Episode Overview

This special year-end episode of Your World Tonight (CBC, Dec 28, 2025) curated standout stories from the past year, highlighting innovation, resilience, and transformation in education, health care, Indigenous reconciliation, climate change, community life, and cultural representation. Hosts Susan Bonner and Stephanie Skenderis guide listeners through deep dives, capturing the impact of change across Canada and beyond—all with CBC's measured, humane tone.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Integrating Truth and Reconciliation in Canadian Classrooms

[01:50 – 08:20]

• Professional development in Manitoba: Teachers learn to weave Indigenous knowledge and practices into curricula, with a focus on tradition, community, and healing.

  • Cultural carrier Jeannie Whitebird and Inuit assistant Katie Mae Arawak Dunford demonstrate Indigenous medicine and the importance of sharing with educators.
  • Hands-on lessons (like hand drumming) are not just cultural “performances,” but community-building tools.

• Teacher perspectives:

  • Denis Gringois (math/science teacher, French immersion):
    "It just makes you a little more aware of why certain issues may exist and how you can at least become knowledgeable so that we're all growing together as a cohesive and inclusive society." [04:26]
  • Teachers-in-training like Ria Semenovic and Lanis Lasarchuk see this as crucial for broadening student perspective and respecting the land.

• Systemic progress and remaining barriers:

  • Education professor Yvonne Poitra Pratt highlights teacher anxieties and structural challenges:
    "They're really fearful of teaching this material and then going into parent teacher interviews and having parents react very strongly negatively..." [05:20]

• Reconciliation is ongoing:

  • Kat Marsh (Métis vice principal) expresses cautious optimism:
    "I hope they walk away today feeling more confident in their ability to bring Indigenous programming into the classroom." [06:56]

• Memorable quotation, referencing Murray Sinclair:
  "Education is what got us into this mess, and it's the key to getting us out of it." [07:35]

2. Repatriation of Indigenous Artifacts

[08:21 – 12:36]

• Return of sacred objects: After 135 years, a sacred pipe and other items return to Chief White Cap Dakota Nation.
  • The emotional weight and "protocol" of reclaiming heritage objects is highlighted by principal Roberta Baer and engagement manager Stephanie Daniluk.
  • Frank Royal, elder, calls repatriation a moral imperative:
    "As part of reconciliation, do the right thing and return these items to the owners." [11:56]

3. Innovations in Medical Education and Diversity

[12:37 – 19:44]

• New approaches to recruiting and training: Programs at Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU) and Simon Fraser University focus on diversity and community-embedded healthcare.

  • High schoolers attend hands-on events, visualizing themselves as future medical professionals—a tangible effort to address Canada’s doctor shortage.
  • TMU’s new med school in Brampton is founded on cultural sensitivity, reflecting the city’s diversity.
    Dr. Theresa Chan, dean:
    "Wouldn’t it be nice if you came to a community, integrated in the community and then stayed where you trained..." [15:05]

• Unique curricular model at SFU:
  Dr. David Price, dean:
  "Our students will stay with that family doctor, with that family practice for their whole three years." [17:34]

• Impact on representation:

  • Students like Aisha Adebisi find their ambitions matched by programs:
    "The title of the course is Equity and the Future of Healthcare. So I wanted to be a part of that. I love talking about equity." [14:08]
  • Harris Ahmed, first-year medical student, underscores the power of visibility for young people:
    "When they see someone like me...they're able to be like, this is real." [18:07]

4. Climate Change Reshaping Italian Wine

[19:45 – 24:45]

• Hotter, drier summers are upending centuries-old winemaking in Italy.

  • Growers like Massimo and Martina Tozoni (Tarquinia) adapt to earlier harvests, water shortages, and leaner grape yields (>30% loss last year).
  • Adaptation includes new tech (irrigation apps), old techniques (grafting on wild roots), experimenting with forgotten grape varieties, shade structures, and solar panels.

• Broader context:
  Kimberly Nicholas, climate scientist:
  "Italy actually has a pretty high diversity of grapes, but the majority...come from 12 varieties. And those varieties are starting to struggle." [22:50]

• Emotional resonance:

  • Stories of resilience evoke Italian wine’s enduring identity amidst existential change:
    "Producers are searching not just for body, flavor and depth, but above all for resilience." [24:38]

5. Demographic Challenges in Scotland’s Outer Hebrides

[24:46 – 29:47]

• Retiree influx and youth exodus create a demographic and economic imbalance.

  • Over 65s projected to be 40% of population by 2037; local services and social care face pressure.
  • Efforts to rejuvenate: Council programs (explained by Christina Morrison) encourage younger families to settle, aided by upgraded infrastructure and government support—though uncertainty remains about long-term success.

• Community roots:

  • Schoolboys and professionals alike express both deep connection and realistic doubts: "Generations of my family's been living here, so I just love to stay." [26:38] "I hope and expect our kids will continue to live in the islands, but who knows?" [29:21]

6. Reviving Moose Cutting and Traditional Skills in the North

[29:48 – 32:37]

• Inuvik workshop reconnects people with essential traditions, teaching young people but ultimately benefiting elders with donated meat.

  • Dennis Allen shares wisdom:
    "Every time you give meat away, your freezer will fill up." [31:37]

• Community, culture and giving: Workshops foster intergenerational exchange and sustain practices at risk of vanishing.

7. Pro-Caliber Hockey in Small Towns

[32:38 – 37:46]

• Northern Premier Hockey League (NPHL) brings high-quality hockey to Ontario/Quebec towns—filling arenas, uniting communities, and connecting fans with former pros and local stars.

• Intensity and camaraderie:

  • Former pro Sam Dunn:
    "Pick up hockey...just out there to have fun...and coming out and playing a game like this where it is really competitive, that's a little more interesting for me." [35:01]

• Physical demands and community pride:

  • Team therapist Sherry Trumbull describes “emergency stuff in between the periods,” while John Bukaboom, local legend:
    "I'd rather watch them [than] the junior games. They have to go to work the next day. Because it's in your blood. You're not playing for money." [37:15]

8. Long-Overdue Filipino Nurse Representation in Pop Culture

[37:47 – 43:45]

• Breakthrough TV drama “The Pit” spotlights Filipino nurses in a major, Emmy-winning way, shifting away from invisibility in medical dramas.

• Validation and pride:

  • Toronto nurse Charlie Flores:
    "I love finally that they've incorporated Filipinos in medical shows. It is reality." [38:22]
  • Winnipeg nurse Rhona Miller on importance of nuanced storytelling for youth:
    "We can be more than what we are and it might encourage younger generation. You know what? I'm not just going to be a nurse. I'm going to be higher up and I can probably dream big." [42:52]

• Cultural authenticity: Filipino “chismis” (gossip) and the streaming success of the “Filipino Mafia” storyline resonate deeply.

• Impact on future generations:

  • Actor Emilian Abalera:
    "What a gift for my daughter to be able to see a nurse on screen and be like, oh, that's like Lola, because my mom's a nurse. I'm like, yes, it is like Lola." [41:50]
  • Actress Kristin Villanueva hopes for progress:
    "Now this is not a one off. This is not special anymore. This is just what it is. An exact mirror of what is realized." [42:28]

Memorable Quotes & Moments

| Timestamp | Speaker | Quote / Moment | |-----------|-----------------------------|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 04:26 | Denis Gringois | "It just makes you a little more aware of why certain issues may exist and how you can at least become knowledgeable..." | | 05:20 | Yvonne Poitra Pratt | "They're really fearful of teaching this material and then going into parent teacher interviews..." | | 06:56 | Kat Marsh | "I hope they walk away today feeling more confident in their ability to bring Indigenous programming into the classroom." | | 07:35 | Murray Sinclair (referenced)| "Education is what got us into this mess, and it's the key to getting us out of it." | | 11:56 | Frank Royal | "As part of reconciliation, do the right thing and return these items to the owners." | | 14:08 | Aisha Adebisi | "The title of the course is Equity and the Future of Healthcare. So I wanted to be a part of that. I love talking about equity." | | 15:05 | Dr. Theresa Chan | "Wouldn’t it be nice if you... stayed where you trained to be part of that community?" | | 17:34 | Dr. David Price | "Our students will stay with that family doctor... for their whole three years." | | 18:07 | Harris Ahmed | "When they see someone like me... this is real." | | 22:50 | Kimberly Nicholas | "The majority...come from 12 varieties. And those varieties are starting to struggle." | | 24:38 | Megan Williams (narration) | "Producers are searching not just for body, flavor and depth, but above all for resilience." | | 31:37 | Dennis Allen | "Every time you give meat away, your freezer will fill up." | | 35:01 | Sam Dunn | "Coming out and playing a game like this... that's a little more interesting for me." | | 37:15 | John Bukaboom | "I'd rather watch them [than] the junior games... Because it's in your blood. You're not playing for money." | | 38:22 | Charlie Flores | "I love finally that they've incorporated Filipinos in medical shows. It is reality." | | 41:50 | Emilian Abalera | "What a gift for my daughter to be able to see a nurse on screen and be like, oh, that's like Lola..." | | 42:28 | Kristin Villanueva | "Now this is not a one off. This is not special anymore. This is just what it is. An exact mirror of what is realized." | | 42:52 | Rhona Miller | "We can be more than what we are and it might encourage younger generation...I can probably dream big." |

Structured Segment Index

• [01:50–08:20] – Truth and Reconciliation in Education
• [08:21–12:36] – Repatriation of Indigenous Artifacts
• [12:37–19:44] – Innovations in Medical Education / Diversity
• [19:45–24:45] – Climate Change and Italian Wine
• [24:46–29:47] – Scotland’s Demographic Shift in the Outer Hebrides
• [29:48–32:37] – Inuvik Moose Cutting Workshop
• [32:38–37:46] – Pro-Level Hockey in Small Towns
• [37:47–43:45] – Filipino Nurse Representation on TV

Summary

This episode showcased stories that transcended headlines—teachers learning the hard truths of Canada's past, Indigenous communities reclaiming what was lost, young doctors and nurses forging new paths for equity, and communities, whether winemakers or hockey fans, adapting to a challenging present with creativity and hope. The result: a vibrant tapestry of Canada and the world’s struggles, resiliencies, and triumphs, delivered with CBC’s characteristic care for voices on the ground.