CTV National News | Wednesday, June 19, 2024: Fears of heat-related deaths

tonight inside the heat Dome record-breaking temperatures as Millions struggle to stay cool it’s just it’s overwhelming taking precautions in the punishing weather it’s hot it’s real hot it’s almost unbearable and when the forecast will become more forgiving grounded plans ruined as WestJet scraps dozens of flights ahead of a potential strike very disappointed because we were hoping to get home plus putting the brakes on a disturbing message a hate crime investigation on the streets of a Canadian city we’ve seen a 500% increase in both islamophobic and anti-semitic narratives and getting to a point where the consumer cannot take it anymore also the Liquid Gold Rush the reasons behind the rising price of olive oil and the search for summer Blockbusters I think that for many people it’s more convenient to watch at home struggling theaters hope that sold out shows are coming soon I peanut CTV national news with Omar saaden good evening everyone millions of Canadians continue to bake in sweltering temperatures we typically don’t see until July or August and today a reminder of the deadly dangers new data released today from Canada’s 12 most populous cities reveals deaths went up during extreme heat waves and urban centers with a higher proportion of renters were more at risk in keeping with previous studies that show they are less likely to have air conditioning CDV Sarah Plowman on the rare pre-summer scorcher that is also bringing high humidity and stifling overnight temperatures this time lapse shows how in 40 minutes ice melted away under the heat Dome hovering over Eastern Canada it’s hot it’s real hot it’s almost unbearable in many places it’s above 30° with humidex sometimes over 40 a heat wave rarely seen this early in June fact that there is no reprieve at night all that moisture uh during the day makes it hard for the temperature to drop off at night at this 911 call center in Montreal the phones haven’t stopped ringing we’re getting calls for heart problems breathing problems heat stroke dizziness and weakness new data from Quebec’s National Research Center shows every summer in Quebec alone heat is associated with 470 deaths 225 hospitalizations and more than 36,000 emergency department visits this professor says as people age they don’t sense heat the same way people may think they’re fine it’s like a light switch suddenly the world changes and that’s how quickly he related injuries can occur for vulnerable populations including the homeless the risk is especially High hydrate hydrate hydr guys H2O H2O H2O get it in you can’t get enough what some were not looking for today was a place to play outside unless it involved water some construction workers were sent home early working in construction in this heat could be dangerous and not cost productive but for those helping keep things cool the job job wasn’t done we had a client call us emergency call she didn’t have no AC at all a search for the kind of relief that’s been difficult to find even here along the water at night humidity is still high it’s been holding on around the clock Omar all right Sarah thank you let’s bring in CTV News meteorologist Kelsey mchu and now Kelsey this kind of heat is fairly rare for this time in June and in fact there have been dozens of Records smashed in six provinces already Omar this type of heat wve typically July or August in fact this will only be the third time in recorded history that a city like Montreal sees a 3day consecutive stretch of temperatures Rising above 32 degrees C now it’s not just Montreal that’s hot it’s all the way to Atlantic Canada a couple spots in New Brunswick quite notable in fact The Hot Spot in our country was Mir Mishi at one point today over 37 degrees C Ontario and Quebec as well now through Friday we start to see some improvement particularly in the humidity that’s going to happen first and Northern Communities in Atlantic Canada but far Southwestern Ontario it stays hot right into early next week now far different story elsewhere in the country what is the connection between this heat Dome we’re seeing and the cooler temperatures in the west yeah it’s a great question Omar think of the atmosphere like a bathtub so if you sash the water to one side you get this wave but eventually it all kind of equals its way out so the atmosphere acts like a fluid and in western Canada we’ve seen a large upper trough while the East has been dominated by this Ridge and the trough has allowed for very cold air to settle in in fact Edmonton setting a brand new record low minus 0.7 de C this morning tonight there’s a secondary risk of frost right throughout the Alberta Foothills where temperatures once again will be chilly hopefully we’ll land on a happy medium soon Kelsey thank you the punishing heat is believed to be responsible for hundreds of hudge pilgrims dying in Mecca in Saudi Arabia that’s where temperatures soared past 50° at one of the world’s largest religious gatherings in the world World in New Delhi a prolonged and crippling Heat Wave is putting record pressure on the City’s power grid and tens of millions in the US are also dealing with extreme heat complicating the battle against wildfires in New Mexico which have forced thousands to flee thigh high yeah at least mid thigh yeah and it was it was it was hard it was hard to walk in especially down this stretch tropical storm Alberto has Unleashed fury on Mexico and Texas the first named storm of the hurricane season bringing heavy rain and a storm surge smothering communities and threatening the Gulf Coast with severe flooding and fierce winds and there is a labor storm to tell you about just as the first long weekend of Summer approaches there is turbulence tonight at one of Canada’s major airlines WestJet has preemptively cancelled more than 40 flights and grounded more than 30 planes in anticipation of a strike by aircraft mechanics that could begin in less than 24 hours here’s ctv’s Kathy Lee as the list of canceled flights grows so does the number of passengers facing disruptions and uncertainty very disappointed because we were hoping to get home and you know earlier and now we won’t be getting home till 1:00 tomorrow morning I’m wondering if I should actually get on the plane cuz if that gets impacted then I’ll kind of be in Jeopardy and miss my job the early consequences of a potential strike by westjet’s 670 aircraft maintenance Engineers who could walk off the job tomorrow night this morning workers held an information picket at major airports across the country this time we’re just going to stand up for what we believe in and what we feel like we deserve pay benefits and working conditions are at the core of the dispute WestJet can’t hire they can’t basically get the people that they need qualified to to do the job when it comes to maintenance uh safety is is suffered when they don’t have the proper Manning the group almost unanimously rejected westjet’s first offer we should make our aircraft maintenance Engineers by far the best paid in Canada and improve take-home pay by 32 up to 40% the union says that’s mostly already promised money and includes some retirement funds some of these unions and some of these memberships basically had wage Cuts taken uh during covid and so there’s a lot of catch up WestJet has managed to avert two pilot strikes since last may now it’s asking the government to intervene and move this dispute to arbitration industry experts say preemptively cancelling flights is a bad move WestJet has been damaging its brand damaging consumer Goodwill it is a very poor business decision WestJet couldn’t confirm if more flights will be cancelled only to say that it’s working in 24-hour increments Omar Kathy Lee at the Calgary Airport tonight A Truck displaying islamophobic messaging being driven through the streets of Toronto is being investigated by the City’s hate crimes unit ctv’s Heather WR on the words sparking outrage and an increasingly disturbing divisive and dangerous Trend this cube van has been spotted driving around Toronto playing a video some have called offensive and hateful the video asks is this Yemen Syria or Iraq before showing images of muslims praying it then says wake up Canada you are under siege what this fan was advertising trying to suggest that um Canadian Muslims in communal prayer uh are something that is threatening that is dangerous that is um something to to hate Amir Al Gabi is the federal government special representative on combating islamophobia she says the message on this truck goes beyond free speech and is stoking fear within the Muslim Community that the words could lead to violence we have really been on edge um when it comes to hate targeting our communities um and this is just sort of one more example of why people are really worried El Gabi says there has been a 500% increase in islamophobic and anti-semitic hate speech online content that has surged since October 7th in the start of the war in Gaza across Canada alleged hate crimes are also on the rise with nearly 190 reported to Toronto police so far this year nearly half of them have been anti-semitic let’s be clear there is a crisis of anti-em ISM in this country and now it’s time to act words are not enough it’s not clear who organized and paid for this truck but Toronto police say they are aware of it and the hate crime unit is investigating with any alleged hate crime whether violent or nonviolent police are encouraging people to file a report in the case of this truck they are asking anyone with pictures or video to come forward Heather R CTV News Toronto Iran’s Islamic revolutionary guard Corps is now one of 77 terrorist entities listed under Canada’s criminal code Ottawa moved ahead with that designation today after years of mounting pressure and five years after Washington did it means that thousands of senior Iranian government officials will be barred from coming to Canada here’s ctv’s Mike lure after years of pressure from opposition parties and countless pleas from Iranian Canadian Community groups the liberal government finally followed through on the promise to declare Iran’s Islamic revolutionary guard Corps a terrorist organization this action sends a strong message that Canada will use all of the tools at its disposal to combat the terrorist entity of the irgc designating them a terrorist organization means police can charge anyone who supports the group financially or otherwise Banks can also frees the irgc’s assets an important move according to hammad esan this is very important because they spent a lot of money in real estate in Canada for money laundry for asalan this is also personal the irgc was responsible for shooting down flight PS 725 just over Tron in 2020 as malan’s wife and daughter were two of the 175 victims on board during this journey it’s important for us to see that the very the perpetrators of this crime has been punished in some ways the federal government has previously banned tens of thousands of Iranian government officials from entering Canada the United States designated the irgc a terrorist group back in 2019 foreign affairs minister melan ji says there was no pressure from allies to follow suit still many wonder why it’s taken so long because of the government’s inaction over the last 6 years the Iranian regime’s capabilities here in North America have only increased I’m told that there’s literally a monthly review by the security agencies of different entities around the world and whether or not the threshold has been met by taking this decision the government admits there is a heightened risk for Canadians in Iran so foreign affairs is warning against travel to that country and their message to Canadians who are in Iran is to come home Omar all right Mike thanks the leaders of two other countries isolated from the West bolstered their ties today North Korea’s Kim Jong-un and Russia’s Vladimir Putin signed a mutual defense pact that growing Alliance sparking worries in Washington bureau chief Joy malbin on the elaborate State visit and the impact of that meeting from the red carpet roll out and lavish celebrations Vladimir Putin greeted as a superstar in North Korea found thousands waving flags and chanting welcome Putin in his first visit here in nearly a quarter of a century war and sanctions have driven him back the two leaders signing a new partnership pact pledging to defend each other in the event of aggression toasting their NATO style agreement Kim Jong-un promising full support for Russia in Ukraine Putin describing the pact as a defensive agreement unclear exactly it would call for no one has seen the details yet you can see this block this axis forming up on the other side that the the autocracies of the world the block led by China uh Russia comes in number two and then there’s Iran and North Korea Washington says Putin is desperate in his war against Ukraine accusing Kim Jong-un of supplying Moscow with weapons and missiles found on the front lines in return the Kremlin is believed to be helping North Korea with space technology ology for its missile program that has threatened the US in the past an illegal exchange says Washington and deeply troubling for World security I I think that um particularly the aspect of nuclear cooperation um is is kind of scary because this does have you know does bring back what we were facing during the Cold War as Putin arrived in Vietnam showing he still has friends around the world Washington is keeping a close eye as Russia and North Korea two nuclear Powers take their relationship to a new level Omar Joy thank you the head of the military Alliance working to guard against the threat of Russian aggression was in Ottawa today and again urged Canada to spend more of its GDP on defense I continue to expect that all allies should meet the guideline of spending 2% NATO’s Yen stoltenberg also met with the Prime Minister he praised Canada’s recent Investments but said the world is facing its most challenging and dangerous security environment in Generations Canada’s defense minister says spending will hit 1.75% of GDP within 5 years still shy of the 2% Target coming up this year to just none left what’s behind an olive oil drought Riley how was Camp it’s the apocalypse that was good plus hoping for a blockbuster summer the movies that could end a box office [Music] slump a prolonged drought in Europe is costing Canadian Shoppers and it’s having a particular impact on the price of olive oil ctv’s BC bureau chief Andrew Johnson on the consumers and restaurant owners feeling financially fried so we’re making a Greek dressing here at Amor maro’s Vancouver restaurant Olive Oil is essential for Mediterranean it’s just like a fish need of water but it’s become one very costly ingredient we have to increase the pricing there’s no choice left this Itali kitchen is also feeling the burn so when you grab the bread and you dip it in olive oil that thing that used to cost us 50 Cent now cost us $250 the latest numbers from statistics Canada show Canadians in March paid an average of more than $16 for a liter of olive oil that is up from 1430 in January 3 years ago in March 2021 Shoppers were only paying $662 cents per liter liquid gold now living up to its nickname because of what’s Happening here all the regions of Spain are are facing the same problems I mean there it’s raining less and less Supply is running dry thanks to a multi-year drought hitting Mediterranean producers the industry was trying to supply the market with uh with a decent amount of olive oil but this year there just none left with less oil being produced what is available will cost more than ever some restaurants who have already raised prices to deal with inflation and Rising wages may have to eat some of the the extra cost well how much can I charge can I move my pasta from 25 to 40 of course not and getting to a point where the consumer cannot take it anymore if you’re cooking with extra virgin olive oil at home watch for prices that seem too good to be true if someone offers you a cheap deal when it comes to olive oil there’s probably something else in it the shortage and ey popping prices are expected to last for years so if you’re looking to save experts suggest sunflower or avoc oil instead Andrew Johnson CTV News Vancouver still ahead the reason behind these dramatic scenes at Stonehedge [Music] Canada has surpassed a new population threshold just 10 months after reaching 40 million as of April 1st it’s estimated more than 41 million people now called the country home the increase came as the country welcomed more than 120,000 immigrants in the first three months of the year Canada’s busiest Highway was the sight of a fiery crash today incredibly the driver of this tractor trailer around the 401 in Toronto walked away with only minor injuries after his truck collided with a highway barrier and the juneth holiday was marked across the United States today I’m delighted I really am that so many of you are celebrating Freedom 97-year-old opal Lee led a decades long fight to get June 19th recognized and led a march today in Dallas on this day in 1865 the last in D people in Texas found out they were free 2 and a half years after Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation [Music] Proclamation and in New York black performers from 17 Broadway shows held a free concert in Time Square thousands will gather tomorrow in England to Mark the summer solstice at Stonehedge today though the ancient area was hit by a protest [Music] two climate activists were arrested after spraying orange paint on the monument Stonehenge is a UNESCO world heritage site and officials are investigating the damage though the group just stop oil says the paint will come off in the rain after the break don’t just stand there you ape give me a hand up the film’s vying for box office success this summer [Music] when it comes to the box office it may be hard to beat what became known as the summer of barbon Heimer last year pushing movie goers back into theaters but a sluggish start this year has some wondering how much longer the popcorn will keep popping ctv’s Alison banford on the big picture am a movie moment that doesn’t come around very often imag barbin Heimer taking over last Summer’s box office that was kind of a a once maybe not in a generation but once every few years uh phenomenon this summer a slower start to what’s typically a busy movie season expected hits the Fall Guy and furiosa a Mad Max Saga underperformed at the box office but there are signs the momentum is Shifting coming to you live in Riley’s mind inside out 2 earned an estimated $155 million in its opening weekend the highest since Barbie last July if you give people movies that they want to see they’ll go to the movie theaters people uh are still wanting to be entertained uh in kind of an oldfashioned way an old-fashioned experience many still prefer over watching movies at home we cried and cried together we didn’t know it would have such a depth of feeling this movie that’s something you share you know when you’re out not when you’re at home summer screenings account for about 40% of box office sales but earlier this month yearly ticket sales were down 26% a trend independent movie theaters like this one fear could force them to close according to its owner a possibility some movie goers can understand I think that for many people it’s more convenient to watch at home and while fewer movies are coming to theaters this summer because of last year’s writers and actors strikes halting production experts say upcoming films like Marvel’s Deadpool and Wolverine and the disaster film Twisters should hope hopefully turn things around we’ll look back and say it was a slow start but we ended up doing pretty well a new emotion Allison Bamford CTV News Regina and that’s a snapshot of this Wednesday for all of us at CTV national news thank you for watching and good night [Music]

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