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Your World Tonight
Measles in Canada, bracing for bad flu season, Vimy cave secrets, and more
00:27:44
<p>Canada loses its measles elimination status, meaning it can no longer claim to be measles-free. Since the fall of 2024, Canada has recorded more than 5,000 measles cases in nine provinces and one territory.</p><p><br></p><p>And: Alberta has its first flu death of the season. It may be a sign of things to come, as experts warn the country could be facing “the worst kind of flu season.”</p><p><br></p><p>Also: New technology is revealing secrets from a hidden archive beneath the battlefield of Vimy Ridge. Thousands of soldiers spent their nervous final moments before the attack creating art in the soft chalk caves.</p><p><br></p><p>Plus: COP30 opens in Brazil, transit strike in Montreal, Carney’s buy Canadian plan, and more.</p>
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This is a CBC podcast. Having Canada lose our measles elimination status is a wake up call. We need to do better.
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For more than a year, cases have been on the rise. With vaccination rates going in the other direction, there were warnings about Canada creeping closer to a dangerous threshold in the fight against measles. Now it's official. Welcome to youo World Tonight. I'm Susan Bonner. It is Monday, November 10, just before 6pm Eastern. Also on the podcast.
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Last year was probably the worst influenza season Canada had had in a decade and it seems like that could occur again this year. In terms of severity of disease, a.
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Bad flu season may be heading north for the winter. Troubling signs coming from the Southern hemisphere and a record number of cases have Canadian health officials pushing for more flu.
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Shots and ensuring that as much as.
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Possible of that $70 billion comes from.
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Canadian made suppliers buying Canadian and building up the Prime Minister's list of national infrastructure project. Nearly 30 years after Canada officially eliminated measles, that designation has now been revoked. It comes after a year long outbreak which still isn't fully contained. Alison Northcott has more on the status and what has to be done to get it back.
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The rash went all up her face, all down her arms, the top of her legs.
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Morgan Burch's daughter Kimmy was only four.
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Months old, too young to be vaccinated when she got dangerously ill from measles.
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In Fort Saskatchewan, Alberta.
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I didn't know if Canada knew what to do, if Alberta knew what to do with measles anymore because nobody has dealt with it. Even my pediatrician has been a pediatrician for 40 years and Kimmy was her first case she's ever seen. Canada eliminated measles transmission nearly 30 years ago.
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But in the past year, the virus.
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Has come back in a big way. Kimmy's case was one of more than.
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5,000 in Canada since the current outbreak began.
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Measles is the most contagious virus known.
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To humankind with more than 12 months.
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Of transmission since a case introduced to.
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The country by travel began to spread.
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Dr. Yarbos Barbosa, Director of the Pan American Health Organization, says Canada has officially.
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Lost its measles elimination status.
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Dr. Daniel Salaz, head of the organization's.
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Comprehensive Immunization Program, says that has implications.
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For the entire region of the Americas.
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The Americas lost the status because Canada lost the status. In Canada, two babies born prematurely who.
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Contracted the virus before birth have died. Canada's public health agency says there have been cases in several provinces and territories, primarily within close knit under vaccinated communities. It's a sad day. I'm disappointed, but I'm not surprised. Dr. Natasha Crowcroft is vice president of.
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Infectious diseases and vaccination programs at the.
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Public Health Agency of Canada. It's not just about these communities. Our immunization coverage has fallen during the pandemic and that in part is to do with vaccine confidence and other things. And so we do need to build trust and make sure our public health systems and our immunisation programs are really as good as they possibly can be.
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I think it's definitely damaging to Canada's reputation.
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Canada must now step up its efforts to eliminate measles again, says Dr. Jesse Papenberg, an epidemiologist at the Montreal Children's Hospital.
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What this requires is investment on the part of our federal government and our provincial governments into increasing vaccination coverage.
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The Pan American Health Organization says Canada needs to address several gaps to get back on track, including increasing vaccine coverage to reach herd immunity, which means 95% of the population is vaccinated with two doses. Improving surveillance and quickly responding to outbreaks will have to interrupt transmission for at least 12 months to once again be considered measles free.
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Alison Northcott, CBC News, Montreal. Alberta has reported its first flu related death of the season and cases are rising across the country. That's normal for this time of year. What isn't is the data health officials are getting from the Southern Hemisphere. The region is just coming out of its flu season and it was a bad one. Health reporter Lauren Pelley has details.
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Well, Australia is battling its worst flu season on record. The Southern Hemisphere often gives a preview for what Canada can expect. And this year it's grim. Australia hit more than 400,000 lab confirmed flu infections, up from the previous all time high of 365,000 just last year. Some northern countries are also being hit with flu even earlier than usual.
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And that's what we're seeing right now from an early season in the UK an early season in Japan.
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Dr. Jesse Papenberg spoke to us from the Montreal Children's Hospital. He's among those bracing for a tough flu season in Canada, too.
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Last year was probably the worst influenza season Canada had had in a decade. And it seems like that could occur again this year in terms of severity of disease.
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The latest national data shows nearly 2% of influenza tests are now coming back positive. That's still shy of the 5% needed to declare a seasonal epidemic, but the numbers keep rising. Canada is also tracking a mix of strains right now, including H3N2 infectious disease specialist Dr. Alison McGeer. H3N2 seasons are the worst kind of flu season. Usually the strain causes more serious illness and typically sends more people into hospital. Medical experts expect it could dominate flu season in the months ahead. And Papenberg says a new form documented abroad may bring an added challenge towards.
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The tail end of the influenza season in the Southern hemisphere. We started seeing some variants of the H3N2 influenza, a subtype that had mutations that may make the vaccine less effective against them.
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But just because a vaccine might be less effective doesn't make it pointless. We still expect there to be cross protection, even if the vaccine is mismatched. The question is how much? Epidemiologist Dr. Danu Skronsky is with the BC center for Disease Control. She said it'll take more time to know just how well this year's vaccine performs. Even so, a small amount of protection can still be life saving to people at a higher risk of serious complications. So I'm talking about older adults, people of any age with chronic medical conditions. They should be getting that vaccine. Seasonal vaccination clinics are now open in cities across the country. Health officials are calling on Canadians to get their flu shots. But the Public Health Agency of Canada stopped short of trying to predict how this season will play out, saying it's simply too early to know. Lauren Pelley, CBC News, Toronto.
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Coming right up, the list of the federal government's nation building projects is expected to be longer by the end of the week. And Montreal commuters striking out as work stoppages continue on public transit. Later, we'll have this story.
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I'm Colin Butler in London, Ontario, with the story of a hidden archive beneath Vimy Ridge. Revealing the last thoughts of Canadian soldiers who carved messages into the chalk walls before going into battle. It's like walking into a church alone and you see these carvings on the wall that these soldiers had done in some cases right before they died. The tunnels might be fragile, but 21st century technology is bringing the stories back to life. I'll have that story later on YOUR WORLD tonight.
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The prime minister and his team are fanned out across the country this week looking for support for the federal budget. Today, Mark Carney was highlighting a plan to Buy Canadian while dropping hints about the next round of big projects. Kate McKenna explains, We're going to build.
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But it's not just about what we build, it's also how we build.
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Prime Minister Mark Carney says Canada needs to become its own best customer. Speaking on the floor of a Fredericton prefabricated home building factory, he says the government's Buy Canadian strategy will involve new rules to make sure Canadian companies are used to build new infrastructure, ensuring that.
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As much as possible of that $70 billion we're planning to invest in the roads, bridges and community centres on which Canadians rely on comes from Canadian made suppliers.
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The Kearney government's Buy Canadian policy is so far short on details, but about $185 million has been earmarked in the new budget to implement it. Its goal is to prioritize Canadian suppliers in Canadian materials when building major defense and construction projects. It will start with steel and lumber, two industries hit hard by Donald Trump's tariffs.
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Depending on what the detail will be, it will have a huge impact on.
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Roger is the president of the Canadian Construction Association. He says depending on how this gets rolled out, it could have adverse effects, including delays and higher costs.
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We really need to understand that every time you add a policy on the current or future project, that would kind of put a hurdle in the normal process that would, that would need more.
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Cost for the project.
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Well, I think it's a balance because it's important that we look into obviously prices, but it's important also that we support our jobs at home. Industry Minister Melanie Jolie says the Buy Canadian strategy is part of a wider plan to try to trump proof the Canadian economy. We're trying to tread a needle, which is we have these companies that are affected by unjustified and unjustifiable tariffs in the steel and aluminum in the lumber sector and we need to find a way to create the domestic market. Also part of that push is building major projects. The prime minister confirmed today plans to announce a new tranche of nation building projects on Thursday being put on the list is supposed to help boost private investment and clear red tape.
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Or you can come come to Prince Rupert and you can be the first to first to hear.
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All right. He says the announcement will be in Prince Rupert, British Columbia, prompting speculation that the nearby Salism's liquid natural gas project will be added to the list. All part of an effort to turbocharge economic development. Kate McKenna, CBC News, Ottawa.
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Montreal is a city under strain tonight. For 10 days, public transit strikes have been hitting bus and subway service. With commuters and businesses suffering. Officials are feeling the pressure to find a solution. Sarah Levitt reports.
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At a Montreal nonprofit. People come in from the chilly outdoors to warm up and grab a bite to eat. At Mulzi Kaf, the goal is to help those most vulnerable by providing meals, groceries and access to social workers. Breakfasts are free, lunch only $2.50. But lately, far fewer people are showing up, says social worker Natalia Neptune. Because of the strike, because people are not able to commit here and also like with the other form of transit is difficult, like example for Uber, it's going to be more expensive. Now she's talking about the ongoing strike affecting Montreal's public transportation system, one being held by its mainten workers for the month of November. Buses and subways are only running during rush hour.
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It's a held hostage situation.
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Brian Campbell, who uses the services at Mulzi Caf and volunteers there, says this month hasn't been easy. He's found himself having to sleep over at his niece's to make sure he can make the rush hour openings the next morning.
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It's a little extreme, I find.
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And there's more than one public transit union taking job action. The bus drivers are holding a number of strikes, one that will shut down all services on November 15th and 16th except for paratransit at issue wages and how much outsourcing will be allowed. The unions say they're rushing to hold all these strikes before December 1st. That's when a new provincial law comes into effect giving the labor minister the power to end strikes, quote, deemed harmful to the public. That law is facing legal challenges, including from four McGill University faculty associations.
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It is a dramatic infringement on workers constitutional rights.
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Barry idlen is a McGill professor who specializes in labor movements. He says the government's argument that this law is about protecting essential public services isn't good enough.
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To be able to reach agreement at the negotiating table, the parties need to be able to meet on a relatively level playing field. In the case of the employer, they have many levers to exert pressure on their workers, whereas workers have one lever.
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Which is the right to withdraw their labor. Montreal's incoming mayor says the transit disputes are a top priority and she wants them to end as soon as possible. She's urging all parties to restore negotiations in good faith. For now, though, public transit in the city remains stifled. Sarah Levitt, CBC News, Montreal.
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An end may finally be in sight for the longest government shutdown in United States history. A deal reached late last night could soon restart services. It's possible, thanks to support from a handful of Democratic senators, and that is highlighting cracks within the party. Paul Hunter explains the fallout from Washington.
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I'm thankful to welcome you to what appears to be the beginning of the.
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End of the longest government shutdown in US History. As shameful as that is what appears to be the beginning of the end, said Republican speaker of the House Mike Johnson, underlining Indeed, it ain't over yet. At 41 days and yes, still counting, it's already a record long US Government shutdown. But the expectation now it could finally be over soon.
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Mr. Schumer? No. Mr. Fetterman, aye.
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Those two votes by Democrat senators, a no and a yes, highlighting that some Democrats have now signed off on the Republican spending plan, enough Democrats for it to pass. Until now, they'd been holding out for a Republican guarantee to extend health care subsidies for Americans into the new year. They didn't get it. What they did get were promises to reverse mass firings to federal workers brought in after the shutdown began, back pay for furloughed federal workers, and a Republican pledge to hold a vote on those health care subsidies, but with no guarantees it'll pass. What happened was here's independent Senator Angus King, who along with seven Democrats, is now siding with Republicans on this. The question I was wrestling with is if the tactic isn't working and there were no prospects that it was going to work, then let's move on, not make a lot of other people suffer in order to get a goal that wasn't attainable. That suffering has included long lineups at food banks, as the shutdown meant millions of Americans lost access to federally funded food stamps, air traffic controllers forced to work without pay, leading many to call in sick, bringing cancellations, delays and chaos to your I don't really care what your political persuasion is this weekend. From one pilot, this announcement. Last night I had a six hour delay in Houston and the weather was perfect. It's because the air traffic controllers aren't getting paid. But on those health care subsidies, the issue on which All Democrats had stood firm until now. Senior Democrat Chuck Schumer, who voted against the spending plan, emphasized Republicans now own this health care crisis. When people's out of pocket costs double or triple. Very soon Americans will know Republicans made it happen. Up next, official votes to get the whole thing passed. And while there's the potential for snags, the expectation now is for a final vote within days. Paul Hunter, CBC News, Washington.
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U.S. president Donald Trump is threatening to sue the BBC over a documentary about him aired before the 2024 election. The film has already been deleted from the broadcasters. The documentary was a look at Trump's supporters and his appeal. The chair of the BBC said splicing together separate excerpts from one of Trump's speeches showed an error of judgment.
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The apologizing is for the way the team edited President Trump's speech to his supporters on January 6.
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Samir Shah says the documentary gave the impression Trump was calling for violent action right before his supporters stormed the Capitol to protest the certification of the 2020 election. The head of the BBC and the head of news resigned yesterday over the controversy. Trump's lawyers say the BBC must compensate him for the harm caused or he will sue for $1 billion in damages. The next stage of the COP30 climate conference is now underway in Brazil. World leaders are there trying to make good on past promises, but it won't be easy. CBC News international climate correspondent Susan Ormiston is at the gathering and she joins us now. Susan, what is the biggest challenge facing this conference?
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Well, relevance, impact. I mean, at the official opening this morning, the president of Brazil, Luis Inacio Luda da Silva, lashed out at those whose enthusiasm for climate action is weakening and worse, those who are spreading misinformation about it.
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Now. It's the moment to impose a new defeat to the denialists. Without the Paris Agreement, the world would suffer with a catastrophic warming up of almost 5 degrees to the end of this century. So we're moving to the right direction.
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But at the wrong speed.
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We've heard that a lot, Susan. I mean, there are 194, four countries plus the EU here. The opening session sets the tone, really. And a lot has been talked about this Paris Agreement where the world agreed to limit warming to under 2 degrees and preferably 1.5. But that target has been missed. The good news is that the world has succeeded in transforming energy patterns. So solar and wind are now the lowest cost power in 90% of the world. And the executive sector secretary of the UN Climate Change, Simon Steele, told the delegates this morning that an energy transformation is underway. And he poked at those who are trying to turn it back.
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This is the growth story of the 21st century, the economic transformation of our age. Those opting out or taking baby steps face stagnation and higher prices while other economies surge ahead.
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Susan, we've seen big pledges in years past. A lot of the commitments have not been met. What are we going to see this year?
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You're right. Fewer pledges, perhaps, and more action. That's the hope. You know, a lot of those promises, like the one made two years ago in Dubai, you may remember, committed the countries to transition away from fossil fuels. And since then, some parts of the world oil production has grown to record levels like here in Canada and in Brazil. Planet warming emissions are beginning to curve down globally, but as we've heard, not fast enough.
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Susan, thank you.
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You're welcome.
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The CBC Susan Ormiston in Belem, Brazil. This is yous World Tonight from CBC News. If you want to make sure you stay up to date and never miss one of our episodes, follow us on Spotify, Apple, wherever you get your podcasts, just find the follow button and lock us in. Montreal born author David Soloi has won the Booker Prize for his novel Flesh. He was the only Canadian on the shortlist for the prestigious prize. It goes to the book deemed the best work of English language fiction published in the UK and Ireland. The winner receives roughly $90,000. Soloi was born in Montreal to a Canadian mother and Hungarian father, Bruce L.
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Hudson, deckhand, North Olmsted, Ohio.
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At the Mariners church in Detroit, Michigan, the bell rang 29 times this afternoon honoring the crew of the Edmund Fitzgerald. The cargo ship sank during a storm in Lake Superior 50 years ago. Today, on November 10, 1975, it remains the largest ship to ever sink in the Great Lakes and one of the best known, thanks to Canadian singer songwriter Gordon lightfoot and his 1976 hit song the Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald. It was during the First World War, in the battle for Vimy Ridge in France, that Canada proved itself as a distinct fighting force. It now, years later, messages and drawings soldiers left behind are still inspiring Canadians and revealing lost secrets thanks to new technology. Colin Butler has more.
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In the tunnels beneath Vimy Ridge, where Canadian soldiers once waited for battle, the last post echoes a tribute to the soldiers who left their marks on these chalk walls. It's like walking into a church alone. Dan Mansfield from Canada Group knows these caves well. Members of the London, Ontario nonprofit have been visiting them for 15 years. They're back again to preserve this sacred space for all time. You see these carvings on the wall that these soldiers had done in some cases, right before they died. Using new technology, they can now scan these walls like never before, capturing this haunting gallery of names and art and color and texture, bringing to life what Canadian soldiers created on the eve of battle in tunnels below Vimy Ridge that stretch kilometers, some still unexplored.
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There were subway tunnels through here and they were all connected.
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Theresa Iacobelli is a First World War historian with the Canadian War Museum.
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So the supplies as well as the men are moving through these, this vast, vast tunnel system.
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It took weeks of work, mostly underground, to prepare for the battle. The soldiers ate and slept there and in their free time carved and wrote on the walls.
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Just so you pick.
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This is a fairly deep one, right? The new messages are being uncovered with 21st century technology. Handheld 3D scanners capture the carvings in vivid detail, revealing over 30 names once lost to time. It's extremely rewarding. Zenin Andrew Sishan is canadaigm Group's art director. He says once scanned, the carvings are digitally linked to the soldier who made them. Even recreated on a 3D printer, offering a glimpse of into their thoughts, often of love and home. It links the past with the present and it sort of gets that message across that we need to remember the people that actually served. But their work is a race against time. The tunnels are unstable and some have already collapsed. A Canadian was killed in 1998 while documenting the art. And the art here, like the caves themselves, is brittle. The chalk that is down there, it's very, very fragile. Paul Culleton is CanadaGM's videographer. He says unlike the impressive monument above, the caves below Vimy aren't on protected land, in my opinion, is a national treasure. It is an unrecognized national treasure. A century later, the tunnels still have stories to tell, but they won't last without help. Teams are working to preserve them, fighting to keep this history from being lost to time. Colin Butler, CBC News, London, Ontario.
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And you can join the Current's Matt Galloway and World Report's Marcia Young as they host coverage of the Remembrance Day ceremony happening in the nation's capital. It's on Tuesday beginning at 10:55 on CBC Radio, 11:55am Atlantic. You can also hear it on CBC Listen or the CBC News app. Just tap local. We close tonight on the soccer pitch and a Made in Canada moment that's getting attention around the world.
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Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the snow globe formerly known as TD Play Stadium for what will surely be a Canadian Premier League final that we will never forget.
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Last night in Ottawa, a cold and uniquely Canadian climax to the soccer season. A winner take all game between Atletico Ottawa and Calgary's Cavalry fc. Playing during a blizzard, the field was covered in several centimeters of snow with a special bright orange ball that could be spotted in the whiteout. Players had to pitch in with shovels. Fans were strictly warned not to start snowball fights. All as the two teams played an instant classic of a game punctuated by one of the great goals in Canadian soccer history.
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Anyone's to claim in the Air Basic oh my God.
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Lasso.
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It's a bicycle kick. In soccer jargon, they're calling this one the Icicle Kick. Ottawa midfielder David Rodriguez leapt into the air for a stunning acrobatic goal to tie the game in the second half. After a 40 minute snowplow break, Rodriguez scored the then winning goal in extra time, giving Ottawa its first ever Canadian Premier League title.
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This night was my night. The team.
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I'm just happy with the coaches, with my teammates. Incredible. Can't wait to get to locker room, be warm and celebrate.
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With a win, Ottawa qualifies for the Continental Championships, meaning there could be more snowy spectacles to come. The first round is set to begin in February. Thank you for joining us. This has been youn World Tonight for Monday, November 10th. I'm Susan Bonner. Talk to you.
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Foreign.
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For more CBC podcasts, go to CBC CA podcasts.