Your World Tonight - Workers trapped in mine, climate ruling, longest ballot, and more

Episode Date: July 23, 2025

Three workers – trapped in a Northwest B.C. mine. The company that runs the Red Chris mine says the team went to a refuge after an earth collapse. Another one cut off their exit, and they couldn’t get out.And: The United Nations’ highest court says countries that fail to protect the planet could be breaking international law. The ICJ says a "clean, healthy and sustainable environment" is a human right, and violating that could mean legal consequences.Also: Pierre Poilievre's patience is thinning over the expanding ballot for next month's byelection in Alberta. At least 190 people are now running. Including the Conservative leader who is trying to get back to Parliament.Plus: Starvation in Gaza, Canada looks to the Japan deal for hints on negotiating with Trump, the soaring Blue Jays, and more.

You searched for your informant, who disappeared without a trace. You knew there were witnesses, but lips were sealed. You swept the city, driving closer to the truth, while curled up on the couch with your cat. There's more to imagine when you listen. Discover heart-pounding thrillers on Audible. This is a CBC Podcast. BC miners are the best in the world. Our rescue teams are exceptional, and they will be working over time to bring these workers

home safely to their families. Trapped deep underground, three workers at a northern British Columbia copper and gold mine can't get out and rescuers can't get in. The company says the workers have food, water and oxygen. Now they're waiting for help. Welcome to Your World Tonight. I'm Angie Seth. It is Wednesday, July 23rd coming up on 6 p.m. Eastern also on the podcast.

For the first time in history the ICJ has spoken directly about the biggest threat facing humanity which is climate change and I want to note that the decision was unanimous. The new legal environment, a landmark decision from the United Nations top court, says climate change is an urgent and existential threat and countries that don't take measures to protect the planet could be violating international law, countries feeling the harshest impacts could sue them for it. They've been underground for more than 24 hours, stranded and now cut off from communication. Rescuers are trying to reach three workers at a BC mine, an operation complicated by

the mine's location in a remote part of the province. The CBC's Yasmeen Rene has the details on what we know so far. Obviously, it's very concerning for the families, for the workers. BC Premier David Eby was the first to reveal the troubling situation. That three mine workers were trapped underground at the Redcrisp mine in northwestern BC and that a rescue plan was in the works. BC miners are the best in the world. Our rescue teams are exceptional and they will be working overtime to bring these workers

home safely to their families." Two of the workers trapped are from BC while the others from Ontario. It's not known if they're men or women but EB said all are believed to be uninjured. The mines operating company Newmont Corp says there were two incidents of falling debris early Tuesday morning. The company says after the first the workers were able to reach a refuge area that has enough food, water and ventilation to last for days. And once there, they contacted their employer. But another collapse occurred, cutting off communication to the three, and there's been no contact with them since.

It's always unnerving. Nolan Paquette is with the United Steelworkers, which represents hundreds of mine workers in B.C. He says the trapped workers are contractors and not members of the union. You want to make sure everybody's safe regardless of their your members are not. We're hoping for the best. The Rycris mine is an open pit copper and gold mine that has been operating since 2015. Newmont Corp says specialist teams from other nearby mine sites are being assembled. But given the remote location of the mine, more than 1,500 kilometers northwest of Kelowna,

restoring communication and rescuing the workers may not happen quickly. Duane Tanet specializes in geohazards at the University of British Columbia. If this is a large event, that takes time. It takes a long time to either clear it and go through, or in some cases, the people are trapped for days, maybe even weeks. He says the workers should be safe in the refuge area, but that the rescue efforts themselves will be dangerous. It's the people entering into rescue, they have to be safe, and so you have to be very systematic and careful as you reestablish that entry into that section of the mine.

Operations at the mine have been temporarily suspended as the rescue efforts get underway. The provincial government has sent in a geotechnical inspector of mines to the site and heavy equipment, other supplies and expertise from across the mining industry is on its way as well. Yasmil Rania, CBC News, Vancouver. It's a decision that could pave the way for countries to lawyer up. As they face rising tides and temperatures,

today the International Court of Justice issued a legal opinion on climate change. It says a clean, healthy, and sustainable environment is a human right, and that governments are obligated to live up to climate promises. There could be legal consequences if they don't. Nicole Modellero reports. Protesters had gathered outside the Hague ahead of today's landmark opinion by the International Court of Justice and they got what they wanted to hear. The consequences of climate change are severe and far-reaching.

They affect both natural ecosystems and human populations. These consequences underscore the urgent and existential threat posed by climate change. The court's president, Yuji Iwasawa, made it clear countries around the world must address the threat of climate change. And failure to meet their climate obligations, like the Paris Climate Agreement, could lead other nations to litigate, meaning places affected by climate change may be entitled to. Fulfill reparation to injured states in the form of restitution, compensation and satisfaction. The court's opinion is non-binding, but it's still welcome news to Pacific Island nations who are facing rising sea levels, despite not being responsible for the bulk of greenhouse

gas emissions. Vishal Prasad, who is from Fiji, is a campaigner with the Pacific Island students fighting for climate justice. He says today's ruling provides a foundation for a more equitable future. For small island states, communities in the Pacific and for young people and for future generations, this opinion is a lifeline. Today's opinion follows two weeks of hearings at the World Court last December. The case was led by the Pacific Island nation of Vanuatu

and backed by more than 130 countries. It is a truly historic, I would say, turning point in the history of international law. Payam Akhavan is the human rights chair at the University of Toronto. He was also counseled to small island states in the ICJ's proceedings. The International Court of Justice, the principle judicial organ of the United Nations, referred to climate change as an existential threat of planetary proportions that imperils human life on earth. It couldn't be more stark than that. The court also said that countries were responsible for the actions of companies within their

jurisdiction. Ralph Reginvanu is Vanuatu's climate change minister. Today's ruling, I'm sure, will also inspire new cases where victims around the world in a legal sense realize that they can claim their rights and seek accountability. An opinion that will almost surely lead to legal action against the world's largest historical emitter, the U.S., as it attempts to walk back most of its climate regulations. Nicole Martillero, CBC News, Toronto. I'm Angie Seth. Coming up on the podcast, Big in Japan, American and Japanese officials have worked out a trade deal.

What Canada can learn from an agreement Donald Trump is calling massive. Plus the boys of summer selling out at the ballpark and lighting up the scoreboard. The Toronto Blue Jays winning ways have fans in a frenzy. Those stories and more coming up on Your World Tonight. Stories and more coming up on Your World Tonight. Canada's trade team is in Washington this week for another round of high stakes talks. This comes as Donald Trump says he's reached a new trade agreement with Japan. The terms of that deal appear to be more favorable than any other he's announced so far. As Katie Simpson reports, it may offer some lessons for this country.

Behind closed doors at an undisclosed location in Washington, Canadian trade officials are said to be meeting with U.S. counterparts. So secretive, the only thing officials will confirm is that it's the start of two days of planned meetings. Canada is just one of several countries trying to close in on a deal with the U.S. by August 1st. A possible positive sign for everyone involved, U.S. President Donald Trump appears to be in a deal-making mood.

But I just signed the largest trade deal in history, I think maybe the largest deal in history, with Japan. The text of the agreement has not yet been released. Much of what the public knows is based on Trump's social media posts. He says Japan's tariff rate will drop from 25 percent down to 15 percent, and Japanese automobiles will also see a tariff rate cut down to 15 percent, though steel and aluminum tariffs of 50 percent remain in place. In exchange, Trump says Japan agreed to open its markets to more American goods, including

agriculture, energy, and automobiles. And Japan will make $550 billion worth of investments in the U.S. The Japanese proposed a very innovative solution. U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Besson says that $550 billion investment proposal helped Japan get lower tariffs. So they got the 15 percent rate because they were willing to provide this innovative financing mechanism. Even though there are few details about how this investment plan is supposed to work, it suggests the U.S. can be convinced to reduce tariff rates,

according to Martha Harrison, a Toronto-based international trade lawyer. Hopefully that is a signal that the 35% tariff that Trump has suggested will be implemented against Canadian goods as of August 1st will not in fact end at 35%. Trump is threatening to increase Canada's border security and fentanyl tariffs from 25% to 35% starting next month, though exemptions for all Kuzma-compliant goods will remain in place. While there is some hope perhaps the numbers will go down, Harrison says the situation remains difficult. I think it's unlikely that Canada or any other country

will end up with a deal with the president and his team that results in zero additional tariffs. The Trump administration has repeatedly changed the goalposts in terms of what it's looking for from Canada in exchange for tariff relief. With just over a week to go before the next trade deal deadline, the negotiations are described as very fluid. Katie Simpson, CBC News, Washington. Well after two days of mostly talking trade, provincial leaders wrapped up their meeting

in Ontario with a focus on several domestic issues they want Ottawa to address especially immigration, health care and bail reform. Olivia Stefanovic has more. Over the last three days Canada's premiers have worked hard to move forward on our shared priorities. After being consumed for two days by the trade war with the US it was back to somewhat regular business at the Premier's table with social issues topping the agenda again. Premiers are also calling for a stronger provincial role in immigration for one simple reason.

We know our labor markets best. Ontario Premier Doug Ford, the host of this week's meetings in the province's cottage country, says Premiers are working together to issue their own work permits while also making it easier for doctors and nurses to practice anywhere in Canada. To me having a universal health care system that is open to everybody is one of our fundamental Canadian values. Health care was barely mentioned in public by provincial leaders this week but behind the scenes Manitoba premier Wab Kinew says they are making progress to access more health transfer dollars from the Prime Minister.

So if we want to say that we're standing up to Donald Trump and we're never going to be the 51st state let's make sure that our universal health care system is strong. The drugs have certainly changed in the power that they have over people in the last decade. And when it comes to the legal system, Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe says provincial leaders are united, calling for stricter bail conditions, something the federal government is promising to address

with criminal code changes this fall. For any repeat, in particular, repeat violent offenders, the consequences of their action could have far greater, far greater, far greater, you know, time sentence, time served. The demands come as premiers remain fixated on the trade war with the U.S., leaving domestic social issues largely overshadowed. We can walk and chew gum at the same time. New Brunswick premier Susan Holt says the trade crisis is bringing provincial leaders closer together.

The pressing threats that Donald Trump has made to our economy have meant that instead of occupying all of our meetings and squeezing out conversations about bail reform and immigration, we've been meeting a lot more. While the premiers say they're all getting along and support the Prime Minister now, their concerns about bail reform, health care and immigration present fault lines for fractures in the future. Olivia Stivanovich, CBC News, Huntsville, Ontario. The ballot keeps expanding and Pierre Pauli's patience is going the other way. The federal conservative leader is hoping to win back a seat in parliament but now he's

running against nearly 200 people in a by-election in Alberta next month. Many of the candidates are part of a protest aimed at changing the electoral system. Pauliev says they're abusing it. Evan Dyer explains. Pierre Paulollyave was shocked to see the number of candidates on the ballot in his Ontario riding of Carlton in the last election. 91 candidates ran in the riding, most of them helped by the longest ballot committee, a campaign demanding electoral reform. Pollyave lost that race and now in the Alberta riding of Battle River Crowfoot he's facing more than twice as many rivals 190 candidates and counting. Local Battle River Media hometown productions filmed Polyev

talking about the topic at a campaign stop at an agricultural fair. This is a scam it is unfair it is unjust and it must stop. Polyev is not the only Alberta candidate who's upset. Well, frustration. I sent them several cease and desist, asked them just not to get involved. Obviously, I was ignored. Bonnie Critchley is a military veteran and self-described centrist running as an independent. She's hoping to capitalize on what she says is local discontent at having an outside candidate parachute in. But she says her campaign is getting drowned out among dozens of other names. There is absolutely no way on the ballot to

differentiate me from all these protest candidates from outside our riding who are causing issues. One of those candidates is Mark Mooder who lives nearly 3,000 kilometers away in Montreal even further away than Polyev. Mooder says politicians are upset because it threatens their control of elections. Every single time we start putting pressure on them, politicians start trying to figure out ways to stop us from doing this every single time. In our current first-past-the-post system, politicians game the system. They're the ones who decide the way our elections are run.

And obviously there's a conflict of interest, since they are the ones who directly benefit from our current system. Candidate Jason Cowan of Saskatchewan Long wanted to run, but as a solo disabled person he says there was no way to get on the ballot because he couldn't meet the threshold for signatures on his own. And then the saviours of elections, the longest ballot comes along and they offer a beautiful opportunity to actually be on the ballot for once. It's not a fraud.

It's not a gimmick. It's not even completely a protest because everybody has their own reasons for being on it. On Tuesday, Pauli, I wrote to Liberal House Leader Steve McKinnon asking for the government to fix what he called a blatant abuse of our democratic system. These aren't real candidates, he wrote, they aren't campaigning. They aren't engaging with constituents. McKinnon told CBC News in a written statement that the Carney government shares Polia's concerns and is looking at the issue. Elections Canada told CBC

News it too is trying to find a solution and may have more to say after July 28th when the window for candidate registration closes. Evandyer, CBC News, Ottawa. Well several cities have revoked permission for an American musician to play concerts in Canada. Ottawa, Quebec, Moncton and Charlottetown today followed a similar move from Parks Canada yesterday. They say their safety and security concerns if Sean Foite performs. Foite is a Christian rocker heavily involved in the MAGA movement in the United States.

He has spoken out against the LGBTQ plus community, abortion rights and critical race theory. Residents near the concert locations had said they would protest his presence. Toronto area on Sunday. Their small and growing bodies are in most need of food and the least equipped to handle a lack of it. There has been a surge in starvation deaths in Gaza, many of them young children. According to the World Health Organization, hospitals are overwhelmed and parents are desperate. Nella eyed with their pleas to let in life-saving aid. In a cramped room, Judy Al-Arour, all skin and bones, is lying limply on a bed, watched over by her mother. Judy is six months old, but her mother says she was malnourished even before she was born.

When I was pregnant, I was suffering from malnutrition, says Alaa Ahmed Al-Arour. They started to tell me my fetus is small. Now the milk the hospital hands out, Judy can't digest it, and the special formula she needs isn't available in Gaza. The entire family, says Alaa, is wanting, entirely reliant on the chaotic street lineups

for a bit of cooked food. A growing number of people in Gaza are dying because of hunger. The World Health Organization says 21 children under five so far this year. Aid groups say Gaza is suffering mass starvation. Israel says it's a crisis manufactured by Hamas. Government spokesman David Mincer. So these are our false warnings which come from these aid organizations. Israeli officials released images of what they said were 958 trucks inside Gaza,

accusing the UN of failing to cooperate with an American-Israeli-backed foundation to distribute it. Security Council is called to order. The debate over the main culprit in Gaza's misery landed at the Security Council. Palestinian representative Riyad Mansour. Israel has ravaged Gaza. It has destroyed nearly everything in that narrow strip of Palestinian land. Next to speak, Israeli UN ambassador Danny Danon. Enough with the endless defamation campaign against the state of Israel.

Israel is doing the job the UN was created to do. Far from that UN chamber, back in that hospital ward, they're checking the weight of a subdued boy, born at the start of the war, in a tent. He's thin and is malnourished and he can't stand up, says Fahres Zanoun, Firas's father. He doesn't eat. There is no food.

And for all the others there, there is also no relief in sight. Nala Ayed, CBC News, London. As of now, all the warehouses of WFP are empty. The World Food Program says it will have to suspend food aid for 1.3 million people in Nigeria at the end of next week. The UN aid agency says it seemingly doesn't have enough money to continue. The US Agency for International Development provided about 45 percent of WFP's funding for northeastern Nigeria last year. President Donald Trump has dismantled US aid and cancelled funding.

The WFP's program head trust, Mulimbo, says it's made the crisis worse. This is coming at a very difficult time because we are at the middle of the lean season where the situation of food insecurity is the worst and we have run out of funding to sustain the operations. Violence in northeastern Nigeria has killed hundreds and displaced at least two million people. A doctor who sold Canadian actor Matthew Perry ketamine in the weeks before he died has pleaded guilty to distributing the drug. Perry died of a ketamine overdose in October of 2023. Dr. Salvador Placentilla is one of five people charged in connection to his death. Perry's personal assistant, his friend, and another doctor have already pleaded guilty.

Another person is expected to go to trial next month on charges of selling Perry the dose that killed him. The Toronto Blue Jays are on a summertime heater. After a slow start to the season, they're holding on to first place and one of the best records in the game. It has baseball fans across the country excited about Canada's only big league team. Jamie Strachan has more on the soaring Jays and the secret to their success. If you don't get here early, you're not getting a bobble head. Jamie Strachan has more on the soaring Jays and the secret to their success. If you don't get here early, you're not getting a bobblehead. Hours before the Blue Jays New York Yankees game, a line snakes around the corner at the south side of the Rogers Centre in Toronto.

Is this the early bobblehead line? It sure is. We've got seven hours till first pitch. Yeah, I know, but we come early. Myra Savona knows the drill. If you're one of the first 15,000 fans, you get a bobblehead. Tonight, the Vladimir Guerrero edition. A fan for decades, she loves this edition of Canada's team. What do you like about this team?

Everton. They're good. They really are connected this year. The line has fans from all corners of the country, all soaking in the best Blue Jays season in years. The Clarks in years. The Clarks from Regina. The camaraderie, I think I love the camaraderie. They seem to be gelled as a team and cheering for each other and that's the part I really love.

The Millers from Langley, B.C. Yeah, you betcha. I'm not a real huge baseball fan but this is going to be fun tonight. It's going to be great. Even Anthony Velazquez in town from New York City for the game has to tip his cap. I'm a Yankee fan obviously, but the Blue Jays, I actually have a lot of respect for them. I like them. They're a young, hard-nosed team. Last night the Jays did something they haven't done in a month. Lost a game at home. It hasn't tempered enthusiasm. Another sellout tonight for a game against the rival Yankees with

tickets in the upper reaches of the stadium going for hundreds of dollars on the online resale market. It's one reason manager John Schneider says the Jays have one of the best home records in baseball. It's unique because it's a country, right? And I think getting 40, 41,000 in one building to support the team is awesome. You definitely feel it. The guys love going out and playing in front of these fans. It's, um, they've really kind of understood that it's, it's a unique situation when you're playing

for a country. With about 60 games to play, the Blue Jays are atop their division and are tied for the second best record in all of baseball. Unthinkable for a team that two months ago seemed destined for another season of mediocrity. And they have done it using a playbook long ago discarded by a sport obsessed with home runs, instead relying on timely hitting and contributions from the entire roster. Tyson Shushkiewicz writes for Blue Jays Nation. At the end of the day, a win is a win, right? And you can say that run differential and all these things matter, but at the end of the day, the record's better because you're playing your game, and that's what it is.

Now the postseason is a different animal. Ah yes the postseason where the Jays have had little success since winning the World Series more than 30 years ago. The team and its fans will hopefully cross that bridge in October but for now an entire nation of Jays fans is enjoying the ride. Jamie Strash in CBC News, Toronto. is enjoying the ride. Jamie Strash in CBC News, Toronto. Finally tonight, Canadian war veteran Elsa Lassard has died. At the age of 103, she defended Canada at the height of the Second World War, but her service was secret, far from the front lines

and listening closely for the enemy. The listeners around the world shortened the war by two years at least and saved a quarter of a million lives. around the world, shortened the war by two years at least, and saved a quarter of a million lives. That's Elsa Lassard speaking with CBC News in 2019 about her role as a military code breaker. The listeners, as they were known, were specially trained to intercept

and transcribe German radio messages from her top secret post in New Brunswick. Lassard would try to make out encrypted signals from enemy U-boats. Oh, it's noisy. All the shipping that's up and down the waters are forever sending messages. And you have to find your U-boat. A Canadian wren joins her sisters in the WRNS as a member of a Royal Navy crew. At a south coast port, the girls man their own craft. Many of the little ships have been taken over by girls.

Born in Ottawa in 1922, Lassard enlisted in the Women's Royal Canadian Naval Service in 1943. After her service, she spent decades advocating for better recognition for the contributions of women in the military. She was instrumental in creating a plaque for the Wrens and the Canadian War Museum. Elsa Lassard died yesterday at home in Ottawa. Her family says she was comfortable surrounded by loved ones and was listening to music.

Thanks for being with us. This has been Your World Tonight for Wednesday, July 23rd. I'm Angie Seth. Thank you for sharing your time with me. Chat soon. For more CBC podcasts, go to cbc.ca slash podcasts.