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The AIH Transcript for August 12, 2024

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CATHERINE CULLEN: Hello, I'm Catherine Cullen.

STEPHANIE SKENDERIS: Good evening, I'm Stephanie Skenderis. This is As It Happens.

[Music: Theme]

SS: Tonight:

CC: A hesitant homecoming. As Jasper residents get set to return to the fire damaged community this week. A local restaurant owner who lost his house to the blaze explains his mixed emotions over the prospect of seeing the destruction with his own eyes.

SS: Looking for more than just hot air. A former member of Nova Scotia's inaugural Youth Climate Council says the province needs to take the voices of young people seriously.

CC: Israel investigates after a video appears to show guards sexually assaulting a Palestinian prisoner. But our guest says those allegations are just the tip of the iceberg.

SS: And counting sheep. A woman who just sheared 517 sheep in nine hours tells us about breaking records and gender barriers. As It Happens, the Thursday edition. Radio that knows where there's a wool, there's a way.

[Music: Theme]

Part 1: Jasper Re-Entry Plans, N.S. Youth Climate Panel, Irish Rower Chauffeur

Jasper Re-Entry Plans

Guest: Mike Day

SS: People from Jasper, Alberta, are finally making plans to go home. They learned today they'll be allowed back into town on Friday morning, three weeks after a wildfire tore through the community. Emergency services are operating. But officials warned residents there might not be many places to stay, get gas or shop just yet. Entire streets and neighbourhoods were lost to the blaze. About a third of the town site all told. Here's Jasper Mayor Richard Ireland.

SOUNDCLIP

RICHARD IRELAND: We know as humans that we all find comfort in familiar things. Our residents will be looking for familiar faces and familiar places. Some of that familiarity is gone. There will be an adjustment. Our residents will re-enter to what they will have to make as a new normal.

SS: That was the Mayor of Jasper, Richard Ireland, speaking at a press conference today. Mike Day is the owner of Evil Dave's Grill in Jasper. We reached him in Edmonton, Alberta, where he's been staying since the mass evacuation.

CC: Mike, how does it feel to know you'll be back in Jasper again soon?

MIKE DAY: Oh, well, I think it's a bit of two things. I have one side of, of me that's looking forward to make a positive impact and get our business back up and ready to go. And then I have another side of the loss of my home, which on the emotional side of things, is a little bit, more daunting. So, both, reluctant to go back and excited to go back at the same time.

CC: Yeah. We heard the mayor there talking about this idea of building a new normal. What is it that you are envisioning when you think about that first trip back?

MD: Well, I think the scale of the fire. And just to see the path of devastation is, something just, I just want to get my head around, but I want to see it, to get my head around it.

CC: You've seen some of it through pictures, if I understand correctly. In fact, your son was helping fight the fire, right? Helping with some heavy equipment. And he was the one who told you what had happened to your home. What did your son say to you when he realized the house was gone?

MD: Well, he was there working, and he drove by and he sent us the clip and the clip said, there's Mom and Dad's place, and it was just a smouldering hole in the ground. And I think when we had started to see some of the pictures that started to arrive the next day was... And we, it's a small town, like I said, you could see a building burning and you're like, our house is like a block behind that. You're like, this is not looking good. And yet then across the street, there's a house that's still standing. So, it's kind of just, again, just to see that. He was just trying to let us know, like, just pull the Band-Aid off quick and just let us know that it was, it was gone. There's nothing don't, I mean I still want to go look at it but I know that it's gone. I know that it's a hole in the ground, so.

CC: What about the restaurant? What do you expect to find?

MD: Well, I've seen photos from the inside. Once the power was restored, our security cameras came on. It was in the end of town that the grass is still green. There was no act of fighting the fire in that area, because there didn't happen to be anything on fire in that area. All things considered, what I saw from the photos our landlord took basically looks just as the same as when we left it Monday night. So, I know there'll be some food that I need to discard and things to clean up. But apart from cleaning and getting ready and getting up to the health standards that it needs to be to, I think it looks like it's in pretty good shape. So, we're kind of estimating, I know, 2 to 3 weeks if it can go smoothly and if that smoke smell is in the building. But those things I don't know about right now, so.

CC: Do you find that you're anxious to get going again? I mean, you've lost your home, but you're talking about being up and running in 2 or 3 weeks.

MD: Well, I mean, it's still our livelihood. You know, I have been self-employed for 17 years, and this is how we make our living. And, if we can salvage any part of the season and get any of our co-workers back so people can start getting paycheques and have some sense of normalcy, that would be a positive step forward. So, like I said, it's that... There's part of me that's excited to go back and there's part of me that's not so it's kind of, being pulled in two different directions.

CC: You mentioned that patients I mean, it's not just dealing with your business and losing your home. My understanding is that one of your daughters lost her home, although the other one who lived in Jasper, her home is still intact. Like how is your patients doing at this point? Your family's been through so much.

MD: Yeah, well, it's been very trying for sure. And there's, I mean there's, some days are better than other days. Some days it feels nothing but despair. And it's hard to get motivated or feel like crying or you just don't want to talk to anybody. So, there's days that seem to go like that, and it seems to hit us all in different, different ways. And I think as we've just navigated through these last three weeks of... you just kind of say, like, I'm having an off day, this isn't a good one for me. So that's a little roller coaster of emotions and, and just kind of trying to adopt and just and if you're having a bad day, just have that bad day. And if you're having a day where you feel like you can take on the world and enjoy that day, too.

CC: Officials today when they were announcing this, they said, we hope this first step brings some hope to the community. When you look at the future, where are you finding the hope right now?

MD: Well, I think that, I mean, the majority of people that live in Jasper choose Jasper and live there because we love it. And I don't think that that love has been taken away. I think that we'll just have to adapt to a new reality. And I mean the landscape itself, it'll rebound as nature does so wonderfully. And then in the sense of what is our community like? Like to me it looks like a war zone. And so, how long we have to deal with that to get people back on their feet, I can only assume it's going to be months, if not years. So that people that may or may not be coming back in the sense that maybe they don't have a job, maybe they don't have a home anymore, maybe they've moved on. And so, to some of those people that we wouldn't normally have an opportunity to say bye and all those things, I think that that part might, might be a little hard, but the ones that do come back and the ones that are there that are going to rebuild Jasper, I think that we'll all just bond together, as we usually do in times of strife, and then we'll help each other. And in the end, I think, good. I think there's going to be just a little bit of the initial shock and sadness about actually seeing it firsthand. And then from that strap on the boots and get workin' I guess.

CC: Mike day. I wish you and your family and your community all of the best as you deal with that, that hard work ahead. Thank you.

MD: Thanks very much. Appreciate it.

SS: Mike Day is the owner of Evil Dave's Grill in Jasper, Alberta. Today he was in Edmonton.

[Music: Funky instrumental]

N.S. Youth Climate Panel

Guest: Sophia Lindfield

SS: Last year, 13 Nova Scotians formed the province's first Youth Climate Council. It was supposed to be a chance for youth to connect directly with government officials and share their thoughts on climate challenges and opportunities. And it came at a time when the province, like the rest of the country, is facing increased flooding and wildfires. But now that the council's first term is over, one of its members is not impressed. Sophia Lindfield is a student at Dalhousie University and works for a youth climate action non-profit. She says the council's perspectives were not taken seriously. We reached the 21 year old in Halifax.

CC: Sophia, will you be applying for a second term on Nova Scotia's Youth Climate Council?

SOPHIA LINDFIELD: As of right now, I don't think so. I had, a pretty busy test year. Even trying to kind of make it fit in as a priority this time. And then especially just, other experience of some of the struggles and the difficulty and the overall productivity, and usefulness that I found coming out of, the meetings in the time that I was able to dedicate to the council this past year. Unfortunately, just doesn't seem like it's, with the time and effort, honestly, that it took, to be doing it this past year.

CC: When the council, formed, what did you hope you were going to accomplish?

SL: Yeah. I mean, I had a lot of cautious, optimistic, hope, I guess I'd say that, and that I have worked with, with government before, you know, both, inside perspective as a staffer and outside as an advocate, on climate issues and these issues. So, I unfortunately know, you know, I have a little bit of pragmatism around realistically, what sometimes it ends up looking like and the amount of tokenization that really, unfortunately, can happen, when you tangle with government.

CC: Sorry you say you were a political staffer. You worked for the Green Party of Canada on the federal level. Is that right?

SL: Yes. Yeah. For a year I worked there. Yeah. So kind of with that experience, there was a bit of, I guess, cautious optimism kind of headed into it and again, really hoping, you know, despite some of my past experiences that potentially this could be, you know, a chance for any start with the government, you know, the way that they kind of were trying to frame the council as, and that this would be a chance, you know, for the youth climate movement and for the government to really be able to, you know, come together in a more formal space, be able to integrate these perspectives, you know, in a very formal way, into the policymaking process when it came to the issues of climate. So, you know, maybe ambitious and a bit too lofty, considering how the year ended up going. But definitely was quite hopeful that maybe this could be the start of a new chapter for the government and Nova Scotianese.

CC: Can you give me one example to maybe make that concrete, Sophia? Like, can you think of one thing that going into this, you thought if the government would do X. I'd feel a lot better.

SL: Yeah. I mean, it's hard when there's many things in the climate crisis, you know, it's such a, such a broadly impacting you and again, that I really wasn't going into it with any particular example in mind, just genuinely hoping that, you know, they maybe would show that they'd be interested in kind of doing more direct consultation with youth. So, you know, I was kind of hoping, that, you know, we'd start out with the councils, but then maybe, you know, if that was a success and we were able to start rebuilding that relationship and having productive conversations there, you know, that maybe that there'd be talk of some more formalized ways for youth more broadly to start being consulted, within the policy making process when it came to climate?

CC: Nova Scotia Environment Minister Tim Halman told CBC news he created the Youth Climate Council to give young people a role in the province's climate change response, and that he highly values the council's advice. Where is the disconnect between what you're saying about being disappointed and him saying, this is valuable to me?

SL: Yeah, I mean, I certainly hope so. That it was a valuable experience for him, I guess. I guess, I'm not seeing that in the actions that are then being taken. You know, it's all well and good to say that you, you know, appreciate hearing from someone. That's another thing entirely to actually the, you know, taking suggestions that have been put forward or and even just engaging in productive dialogue. So, you know, it's all well and good to say that you appreciate us showing up to meetings time and time again, but it's how you act in those meetings and how you're actually open to engaging with youth that really, I think, tells the tale, especially again when youth climate activists have been dealing for so long, often with governments, that are not really interested in hearing what we have to say.

CC: So, let me, help me understand this, Sophia. And, CBC news spoke to some other members of the council as well. Peter Oyedijo said the council worked well. Chloe Duguay pointed out that there was a climate bursary that was created as a result of this. She said in a statement, the council allowed me to feel like my voice and those of others in my community were being taken seriously. What would you say to the other young people who were on this council about your disappointment versus at least some members, optimism, hopefulness about this?

SL: Yeah. No, I absolutely agree that there were really positive parts of the council, like the climate bursary that we mentioned. We also did a wonderful, youth climate summit. That was part of the council's activities where we were able to connect with Nova Scotian youth more broadly on the issues of climate and, you know, care about the amazing ideas that they had and the projects that they are already working on. Again, I will mention that the climate bursary was part of a pre mandated, set of proposals that the Youth Climate Council was given to work on, by the government. It wasn't something that we came up with on our own. We, you know, we're allowed to implement it in the way that we liked. But that wasn't necessarily, a piece of advocacy that the council was putting forward. But in my mind, you know, those are smaller pieces towards the larger goal of that, which is, you know, providing youth a meaningful voice and a place to provide, you know, their experience and a lens, of youth experience to the climate policy making process. And for that aspect of the council, you know, I really wasn't seeing, the amount of engagement or action or productivity or respect, that I would hope.

CC: The council has funding for another three years. You said you're probably not going to be a part of it again. But from the outside, how are you going to judge whether or not this is something that's really getting results?

SL: Yeah, I mean, I think that really, is going to be dependent on, you know, actual results coming out of it. So whether that's a piece of legislation that, you know, the Climate Council itself had a hand in creating or is directly created as a result of consultations happening with youth or, you know, a policy or a consultative lens that is now being applied to broader climate change, policy making decisions. I'd be really looking for, again, large scale, supported solutions, that really address the urgency of the crisis, that we're in. You know, we're not just interested in giving away small grants or doing, you know, smaller pieces of work. We really are looking for, you know, a larger all of society, government systems change. And so I really hope to be able to see, you know, actual tangible measures happening towards the efforts that, you know, I can be hearing not just from government that they, you know, supposedly consulted youth on it, but that I can see, you know, youth actually being involved in partnership in creating that and actioning it out. And it really helping it come to reality.

CC: As you said, you are very busy. Thank you very much for making the time to talk to us today, Sophia.

SL: Yeah. Of course. Thanks so much.

SS: Sophia Lindfield is a member of Nova Scotia's first youth climate Council. We reached her in Halifax.

[Music: Upbeat instrumental]

Irish Rower Chauffeur

Guest: Kieran Duggan

SS: It's out with the City of Light and in with the City of Angels. Last night, Paris officially handed the Olympic flag to Los Angeles in the most Hollywood way possible by having Tom cruise rappel from the roof of France's national stadium. Now it's time for the athletes to board planes, trains and automobiles to make their way home, which most of them have likely planned on doing. Unlike Irish gold medal rowers Fintan McCarthy and Paul O'Donovan, who were just kind of winging it when they landed back in Dublin last week. Lucky for them, Kieran Duggan was there and he was headed to Cork. We reached Kieran Duggan in Mallow, Ireland, about a half hour north of Cork.

CC: Kieran, just how well known are Paul O'Donovan and Fintan McCarthy in Ireland?

KIERAN DUGGAN: As far as sports people go, they'd be right up there. Paul would have won a silver medal in 2016, in Rio with his brother Gary, and they did an interview at the time. And it was, it kind of took the nation by storm because they were so relaxed. And their approach to their training, the race and everything, you know, so they'd be very, very famous. And again in '21 then Fintan or sorry Paul raced again, but a different guy in the board this time was Fintan McCarthy. And they won gold in '21.

CC: And during these Olympics, were you cheering for them?

KD: Absolutely, yeah. Their final was last Friday week. So, I watched that at home before I went out.

CC: So, you've watched it at home and then you get onto this plane to come back from Paris. What's your reaction when you see them?

KD: Delighted that they were on the plane, that you know, that you could actually shake their hands and just congratulate them, I suppose, you know, because when we got on the plane, when we were at the boarding gate there was a big cheer, we were sitting down across from the gates and we noticed that Fintan and Paul were boarding came first. So, we knew they were on the plane. And when we got on the plane then, Paul was in row three and Fintan was back in row six. So, I was actually just opposite Fintan in, in row six as well, just the opposite isle the centre seat. So, we just shook hands and we said congratulations. And everyone sat down and there wasn't any more talking then until we, till we stopped in Dublin.

CC: Okay. So, the plane takes off. At some point, you start talking to them about their, their travel plans, shall we say, how they're going to get home to Cork. How does that come about?

KD: Well, I suppose when the plane took off, everyone just kind of fell asleep. It was when we packed or when we stopped in Dublin airport. Everyone was going for their bags to leave the plane, and there was five of us in our group. And one of the guys that I was with was standing up beside Fintan, and he just said, how are you getting to Cork? Fintan said, we're hoping to get the air coach, the bus if it's not fully booked. And at that point five of us kind of looked at each other thinking, did he actually say that? And then, and then one of the guys said, Kieran is actually going to Cork. And they said, I, I've room in the car. It's just me. I can, I can fit in, you know, 3 or 4 maybe. And with that Fintan, to our surprise, just turned around to me and said, I might take you up on that. And with that, they left the plane and the five of us just looked at each other, kind of wondering, did he actually say that again? So, we just left and walked out through arrivals, and the other four guys that I was with, they were heading on. So, I just said to one of them, I said, I better wait because he sounded quite genuine. And so, I sat down and I waited for about 20 minutes. And at that point I kind of thought to myself, I just had a thought. I was just going to say, look, surely these guys are double Olympic gold medalists they have to be taken into some VIP area and they're already in a car already halfway down the road to Cork. Next thing they came out and there was, there was a lot of cheering. So, when the cheering died down, I just caught Fintan's eye and I walked over to them, just asked if he still needed that lift. And with that he said, yeah. He said, yeah, that'd be great if you don't mind. And I said, absolutely. And he said, how many can you bring? And he said, and I said it was three of them. There was Natalie Long, Fintan and Paul O'Donovan. So, Natalie rowed with the, the women's fours as well. So, I had three Olympians in the car.

CC: So, what is that ride like? Like, surely it must have been a little bit surreal.

KD: Yeah, I know it was, I think as I was leaving the, the car park, I got very, very conscious of my driving style more than once and who I had on board.

CC: What was the most remarkable moment of it for you? Like, was there something in the conversation or something like that where you just thought, what the heck is going on here?

KD: It was, it was... The whole thing was just so simple that it was actually remarkable in one sense, you know, that they actually ended up in the car and coming down as well. As for conversation it was probably remarkable how easy it was and how I think the first maybe 20 minutes was quite, quiet-ish because like, I didn't want to ask too many questions, you know, but after maybe half an hour, Paul was sitting in the back and he leaned forward and he could see my phone on the dash in front of me in the car, and he just asked, you know, about my two kids that were on the front of the phone. And he started asking where I was from, what I was doing. So, it was very normal, really, to be honest.

CC: And yet you have since come up, during a Star Sports podcast in Ireland, Fintan McCarthy talked about the ride. Have a listen to what he had to say.

SOUNDCLIP

FINTAN MCCARTHY: We met, lovely man on the flight, Kieran. Kieran Duggan from Mallow and he, he gave us, he gave Paul and I a lift down. See, we weren't, we weren't sure about, dates. So, we didn't really have anything organized for, for getting home. So, thank God he saved the day, really.

CC: You saved the day. What's it like to hear that?

KD: That's. I'm the lucky one here. There's no two ways about it.

CC: Did you get at least a selfie out of all of this, Kieran?

KD: I did. I got, a selfie of the... the minute we got into the car. I just asked the three guys. Do you mind if I take one photograph here? Because the guys that I was with, are never going to believe who's in the car with me if I take some, you know, if this was the age of before social media no one would believe me that this happened, you know, so I just I asked them, could I take photograph. And obliged, they said, yeah, no problem. And, then when we landed in Cork, I got a photograph of two guys with, with one of the gold medals.

CC: Pretty cool. Now, I understand the reason that you were on the flight was that you had gone to Versailles and watched showjumping with some clients. You were hoping to keep that trip quiet. How's that going?

KD: That didn't quite work out. [laughter] You know, I suppose. Yeah. And either way, I think the story I think has just kind of grown wings in Ireland, obviously. And though it's gone further afield. So, it's a nice story and I'm just delighted to be involved.

CC: Kieran, well, it was a very nice gesture on your part. It's very nice to get to talk to you. Thank you for making time.

KD: No problem. Thank you.

SS: We reached Kieran Duggan in Mallow, Ireland.

[Music: Jazz instrumental]

Part 2: Israel Detainee Treatment, Water Bomber Retired, Sheep Shearing World Record, St. John's Wedding, CrowdStrike Epic Fail

Israel Detainee Treatment

Guest: Shai Parnes

SS: European officials are calling for Israel to open its prisons to human rights observers after reports of abuse at Israel's Sde Teiman detention centre. One incident in particular captured on video, appears to show a Palestinian man being sexually assaulted by guards. Five IDF soldiers are currently being held and are under investigation in connection to those allegations. But the pushback against their detention has also been swift. Yesterday, Israel's military advocate general said there have been dozens of threats against the military police officers who conducted those arrests, and several prominent Israeli politicians have spoken out in support of the soldiers. Shai Parnes is with B'Tselem, the Israeli information centre for Human Rights in the Occupied Territories. The organization recently released a report that alleges widespread abuse in Israeli prisons and detention centres. We reached him in Tel Aviv.

CC: Shai Parnes, this alleged assault at Sde Teiman is not one of the incidents that you documented in your report. What did you think when you heard about this?

SHAI PARNES: What we would think that it's not surprising, as our report shows is Sde Teiman and what it became infamous for is only the tip of the iceberg. That's what we've seen with, 55 released detainees. And we've seen that all the Palestinian detainees are subjected to, abuse, daily violence, starvation, humiliation and sleep deprivation. It didn't even really matter where they from. We've interviewed West bankers, Gazans and even, Palestinians who hold Israeli citizenship from both genders from, age 16, the youngest and 65 the oldest. And pretty much shockingly, they all have, in their testimonies, a lot of details were similar to [inaudible] and identical. And that's why we're in B'Tselem saying, yes, that Sde Teiman became famous because this and that and articles and stuff. But as I said earlier, it's only the tip of the iceberg.

CC: You say this, incident became famous for some reason. Why, though, do you think it is that this particular incident is receiving such public scrutiny, given that you are suggesting that abuse is a widespread issue?

SP: I could suggest why it became, first of all because of, the international media, discovered really early and also Israeli media, discovered it pretty early, I believe. Early as November or December what's going on in Sde Teiman, which was, is horrific. And, Palestinian detainees were tortured there and allegedly raped and, tortured to death. Also, it's easier for, the Israeli regime to say, yes, there's something going on in Sde Teiman we've taken care of that it's even, there's a petition against it in the Israeli Supreme Court. But no, that's not what's going on.

CC: You spoke to 55 Palestinian detainees. What percentage of them actually wound up charged?

SP: I don't really remember the percentage, but a large portion of them were just, detained after October 7th and released a few months later. That's not how the Israeli system works with Palestinians. They don't release, after, 5, 4, 2, 7 months if they have anything against you. So, those who... And even in sometimes, you can be, an administrative detainee for years. Yeah, we know some of them were, held and were charged, but vast majority of them, I mean, all the Gazans, folks, they were released, most of the West Bank have, without any charges, without any trial, some of them without even seeing a judge for weeks and months and including, of course, the Palestinians, the Palestinian Israelis.

CC: In the case of this latest incident that has attracted so much attention at Sde Teiman, five soldiers are being held. They are under investigation. I know, committee at the Knesset was recently talking about this. The military advocate general has been pushing forward with this protest despite, people protesting, calling her a betrayer of the people of Israel. Does the fact that there is a process moving forward give you confidence about how this is being addressed?

SP: No, exactly vice versa. And if you were to, could follow the Israeli press and looked at the, the system saying, their only thing that they don't even want justice. Just do it for the complimentary and to get excuses for the ICC. We've seen for years Israel is unwilling and unable to investigate itself, as far as it goes with this regime, because that's the policy. It's always been the policy for decades.

CC: So, you do not believe in this investigation that is moving forward now?

SP: It cannot be. And even so, it will always be against these low ranking officers or as you say, simple soldiers, but they will never and cannot and unwilling and unable to investigate the decision makers, the policy makers and decision makers, the policy itself, because the policy itself has always been to expel Palestinians and take the land. We've seen it in West Bank. Even the ICJ is saying that now and that's the policy. Okay. Every now and then they do get this low ranking officer or this soldier who committed something. Yeah. But the policy is that the policy of whitewashing mechanism all along.

CC: Human rights organizations were in court last week arguing for the closure of this detention centre. What impact do you believe that would have?

SP: We've seen they have been going with this, petition, I believe, for a few long weeks now. And, I mean, they're doing their best. And yes, Sde Teiman must be closed. But if you get a complaint about torture, I would expect a good or normal Supreme Court to investigate it immediately. And if they find something is going not right to close it immediately. But again, this is not the case. What they're doing is they're postponing with different excuses and giving the states more time and more time to do whatever. Because also the Supreme Court is part of the whitewashing mechanism.

CC: Given what you are saying, given that, there have been protests of some of the officers who arrested the IDF members who are being detained, given that some politicians, including lawmakers, have suggested that actions taken by soldiers are justified in the name of national security? What is your best hope at this point for seeing this issue adequately addressed?

SP: What we've been saying for at least ten months, but more, the international community must stop condemning and to start taking action. The international community has a lot of tools, and a lot of policies it can take each country and, international tribunals. And that's what we're calling for. We're calling for the international community to take action and bring a cease fire to the region. And, a deal for the Israeli hostages.

CC: Shai Parnes, thank you for your time.

SP: Thank you.

SS: Shai Parnes is with B'Tselem, the Israeli information Centre for Human Rights in the occupied territories. We reached him in Tel Aviv. We also requested comment from the Israeli Defence Forces. They directed us to a statement that reads in part, quote, the IDF rejects outright allegations concerning systematic abuse of detainees in the Sde Teiman detention facility and says, quote, any abuse of detainees violates the law and the directives of the IDF and as such is strictly prohibited, unquote.

[Music: Piano instrumental]

Water Bomber Retired

SS: The Hawaii Martin Mars has lived a long and heroic life. The massive aircraft was first produced by the U.S. Navy in the 1940s for large scale transport, and then was converted to serve as an air ambulance during the Korean War. And then in 1958 it was repurposed to fight wildfires in British Columbia. Over the next 50 years the water bomber dropped around 190 million litres on wildfires until retiring from firefighting in 2015. On Sunday, the Hawaii Martin Mars took its very last flight. Its final destination is the B.C. Aviation Museum, where it'll become the centrepiece of a new wildfire exhibition. Wayne Coulson is the CEO of Coulson Aviation, the company that owns the plane. Here he is telling the CBC about this weekend's send-off.

SOUNDCLIP

WAYNE COULSON: What an opportunity this has been you know, when we think about the history of the aircraft being six plus decades here on Vancouver Island and what a send-off we're having today, it's just amazing. We did a fly... We took the aeroplane down through all the wards and say goodbye to everybody. And, now we're on its next level of, next time in space in Victoria. So, and that's where it landed, you know, in 1959, 1960. So, it's going back to its resting spot. We've just had it here for 64 years. It's just amazing the level of, commitment that everybody's made over this period of time. And it's not just our flight crew, but it's from the people that's looked after it its whole life, in 64 years. That aeroplane is in better shape that today than it was when it's delivered 64 years ago. I can tell you they these guys have this aeroplane running like a top, and they head out for a couple hours last night doing air footage, and they just had a blast with the aircraft. So, it's been just a true honour and what a pleasure. We really are the custodian of this aeroplane, you know, can't have, cannot be in a more gracious position than we are right now. Just that we've had this time with it, and it's really created our future. You know, that aeroplane will live on forever through our existing, air tanker program. They'll never be a better firefighting aircraft world, no matter what anybody says. This thing drops four acres at a time, and we've just, seen so much good work over the years. And, you know, we just can't believe, you know, the reception that we've had over the last few weeks. We've had several hundred people through the aeroplane tour. The aeroplane, we've been running it around the lake so everybody can enjoy it. For the last part of its life, as far as flying.

SS: That was Coulson Aviation CEO, Wayne Coulson speaking with the CBC's Claire Palmer.

[Music: Funky instrumental]

Sheep Shearing World Record

Guest: Una Cameron

SS: Many records have been broken these past few weeks. In the pool, on the track, and in the pens. More specifically, the sheep pens of Launceston, England. That's where Scottish sheep shearer Una Cameron achieved a feat arguably as impressive as any Olympians, securing the World Sheep shearing Record Society's title for most sheep shorn by a woman in nine hours, which, it turns out, is an astonishing 517 strong wool ewes. We reached Ms. Cameron in Bonchester Bridge, Scotland.

CC: Una, how did it feel to let go of that 517th sheep?

UNA CAMERON: It felt good to know that I'd done it and that I was finished for the day. My body was, my body was ready to stop.

CC: You broke the record by shearing 59 more sheep than the previous record holder. Going into this, did you have any doubt that you were going to smash this thing?

UC: I didn't know if I'd smash it, but I knew I was going to beat it. The girl that went before me, she had some rather large, angry sheep. And I actually did think that she would have taken it further than she did. So, I was quite confident that I was going to be able to do what she'd done. I just wasn't sure how much further I could have taken it.

CC: She had large, angry sheep, I imagine, though, you didn't have small, docile sheep if you sheared more than 500 of them.

UC: Yeah, hers were bigger. Hers were bigger. But that comes down to your team and their preparation. And I just had an amazing team that looked after me for the whole year through it.

CC: In those more than 500 sheep, did you get any particularly ornery ones? Did any of them give you a particularly rough time?

UC: If it rains, it makes the sheep a little bit angry because they get, I suppose it's like a nature and danger kind of thing. If it's raining, they don't really want their clothes taken off, which you can kind of understand. So, and so, yeah, every time it rained, they would get a little bit niggly and they would kick a little bit more. And it did definitely make it harder. It certainly doesn't help the case.

CC: You mentioned you had a team; people should understand like this is a real process. How do you keep up over the course of these more than 500 sheep?

UC: Yeah. Well, I had Matt Smith, he was my timekeeper. He was with me on every sheep. He told me if I was up with the clock, if I was behind the clock, what I needed to do to get up with the clock if I was behind and just looked after me throughout the whole day. So yeah, when I was trying to get the... because what we call the catch at the end. So, you get an extra sheep on each run. So he would tell me I would have one minute exactly or less than a minute to sheer the second lost sheep just to get my hand on the door, which as soon as you put your hand on the door, if it's before the time's up, you get the catch.

CC: This was actually live streamed. So, for folks who are listening right now but did not tune in to the nine hour live stream, well, what does it actually look like this process? This nine hours of shearing all these sheep.

UC: So, we start at 5:00 in the morning and was shore for two hours. And then we stopped and had an hour for breakfast. And then we did an hour and 45 minutes and we had a we have a wee-half hour break for what we call morning smoko. And then we did another hour and 45 minutes and then we had an hour for lunch. During the hour break, I was getting a massage as well to keep my body flexible and moving. And then we did another hour and 45 minutes, and we stopped for another half hour, and then another hour and 45 minutes, and then we were done.

CC: And on top of this big process the team and the massage and all of these things to keep you going, there's also referees involved. Can you explain what their role is?

UC: We have to have judges as every world record. Whatever you do, even if it's eating baked beans, they have to have judges for the world records. They check the quality of the sheep to make sure that I was cheering them properly, that I was taking enough wool off, that I wasn't cutting them, that I wasn't harming them, that nobody was cheating out the back by overfilling the pen because you're only allowed a certain amount of sheep in the pen at same time, that I was catching them myself, I was putting them down the port hole myself. That the wool staff weren't doing too much to help me.

CC: How are you feeling physically? I understand is a bit of a rough go nine hours of sheep shearing.

UC: Nine hours used to be the average working New Zealand day. And so, your body actually gets used to it. I haven't done a nine hour day for a long time, but because I had trained to get fit for it. It was fine. And if I hadn't had this, because I've got a bit of this flu bug thing, I actually think I would have been fine, but muscularly, I felt okay.

CC: I mean, this is a record. I wondered personally; do you feel like you did something extraordinary?

UC: Oh, I knew I'd done something extraordinary. And it's... Well, because, because I haven't really had a proper chance to celebrate. It'll take a while to sink in. It's a bit like a dream at the minute, but a very nice dream.

CC: I understand sheep shearing is a bit of a boy's club, which I didn't know. What kind of...

UC: It's not as bad. No, as it used to be. When I first started shearing, there was very, very few females in it, and it was very hard for females to get into it. But because there's so few sheep shearers in the world now, then the girls have been allowed to join in and play, and they've discovered that the girls are actually quite good at it, and they work just as hard as the boys do. There's an amazing amount of the talent pool coming through of young, amazing women that will one day, I assume could be sooner, it could be later. We'll have a go and break this record that I've just set, but there's definitely girls out there that can do it.

CC: Do you remember, any particular man who really got his nose out of joint about you sheep shearing?

UC: I had one man that wouldn't even speak to me, and he wouldn't even say good morning to me. We'd all get in the van to go to work. He wouldn't acknowledge me. I used to just beat him every day, worked for me. And I had a man in Australia walk out of a shed because I shore more sheep than him.

CC: Ha. How did that feel?

UC: Well, I just laughed. I hadn't realized, I thought you had a dental appointment or something. I thought he'd gone home because he had an appointment and somebody said he won't work with you now because you've beaten him. And I said, oh, well, I'm not the one that lost out on the money. I carried on working. I was quite happy, I didn't care.

CC: I hope he hears that you broke this record. So, you mentioned you haven't had a chance to celebrate just yet. Although I heard something about a beer and a chocolate bar when all of this wrapped. When you do...

UC: I did have a beer, a beer and a chocolate bar at the end of it. Which I had been very much looking forward to for months. But I haven't really had a... it's a bit of a shame my team had a bit of a celebration, but I was just feeling a bit yuck. So, we'll catch up at some point. We'll have a proper celebration.

CC: Yeah. What's it gonna look like? What's a proper celebration after breaking a world record?

UC: I wouldn't like to actually publicize that. [Laughter]

CC: You won't live stream that one for nine hours.

UC: What goes on in the shearing shed, stays in the shearing shed. There's rules. [laughter]

CC: Listen, congratulations. And I hope you feel better. Thanks for making the time, Una.

UC: That's brilliant. Thank you.

SS: Una Cameron is a record holding sheep shearer. We reached her in Bonchester Bridge, Scotland.

[Music: Jazz instrumental]

St. John's Wedding

SS: It's a special treat to watch two of your dear friends tie the knot. It's also a special treat to get married surrounded by your loved ones. And this past weekend, a group of friends in St. John's got to do both. When not one, not two, but four couples all got married at once. The couples are all members of the local Filipino community where the idea has its roots. Here's bride and groom Myra and Mario Ibabao speaking to the CBC at their celebration.

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MYRA IBABAO: This is actually officially practiced in the Philippines. We call it a mass wedding. Although the four of us are actually in the community, the couples for Christ community who started this, this program here in Newfoundland in St. John's. And I know that it's also the first time here that happened, that four couples in one day sweat in this one big occasion.

ARLETTE LAZARENKO: You know, why was it important for you to be in a mass wedding as opposed to just a single wedding?

MYRA IBABAO: Aside from the economical perspective, we are a group of friends, and like, we wanted to celebrate it together. And, so we planned this a year ago, and like, we really thought that it won't come to it will not come into life. But then we were so happy with the community itself and our family and friends who are here to witness our wedding. We are so happy and grateful that finally it has come.

ARLETTE LAZARENKO: So, Mario pop quiz. How long have you been together?

MARIO IBABAO: It's about 14 years.

ARLETTE LAZARENKO: 14 years? Wow.

MARIO IBABAO: We already have three kids.

MYRA IBABAO: Yes, we are actually married in civil wedding. And then we just wanted to really, receive the sacrament of marriage in the church.

ARLETTE LAZARENKO: So later today, there's a reception?

MYRA IBABAO: Yes. You can actually come if you want. Yes. And witness how Filipinos celebrate. Like the feast. It's very festive and lots of food.

ARLETTE LAZARENKO: I guess, for... I mean, I heard about Filipino weddings being like a party.

MYRA IBABAO: It is a party. [laughter] It is a party. Yes.

SS: That's Myra and Mario Ibabao speaking with the CBC's Arlette Lazarenko.

[Music: Calm instrumental]

CrowdStrike Epic Fail

AR: SS: Each year, the Pwnie Awards recognize excellence and incompetence not in small horses, as the name suggests, but in the field of information security. There's the Epic Achievement Award and then there's the Lamest Vendor Response category. This year the winner for the most epic fail was a late entry, but organizers said it was just such an epic fail they couldn't possibly have awarded the distinction to anyone else. The winner was CrowdStrike, the cybersecurity firm that caused a global IT outage last month. You know, the one that gave everyone that blue screen of death and cancelled thousands of flights. At the ceremony in Las Vegas CrowdStrike president Michael Sentonas accepted the comically large trophy.

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MICHAEL SENTONAS: Hey, everyone, Michael Sentonas, president of CrowdStrike. [crowd laughing and cheering] Definitely, not the award to be proud of receiving, but, I think the team was, surprised when I said straight away that I'd come and get it because, we got this horribly wrong we've said that, a number of different times. And it's, super important to own it when you do things well, it's super important to own it when you do things, horribly wrong, which we did in this case. The reason why I wanted the trophy is I'm heading back to Headquarters. I'm going to take the trophy with me. It's going to sit in pride of place, because I want every CrowdStriker who comes to work to see it, because, you know, our goal is to protect people. And, we got this wrong. And I want to make sure that everybody understands these things can't happen. And that's what this community is about. So, from that perspective, I will say thank you. And I will take the trophy. We'll put it in the right place and, make sure everybody sees it. So, thank you. [crowd clapping].

SS: That was CrowdStrike President Michael Sentonas accepting the Pwnie Award for Most Epic Fail this past weekend.

[Music: Theme]

SS: You've been listening to As It Happens on the CBC Listen App. Our show can be heard Monday to Friday on CBC Radio One after Your World Tonight.

CC: You can read more about the stories and conversations featured on As It Happens on our website, cbc.ca/aih. I'm Catherine Cullen, thanks for listening.

SS: And I'm Stephanie Skenderis.

[Music: Theme]

The AIH Transcript For August 12, 2024

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