We know the fire could loop around and threaten us again. We're very concerned for our friends and neighbors in 70 Mile House too. 70 Mile House is a nearby community, which is now also under an evacuation order.

Officials are urging people who decided to stay behind to protect their homes to obey orders and leave. Amanda Bena Areta is with the Thompson-Nicola Regional District Emergency Operations Center. We understand it's a difficult time. There's fear. There's frustration. But I think for their safety and the safety of first responders, we urge everybody to follow the evacuation orders and leave the areas so that the first responders can do their work safely and that the residents can remain safe as well. Clinton officials are also warning their water supply is at critically low levels and are asking those who stayed behind to conserve their use. Wildfire and ecosystem scientist at Simon Fraser University, Sophie Wilkinson says the lack of rain over the years has caused drought-like conditions, which makes fighting fires more difficult. When we get a lack of precipitation, it really dries out of soil. If we get drought, it can dry out that soil and actually make it even harder to wet up.

So even if we get some rain, you know, our cup is so empty that we would need a lot of rain over a long period of time to fill that moisture cup back up. Officials say hot, dry weather is expected to continue so the fire situation likely won't quiet down anytime soon. Firefighters from Alberta, Yukon and Mexico will be arriving in BC in the coming days to help. Caroline Bargoot, CBC News, Vancouver. Meanwhile, fire crews in northwestern Ontario are battling more than 100,000. active wildfires. Officials say six at them started over the past weekend. 26 fires are currently considered out of control, with the largest growing to over 300,000 hectares. Multiple evacuation orders are still in effect for communities surrounding Thunder Bay, Dryden, and Fort Francis.

Ontario's Minister of Emergency Preparedness says more than 2,800 people have been evacuated from at least a dozen communities. In Western Europe, a record-breaking wildfire season is forcing hundreds of thousands from their homes. Spain's interior ministers said today and tomorrow are absolutely crucial before temperatures could hit 40 degrees later this week. While France's president is calling the situation in his country unprecedented, Ashley Burke reports. The wildfires in Spain and France are extreme, erratic and difficult to control. So powerful they're creating their own weather systems, even generating thunderstorms. It has a life of its own, says France's interior minister, Laurent Nunes. It's autonomous, self-sustaining and spreads in all directions.

James Hillier from London captured photos that look apocalyptic of the fire turning the sky red, then had to flee's holiday west of Bordeaux. And at that point in time, the ash started to come down. We noticed there was ash falling on us, and it was covering the ground. In total, more than 360,000 people in France and Spain have been told to leave their homes or shelter in place. I've never seen a fire at this intense before, says resident Ricardo Pozo, in a town north of Lencia.

Another evacuee, Maria Garcia, says you can see the mountains you've known all your life burning. Three consecutive heat waves led up to this, but better weather has slowed the fires down. Now crews are doing massive aerial drops of fire retardant, racing before another is expected to hit later this week. In Spain, Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez says the climate emergency has made, this the new reality. Summers are becoming increasingly difficult, destructive and therefore deadly, he says. Juan Bordera, a local MP in Valencia and climate journalist says more needs to be done to prevent these fires. When you have this kind of situation, it's crazy for me to think that what our governments are usually doing is funding less our prevention and extinguishing services.

French President Emmanuel Macron held a crisis meeting with his cabinet that met with emergency workers. He says his country is grappling with its most challenging period since the Second World War and warns the weeks ahead will be hard. Ashley Burke, CBC News, London. Montreal Pride says it will bolster security in preparation for the city's annual Pride Festival beginning on Friday. It's in response to the van attack at Berlin's Pride celebrations on the weekend.

that killed one person and injured 29 others. In a statement, organizers expressed solidarity with the victims in Berlin and say they're working closely with local police to ensure more safety measures are put in place. The 21-year-old suspect in that attack was shot and killed on Sunday during a confrontation with Berlin police. Germany's chancellor and interior minister are vowing to take action by potentially overhauling security laws in the country.

To the fallout from last week's arrest, in Belgium of a Canadian woman working at a branch of NATO. She's accused of working for a criminal organization and spying. Senior investigative reporter Jonathan Gatehouse is looking into the claims. Jonathan, what do we know about this alleged spy? Well, Helen, authorities have not provided a name, but they say it's a woman who is working as an intern at shape. That's the Supreme Headquarters of the Allied Powers in Europe near Monts, Belgium.

The spying charges espionage on behalf of a third country. authorities haven't specified that country. The news release from Belgium's federal prosecutor's office describes her as a, quote, Canadian National of Chinese origin, full stop. A curious choice of words, but they didn't elaborate, and that's all we know so far. Now, federal police searched her home and workplace last Thursday, and she was placed under arrest by an investigating judge on Friday. What we do know is that Shape selects 35 interns each year.

applicants have to be from one of the 32 NATO member nations over the age of 21 and have completed at least an undergraduate university degree. And they're paid about 2,000 Canadian a month. Generally, these interns do need a security clearance. It's a lengthy process carried out by the member nation, in this case Canada, and that can take the better part of a year. But the jobs that they're given its shape are hardly top secret. It's things like research or helping to draft official documents or supporting the Public Relations Department. So as you might imagine with an internship,

relatively junior stuff. So what does the Canadian government have to say about all of this? Public Safety Minister Gary Ananda Sangari was asked about this case earlier today and he too declined to go into specifics. But he said the government is concerned about any potential security breach

or flaw in its screening process. Here is some of what he had to say. As a country, we will continue to investigate. the processes we have and the security screening. It is an ongoing work that we do. And in this particular case, I think it's important to get to the bottom of what happened, and that is a commitment that we make to you today. For its part, NATO is also downplaying the impact of this case,

stressing that shapes internal security service unmasked the alleged spying almost immediately, and saying that there's no indication that any sensitive operational details or plans were compromised. Jonathan, thank you. Thank you. That was senior investigative reporter Jonathan Gatehouse. Yet another U.S. turn in the conflict between the U.S. and Iran. U.S. forces have paused attacks, and the Trump administration says peace talks with Iran have now resumed, a sudden about face with varying explanations.

Katie Simpson reports from Washington. Iran took a beating over the last 14 days, and they asked us very nicely. Please stop. On board Air Force One, U.S. President Donald Trump presented his version of events, saying he's called off the bombing of Iran, at least for now, in order to give peace talks a chance, insisting that Iranian officials reached out in order to get negotiations back on track. You know, we're having good talks, so we'll see what happens.

I think there's a good chance that something could happen. And if it does good, if it does it, we go back to doing what we were doing two days ago. Iran has also halted its attacks on American targets across the Middle East, though it denies it initiated talks and says there are no direct negotiations. Instead, a foreign ministry spokesman says, messages are being exchanged through intermediaries. We will never allow the United States to determine when there is war or peace, he said. While the strikes are on hold, the stalemate at sea drags on.

Iran says it is in full control of the strait of the strait of. Hormuz, the vital shipping route for 20% of the world's energy supply. At the same time, the U.S. says its blockade of Iranian ports remains in effect. Over the weekend, American officials said it redirected 12 ships, disabled two that tried to run the blockade, and also boarded two more to ensure compliance. All of this comes as there are questions about U.S. military resources. This thing has been a disaster, and they do not know what to do.

Democratic Senator Mark Kelly is among the critics frustrated by multiple U.S. news reports, suggesting the on-and-off-again conflict is draining American weapons stockpiles. We've expended tens of thousands of weapons. This is by their own making. They're not keeping track. They're at this point, this president and the people around him are incompetent. The president admits that the U.S. could use more sophisticated weapons, but generally deny supplies are running low.

We have a lot of ammunition, different types. You know, Biden gave a lot to Ukraine. And so we're building that up. The path forward through this conflict will be discussed tomorrow when Trump meets with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in D.C. As allies, they launched this war together. But the relationship has become strained at times. And those tensions could be on display in their meeting.

Katie Simpson, CBC News, Washington. The legendary track. You're So Vane by beloved artist Carly Simon. The singer-songwriter revealed today she has Parkinson's disease. Simon says it was discovered after a check-up for mobility issues, but says despite the diagnosis, she won't stop living or working. The 83-year-old has a new album out in a few weeks, her first since 2008. Parkinson's is incurable.

The disorder affects the brain, nervous system, and muscle control. There are treatments to manage symptoms. Canadian emergency rooms are losing physicians. That's according to a new study published today. It blames high burnout and calls it not only a patient safety risk, but a crisis for the health care system. Tashana Reid explains what's driving doctors out of the ER and what they say needs to change.

These are physicians who are incredible emergency doctors, who are in the prime of their careers, who are leaving emergency medicine. In Vancouver, Dr. Caitlin Stockton says she knows five colleagues who have left in the last couple of years. Because they can no longer sustainably do their jobs and still maintain mental and physical well-being for themselves and for their families. She says it's the result of a broken healthcare system

with chronic overcrowding, unsafe working conditions and staffing shortages. And new research says burnout is pushing some ER doctors to leave their jobs. And if we see more physicians leaving, then I think the emergency, care system is going to collapse. Dr. Kirsten DeWitt is a professor at Queen's University and co-author of the paper in the Canadian Medical Association Journal. Researchers followed hundreds of ER doctors from across Canada since 2020 and found of 410 doctors 10% had left the profession by 2025. For those who stayed, nearly half cut their clinical hours, while one in five took time away.

Everybody commented on the increased workload and the deteriorating clinical care. And most physicians felt powerless to change that. And many reported emotional exhaustion, with women and younger people experiencing higher levels of burnout. Toronto ER doctor James Muscollick says overcrowding places a significant burden on staff. Admitted patients there for hours and days, which means I have to see your grandmother who fell down the stairs in the hallway. It's not the right place to do medicine. It's not safe. He says these conditions can lead to mistakes and worse patient outcomes, even death.

That erodes our well-being. The feeling that we're being short-changed ourselves in the ability to do what we love, and we're also not giving patients what they need. Dr. Roderick Lim in London, Ontario, is the Wellness Chair for the Canadian Association of Emergency Physicians and contributed to the paper. We run well over 100% occupancy, most hospital. hospitals in Canada. We have so many patients that cannot find a long-term care solution that are kind of backlogging the hospitals. He says ER departments are filling major deficiencies from a

shortage of hospital beds to access to primary or long-term care. But we need tremendous investment in the health care system to create those beds. Advocates say governments need to prioritize that to ensure patients get the care they need and the people in charge of providing it are able to. Tashana Reid, CBC News, Toronto. And finally, The response has been overwhelming. We have people coming by every day. We've got messages from people in other provinces.

There's a new library in the town of Riverview, New Brunswick, near Moncton, but it doesn't offer books. It has six hooks, stocked with coffee mugs, and it stands at the front of Kayla Stauffer's lawn. My father-in-law runs in the morning, and he says between five and six when he runs, the mugs have already been swapped at that, early hour of the morning and then he'll sometimes come home from lunch and they are different

again. When I come home in the afternoon, they've all been swapped out. I couldn't tell you how many mugs have gone through. She calls it the mug exchange. It's been running for a few weeks now. Initially, it was intended to help the family get to know others in the community after a move from Calgary. We are new to the community, so we wanted a way to kind of connect with people a little bit. And I love mugs and I love coffee. So this was a cool way to kind of see the mugs that other people enjoy and bring some joy to everybody. The structure looks like a large green mug with an open front and flat back fastened to a post. Stoffer's husband Andrew built it for her as a gift.

I don't make cutesy things very much. I'm a more practical person, so my wife just wanted a little cute thing that she thought would be a community fixture, so I just did for her. And I try to make it as nice as possible. And if you are wanting to swap out your mug and don't live in Riverview, there could be a mug exchange coming to your community. Andrew Stauffer says he has received requests. He just needs to figure out a faster way to build the devices.

Thanks for being with us. This has been your world tonight for Monday, July 27th. I'm Helen Mann. Have a good night. For more CBC podcasts, go to cbc.ca.ca.