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Your World Tonight
Remembering champion curler and broadcaster Colleen Jones, Carney’s pipeline gamble, RSV immunization accessibility, and more
00:27:25
<p>Remembering Colleen Jones. The 65-year-old was a world champion curler, and a member of the Order of Canada. She was also a longtime CBC personality, telling the stories of Canadians over a career that spanned four decades, starting in 1986 as Halifax’s first woman sports anchor. Jones died today following a battle with cancer.</p><p><br></p><p>And: For a deal that hasn't been officially announced yet, there's already a lot of debate in the House of Commons. Prime Minister Mark Carney was in Parliament today, defending a proposed energy agreement with Alberta. Plans the opposition says are moving too slow, while some in British Columbia worry about the idea itself.</p><p><br></p><p>Also: Now that parents can immunize infants against RSV, hospitalizations are down roughly 80%. But not every province is publicly funding the pricey injections, so not all Canadians have equal access.</p><p><br></p><p>Plus: Thomas King revelation reaction, more recall petitions in Alberta, optimism a...
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Did you know you can opt out of winter with VRBO? Save up to $1,500 for booking a month long stay with thousands of sunny homes. Why subject yourself to the cold? Just filter your search by monthly stays and save up to fifteen hundred dollars.
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Book now at vrbo.com this is a CBC podcast.
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Double would win it here.
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It's over.
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My whole life has been sh around curling and throwing rocks. I got my career because of curling. You know, a simple game can kind of lead to so many other things in your life.
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On the ice and on the air, Colleen Jones broke records in sport and barriers in broadcasting. A champion and a charmer who brought stories to audiences across the country. Tonight it's her story being remembered. Welcome to your world tonight. I'm Susan Bonner. It is Tuesday, November 25, just before 6pm Eastern. Also on the podcast.
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I'm appalled. First and foremost right now, if you're a liberal from coastal British Columbia, you should be very deeply concerned.
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Backlash in British Columbia with Alberta hoping an energy deal with Ottawa paves the way for a new pipeline. Prime Minister Mark Carney is trying to smooth things. She was a trailblazer in women's sports and Canadian broadcasting, doing it all with her signature smile. Colleen Jones has died after a three year fight with cancer. Remembered not only as a champion athlete, but also a beloved national TV personality who connected as well as she curled. Lisa Shing has more.
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Colleen Jones has won her third national title.
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A force on the curling rink, Colleen Jones determination took her team to victory over and over again.
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Kylie Jones is on top of the world again.
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A six time national curling champion, two time world champion.
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It's just great to be on top. We worked really hard this year for this.
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That work ethic a testament to her success, Jones made 21 appearances at the Scotties Tournament of Hearts National Championships and played more Scotties games than any other curler in Canadian history. Her son Luke Saunders remembers his mother as a legend and superstar.
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There were moments I could barely look at her and think she was a real person. Like, it was like, how did I get this? So lucky, you know, to have Colleen in all her glory driving me to tennis or wherever I was going.
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Right.
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I just don't have an ounce of regret with my relationship with my mother.
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She was a role model for young athletes inducted into Canada's Sports hall of Fame for curling.
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It's given us friends and memories and a discipline that has stayed with us and we're all very thankful for that and we like to push that on to The Next Generation the value of.
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Sport Canadian Olympic curling champion Jennifer Jones remembers her larger than life personality.
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Colleen had a magic, a song sparkle.
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About her and there was nobody like Colleen.
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I remember the first time I met.
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Her, she made me feel as welcome as if I had known her for 100 years.
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In 2022, Jones was appointed to the Order of Canada for breaking barriers for women in sport and broadcasting, spending four decades with the cbc, including as Halifax's first female sports anchor.
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It's great fun going into the communities and showcasing their communities. Oh yum. Fellow Canadians, can I share?
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Can you believe he's letting me Dr.
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Her friend, former colleague and CBC host Heather Hiscox remembers seeing her recently as she battled cancer for the last three years.
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She fought just like she tackled curling, just like she tackled broadcasting.
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She wanted every detail.
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She just gave everything to the fight.
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And she was never finished right to the very end.
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Have gratitude for today.
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At an announcement for her Nova Scotia Sport hall of Fame induction earlier this month, she was determined despite her struggle.
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I think perseverance in everything in life is just a character trait we all need to develop.
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Jones was a wife, mother and grandmother. Her son Luke posted the news of her death online, writing while looking out on the ocean from her favorite spot in Mater's Cove. With my dad, brother and myself beside her. Mom passed away. Hurry and love heart. Lisa Shing, CBC News, Toronto.
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Well, for a deal that hasn't been officially announced yet, there's already heated debate in the House of Commons. Prime Minister Mark Carney was in Parliament today defending a proposed energy agreement with Alberta. Plans the opposition says are moving too slowly. While some in British Columbia worry about pipeline talk getting ahead of itself. Kate McKenna reports from Ottawa.
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I know what you'd all like me to talk about.
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Even the specter of a new pipeline is exposing fault lines in the Federation Energy Min. Minister Tim Hodgson blew past reporters on his way into a Cabinet meeting.
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What I can tell you is we'll have something to say very soon. Thank you very much.
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Ottawa's memorandum of understanding with Alberta is set to be formally announced on Thursday. Sources say it includes language about a pipeline to the west coast and it's expected to lay out conditions for which the province could be exempt from some environmental regulations. These revelations made waves on Parliament Hill, including during question period with Conservative leader Pierre Poiev.
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On Thursday, he'll make one of his.
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Grand announcements, waving around a meaningless so called memorandum of understanding. If it's anything other than a public relations ploy, why won't he say on what date will construction begin on a pipeline from Alberta to the Pacific? The memorandum of understanding that we're negotiating with Alberta creates necessary conditions but not sufficient conditions. Because we believe in cooperative federalism, we believe the government of British Columbia has to agree.
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Federal support is contingent on trade offs from Alberta, including stricter industrial carbon pricing, carbon capture and storage, support from first nations and provincial consultation with B.C. putting the ball in Alberta's court Alberta Liberal MP Corey Hogan welcomes a potential.
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Relational reset and look, I think it would be a really important step if we manage to get to an accord between two jurisdictions that are not always.
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On the same page, but behind the scenes. Sources say some B.C. liberals are angry they were not briefed in advance and learned about the broad strokes of the deal through the media.
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Well, I mean, I'm appalled.
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First and foremost, NDP British Columbia MP Gord Johns has a message for the Liberals. People on the western coast don't want.
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A pipeline right now. If you're a liberal from coastal British Columbia, you should be very deeply concerned. Despite all the polling that everyone likes to throw around about British Columbians supporting a pipeline. I live in coastal British Columbia. I can tell you that's not true.
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The B.C. government has also said it's against any new bitumen pipeline. There's also opposition from coastal first nations and so far no private company has stepped up to build it. These are key roadblocks that could turn Alberta's proposed pipeline into a pipe dream. Kate McKenna, CBC News, Ottawa.
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The Prime Minister is also addressing his who cares comments made at the end of the G20 summit in South Africa. Here's Mark Carney in question. Period.
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Today I made a promise to Canadians. When I make a mistake, I'll admit it. That was a poor choice of words about a serious issue. And the serious issue is what progress are we making structurally? Deal in the world, Strongest budget in the world.
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Carney's off the cuff remark came Sunday. He was responding to questions about when he last spoke with President Trump. Negotiations between Canada and the US have been stifled for weeks because of Ontario's anti tariff ad. Carney's office has said he might visit Washington next week. It's not a done deal yet, but some Albertans could be asked to vote on whether to recall their United Conservative MLA. There are now at least 14 approved petitions which will try to gather enough signatures to force a vote and more could be on the way. As Katherine Garrett reports, the grassroots dissatisfaction could have serious consequences for the government. We need 16,006 by January 21st.
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The list of MLAs and the signatures to recall them is getting longer and could be enough to potentially tip the balance of power in the Alberta legislature. Each recall petition petition needs 60% of the votes cast in the riding in the most recent election. The reasons differ for each petition, but there is a popular common thread.
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I think for me the biggest motivation of course was the act to force teachers back into the schools and legislator our contract.
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Melissa Craig is a teacher in Calgary. She started the petition aimed at MLA Rajan Soni in her Calgary Northwest writing.
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We had been trying to bargain for.
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A better deal and and didn't end up getting that.
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The recall legislation was introduced in 2021 under former Premier Jason Kenney's UCP government.
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Ordinary Alberta voters are the boss in our democracy.
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As the number of petitions grows, MLAs argue the recall system is not being used properly.
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I think the intent was always to, to have a way to, to deal with, you know, elected officials that had shown egregious behavior.
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Minister of Finance Nate Horner did not comment on what he thinks the intentions of today's campaigns are.
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I'm not going to speak much about what we're seeing today. You can judge for yourself if you think that's how it's being used.
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Many petitioners cite a lack of responsiveness to community concerns or feel the targeted MLAs are inaccessible. Speaking during question period Tuesday, Premier Daniel Smith called the process abusive, like the.
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Longest ballot, which is also meant to undermine confidence in our democracy. Mr. Speaker, I don't think that's how recall was intended. And so we're taking a look at if we need to make changes.
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One political science professor at the University of Calgary notes Alberta has not seen recall petitions since the 1930s. Lisa Young adds, in the past it was repealed.
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One of the criticisms of recall as a mechanism is that it forces us to refight elections a couple of years in, she says.
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At this scale, it appears to be a concerted effort. Young says there's speculation that the Smith government will opt for an early election rather than allow the recalls to go forward, but notes it could be contentious given the UCP's current position.
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These petitions are, I think, indicative of, you know, growing frustration with some of the policy choices of the government.
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It's a long process. Each petitioner has three months to gather enough signatures to force a vote, meaning this could play out well into the new year. Catherine Garrett, CBC News, Grand Prairie, Alberta.
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Coming right up. Effective but expensive. The cost of a shot to protect infants from RSV depends on what province you live in. And a surprise character reveal how Indigenous Canadians are reacting after the author Thomas King, admits he's not who he thought he was. Later, we'll have this story.
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I'm Alison Northcott in Montreal, where it's game over for many athletes at one of Canada's most prestigious schools. Now they're speaking out about cuts to sports at McGill University.
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I was absolutely devastated and I was heartbroken by this decision.
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McGill's 125 year old track and field program is among those the university will no longer support. Later on youn World Tonight, the high profile athlete's cre criticizing the move and why McGill says it's necessary.
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We've been hearing more about the respiratory illness RSV in recent years, especially during a post pandemic spike in infant hospitalizations. Now that babies can be immunized, far fewer are ending up in hospital. But the shot is pricey and Canadians don't have equal access to it. Lauren Pelley explains.
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Hello, what can I get for you today?
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Today, this and this and this.
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Katrina Belavance's daughter is now happy and healthy. But two years ago when she was just a newborn, she suddenly couldn't stop coughing. I could tell that she was pulling.
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Like indrawing underneath her ribs.
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Her baby was struggling to breathe.
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In that moment. We knew we had to get her.
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To the hospital as soon as possible.
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Bellavance's daughter was diagnosed with respiratory syncytial virus, or R. She spent four days on oxygen in the hospital.
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RSV might not be a household term for many families, but it is the number one cause of hospitalization year in, year out in children during their first year of life.
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Montreal Children's Hospital pediatrician and researcher Dr. Jesse Papenberg says new data from multiple countries shows powerful monoclonal antibody shots targeting RSV are now keeping more babies out of hospital.
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And what they found was that over over 80% effective at reducing the risk of emergency department visits due to rsv hospitalizations due to rsv.
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Papenberg's own research in Quebec showed similar results.
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I cannot oversell how important reducing ICU admissions is because we have very limited pediatric intensive care unit capacity in Canada.
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There are also vaccines available to mothers during pregnancy which provide protection to newborns as well. This year marks Canada's second season rolling out these RSV shots, but many Canadians still don't have access. While most regions now offer publicly covered antibody shots for all babies, B.C. alberta, New Brunswick and Newfoundland still don't. Meanwhile, Ontario remains the only province that publicly funds both the shot for infants and the vaccine in pregnancy. While it's not clear what each province pays, the list prices for these shots are hundreds of dollars.
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I think the logistics is a more complicated thing than the science because the science is very positive.
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Infectious disease specialist Dr. Jeffrey Pernica is with McMaster University in Hamilton. He says access and uptake could be better, and he worries anti vaccine sentiment might remain a roadblock.
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Political wins could make it harder for us to keep tiny babies out of the hospital.
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Be careful, it's very hot In Alberta, where Bellavance lives. Antibody shots are only being covered this year for high risk infants. I think it should be accessible, the province told CBC News. A cost effectiveness analysis is being done before next season. Lauren Pelly, CBC News, Toronto.
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He is an award winning author with titles including the Inconvenient Indian and Indians on Vacation. But the latest work from Canadian writer Thomas King is a newspaper op ed Admitting he's not Indigenous the revelation is sending shockwaves through the literary world and Indigenous communities, with many wondering wondering why it took so long to find out. Magda Gabriel Selassie has more I'm looking.
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At forming my world, that world that.
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I see around more Native models.
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That is Thomas king back in 1993 talking about his book Green Grass Running Water. The author had long claimed to be part Cherokee. Now, in an essay in the Globe and Mail, he reveals he's not. He says rumors questioning his heritage led him to Tribal Alliance Against Fraud, an organization that investigates claims of Indigenous ancestry. During a video call with Taft, he says he learned he had no Cherokee ancestry. King, who said his mother told him his father was part Cherokee, says he's now reeling from this news.
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He was upset like he was. He was really wounded by it.
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Daniel Heath justice, who knows King, said he was asked to be on the call by Taft. The professor of critical Indigenous studies and English at the University of British Columbia, is also a member of the Cherokee Nation. He says for many people, this news comes as no surprise.
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I know that a number of people had been doing genealogical work on him. It wasn't just Taft. There were others. You just kind of know that this is coming if somebody hasn't been able to substantiate any relationship, king said.
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In the past, he tried tracking his father's roots and got nowhere. Now he joins the list of prominent artists whose Indigenous identities have have unraveled under questioning, among them writer Joseph Boyden and musician Buffy St. Marie.
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It comes crumbling down pretty quickly, too.
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Valden Coburn is with the Indigenous relations initiative at McGill University. He says it's up to individuals to do the research to verify their heritage. And it doesn't stop there.
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If organizations and institutions are going to hang their reputation on a particular individual and say, this is our Indigenous scholar, it's incumbent upon them as well to take some steps to verify. As Murray Sinclair said when he was chancellor then of Queen's University a few years ago, self identification is insufficient.
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Along with writing, King has worked as an academic in indigenous studies. King says the only award he intends to return is his National Aboriginal Achievement for Arts and Culture he received in 2003. Celeste Pedri Spade with the Office of Indigenous Initiatives at McGill University is calling for more.
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The money that you make off of these indigenous stories, donate them. Donate them to some initiative to support the future of brilliant indigenous writers.
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In the meantime, the fallout continues. The Edmonton Opera has now canceled its adaptation of King's novel Indians on Vacation. CBC News, Toronto.
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The White House says a few delicate details are all that's standing in the way of a Russia, Ukraine peace deal. A U S backed plan tabled last week has now been updated with input from Europe and Ukraine, but so far there's no indication Russia will stand down on its demands. Chris Brown has the latest on negotiations. I think we're getting very close to a deal. We'll find out.
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US President Donald Trump signaled today his negotiators are making progress towards ending the war without saying exactly what he meant. But that's not what it looks like on the ground, where at least seven people were killed when hundreds of Russian drones and two dozen missiles struck Ukraine's capital Kyiv overnight. Polina Malishkevich came to console a France who barely survived the barrage and she's.
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Like, oh, I'm so scary. This was just like an explosion in my house and her windows are crushed.
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The White House didn't comment on Russia's attacks and instead posted that just a few delicate but not insurmountable details need to be sorted out. But they appear to include the same intractable issues that have doomed previous proposals, including Russia's insistence that Ukraine give up territory in eastern Donbas that Russia hasn't been able to capture after almost four years of all out war.
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Thank you very much, Vladimir.
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Next time in Moscow, Russia says its demands, which would also bar Ukraine from joining NATO and CAP its military, remain the same as President Vladimir Putin presented to Trump during their summer summit in Anchorage. And Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov reiterated that those conditions must be part of whatever proposal Trump's team brings to them despite suffering a million casualties, according to Britain's Defense Ministry. Vladimir Putin appears to believe he can outlast Ukraine and he may be buoyed by tactical successes of late on the battlefield. The initial draft of the 28 point plan included points that were not acceptable. British Prime Minister Keir Starmer told Parliament that Trump's latest plan that surfaced at the end of last week heavily favored Russia. Europe, though, has been sidelined in these discussions. Today, in a huge conference call involving 36 countries, including Canada, meeting as part of the so called Coalition of the Willing, France's President Emmanuel Macron urged the US to intensify the pressure on Russia.
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And we are united in support for a just, dignified and lasting peace for Ukraine.
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Tonight, Trump posted on Truth Social that he's directed his negotiators to meet separately with both Putin and Vladimir Zelenskyy's officials, but that he will only meet with the other leaders when a deal is in its final stages. Chris Brown, CBC News, London.
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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. It may be an even worse feeling than not making the team. Many student athletes at Montreal's McGill University won't even get the chance to try out because it's the teams getting cut. The school is axing more than a dozen programs, including track and field, tennis and golf. There are fears the impact could be felt beyond McGill. Alison Northcott reports.
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I was absolutely devastated and I was heartbroken by this decision.
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Wearing his red McGill University track and field jacket, second year student and sprinter William Sanders says the university's decision to end its work 125-year-old track and field program is hitting him hard.
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For me, track and field was an enormous factor in where I went to university and many of my teammates and I would not be here if we had known that this was going to happen.
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McGill's athletics department says it's reducing the number of competitive sport clubs and varsity teams it supports, saying an internal audit and external review made it clear the current structure was no longer sustainable. Fifteen programs will be cut, including fencing, men's volleyball and women's rugby.
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It's a challenge to offer sports. It's not as simple as throwing out the ball and letting people play.
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Perry Karnofsky is McGill's director of wellness and Facilities.
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There's a lot of effort and administrative oversight behind the scenes nowadays to ensure people participate in a safe manner. And you know, we're here. That's what we're here for. We're here to provide opportunities, but within the limitations that we have.
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The changes have resonated beyond the McGill community. On social media, Olympic champion Bruni Surin called it a major loss for both Quebec and Canada's athletic community. Glenroy Gilbert is the Olympic head coach for Athletics Canada. He worries athletes from across the country are not only losing the program itself, but could lose access to McGill's world class track and field facility.
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Losing something like this is a big, is a big shot to university athletes, but also it may have impacts on.
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Higher level sports for female rugby players and for women in sports in general. This is just absolutely, it's super disappointing news.
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As a first year student and member of the women's rugby team, Fianna Edgerton hopes McGill will reverse its decision as more people speak out.
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It's not just rugby players really, it's the community that extends beyond its other women's in sports. It's, you know, even people who don't play sports that just acknowledge the importance of having, of having recreation, of having these athletics programs available to women at McGill.
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Edgerton and other athletes say McGill didn't consult them before the decision or offer a chance to come up with a solution. Magill Athletics said it had internal and external discussions that were candid and at times emotional and that the decisions were made with the long term sustainability of McGill Athletics and Recreation in mind. Alison Northcott, CBC News, Montreal.
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We end tonight with real life suspense for a holiday stage production set back by a theft under the COVID of night.
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I'm appalled first and foremost right now. If you're a liberal from coastal British Columbia, you should be very deeply concerned.
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Bent Jorgen is the artistic director of Jorgen Dance, a ballet company. It's just begun an Ontario tour of the Nutcracker. It puts a Canadian spin on the Christmas classic set in Algonquin Park. The stage is decorated with group of seven artworks, a handcrafted schoolhouse, sleigh and tree. After opening night in North Bay last week, the production was back in Toronto. All of its backdrops, set pieces and even some costumes stored in a moving truck that was stolen early Monday morning.
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You know we're the only company that brings major productions of classical ballet to some of these communities. So you know, we go everywhere you've never heard of and every place that doesn't have a lot of access to the art. That is what we focus on.
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Even with the says the tour would find a way to continue. The company got donations and designers started frantically building new sets. Then another dramatic turn, another late night twist.
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Overnight, the Peel Regional Police recovered the truck and all the contents within. And so this morning, the show is back exactly as it should be. It's a happy ending. You know, someone stole Christmas and now it's back on.
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Jorgen says the crew is happy to continue the tour without having to build brand new sets. But he says what impressed him most was the outpouring of support from the dance community and beyond to make sure the show would go on. Thank you for joining us. This has been youn World Tonight for Tuesday, November 25th. I'm Susan Bonner. Talk to you again.
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For more cbc podcasts, go to cbc ca podcasts.