Your World Tonight - Wildfires across Canada, Canada Games begin in Newfoundland, Bick's pickles dropped from stores, and more

Episode Date: August 9, 2025

From a spark to a serious fire - in a matter of moments. Canadian officials say that is the risk of this year's volatile wildfire season. It's already the nation's second worst season on record. Resources for firefighters and evacuees are strained. And even in places that have skirted the threat of wildfires, the smoke and uncertainty are keeping communities on edge.Also: Canada's most prestigious national sports competition has officially kicked in off St. John's. The Canada Games have brought together the nation's up-and-coming athletes for nearly six decades. You'll hear about the athletes participating, and how organizers are dealing with the threat of wildfire smoke.And: They're tangy, crunchy, sometimes sweet, sometimes spicy - and they are disappearing from Canadian grocery store shelves. Bick's pickles once dominated the condiment aisle. But the popular brand has become another victim of the U.S.-Canada trade war. Plus: Nigeria's drug crisis, Collecting cans and bottles for extra cash, Using improv to manage climate anxiety, and more.

My group chat thinks I'm the smart one, but I have a cheat code. I take 10 minutes each morning and listen to World Report. Knowing what's happening in the world helps me feel connected and make better informed decisions. But endless doom scrolling is not my idea of fun. So I just listen to World Report on my commute, get informed, and get on with my day. World Report, the day's top stories in 10 minutes, wherever you get your podcasts. is a CBC podcast. Hi, I'm Peter Cowan. This is your world tonight.

The entire province is in an unprecedented situation, and it is getting worse. So we're here on a Saturday afternoon to ask all New Brunswickers to get out of the woods and to stay out of the woods. Officials in New Brunswick order people off all crown lands, one of many provinces. battling out-of-control fires. Meanwhile, an area the size of that province has been lost to the flames this year, 2025 is now Canada's second worst wildfire season ever. Also on the podcast, global outrage against Israel's plan to take control of Gaza City gets louder,

and... We read about the automotive industry, but there are other products that have somewhat complicated supply chains, and I suppose pickled vegetables are an example of that. The trade war puts a Canadian grocery store, staple in a pickle. From a spark to a serious fire in a matter of moments, Canadian officials say that's the risk of this year's volatile wildfire season. It's already the second worst season on record.

Resources for firefighters and evacuees are strained, and even in places that have skirted the threat of wildfires, the smoke and uncertainty are keeping communities on edge. Philip Lichenoch has the latest. still nice to get home and know that everything was safe. Five days after an evacuation order forced him to leave, Cecil Lucas was glad to get back into his home and Holyrood Newfoundland. And the only thing I was concerned about then is that, my God, the flowers are dried out.

Obviously, some great news yesterday as people were able to return home. But it's not all good, says Premier John Hogan. Conditions on the other side of Conception Bay are getting worse. An evacuation order has now been issued for Burnt Point, Gull Island and Northern Bay because the active wildfire burning in the area was becoming unpredictably dangerous due to weather conditions. So due as well to the intense conditions, ground crews that were working on the Kingston fire have been removed due to safety concerns.

Hogan also declared a regional state of emergency for the entire Beta Verde Peninsula. A state of emergency allows our government another tool in our toolbox to help continue our best efforts to keep the community safe. Almost 1,500 households, more than 3,000 people, remain under an evacuation order. And Hogan pointed out that most wildfires were the result of human activity. Please do not start fires or do anything that can lead to fires. In New Brunswick, wildfires continue to burn near Miramishie. The province has closed forested crown lands and is asking everyone to stay out of the woods.

Premier Susan Holt says she expects people to do as her ask. Because New Brunswickers will have seen the risk to their neighbors, the risk to our emergency response systems. A ban on burning remains in place in the entire province, including provincial parks. And while hot and dry conditions are heightening the risk of wildfires, Awasisei with the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Center says human activity is by far the biggest cause. This year 2025 seems to be pointing towards what would be the second's highest. most intense fire season we had.

She says across the country, there are more than 700 fires burning. Most are in Saskatchewan and Manitoba. That's pushed the system to level five. Which is the highest in our system, which means that every resources are maxed out. So firefighters, equipment and aircraft are maxed out, which is why we've asked help to our international partners. What's more with more than 4,200 fires so far this year,

and 7.3 million hectares burned. The firefighting system has been maxed out since late May. Philip Lichanoke, CBC News, Toronto. Welcome to St. John's Newfoundland and Labrador for the opening ceremony of the 2025 Canada Games. And with that, Canada's most prestigious national sports competition kicks off in St. John's. The Canada Games have brought together the nation's up-and-coming athletes

for nearly six decades. For the next two weeks, athletes will compete in everything from sprinting to diving to parac cycling. Jessica Singer is with me in St. John's watching the action unfold. Jessica, what's the significance of this year's games? Well, Peter, it's an incredibly exciting time for young athletes as they gather in one city, St. John's, from across the country, all of the 10 provinces and three territories represented at the Canada Games. The last time they were hosted in St. John's was back in 1977, So it's also a significant time for the city as well.

It's expected to be the largest games in history when it comes to athlete participation. So the city is seeing a lot of people. More than 4,000 athletes are participating in sports this year. These games can be a key stepping stone to the Olympics. Many athletes get their start competing here at the games. Alumni include seven-time Olympic medalist Andre deGrasse, Eugenie Bouchard and of course Sidney Crosby. So it's exciting

for the young athletes to look up to these people see that they could be on a similar path and getting their start right here at the games. Now as we heard early in the program, Newfoundland and Labrador isn't just dealing with the games, it's dealing with wildfires right now. What are some of the concerns about how this could affect

the sports that are taking place here? Yeah, of course. There is a heaviness in the air that you can feel when you step outside in St. John's and you can smell a bit of smoke. Chief Medical Officer of Health, Dr. Janice Fitzgerald, says symptoms for smoke inhalation, of course, include things such a shortness of breath and chest pain. But she says this isn't too much of a concern for athletes right now, given where the air quality index stands. But having said that, officials are constantly monitoring the situation.

When wildfires are raging just a few hours or half an hour away from you, it can be a little scary. but that the smoke in the air isn't eliminating the excitement that's in the air and that's something that Premier John Hogan is really capitalizing on. You know, Newfoundland Labrador has been through a lot in its history and we'll get, we've gotten through everything and we'll get through this. But it's important as well to recognize the volunteers that have worked for seven years to bring the Canada games here. It's important to recognize the athletes who have worked very, very hard.

A lot of young athletes who is the highlight of their lives, I bet, to date. Yeah, so people are staying positive and crossing their fingers that the weather works in their favor. These games mean thousands of people, not just athletes, but their families and spectators, are here in St. John's, but we also have thousands of evacuees who are looking for a place to stay. How has that impacted the issue for the fire? Yeah, so we know that the region is facing a shortage of accommodations. It's something Justice Minister John Hagee has mentioned throughout the week that accommodation are tight. The provinces

said Canadian Red Cross and Salvation Army were working to help evacuees find a place to stay. But in Newfoundland spirit, coming together is something Newfoundlanders are good at and they are vocalizing support for one another. I've seen people on Facebook saying,

hey, I have a couch if you need somewhere to sleep if you're evacuating wildfires. So Newfoundlanders are of course known for that hospitality. This is a time about bringing people together, including at Canada Games, coming together as a country to celebrate Canada in sport. Well, Jessica, thanks so much for joining me and telling me about it.

Thank you, Peter. That's Jessica Singer in St. John's. Still ahead, a group of young British Columbians are turning to laughter to calm their climate anxiety. Later on your world tonight, you'll hear why they say eco-improve is one solution to climate dumerism. The UN Security Council is holding an emergency meeting Sunday about Israel's plan to take control of Gaza. That plan has sparked outrage and criticism around the world.

Humanitarian experts say this major escalation could make life much worse for Palestinians. Karen Pauls has the latest reaction from Washington. Hundreds of people were arrested at this protest in London in support of the group Palestine Action, designated a terrorist organization by the U.K., something supporters reject. Shame on the police! Demonstrators there, joining those in other cities, expressing anger over Israel's plan to occupy Gaza's city

and take security control of the whole territory. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Fox News. We intend to, in order to assure our security, remove Hamas there, enable the population to be. be free of Gaza and to pass it to civilian governance. That is not Hamas and not anyone advocating the destruction of Israel. On Friday, Prime Minister Mark Carney said the decision was wrong. It is going to put the lives of the hostages at greater risk. Saturday, the European Union and other countries, including Canada, put out a statement saying they strongly reject the decision

of the Israeli security cabinet to launch an additional large-scale military operation in Gaza. It will aggravate the catastrophic humanitarian situation, endanger the lives of the hostages and further risk the mass displacement of civilians. New Zealand is a signatory Prime Minister Christopher Luxon. The military action that we've seen is not the way to solve this problem. It requires diplomacy. It requires dialogue. I've been anxious for two years and it's just increasing. Omar Omar is watching all of this from Victoria, BC. He's been trying to get family out of Gaza City for two years. He's worried Israel's plans will mean more civilians will be killed or displaced. They are getting skinnier every day and day by day. My father, who is 75 years old,

did not eat for the last week. It's nice to see our prime minister speaking about recognizing a Palestinian state or condemning here and there. But we have seen that those statements are not enough. David DeRosch is with the Near East South Asia Center for Strategic Studies in Washington. He says taking Gaza City will be difficult, the aftermath even harder. Well, then Israel is stuck once they become the de jour occupying power. They are the occupying power until there's somebody to hand it off to. The UN Security Council has scheduled an emergency session for Sunday. But the U.S., one of two nations not endorsing the meeting, could veto any resulting resolution.

Karen Paul's, CBC News, Washington. U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin will meet face-to-face next Friday in Alaska for the first time in years. Their aim is a ceasefire with Ukraine, but that country's leader isn't invited. Larimer Zelensky says he's willing to negotiate with Trump and other allies, but the Ukrainian president is rejecting the idea of surrendering land in order to secure peace. Trump has previously suggested a ceasefire deal could involve giving up territory to end the war. Friday's meeting will be Vladimir Putin's first time on U.S. soil in a decade.

He was last in the country for a U.N. General Assembly meeting in 2015. In Nigeria, drugs are claiming young lives at an alarming rate. Experts say the drug crisis is one of the deadliest in the world, and fueling that crisis are cheap synthetic drugs. Freelance reporter Kunle Babs brings us that story from Abuja. At first, it was just for fun, then I couldn't stop. I lost my job, my family, almost my life. Kaobo Mohammed is a social worker based in Nigerian capital of Abuja.

He says drug abuse for 70 years nearly ruined his life until he got help. I was deeply hooked on drugs like Kulos and India, until my family got me to rehab. I've been cleaned for three years now. On street corners on the outskirts of Abuja, a dangerous drug, Colos, a mix of marijuana and detecting chemicals, is sold in plain sight. It's cheap, highly addictive and now a symbol of Nigerian deepening drug crisis. I've been taking Colos for five years now. Akim, not real name, out of fear of law enforcement, is a 30-year-old unemployed graduate

who has been battling an addiction to Colos. He says the drug gives a false sense of escape. When I take Colos, I feel I'm in a different realm. I feel good. I feel everything is working, fine. Akeem is one of more than 3 million Nigerians living with drug use disorders according to the United Nations Office on Drug and Crime. That's nearly 14.4% of the population, almost three times the global average. Government centres are overstretched, so I started to talk with Onei to fill the gap.

Sometimes we only rely on nothing but hopes and donations. runs a small rehab center in Abuja. She says unemployment is a major driver of drug abuse, especially among young Nigerians. I think the government should declare a national emergency on unemployment and drug abuse. When people are idle and frustrated, and drugs are cheap, any little cash tickets goes into substance. Some critics are concerned the national drug law enforcement agency lacks the tools and staff to respond effectively, and public trust is low. NDLA themselves are saying they are overwhelmed, they do not necessarily have the full capacity to tackle the amount of drug use, many as we have in the country.

So current efforts are not enough. Aisha Buba is an Abuja-based psychologist. She says prevention must go hand-in-hand with treatment, and that means starting early with proper drug education in schools. We need drugs education, right from primary school, secondary school, a lot of people get into drug use. without necessarily knowing the exact consequences it can have or the trajectory of addiction. Nigerian's drug crisis is more than a health challenge. It's a mirror reflecting cracks in governors, healthcare and public safety. The Ministry of Health says it is working with partners to expand mental health services and upgrade rehab centers.

But for many on ground, help is still out of reach. Kulibabs for CBC News, Abuja, Nigeria. They're tangy, crunchy, sometimes sweet, sometimes spicy, and they're disappearing from Canadian grocery store shelves. Bix Pickles once dominated the condiment aisle, but as Julia Wong tells us, the popular brand is a victim of the U.S.-Canada trade war. Crystal Porcher embraces that she's a pickle enthusiast. The Edmonton woman even has a pickle tattoo on her hands.

She eats them at least twice a week, often a sidekick to her meals. I mean always with a grilled cheese. Always, you have a pickle. It's classic. But the pickle landscape is changing a bit in Canada. The iconic Bix brand isn't available in many Canadian grocery stores anymore. Signs read it's due to, fortunate tariff impacts. Stephen Oakland is the CEO of Treehouse Foods Corporation, which owns

the Bix brand. We've got a border dispute that just makes that transfer back and forth across the border expensive. Once Canadian owned, the now American company buys its lids and 11 million pounds of cucumbers from Ontario every year. But assembly happens in the U.S. And now, because of the trade war, when they come back into Canada, Ottawa slaps the pickles with a 25% retaliatory tariff. And as you know, the food business is a low-margin, high-volume business. And so there isn't 25% either on the retailer's side or the manufacturing side. That has, in some cases, really inhibited the retailer's availability to justify carrying them. It has been a jarring situation for the company. Oakland says sales are down roughly 25%

in the last three months. And that puts them, well, in a bit of a pickle. And that's less cucumbers and less caps things will buy in Ontario. With patriotism swelling amid the tariff dispute, bi-Canadian sentiments have been running high, and there could be unintended consequences, according to University of Guelth food economist Mike von Masso. If the bi-Canadian means that people aren't buying Bix, as an example, then Bix is buying fewer cucumbers from Canadian producers,

then that bi-Canadian is sort of coming back to bite, pardon the pun, the Canadian farmers. It's yet another example of the intertwined economies between Canada and the U.S. John Cox is the Executive Vice President of Pickle Packers International, a trade association of the pickled vegetable industry. We read about the automotive industry with parts going back and forth across the border near Detroit and Windsor. But there are other products that have somewhat complicated supply chains, and I suppose pickled vegetables are an example of that.

As for Porcher, she plans to make do with the pickle stash she has, but she doesn't relish the fact one of her favorite snacks has been caught up in the trade war. Personally, it's not great. Obviously, I'm going to be paying more for something that I love to eat. I'm not going to stop consuming an entire part of my diet because the prices increase a little bit. Obviously, if I can't find them, I'll have to suss out some other options. something she and many other Canadian pickle lovers will have to do for now. As for Bix, the company is reaching out to U.S. lawmakers to help get the counter-tariff removed.

Julia Wong, CBC News, Edmonton. Millions of Canadians are struggling to get by in this cost-of-living crisis. Economists say people at the bottom of the income ladder have it the toughest, with job insecurity and stagnant wages. As Georgie Smyth explains, some people are gathering up empties to fill their wallet. Right now, I'm looking for empty bottles, refundables. In Vancouver's alleys, Francis Taban and Grant Killian make a bit of extra money collecting drink containers. I don't drink anymore, so the smell bugs me a lot.

Each piece is worth 10 cents when it's returned to a recycling depot. How much would a, let's say a full bag, a big garbage bag full of beer cans, how much roughly would you get from that? 30 bucks. 30 bucks, okay. It's not a lot, but it buys Killian some food and cigarettes, and it's enough that more people in this city see it as a way to help make Anne's meat, says to Barn, especially in the summer when empty beer and drink containers are easier to find. It used to be, you know, few guys, few guys who had a drug addict or maybe alcoholic.

Now it becomes more people losing jobs, less income, cost of living, going up. Binning, as it's called, is currently so popular in Vancouver, it's becoming competitive between collectors. Now it's like dog fighting, you know, where you're challenged by so many people. Everyone knows basic expenses are going up, but economic inequality is rising too. Canada's income gap, that's the difference in the share of disposable income between well-off and struggling households, is now the widest it's ever been. according to numbers from Statistics Canada.

And it's particularly been tough on the people at the bottom of the income distribution. Lars Osberg is a professor of economics at Dalhousie University in Halifax. He spent his career studying inequality in Canada and says those in the lower income brackets are also more likely to be affected by economic uncertainty, wage stagnation and job losses. He says turning that around would require targeted policies like better income So we actually need a government that pays attention, well, basically to the vast majority of people who aren't rich, who are struggling with the day-to-day cost of living.

There's another can there. Yeah. Thanks. Thank you. Thank you very much. Those who collect and recycle Vancouver's trash for money say the work keeps them motivated and active, even if it's exhausting and tedious. And he hasn't made even $10, yeah.

But at this end of the income spectrum, people tell us they have few other options. Just non-sweigh of getting by, right? The weight of getting by is a heavier load for some. Georgie Smyth, CBC News, Vancouver. Climate change is no laughing matter, but one group of young people is turning to improv comedy to manage their climate anxiety. Bridget Stringer Holden joined their workshop and has the story.

I really appreciate you all being here today. Anaise Pronova Morgan is facilitating a workshop at Pacific Northwest Climate Week, a kind of community summit for climate action. It takes a lot of courage to try something new, and so I hope we're going to have some fun. This workshop is a little nerve-wracking. Pronova Morgan is combining climate with improv as a way of helping others and herself soothe anxieties about the overwhelming crisis of climate change.

I signed up because I am concerned about what's going on with the environment. Carol Hunter hasn't done improv since high school. She'd never met Herbert Al. I am always looking for inspiration from different sources. But soon, the two were sharing a scene together. And we did a sign. Improv, so it was more based on body movement and sound in regards to the environment with snow and Ravens.

To do a scene together, based on a memory from a random participant, takes a leap of faith. You know, there was a little bit of nervousness, you know, not certain at what to do sometimes. I just followed the prompt quite literally and followed the characters in it. But when we ended the reception that people did, was completely unexpected. These complete strangers from different backgrounds ended up running around the room cawing like ravens, while everyone laughed along with them. Herbert and Carol's scene was a great example of what can happen in eco-improv because it's quite unpredictable.

It started with 13 people awkwardly standing in a circle staring at each other. But as Pronovo Morgan studied for her master's, Eco-impro is a place to find community and learn to manage anxiety and uncertainty. Kifford, an assistant professor at Simon Fraser University, agrees this is important. I think in some ways this doesn't seem like a mental health intervention doing improv, but actually it's exactly the sort of mental innovations that we need to be exploring as a society and we need to be open to. Card says that social interaction is probably one of the most important buffers against stress. Samantha Blackwell is doing her master's in resources, environment, and sustainability.

She knows climate issues, but wanted to tap into her creative side. It's important for that, like, hope and joy and these positive emotions to come out because, you know, that's, those are the emotions that are going to propel us into making change. Pronova Morgan has started making plans for the next improv workshop, and she already has a group of people wanting to join her. Bridget Stringer Holden, CBC News, Vancouver. And finally tonight, every athlete has taken a different path to get here to the Canada Games in St. John's. Some have spent years preparing. For others, it's a little less. My name is Will Wahlburn. I'm from Fogo Island, Newfoundland, and I'm competing in high jump. Growing up in rural Newfoundland, there was no track and field team for Walburn, but there was a basketball court, and he got pretty good at that.

So when Team Newfoundland and Labrador was looking for high jumpers, a friend suggested his basketball skills might be a slam dunk. A lot of it carries over, thankfully. So it's not completely unnatural. It was just three months ago that he did his first jump. Some of it came naturally, but getting his back arched and just the right way to get over the bar has been a challenge. He won his first competition, but he knows he's not likely going to be at the top of the podium against the best from across Canada. We're hoping to beat Newfoundland's record of 200 centimeters.

And while he's going for new heights, other athletes are going for new deaths. At 12 years old, Juan Diego Palma is the only diver for Team Newfoundland and Labrador. and he has another distinction. So I'll be the youngest athlete. I'm pretty excited and nervous at the same time. He's been diving for six years, but getting ready for the games has been tough. He dives on the three-meter platform, but the pool equipped for diving was closed for renovations to get ready for the games, leaving him to train on a lower springboard, very different.

His coach and father Jose Palma says it's been tough. No having three-meter platform has been tough for him to handle it. emotionally, physically, technically. But having jumped over that challenge, and with competition set to begin, Jose has one piece of advice for his son. I say, just relax, you are the only one. Enjoy and believe the experience. You deserve it. Not bad advice for any of the 4,000 athletes competing in these games.

Thanks for being with us. This has been your world tonight for Saturday, August 9th. I'm Peter Cowan in St. John's. Good night. For more CBC podcasts, go to cBC.ca.ca slash podcasts.