Your World Tonight - Tumbler Ridge in mourning, Trump’s climate clawback, Canada’s Olympic ‘GOAT’ on the slopes, and more

Episode Date: February 12, 2026

Putting names and faces to the pain in Tumbler Ridge. After the deadly school shooting took several young lives, parents are grappling with loss and sharing stories in a shattered community. Meanwhile, investigators continue to dig into the background of the suspect.Also: The Trump administration ends an Obama-era environmental policy allowing the government to regulate fossil fuel emissions. President Trump says scrapping the rule will save money. Critics warn it will lead to increased pollution and a further rise in planet-warming greenhouse gases.And: Heavy medal. Canadian Mikaël Kingsbury solidifies his Olympic legacy, becoming the Games’ most decorated freestyle skier of all time.Plus: Billionaire businessman Frank Stronach’s sex assault trial starts, elections in Bangladesh, Oshawa hockey fans told to clean up their act, and more.

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This is a CBC podcast. Abel was a great guy. He's such a good boy. Everybody loves him and everybody knew him in town. The guy that was just smiling, was so respectful, he loved school. Putting names and faces to the pain in Tumblr Ridge. After that deadly school shooting took several young lives, parents are grappling with loss and clinging to memories,

sharing stories in a shattered community. The firearms that were recovered at seeing were capable of firing multiple rounds. Tracing the origin of the weapons and the roots of whatever it was that pushed the shooter to pull the trigger. A small town tormented by big questions about the suspect and the motive. Welcome to your world tonight. I'm Susan Bonner in Toronto. It's just before 6 p.m. on Thursday, February 12th, also on the podcast. The single largest deregulatory action in American history.

U.S. President Donald Trump repeals a scientific finding that helped cap emissions. Experts worry it could lead to more environmental damage. But we begin with the heartbreak in Tumblr Ridge, British Columbia. The CBC's Julia Wong is there. It happened that we had a boy and I was so excited and I ended up giving him my name. Abam Wantsa's love for his son, who is his namesake, is the heartbreak. The 12-year-old died Tuesday in a mass shooting in Tumblr Ridge Secondary School. Everybody loves him and everybody knew him in town.

He had a great smile it looked like, too. You know what I told my son? I told him because I smile a lot. So I told him, you carry my name. Therefore, you have to smile. Mwanza says his son was born in Zambia, and the family only moved to Canada in 2023. He was so respectful. He had working, focused.

He loved school. He recalls a moment when he told his son he wanted to homeschool him. And he cried. Yeah, he cried. He said, I love school. I want to be at school. It was inside that school, police say 18-year-old Jesse Van Nuselar opened fire, killing six people before dying from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

13-year-old Ezekiel Schofield, 12-year-old Takaria Lampert, 12-year-old Zoe Benoit, 12-year-old Kylie Smith, and 39-year-old Shonda Avigana Durand. RCMP Savan Russela also killed her mother, Jennifer String, identified by police using her legal name, Jennifer Jacobs, and her 11-year-old stepbrother, Emma Jacobs, at their house. It's been pretty hard, you know, they don't sleep, you know, don't eat. The tight-knit community is also grappling with the deep loss. Glenn Miller has lived in Tumblr Ridge for about 30 years. He leads a community youth program called the Junior Rangers.

One member was killed in the shooting, another injured, he says. It's pretty hard to do anything, eh? I want to do some things to keep me busy, but, you know, that's not working, eh? We'll get over it, you know. Sun's still shining, but just not as bright. Another of his members, Maya Gabala, remains in critical condition in hospital. Her mother, posting on social media that the 12-year-old is fighting for her life after a gunshot wound to the head and to the neck. I'd all be doing a pastoral visit this afternoon with a family who just lost their son.

George Rowe is pastor at the Tumblr Ridge Fellowship Baptist Church, a place many have been turning to. With the complexity of the last 48 hours, people, are dealing with their own emotions, their own loss, their families, surviving loved ones. They know the church is there if they want them. One of many places people are coming together for comfort after an unimaginable loss. Julia Wong, CBC News, Tumblr Ridge, British Columbia. As the public learns more about the victims, investigators dig into the background of the suspect. a past that includes access to firearms and struggles with mental health.

John Hernandez has that story. Let us hold in our hearts all the families and loved ones who are forever changed in Tumblridge. BC's emergency minister Kelly Green speaks in front of the BC legislature before a minute-long moment of silence, honoring those who died and those injured in Tuesday's shocking attack. Today has been declared a provincial day of mourning for the victims of the Tumblr Ridge shooting. Police say a major focus of the investigation is on the origin of the murder weapons, a long gun and a modified handgun, neither registered to the shooter, Jesse Van Rouselar. Police confirm she had a firearms license that expired in 2024.

Dwayne McDonald is the BCRCMP's deputy commissioner. I will say just in general terms that the firearms that were recovered at seeing were capable. capable of firing multiple rounds. The focus comes as more details on the shooter's background are coming to light. Police say Van Rustlar began transitioning from male to female six years ago. Court documents from 2015 suggest Van Rustlar lived a nomadic lifestyle with her mother and siblings moving across the country over the years. A 2021 Facebook post from the shooter's mother mentions Van Rustlar's interest in weapons,

reading, quote, check out my oldest son, Jesse Strang's YouTube channel. He posts about hunting, self-reliance, guns, and stuff he likes to do. The post links to a now deleted YouTube channel. Police also confirm Van Rouselar had a history of mental health challenges. The family sought treatment and officers were called to their home in Tumblr Ridge multiple times in recent years. In one instance, taking Van Rouselar into custody under the mental health Act and to hospital for assessment.

RCMP even seized guns from the house two years ago, but they were later returned after the lawful owner petitioned for them. Police have not confirmed if those were the weapons involved in the shooting. We always look back and hindsight is always 2020. Former Gimley Manitoba RCMP officer Sherry Benson Potlchuk says in mental health cases, it can be very difficult to foresee these types of outcomes. The police go to a lot of different places. places over the years for mental health checks. And that doesn't mean at any time one of those

people might snap somehow. Benson Pottlechuk says Canada may need to change laws to keep guns out of unstable homes. The prime minister and a conservative leader Pierre Pollyev will be in Tumblr Ridge tomorrow to join the community for a vigil. John Hernandez, CBC News, Vancouver. Coming up, the prosecution begins its case against a Canadian billionaire. Frank Strannick is facing allegations of sexual assault dating back decades. And environmentalists say the planet is at risk after the White House repealed a legal finding that helped control carbon emissions.

Later, we'll have this story. Long lines and excited voters in Bangladesh's first election since A Gen Z uprising in 2024, forced authoritarian leader Sheikh Hasina to flee the country. This is the first free and fair vote. in nearly two decades. We saw like a long time of turmoil in our country. I'm quite afraid that it will go back to that.

But I'm just trying to be positive. It's a battle between two long-time politicians, both part of Bangladesh's old guard. I'm Salima Shivji in Dhaka, and I'll have more coming up on your will tonight. The first of two sexual assault trials is underway for Frank Strannock. The billionaire businessman faces 12 charges involving allegations from seven women going back several decades.

As Jamie Strassan tells us, that time gap will be a challenge for both sides in the courtroom. How do you feel about the trial today? Good money. At 93 years old, Frank Strontick walks with a bounce as he heads into a downtown Toronto courthouse. Inside a former Strontic employee, now 66, the first of seven alleged victims in this case, testified about a series of alleged sexual assaults that took place in 1980. as she was out celebrating her birthday. The night began at Strannick's downtown restaurant, she said.

Strannick unexpectedly appeared at her table with a bottle of champagne. The woman who didn't drink had a few sips. She told the court Strachnick proceeded to grope her on the dance floor. The next morning, she woke up unsure of where she was. I feel someone having sex with me, and I realize it's him, she testified. I can see my face in the mirror above the bed and wonder what is happening. I'm terrified and I'm naked and I don't know how I got there. The Crown says each of the alleged victim's stories in this case has a similar thread.

They met Strannick at his restaurant before ending up in a room overlooking the Toronto Harbor. This is absolutely where some make statements is absolutely wrong. I can look in the mirror. I've never done anything improper. Stronik has pleaded not guilty to all charges and in an earlier interview with the CBC's fit the state. he denied any wrongdoing. My friends know me who I am, right? And a lot of people which worked for me, they know who I am. Okay, that's totally against, totally against what I stand for.

In this case, Strontick faces 12 charges based on the allegations from seven women, including sexual assault and forcible confinement, spanning from the late 70s to 1990. Criminal Defense Attorney Adam Waysberg, who's not-in-lawful. involved in this case says the passage of time creates challenges for both sides. The crown has to deal with memories and recollection faded by the passage of time. The defense can't rely on commonly used technology. I can tell you from my practice defending sexual assault cases, the first interview when it's a recent complaint is getting the phone, any communications,

looking for CCTV of the incident. Another key part of this trial strontics celebrity. A member of the Order of Canada, the Austrian-born Strannic founded Auto Parts giant Magna International and was one of the biggest names in horse racing, becoming one of Canada's wealthiest people. We will see lots of pictures of Mr. Strannock and his wealth. Therapist Shannon Moroni, who has worked with victims in other high-profile cases, says the entire process is daunting. And am I really going to have a fair trial? what's it going to be like for me to come up against him.

This trial is expected to last four weeks. Strontick faces another trial on similar charges later this year in Newmarket, Ontario. Jamie Strash and CBC News, Toronto. The Trump administration says its immigration crackdown in Minnesota is coming to an end. Here's border czar Tom Holman. I'm not going to remove everybody on the safety officer officers, but like I said, and Operation Metro Surds is ending. And in the next week, we're going to deploy the officers here in detail back to the home stations or other areas that country are needed.

Homan acknowledged the Minnesota operation had its problems. The surge of immigration and customs enforcement agents started last December. ICE agents shot and killed two U.S. citizens. The deployment led to mass detentions and mass protests. The Trump administration is ending something else, too, nearly two decades of science-based policy on climate change. The White House says the goal is to cut red tape for auto manufacturers and the energy sector, but environmentalists are sounding an alarm.

Aniat Singh explains. We are officially terminating the so-called endangerment finding, a disastrous Obama-era policy. U.S. President Donald Trump abandoning 16 years of U.S. government policy, based on the scientific finding that greenhouse gases are harming people and the planet. Today, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency rescinded that 2009 finding. This radical rule became the legal foundation for the Green News scam. In fact, the endangerment finding led to rules that made U.S. electricity production shift from coal to cleaner sources. It made vehicles more fuel-efficient and led to stricter rules on emissions from oil and gas sites.

all much-needed innovation, according to Keith Brooks, who is with the Canadian Climate Group Environmental Defense. These clean energy technologies, solar power, batteries, electric vehicles, they are just better. And if we pretend that this is not happening, if we sit this transition out, we are going to be falling behind. Today's move will give the administration an even freer hand in its previously stated goal to expand fossil fuels, oil drilling, gas exports, even the coal industry, which was otherwise. facing decline. The Trump administration relied on submissions from cherry-picked experts who denied the long-established scientific consensus that fossil fuels are causing the climate crisis. Catherine Harrison, who teaches climate policy at the University of British Columbia,

said the Trump administration has been undermining scientific research for years. They've been coming after climate researchers in particular. They've been going after the strongest U.S. research universities to discredit them. to limit what they can teach. But Trump is about to face major opposition. The EPA is siding once again with polluters over science. California Governor Gavin Newsom has long condemned the administration's climate rollbacks. Today, he pledged to challenge Trump's move in court.

California will not wait. We will continue to lead because we have no choice. Experts say Trump's move means that the U.S. is missing out on the economic boom in clean technologies. solar, wind, EVs, increasingly isolating the U.S. from the rest of the world in the fight against climate change. In Ayat Singh, CBC News, Toronto. Millions of people have cast their ballots in Bangladesh in the country's first free election in 17 years. CBC's South Asia correspondent Salima Shivji is in Dhaka with more on what led to this moment and what voters hope will come next.

The streets of Dhaka emptier than usual. Shops close the country full of anticipation over a landmark election seen as a test for democracy. We all want a better life and peace, this Rikshod driver says, but I can't say if we'll get it. It's Bangladesh's first election after a Gen Z uprising against a government job quota system in July 2024 exploded into outrage over the autocratic reign of the country's leader Sheikh Hasina. The brutal crackdown she ordered killed 1,400 protesters. Hasina was forced to flee. Her party now banned from the ballot. At polling stations Thursday, long lines, a high turnout with many Bangladeshis anxious to make their voices heard.

I haven't bothered voting in years, Farida Yasmin says, this time I feel it will count. It feels like dream comes true. Excitement for many students who fought for change like Rahul Ghosh Joy. But there's also dwindling hope that the deep-seated reforms Bangladesh needs will materialize. People are definitely frightened or feared about the scars they had before. So the minimum standard, we are hoping that things don't deteriorate much more.

The country's students may have led the uprising, but this long-awaited election is dominated by familiar. faces from the old guard. There's Tharik Rahman, the frontrunner, heir to a political dynasty, the Bangladesh Nationalist Party. His mother, a former prime minister, his father was once president. The challenger with a surge in supporters packing rallies is Jamati Islami, a conservative Islamist party that's worked hard to fill the political vacuum

left by the banning of Hasina's party. Jemat's leader, Shafikur Rahman, long on the run. margins is now a contender. But for those like Jarthaj Parveen, who lost loved ones in the student revolution, there's little zeal for empty election promises. Her 17-year-old Anaf was killed after a bullet to the chest from security forces. He had his whole life ahead of him, she says. He would have wanted a fair and beautiful election.

But Parveen thinks once politicians are in power, they only can. care about holding onto it. And the entire country is poised for the possibility of violent clashes. Nearly a million army and police troops patrolling the streets. As ballots are counted and the margins are close, Bangladesh's political stability uncertain. Salima Shivji, CBC News, DACA. This is your world tonight from CBC News. If you want to make sure you stay up to date and never miss one of our episodes, follow us on Spotify,

Apple, wherever you get your podcasts, just find the follow button and lock us in. Terrible, so you can imagine I'm a professional athlete and I spent hours of trainings every day for four years to be able to be here today to compete on Olympic Games on the biggest event of the four years and I was disqualified and I cannot understand even why. Olympic officials banned Vladislav Hareskevich from competing.

The Ukrainian skeleton athlete was told shortly before the start of today's event. The issue is a tribute helmet he wanted to wear during the race. It's painted with images of former athletes killed after Russia's invasion. Officials warned the 27-year-old earlier this week saying the headgear violates Olympic guidelines. Harriskevich was a medal favorite. He has appealed the decision. It was a much more positive result for a Canadian skier today. Mikhail Kingsbury secured another medal for Canada,

and that achievement makes him the most decorated freestyle skier in history. Sarah Levitt breaks down the razor-thin run that landed him silver. Cooper Wides, that's done it! A shocking finish to the Olympic men's moguls final in Lavinio, Italy. Tide score, the total score with Mick Kingsbury. Australian Cooper Woods besting Canadian Michael Kingsbury for the gold, despite having the same score on their final run. That had Kingsbury considered the best freestyle skier of all time

display a rare moment of frustration. He threw his skis to the ground in disgust. You're so close and it's the Olympics in a row that I'm so close. Yeah. But I'm happy. I mean, the moment of frustration, it's not that I'm mad. It's just I need to let it out. And I work so hard, you know, and I want to win.

At the competition, there was some confusion over how to break the tie for the top spot. Something that really happens rarely in mogul skiing, something that I've personally seen every, maybe once every two or three years. Philippe Marquis is a CBC Olympics analyst for freestyle skiing. The International Ski Federation has a rule for those. moment and they have to go, the breakdown would go directly to the highest base score, the strongest turn scores. So in that case, the Australian score better turns than Mikhail. Still, Kingsbury's legacy is solid. Congratulations, Mick. You're now the most successful freestyle skier in Olympic history. Did you know

that? Yeah, my dad told me that a couple minutes ago, but that's pretty special. He will be the most decorated Olympic mogul skier in Canadian history. With four Olympic medals in four games, three silvers and one gold, that is the most by any male or female freestyle skier. But that's not all. Kingsbury managed to earn his 100th career World Cup victory in January, another record for a freestyle skier. These Olympics, though, were a little different.

After the silver win, he posed with his partner and his 18-month-old son, Enrique. It's a first for Kingsbury, a father. Something he says has given him a new perspective on life. He's confirmed this is his last Olympics, but it's not done yet. With dual moguls making its debut, another chance to show he's the goat, the greatest of all time. Sarah Levitt's CBC News, Levinio, Italy. Finally tonight, Olympic athletes aren't the only ones working up a sweat. An Ontario junior hockey team sent out a special reminder to hit the showers.

But it wasn't aimed at players. Makes a move around plastic, procession to the net scores. That one wiggled through Chalet and that will be the end of the night. It's been pretty funky on the ice for the Oshoa generals this season, dead last in the Ontario Hockey League. Now the team wants fans to clean up their act on game day. In an email sent to season ticket holders, team executive provided a few simple hygiene practices. It included a reminder to cover up coughs and sneezes,

use hand sanitizer, and a request to shower before coming to the game if you've previously worked out or took part in an activity that produces body odor. Humphreys makes the shave and bows! puts in the rebound. Ottawa leads in 5-0. The generals lost 6-0-0 last night, but it seems fans are worried about more than just a lack of scoring. Sales director Jason Hickman told Oshua this week the email went out after complaints kept coming in about bad smells in the crowd.

Hickman admitted he's stick handling an awkward situation and he hopes the email can clean things up. As for the generals making the playoffs, well, don't hold your breath. Thank you for joining us on this edition of Your World Tonight for Thursday, February 12th. I'm Susan Bonner. Talk to you again. For more CBC podcasts, go to cbc.ca.ca.com.