Your World Tonight - Wildfires Smoke, Rising beef prices, Canadian staycations, and more

Episode Date: August 3, 2025

Officials on Vancouver Island are hoping a change of weather will help them fight an out of control wildfire burning north of Nanaimo. Evacuation orders have been issued for hundreds of properties. The B.C. wildfire service says efforts are focused on protecting homes and keeping people safe.Also: Where's the beef? Its one of the busiest grilling weekends of the year...But price conscious cooks might want to serve chicken burgers this year, because the price of beef is surging faster than inflation.And: Canadian travelers are choosing Toronto over Tampa - and Calgary over California. Canada is having a strong summer tourist season, partly thanks to a rise in staycations. And the federal government is hoping some new measures will help bring more international tourists here too.Plus: Summer McIntosh wins more gold medals, A First Nation in Saskatchewan celebrates a multi-million dollar settlement with Ottawa, and more.

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Find an agent today at Desjardins.com slash business coverage. This is a CBC podcast. Hi, I'm Katie Nicholson. This is your World Tonight. The smoke is still prevalent in the air. You know, you can smell it creeping through the doors and through the cracks in the windows. Canadians are being advised to stay indoors this long weekend. Wildfire smoke is choking out nearly every region of the country, prompting air quality warnings from eastern BC to western Quebec. Also on the podcast, the Canada-U.S. Trade Minister says

he believes reaching a deal to bring down Donald Trump's tariffs is still possible and... We might have chosen to travel somewhere else but this year we decided to stay Canada and I think we will for the near future. Canadian travellers opt for staycations this summer. A blanket of wildfire smoke is billowing across Canada. Air quality warnings and statements are stretching across the country from west to east and this smoke is posing a threat to the health of Canadians. Stephanie Cramm reports. You can smell it creeping through the doors and through the cracks in the windows. And, you know, it's just been relentless.

That's Kaley Antoine, chief of Tliliquay First Nation in Fort Simpson, Northwest Territories. His community is suffocating due to smoke from a fire raging about 20 kilometres away. The community is making sure the most vulnerable, including elders, are protected from the impacts of smoke. We did buy a whole bunch of air purifiers. We managed to get quite a few and get them into a lot of homes in the community. Over the weekend, much of Canada was under air quality warnings. With parts of the Northwest Territory, Saskatchewan, Manitoba and Ontario

experiencing extremely high levels of air pollution. A trend Todd Bate from Environment Canada says is becoming more common. We have been noticing a general trend of increased wildfires and thus a general trend of decreased air quality in the summer in Canada. And the hot summer heat has only added to the smoke's intensity. On days when wildfires get very active in hot weather with more instability near the surface you can get a lot more smoke propagating into the atmosphere and this smoke can take a lot of time to dilute from the atmosphere so they can get transported over long distances. And that smoke could impact your health, says Michael Brower from the School of Public Health at the University of British Columbia.

We clearly see things like during smoke events, there's more people having physician visits for respiratory conditions. We see it in ambulance dispatch calls. With far-reaching health implications. Most people actually don't consider that it's affecting the whole body. We're really seeing increasingly that the smoke is not just affecting the lungs, it's affecting the whole body. And we're really seeing increasingly that the smoke is not just affecting the lungs, it's affecting the heart. We see impacts on individuals with diabetes. And our recent research is really focusing

on mental health effects and cognition. So things like dementia. For Chief Antoine, this year's smoke is a sign of how unprepared many remote communities are. If we wanna keep our people safe, protect our homes and maintain a peace of mind in the face of these growing climate threats, we need partnership. Antoine says his community needs more support from the government to create clean air shelters for those needing reprieve from the smoke.

Stephanie Crams, CBC News, Edmonton. Officials on Vancouver Island are hoping a change of weather will help them fight an out-of-control wildfire. The fire north of Nanaimo prompted evacuation orders for hundreds of properties. The BC wildfire service says efforts are focused on protecting homes and keeping people safe. Mira Baines reports. Cloudy skies and cooler temperatures near the Wesley Ridge fire burning on the north shore of Cameron Lake seem like signs of hope, but strong winds

remain a big worry. In recent days, gusts have pushed flames towards homes. Upcoming conditions will be cooler with more clouds in the area as we go into Monday and Tuesday, but it does remain dry. We are in a period of drought here on the island. Madison Dahl is a fire information officer with the Coastal Fire Centre and says no rain is expected until mid-week but winds are difficult to predict. Winds will strengthen through the day with peak gusting expected in the early evening hours. While the wildfire is classified as out of control, efforts are underway to protect infrastructure. Dozens of firefighters and structural protection specialists as well as seven helicopters are helping put out the fire. Nearly 400 properties, mostly homes are

under evacuation order with residents required to leave immediately. Two campgrounds, trails and picnic areas at Qualicum Falls Park are under the order. Another 238 properties in the Little Qualicum River Village area are under evacuation alert. Douglas Holmes is the Emergency Operations Centre Director for the Regional District of Nanaimo and says people on the lake should stay out of the way of specialized aircraft. Any interaction between those aircraft and a personal watercraft or an individual, you know, at best, will delay the fire response and at worst will be a very difficult and dangerous interaction.

The fire has grown to an estimated size of almost four square kilometres but smoke is making it hard for officials to get a clear handle on how big it is. The fire is suspected to have been caused by human activity. The number of wildfires has been ramping up in BC. Over the last week they have doubled after thousands of lightning strikes were recorded. There are hopes weather conditions over the next week will help and not make things worse. Miura Bains, CBC News, Vancouver. Wildfires are also raging in Portugal and Spain. Both countries have registered the hottest June on record.

And now are baking in the second heat wave of the summer. This visitor to Seville says he never imagined it could get so hot. The city is among several on the Iberian Peninsula, registering temperatures above 40 degrees. And that's without the humidex. Hot and dry summers are common across the region, but fast-rising temperatures in recent years are contributing to more intense heat waves and destructive wildfires. Still ahead, where's the beef? It's one of the busiest grilling weekends of the year, but price-conscious cooks might want to opt for serving chicken burgers this year.

That's because the price of beef is surging faster than inflation. You'll hear the reasons why later on your World Tonight. Just days after Ukraine's parliament restored independence of two anti-corruption agencies, they discovered a major scheme to siphon off defence funds. to siphon off defence funds. President Volodymyr Zelensky calls the scheme absolutely immoral. He says it involved a sitting lawmaker, local officials and National Guard personnel. All of them taking kickbacks for procurement of drones and signal jamming systems at inflated prices.

Four people have been arrested so far and Zelinsky is promising full accountability. Gazan health officials say another six people have died of starvation in the past 24 hours, bringing the total to 175 deaths attributed to hunger since the war began. And after more than 500 days in Hamas captivity, video of starving hostages is increasing the pressure on Israel and the US to secure their release. Philip Leshaneck reports. Video the Palestinian Red Crescent Society says is the aftermath of an overnight attack on its headquarters in Hanunis in the southern Gaza Strip. Staff members run through the burning building trying to put out the flames.

One was killed and two others injured. The organization says it was a deliberate Israeli airstrike. Also in Hanunis, survivors describe an overnight Israeli strike on a school that was sheltering refugees. Zaki Al-Masri says it was a humanitarian site run by the United Nations Relief and Works Agency, or UNRWA. The last night we were subject to shoot without any alarm to get out of the school. Suddenly, a huge bomb. Four kids is burned while he's eating the food. Following international outrage over widespread starvation and deaths from malnutrition, Israel

said it would pause military activity in some areas to allow more aid into Gaza. But humanitarian organizations say the amount of aid that's entered the enclave is not enough. And Hamas says restricting aid to Gaza is harming the remaining hostages. Israeli officials believe 20 are still alive. Islamic Jihad released video of 22-year-old Israeli hostage, Ram Braslawski. In it, he pleads for food to be led into the Gaza Strip. On Friday, Hamas released a propaganda video showing hostage Evyatar David. He appears in a tunnel looking emaciated, saying he eats what his captors eat. The CBC cannot verify under what circumstances the videos were made. His brother, Ely David, joined other families in condemning the hostage videos,

saying it's part of a propaganda campaign by Hamas. Hamas men are eating. They have plenty of food, they have plenty of water, and they are starving their own people. And the hostages as part of their twisted, crazy campaign. Hamas has offered to deliver Red Cross aid immediately to the hostages in Gaza if Israel makes the humanitarian corridors permanent and suspends air operations while the aid is delivered.

Meanwhile, Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says the videos show Hamas is not interested in reaching a ceasefire agreement and if anything, scenes of emaciated hostages have strengthened his resolve to eliminate Hamas. Fulti Shadok, CBC News, Toronto. Israel's far-right National Security Minister Itmar Ben-Ghivir has elicited anger by praying at the Al-Aqsa compound in Jerusalem. The compound, known to Jews as the Temple Mount, is the holiest site in Judaism

and the third holiest site in Islam. But under a decades old arrangement, only Muslims are allowed to pray there. Jordan, which is the custodian of the site, and Palestinian leaders call Ben-Gavir's actions a provocation. A statement from the Israeli Prime Minister's office insists there is no change to the longstanding policy. Prime Minister Mark Carney will speak with US President Donald Trump in the coming days as Canada tries to find a way out of a 35% blanket tariff on exports to the US but

as Karen Pauls reports there are mixed messages coming from the White House. Prime Minister Mark Carney at Vancouver's Pride Parade focusing on the are mixed messages coming from the White House. Prime Minister Mark Carney at Vancouver's Pride Parade focusing on the celebration but unable to shake questions about trade and tariffs. Canada is strong. We can give ourselves far more than anyone can take away. Building sustainably, building together, building positively, and that's what we're going to do.

And yes, we will come to something with the Americans, something constructed with the Americans. Meanwhile, his minister responsible for Canada-US trade was talking tariffs on American television. So we're going to continue to do the work. Dominique LeBlanc left Washington last week without a deal but says there's still room for a resolution that brings economic certainty to both sides of the border. We believe there's a great deal of common ground between the United States and Canada in terms of building two strong economies that work well together. US President Donald Trump raised the tariff rate to 35% on some Canadian exports to the

US effective last Friday. Trump is at his golf resort in New Jersey this weekend with no public events. And there were mixed messages from some of his officials and trade negotiators today. I'm not concerned that it's going to complicate things with Canada. And if there's a way to a deal, we'll find it. And if it's not, we'll have the tariff levels that we have. U.S. Trade Representative Jameson Greer says he doesn't think the newly announced tariff rates with any country will come down, although for Canada, he did leave the door open a crock.

I'm not a, the drugs are or anything, but what I do know as the trade guy is that Canada retaliated. The only other country in the world who retaliated on tariffs was the Chinese. And so if the president's going to take an action and the Canadians retaliate the United States needs to maintain the integrity of our action the effectiveness so we have to go up. White House National Economic Advisor Kevin Hassett said he expects talks to continue with countries still negotiating with the US. We have eight deals that cover about 55% of world GDP with our biggest trading partners the EU and Japan and Korea and so on and

I expect that those batters are more or less locked in for the deals that aren't Ready yet, and we would expect that there might continue to be negotiations with those countries 95% of Canada's exports remain duty-free under the existing free trade agreement, though key sectors of steel, aluminum, autos, lumber and copper are deeply affected. Ottawa says a deal clearing all tariffs is unlikely and that the talks could go on for weeks. Karen Pauls, CBC News, Washington. A First Nation in Saskatchewan is celebrating a multi-million dollar settlement with Ottawa. Muscapitan Soto Nation is the latest community to receive compensation from the federal government over its failing to fulfill its treaty obligations to provide farming tools, crop seeds and livestock.

Alexander Silberman reports. A question, a honored 150 years later. Muskapeeting Soto Nation welcoming nearly 99 million dollars in compensation from the federal government. The settlement, known as Cows and Plows, recognizing Canada's failure to meet its treaty obligations to help people farm. Today marks an important moment in our shared history. Rebecca Alty is Minister of Crown-Indigenous Relations.

She met with community members and says the government recognizes the broken promise was harmful. That support was meant to help your First Nation develop and prosper and because it was withheld, your nation and your people did suffer. The Saskatchewan community is one of 53 First Nations to settle with Ottawa so far, with payouts totaling more than $6.9 billion. The claims stem from promises made in treaties 4, 5, 6 and 10, which span large parts of Saskatchewan, Western Manitoba and Alberta.

First Nations ceded territory to the federal government in the agreements, and in exchange, they were promised payments, reserve land and provisions, including farming tools, crop seeds and livestock. Today Canada is making parts of those wrongs right. Chief Melissa Tevira says the acknowledgement is an act of reconciliation. It doesn't take away what happened, but they're recognizing that there was some wrongdoing on their part. But some treaty rights advocates are raising concerns over the federal government's approach. The way in which it was taken on is problematic.

Danette Starblanket is a professor at the University of Regina. She says a one-time payment goes against the spirit of intent in the treaty and argues the promise was about helping First Nations build long-term economic sustainability, not a one-time transfer of livestock and equipment. It's not looking at future generations, so what happens when those per capita payments run out? In Muscapete, the push to address the wrongs of the past is now shifting to the future. The community plans to use the funds for youth programming, housing and upgrading its water treatment plant. Each of the 1,300 adult residents will also receive $40,000.

Tevita says funds will also be placed in a trust to help generate long-term revenue. We can get ahead of the game and make our own source of revenue rather than just relying on the money from the government. The federal government says resolving outstanding claims is a key step in reconciliation. It remains in active negotiations with a few dozen First Nations across the prairies. Alexander Silberman, CBC News, Regina. Canadian tennis player Victoria Mboko with a stunning upset at the National Bank Open Saturday night. Mboko defeated world number two Coco Goff in straight sets. The 18-year-old from Toronto is the last Canadian woman standing in the tournament. Mboko will now move on to the quarterfinal on Monday.

She's the second youngest Canadian to reach a WTA 1000 quarterfinal since 1990 behind only Bianca Andrescu. Canadian swimmer Summer Macintosh has made history at the World Aquatics Championship in Singapore with her victory in the 400-metre individual medley today. The 18-year-old becomes only the second woman in history to win four solo titles at the Worlds. But as Isha Bergava reports, shattering records isn't the young phenom's only goal. But it's all about Summer Macintosh, even at this early stage here. Macintosh leading through the 50 and she's an underworld record pace by 0.28.

It's a summer to remember in Singapore. That's after Canadian swim star Summer Macintosh broke her own record to win the women's 400 meter medley, earning her fourth gold medal at the World Aquatics Championships. I'm very happy with it and to finish off with my teammates in the relay. I mean, I gave it my all.

Might have not been my best swim, but we gave it our all, everything in the pool tonight. So overall happy with this World Championships. I have to be four golds to something that I've never achieved at the world stage before. The 18-year-old from Toronto won gold in the 400-metre freestyle, the 200-metre medley, and the 200-metre butterfly, along with a bronze in the 800-metre freestyle. McIntosh became the third swimmer in history to win five individual medals at one World's Championship, joining Michael Phelps

and Swedish swimmer Sara Kostrom. And it was no surprise to those cheering her on from the sidelines, including her coach Fred Vernoux. The difference between summer and the race is the consistency that she has on a daily basis. She's good every day, she's good every week, she's good every month. Vernoux says McIntosh's constant drive to always improve at her craft is what makes her such a successful athlete. Former world champion and Olympic bronze medalist swimmer Brent Hayden agrees. He still remembers being mesmerized swimming alongside McIntosh, who's more than two decades his junior, at the 2021 Olympics in Tokyo. We knew that she was very,

very special. She is just on a whole other level. And what's amazing is, you know, when she hits that milestone, she gets that medal, like she's already looking at the next event. You know, it's almost like the podium is just like the formality that she just has to go through because she's just ready to get back up on the blocks and just get ready to race again. And here at home, Canadians were in awe, waking up early or staying up late to catch MacIntosh's

compete. She felt that love all the way in Singapore. It means the world. I mean, I get emotional thinking about it. And on those final moments on really, really tough races, that's what really gets my hand on the wall first. But for McIntosh, who was eyeing all five golds, the one setback felt stronger than her four wins. She says she hates losing more than she loves winning. Still, it's become further motivation for the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles. And in a few weeks, she'll be in Texas

to train with Bob Bulman, the same trainer who coached Phelps to his record, 23 Olympic gold medals. Isha Bargava, CBC News, Toronto. The August long weekend is the perfect time to gather with friends and family, fire up the grill and throw on a few hamburgers. But this year, the cherished summer tradition comes at a cost. As Colin Butler explains, the price of beef in Canada is surging.

Burgers on the grill, smoke in the air, and this summer, a little extra heat on your wallet. Ground beef hit $14.67 a kilo in May, up 25% from a year ago, more than 10 times Canada's rate of inflation. If you want somebody to blame, really it's to blame the consumer because we keep on coming back. Meat, livestock, and grocery analyst Kevin Greer says even in the face of steep prices, demand hasn't flinched. Demand for beef is phenomenal. The reason? Barbecue culture is booming and trade tensions with the US have fueled appetite for Canadian beef.

But behind the sizzle, there is strain. Western Canada, with its big skies and even bigger pastures, is parched. Last couple of years we've been really affected by the droughts. Lee Irvine is an Alberta cattle farmer. With no rain for some areas since April and the soaring cost of feed cattle farmers are shrinking their herds. So we've actually reduced our cow herd in Canada down to the lowest levels we've had since the 80s and in the US they're down to the lowest level since the 60s so that's really tightened the supply up. Those thinning herds have rippled all the way to the butcher's block.

really tightened the supply up. Those thinning herds have rippled all the way to the butcher's block. At Mount Bridges Abattoir in Mount Bridges, Ontario, Andy Tribizan says although herds are down, finding beef isn't the problem. Finding a deal is. We have no problems getting beef, but we just got to pay the higher prices for them. Despite the high prices, appetite hasn't cooled. In fact, for some butchers, business is booming, especially on long weekends like this one when the grills come out. Demand is really high, especially in the summertime. You know, people want to get out, do their barbecues, and they want to entertain. For many Canadians, summer gatherings just wouldn't be the same without beef on the grill. There's no really good substitute for a hamburger or a steak on the barbecue. Stuart's no really good substitute for a hamburger

or a steak on the barbecue. Stuart Smythe is a professor of agricultural resources at the University of Saskatchewan. He says most people won't line up for a tofu dog or plant-based patty. But if you want to have people to get together for a celebration, you know, not many people are gonna want a plant protein burger.

They want a hamburger. Beefs never cost more, and forecasters say these prices will likely stick around until 2027. Until then... Summer traditions might be priceless, but in 2025, they're definitely not cheap. Colin Butler, CBC News, London, Ontario. Canadian travellers are choosing Toronto over Tampa and Calgary over California. Canada is having a strong summer tourist season and that's partly thanks to a rise in staycations. Caroline Bargout reports.

It's been amazing. It's beautiful here. Instead of heading south this summer, Jennifer Cox and her kids traveled from their home in Langley, British Columbia to Victoria, Lake Louise and now Winnipeg. We might have chosen to travel somewhere else but this year we decided to stay in Canada and I think we will for the near future. She's choosing to stay closer to home because of US President Donald Trump. Same goes for John Paquette. You don't have to worry about the divisions and the tension.

Maureen Power says since Trump took office, she's been rethinking her travel plans and how she spends her money. Yeah, I'm happy to be here and don't even watch American TV anymore. Let alone visit. CAA has seen a 13% bump in people buying insurance to travel within Canada this year. Don't even watch American TV anymore. Let alone Visit. CAA has seen a 13% bump in people buying insurance to travel within Canada this year. While purchases for US travel insurance have gone down 27% year over year. Occupancy rates at Canadian hotels are also up.

Jan Freytag is with the CoStar Group, which tracks hotel bookings. He says in June, 76% of rooms were full, a 2% increase over last year. So you're selling over three out of four rooms across the nation. Matthew Geli is the board chair of the Tourism Industry Association of Canada. He says so far, all indicators point

to a strong summer season. I'm certainly seeing that. Statistics Canada, other information is certainly indicating,. Statistics Canada, other information is certainly indicating, all early indicators, that there is an increase in Canadian and domestic tourism. In Alberta, they're seeing an influx of American tourists too. That's according to Travel Alberta's Tannis Gaffney. We're thinking that it has to do a lot with air access, with West Shet being the hub here

in Calgary and a lot of direct routes into Edmonton that that's really an indicator for kind of the growth in the province. This year the federal government has been trying to incentivize travelers to come here. It introduced the Canada Strong Pass, which gives free admission to national parks and historic sites and discounts at participating provincial museums and galleries, as well as discounts on Via Rail, which has received more than 33,000 bookings using the pass since June 16. Arvind Ravinderanath used the pass to show his parents around.

They're visiting from India. We don't have to think twice before we enter a museum, enter a national historic site, and it's a good way for me to show them the sites. So yeah, it's definitely a good initiative. Those who work in the industry said, well it's wonderful that Canadian travellers are exploring their own country this year. They also want Americans and other international visitors to know they're welcome here too. Caroline Bargout, CBC News, Winnipeg. Returning to our top story, wildfires in the West continue to push people from their homes

and the smoke from those fires choke cities further east, filtering the light today in Toronto and Montreal to a hazy orange. Thousands in the fire zones have been forced from their homes this season, including more than 28,000 in Manitoba who've registered with the Red Cross. It's been tough especially for many of the evacuees from more isolated indigenous communities. Caitlin Brightnose is an emergency coordinator with MKO. There's a lot of boredom and well it is a culture shock too because they come from close-knit isolated communities and coming here into the city where some of them only get out for medicals. They're not used to city life, they're not used

to staying in a hotel for extended periods of time. Some of our evacuees have been out here for over like 65 days. But this weekend there's a silver lining for evacuees in Winnipeg. So we are hosting the evacuee summer games. The four-day games feature traditional events like arrow shoots, moose calling, singing, square dancing and jigging. The sort of things many of the evacuees would be doing at home for treaty day celebrations that most communities normally hold during the summer. There will also be water races, canoes and organizers have also been able to borrow dragon boats.

Now you're paddling. Boom boom boom boom boom. They're going hard, they're going hard. Turn around. It's all about that turn. Errol Monroe is from Tatasquiaq First Nation in northern Manitoba, where a state of emergency was first declared in May. It's just like, just to lift the spirits up, you know. Everybody's been feeling down, like being away from the land, being away from family,

being separated, not doing the normal things that we do, you know, going out fishing and just having quality family time. It's not really, it's not nice like people think it's a vacation. It's not, trust me. Being cooped up in a hotel for months, it ain't fun. Little joy in what has been a long stressful summer. This has been Your World Tonight. I'm Katie Nicholson. Thanks for listening.