A former U.S. ambassador to NATO on American going it alone

I am an actor, fresh out of theater school with big dreams and an even bigger drug habit. But things are pretty good. That is until my best friend is set up on a date with David Lee Roth. Yeah, from Van Halen. If you know, you know. From CBC's personally, this is Discount Dave and the Fix. The true-ish story about how a fake rock star led me to a real trial that held up a mirror to me. And okay, let's just say that not everyone in this story is who you think they are.

Personally, discount Dave and the Fix. Available now on CBC Listen or wherever you get your podcasts. This is a CBC podcast. Hello, I'm Neil Cuxald. Good evening. I'm Chris Howden. This is as it happens.

Tonight. Straight talk. As the UK hosts an emergency meeting on the Strait of Hormuz, one country is notably absent. A former ambassador says the U.S. is snubbing international allies at a time when it needs them the most. Freedom isn't free. A new report says that if Ottawa's ambitious military spending promises are met, Canadians will need to be prepared for big tax hikes and possibly deep cuts to government services. A flying shame when Syracuse International Airport told a sexual harassment lawyer the ad she wanted to run there was a bit harsh, she sued.

And now she's got herself an even bigger billboard, too, actually. Paw Patrol, a New Zealand helicopter crew rescues Molly the Border Collie, who went missing after her owner fell 50 meters down a remote waterfall. Larry had a little limb. Scientists discover that male octopuses have a favorite arm, and maybe, unsurprisingly, it's the one that plays a crucial role in octopus sex. And freezing their buns off. A tour guide in Iceland says even rising costs won't keep locals from lining up

for their unofficial national dish, the hot dog. As it happens, the Thursday edition, radio that never shies away from a frank conversation. countries including Canada, France, Germany, and the United Arab Emirates joined the virtual meeting hosted by the United Kingdom to try to find a way to get the major shipping route flowing again, but one country was notably absent, the United States. The talks will continue next week. UK Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper said the goal

is to find political and diplomatic solutions rather than military ones and to show the, quote, strength of our international determination, unquote. But U.S. President Donald Trump is currently unimpressed with international determination. He says he's considering pulling out of NATO. Evo Dahlter is a former U.S. ambassador to NATO, and we reached him in Chicago.

Ivo Dahller, what message do you think this meeting today sends to the U.S. president? It sends the clear message that at least these 40 countries are very serious about finding a way to keep an international waterway that has been a vital artery of global commerce open. Of course, the waterway was open before the war it was closed in response to the attack by israel and the united states

uh it will be the responsibility uh of the united states israel if it wants and of course iran to reopen it but once it's reopened or once the war ends i think other countries are saying we will be there to make sure it stays open do you think the u.s president is listening uh the u.s president will listen if he feels like it and won't listen if he if he doesn't i think The absence of the United States from this meeting sort of speaks volumes. The United States did not consult its allies before it went to war. Had it done so, he would have been told that this war was both unnecessary because there was more room and scope for diplomacy.

A war was not necessary. And starting a war that was unnecessary would be illegal. And the consequences of doing so would be severe. Most importantly, for traffic of oil, gas, and so many other things. things that goes through the Strait of Hormuz. Allies would have warned the United States, Iran will close the strait, and you will be responsible figuring out how to open it. He has said that Donald Trump has that there's, quote, no reason for the U.S. to secure the

straits, saying that, you know, his country is not as dependent as others, only oil that flows through there. What would you say to what he's saying there? Well, unfortunately, that's not how the real world works. Oil prices are global, and the price is said global. So if the price of oil goes up because there is a shortage of oil, the price of oil goes up in the United States at the same place as it does everywhere else in the world. So the reality is the United States may not get a drop of oil through the state of the Hormuz, but if 20% of the world's oil is no longer flowing, if 20% of gas is no longer flowing, the prices around the world are going to go up. And that includes prices in the United States.

The idea that somehow, because we don't take oil from the Gulf, we will be unaffected, isn't true economically. And it isn't true, in fact, because we are living in a world in which our oil prices have already gone up 25 to 30 percent, reflecting the world's increase in oil prices. One of the other major issues at play, as you well know, is what Donald Trump is saying very publicly about potentially pulling out of NATO altogether, calling the alliance a, quote, paper tiger. you wrote just this week, this is the worst crisis NATO has ever confronted, but you talk about the fact that there have been disagreements before within the alliance. What makes this unique? What was unique about this crisis? It comes, it's not just what is happening in the last week or so. It comes on the heels of really 15 months of extraordinary undermining of the alliance by the President of the United States. It started early in February of 2025 when he decided.

decided to side with Russia against Ukraine in the war at a time when all of Europe, all of Canada, and indeed most of the United States believed that what was happening in Ukraine was a fundamental threat to the security of NATO. He threatened to use force against a NATO member in the case of Greenland. He imposed tariffs not only on his Canadian neighbor, but also on all neighbors. allies without Ryan Reising and citing national security reasons. And then he is now threatening to

withdraw from the very alliance. You add it all up. You see an alliance that is divided in which the non-US allies are looking at the United States and say this is not a reliable country. We cannot rely on

And I am more impressed by the silence and indeed the acquiescence. of people like Marco Rubio, of people like Lindsey Graham, of people like even Mike Pompeo, who yesterday said that we needed to reassess the worth of NATO. These are extraordinary statements that would have never happened, but for the fact that President Trump seems to have a strange kind of control over the Republican Party in which those who are dependent or believe that they need to be dependent on Donald Trump for elections

or any other reason tend to heed his word as opposed to heat their own sense of what is right. What would turn things around at this moment? Well, on the question of NATO, what was important is for the NATO countries to do what they need to do, which is to increase their capability to defend themselves. Canada has finally reached the point that it's spending 2% of GDP on defense. It is like all other countries committed to increase. that to 3.5% by 2035 and another 1.5% for defense-related investments. If that, in fact, does occur, and it occurs quickly, the NATO countries other than the United States, can take

more and more responsibility for the defense of NATO territory and NATO interest. And ultimately, if either this president or the next president finds an alliance that is more capable and willing to take responsibility, more able to provide for its own defense, perhaps, Perhaps that person or even Donald Trump will decide that alliances may, in fact, be more of a benefit than the burden that he seems to think they are. Evo, thank you for this. My pleasure. Evo Dahller is a former U.S. ambassador to NATO. We reached him in Chicago.

Last summer, Megan Thomas paid to place an ad at Syracuse-Hancock International Airport for a law firm, which specializes in sexual harassment cases. The tagline was, when HR calls it harmless flirting, we call it Exhibit A. But the airport called that a bit harsh and asked Ms. Thomas to tone it down. She didn't want to, so she sued, and now her billboard takes up two whole walls. We reached Megan Thomas in Syracuse, New York. Megan, what does the ad at Hancock International look like compared to what you had initially pitched? So the initial ad was quite small. In substance, it's the same, but it was a smaller ad.

It was literally like above a garbage can. It was in the back of a terminal. not as many people would have seen it. It would have not been as noticeable. Now I have two ads that are quite large, one which takes up two walls and one which is a big banner. And what part of the airport is it in? Both of them are right in the main part of the airport, which is really nice. So everyone can see them, you know, right upon coming in and also you don't have to go past security to see them. I've seen photographs and they would be impossible to miss. You're standing in front of them. What do you want people to? feel and think when they stand in front of them or pass by them. Yeah. So I think especially for people who might be experiencing sexual harassment or who know

others who have, I want them to feel empowered. I was hearing from so many of my clients that they were experiencing sexual harassment on work trips. And I thought to myself, where I need to be is the airport. I was also hearing from my clients that they didn't know someone out there could help them, that there were attorneys out there who did just this kind of work. And so I thought this is the perfect place for me. So you approached the airport authority officials there about buying an ad.

What did you say? How did that conversation go? Yeah. I mean, at first, everything was super normal. We talked about it. There were no issues. I told them a lot of my ideas, which frankly were like some of them, which were a little more intense than the one I ended up doing.

And no one batted an eye, right? It was, I had no inkling that this would be an issue. So one other idea I had was we all have 99 problems. A creepy bath shouldn't be one. You know, no one said anything. And so I thought that was really funny. But then I guess what happened was it went to the higher ups. So the woman I was dealing with was lovely. You know, everything was good. She sent it to her boss or her boss is and they didn't like it. And that's when I got the message that it could be seen as intimidating to men. They were going to reject it. They wanted me to quote, soften the language. And what options did they, if any, you know, present to you, other options, other wording? Yeah. So they, I don't remember them off the top of my head, but they were not effective advertising. And I said to them, I would not pay for this advertising. It's not punchy. It's not interesting. You know, it's just very bland. And furthermore, I said to them, do you suggest to other advertisers how they should, you know, run their ads? You suggest they're, you know, punchlines or whatever it is.

And I thought that was problematic that they were trying to micromanage how I was presenting my ad. When, again, I don't think they do that for anyone else. And that's the point you decided, okay, I want to file a suit. The point I realized I would need to file a suit was when I spoke to the gentleman who was in charge of advertising at the airport and he said, oh, there's no First Amendment issue here. We can do what we want. And the lot is very clear. They cannot just do what they want.

you cannot discriminate on the basis of viewpoint in a public space like the airport. And so I kind of knew at that point we would need to file a lawsuit, but I still tried. I really did. I wanted to work this out. You know, I'm a busy professional. I've got two young kids. Like, I don't have time to see the airport, but I had to in order to get it up at a certain point. Ultimately, each side submitted briefs. You did not go to court. Lawyers for the airport authority said they suggested slogans that, quote, conveyed a similar message. in a more professional and less misleading and disparaging manner, unquote. What's your reaction to that wording, misleading and disparaging? So the judge in his decision noted that my ad was no more misleading than the Chick-fil-A ad, which stated that cows could talk and, you know, promised happy people, all of these things. Chicken for dinner makes you grin is what the cows are saying in that ad, yeah. That's right. That's right. So essentially, my thought on that is there's plenty of advertisements that, you know, play on different thoughts and words and all sorts of things.

It doesn't mean they're misleading or anything like that. And to say that mine is is incredibly problematic and it goes to the viewpoint discrimination. They're singling out my message that made some people uncomfortable and providing extra scrutiny to it. And I think that's a problem. So the judge ultimately said this was nonsense. You in the airport authority reached a confidential settlement shortly. after that ruling by the judge. The airport authority says that decision is, quote,

unfortunate, but says the settlement, quote, permits both parties to return focus to their core corporate purposes while preserving the authority's ability to manage and operate the airport, unquote. For your core corporate purposes, what has all this meant? So we've been really busy. You know, our phones are ringing and we were busy before, but now we're even busier, which is great. So we hired another attorney.

We've got new intake specialists. We're just doing everything we can to deal with the increased demand and to help people because truly so many women are dealing with this on a regular basis. Men too. I have male clients and female clients. And people are suffering in silence. And the laws really changed, especially in New York during the Me Too movement, such that, you know, many things are no longer allowed in the workplace that used to be allowed.

and that's so important because that's how we get to equality. And so I just feel so passionately about that and we are working really hard to help educate people. Hey, you don't need to deal with this. This is actually sexual harassment. And there's people who can help you. As you get all of those calls from men and women, as you said, what is the pattern that's emerging about what people are not understanding? Because people can flirt.

It can be harmless. But what is the missing, what is the thing that is missing that is causing the kind of harm that people are alleging and coming to you for? So I think what's causing the harm is a lack of empathy and a lack of understanding. So I frequently am seeing situations wherein the perpetrator thinks that this is harmless and they think that they're being funny and they don't understand that how uncomfortable they're making the people who they're harassing. I talk about how when a woman is repeatedly being asked to dinner or commented on, her body's

being commented on or she's the bed of sexual jokes. Suddenly she's like, you know, I don't feel like I'm an equal in these meetings and she's overly careful with what she says or maybe she's nervous about staying late or, you know, being really alone in the, you know, in a small office with somebody, things like that. And I think the people who are engaging in these behaviors don't understand that. And so I really work on trying to educate people. But that is a pattern I'm seeing. People who have a lack of empathy, you know, and a lack of self-awareness, frankly, are engaging in these behaviors repeatedly and their repeat offenders. And lack of inability to read what the person in front of you is experiencing in that moment.

Certainly, a huge lack of emotional intelligence. Megan, I appreciate this. Thank you. Yeah, thank you so much. I appreciate it. Megan Thomas is a sexual harassment lawyer. She's in Syracuse.

No matter where you live in the world, you're feeling the effects of inflation. But that is especially true in Iceland, where the consumer price index has risen 5.4% since last year, and food prices were high to begin with. In these tough on certain times, one might be tempted to seek out the familiar and beloved, which in Iceland, believe it or not, is the hot dog. But as the cost of living rises, even Iceland's beloved Pilsa is not immune. Goodney-Louche-Lauschpro-Henzdotes is the CEO of the Reykjavik Food Wall. and a self-described food enthusiast we reached her in Reckiwick.

Goodney, how many hot dogs do you think you've had in your lifetime? Wow, in my lifetime. A hundred thousand? I don't even know, man. Is it a daily, a weekly, just a special treat for you? Where does it fit into your life? So it's convenience, firstly, and mostly. Even as a kid, you would grab them.

You know, if you're hungry coming out of the store, you would just grab a hot dog on your way home before you have the actual dinner or after, you know, you've gone to the swimming pool. You'll have hot dogs in the summer. We grill hot dogs. It's just a convenient way to eat. And then, of course, after a few beers, all around town, you can have them. And they're open way later than they should be. And they're dangerously good.

What is, what is, you know, the perfect Icelandic hot dog for you? So the Icelandic hot dog is predominantly lamb meat based. It has traces of beef and pork as well, but mostly it's lamb meat. So it's more light, if that makes sense. Probably doesn't, but it is in my opinion. The sausage is also a bit smaller than I think many people are used to, which I really prefer. So if you're kind of hungry, you grab one. If you're really hungry, grab two.

If you're starving, you grab three. Then also it has a really satisfying casing. So it has like a satisfying snap and a good mouth feel, as weird it is to say. And when you have, I'm assuming you've tried hot dogs from other places, how do they compare for you? So Costco opened here in Iceland for the first time ever about 10 years ago. And I remember everyone was so excited to try the famous Costco hot dog. And I was as well because I have never had anything but an Icelandic hot dog. And I did not like it.

I just thought it was kind of weird. Too big. And yeah, not for me. Noted. And the word in Icelandic for hot dog. say it for us. So it's a hot debate.

Some people say pilsa, some pilsa. So either with a Y or a U. But it has no direct translation. It's just, it just is a pilsa. And it came from American troops, right? And you guys made it your own? They kind of brought the idea of fast food to Iceland. Yeah.

So before that, we had no fast food outlets. So the first fast food that I was ever introduced to Icelanders was the hot dog. When the original hot dog stand in Rakey, we opened up in 1930. So before that, people would only eat at their houses or, you know, in restaurants that sit-down meals. This was the first bite you could grab on the go. You've made it your own. I saw some of the photographs of, you know, the basic Icelandic hot dog, but also the fully loaded versions.

And they look amazing. Tell me some of the toppings that are popular there. So the right way to get it, in my opinion, and the only way to get it is, as you said, fully loaded. and that is the full five condiments that you will find everywhere if you're grabbing a hot dog in Iceland. And that is the Icelandic hot dog ketchup which is a bit more sweet

because we use apple sauce to make it sweet instead of sugar. The Icelandic hot dog mustard which is kind of like a brown honey kind of mustard as well. Remolade which is a mayo relish sauce. Then we have raw onions and fried crispy onions. And that pairing is just beautiful.

And then it depends on where you are getting a hot dog some gas stations will have you know bacon wrapped hot dog. They will do deep fried ones. They will do potato salad, shrimp salad, Doritos, fries and cheese, you name it. You like the original five. I like the original five. But, you know, if I'm on, like, there are a few outlets.

Like, if you're out in the road, you'll have to stop by this tiny town to get this type of hot dog in this part of Iceland because they're famous for that. So it also depends on the vibe and where in Iceland you are, how you would get it. But also people, I mean, they're so ubiquitous. They're everywhere, different versions, yes. but people are lining up for them. They sure are, yeah. Why? Because it's the best hot dog in the world.

Simple as that. Yes, it's become a huge phenomenon. And people associate, you know, they're coming to Iceland. They're doing all the touristy stuff. And amongst them is just you have to get an hot dog. I mean, I would. I would definitely. Yeah.

I just have to come visit. But we've talked before, you know, we've certainly heard about how expensive food in Iceland can be. A lot of it has to be imported. But this was a cheap item. What was the price that you remember in the past? I remember getting hot dog for only a few hundred croners, like maybe 200 cronas, which would be like two Canadian dollars now.

The famous hot dog stand just raised their prices, and it's 10 Canadian dollars now. So it's gone up a lot, which makes it not as affordable as it used to be, not at all. But we still have places like IKEA does a hot dog and a drink combo for only $5 Canadian dollars. So you can definitely still get them as an affordable option. But for the major most famous ones, their prices are getting really, really high. I'm glad you brought up an IKEA hot dog because they're a pretty good deal here as well. Do you like it? Do you like it better than a Costco hot dog?

Yeah, for sure. Like it's closer to an Icelandic hot dog, I guess? Yeah, I would say so. I think so. That's a huge jump in prices, though, that you're talking about, Goudney. How are people reacting there? People are upset. It's all over the media. I don't think it will make them stop eating hot dogs, not at all. But it might make some Icelanders probably consider walking a few more minutes to grab a cheaper hot dog, if that makes sense.

So everything is expensive here. And the hot dog is more affordable than an other basic standard meal here in Rake. And it's still, it is convenient. So I don't think people will stop eating them. I don't think it's reached those prices. But it's definitely concerning and something to look out for. Goodney, I'm glad we could speak. Thank you.

Yeah, for sure. Thanks to talk to me. Goodney, Lowshpro, Hansdotez is the CEO of the Reckievic Food Walk. She's in Reckyvik.

What's your favorite? Favorite arm. I know we're not supposed to have favorites, but come on, we all do. Some of us favor our dominant arm, appreciating its skill at signing documents, laughing at its ability to draw a picture of a giraffe wearing sunglasses. And some of us root for our non-dominant arm, the underdog, which refuses to give up, even if it looks really stupid trying to throw a football. You'd think it would be tougher for octopuses to choose a favorite arm. But it turns out that a male octopus has a very clear favorite among the eight. It's what you might call his sex arm.

You could also call it R3, which is what scientists call a male octopus's third right arm. Or you could call it the Hectocotulus, which is its official scientific name, if you want. I mean, if you prefer those to sex arm, which seems way cooler to me. Now, I have not seen octopus sex due to not wanting to type that phrase into my work computer, but I can tell you this. When octopus is mate, the male delivers sperm to the female using R3. And in a new study, when scientists put objects into octopus tanks, the males clearly wanted to protect R3.

They used all seven of their other arms to explore the objects first, rather than risk their sex arms. Clearly, the male octopus places inordinate value on one, particular appendage, which it seems to consider to be important and possibly magical. That's obviously not analogous to any human tendency. And I assume female octopuses already knew they should avoid the long arm of the la Sivius. We're going to take a short break.

Now, when we return, a lot of people are applauding Ottawa's hike and military spending, but a new report warns the government might need to increase taxes to pay for it. And Pet Project, New Zealand chopper crew tracks down and rescues a border call. He disappeared after a hiking mishap. We'll talk to the woman who helped bring Molly home. I'm Chris Howden. And I'm Neil Kokesaw.

I am an actor, fresh out of theater school with big dreams and an even bigger drug habit. But things are pretty good. That is until my best friend is set up on a date with David Lee Roth. Yeah, from Van Halen. If you know, you know. From CBC's personally, this is Discount Dave in the Fix. The true-ish story about how a fake rock star led me to a real trial that held up a mirror to me. And okay, let's just say,

that not everyone in this story is who you think they are. Personally, discount Dave and the fix. Available now on CBC Listen or wherever you get your podcasts. Last week, Prime Minister Mark Carney announced that Canada's increased defense spending had hit a key benchmark. This year, for the first time in decades, Canada will fulfill its NATO commitment to spend 2% of its GDP on defense, with the ultimate goal of bringing that up to 5% by 2035. That will mean almost tripling the defense budget over the next decade. But the government has provided no roadmap on how to get there.

So the economic think tank, the C.D. Howe Institute has crunched the numbers. And in a report released today, the authors write that, quote, some combination of tax increases, spending cuts, or taking on more debt is required, unquote. C.D. Howe Institute, Director of Policy Engagement, Colin Busby is the co-author of the report, a steep climb financing Canada's NATO commitment while maintaining fiscal discipline. We reached him in Ottawa. Colin, do you think most Canadians,

many Canadians, have a sense of how steep the climb you're referring to in your report might end up being? I don't think it's broadly understood by the general public yet. And I don't think it's been a long time since Canada has kind of undertook such a serious and major change, probably one of the biggest changes we've seen in many generations.

But I think that it really prompts some very complex, some very important, and some very necessary decisions that we need to make with respect to our priorities and how we want to go about defending Canada in an increasingly dangerous world. And what that means for how we tax and how we spend. We've been talking about on the show,

what the U.S. president has been saying, publicly musing about U.S. commitment to NATO just this week. How do you think that might factor in or should factor into how Canadians start to think about meeting those spending goals? Well, I think there's an increasing realization about the fragility of Canada's national security and how important that our national security is and depends on the group of allies that we're partnered with.

You know, this really further reinforces to those that have doubts about the need to commit such a large percentage of our overall public spend and our overall economy towards our national defense security. As far as I'm concerned, this further underscores why it's important. You are pointing to the GST as the best option for paying this. Increasing the GST, of course, is what you're saying. Why is that route the best? Well, as a tax option, it's one route, but it's also sort of linked to the need to potentially look at how we spend.

But let me just quickly go through why it is the best option from the tax side. So if you want to raise revenue to pay for defense spending, You've got three large tax bases. You've got the corporate income tax base, the personal income tax base, and then consumption taxes like the GST. When you tax corporate profits, well, you know, there can be distortions that result from that. And that can be with respect to where corporations decide to allocate their activities. And that's not something we'd want to introduce right now. And same thing with personal income taxes.

Well, we can raise personal income taxes, but that also distorts how much people work. And whether they want to work a few more hours in the margins. And that's an undesirable distortion to introduce in our economy. And then you've got, you know, GST, which is the best option because it tends to, and there's a lot of evidence to prove, it tends to, you know, create the least amount of distortive behavior in response to an increase in the rates. And we also have a very functional component to the GST, which is the GST tax credit, which allows us to redistribute and compensate for.

you know, lower-income Canadians paying a significant share of the GST. It allows us sort of redistribute it to them to ensure that they're no worse off. On the GST, you know, even if you see it as the best option, you know that people listening or people looking at what they're already spending and that additional cost. It's not going to feel very good to people, even if they're in support of increased defense spending. So do you think that the support we're seeing in some polling from Canadians is going to start slipping away once these realities set in?

We're going to have to choose what we want to maintain here, whether or not we want to maintain our commitment to our NATO target and to our improvement of our military capabilities, whether or not we're going to be able to maintain our fiscal discipline, our fiscal anchors, and whether or not we're going to be able to do so without changing taxes and or how we spend. We're just not going to be able to do all three.

So something's going to have to give. there's no free lunch and there's no ability to do this without imposing costs on on you know some aspects of the public purse and the question is where and how and the cutting spending government spending and redistributing payments to the provinces that that you're also talking about ultimately where do you think Canadians will will feel these cuts the most well that's another one of the difficult choices that we have to make and and I and and and and and and and and And I think that one of the challenges with respect to transfers to the provinces for a number of social programs is, you know, particularly health care and education, is that, you know, this increase in spending committed to defense, this is an exclusive area of federal jurisdiction. So the results of it and the results of this ramp up in defense spending are going to fall exclusively on the federal government is balanced sheets and its income savings. yet the federal government, there's one taxpayer in Canada, and the federal government does transfer significant portions of its revenues to the provinces to deliver services that the provinces are almost exclusively responsible for delivering in health care and education.

And I think that there's just an opportunity here, and perhaps it's with the federal government itself slowing the growth rate of transfers to the provinces, so there's no longer linked to GDP and perhaps a portion of the GDP. So we can slow the growth rate, not cut. Does it worry you, though, Colin, that the government hasn't outlined this yet for people? Surely heading into the next budget cycle, there's going to be a need for this, and it's a real opportunity for the federal government to do so, because it's going to dramatically transform how they go about allocating tax revenues at the federal level.

And so, you know, we're going to have to put a clear plan in place. And that clear plan is going to have all kinds of other benefits in terms of giving more certainty to an aspect of, and the critical aspect of sort of the industrial strategy of the federal government where I think certainties needed. Colin, thank you. Thank you very much. Colin Busby is the director of policy engagement at the C.D. Howe Institute and the

co-author of the report A Steep Climb. We reached him in Ottawa. Dog walks are usually not highly memorable adrenaline spiking events, unless you realize you left the poop bags at home, but a New Zealand hikers recent stroll nearly cost her and her border collie their lives. Last week, Jessica Mike Johnston and Molly were taking in the western coast of New Zealand's South Island when Ms. Mike Johnston tumbled over 50 meters down a waterfall. Miraculously, she survived and was rescued by helicopter, but Molly was nowhere to be seen. Enter helicopter pilot Lillian Newton, who launched a dogged effort to reunite the human

and the lost border collie. We reached Ms. Newton in Hokitika, New Zealand. Lillian, where is Molly now? Molly is safe at home with Jess. I talked to her briefly the other day and Jessica is just so happy to have Molly home and she's been overwhelmed with the response of all the people that have been I mean, I can imagine not only did she survive that fall and then her beloved dog goes missing and then it's found.

It's quite an ordeal. How are they recuperating after everything? of them. Good. I think Molly's now the nurse dog and Jessica's just spending a, she'll be spending quite a bit of time at home. I imagine her body was bruised from head to toe. You are a helicopter pilot, as is your father. How quickly did you all jump into the helicopter when you found out Molly was missing? Well, when I first found out about what was going on, I just had heard that Jessica had fallen down a waterfall. But then I heard the rescue helicopter was picking her up.

And then my friend said her little dog Molly was missing. And I was like, oh, poor little thing. And where the accident had happened is extremely remote. It's multi-day extreme hike to get out there. So a helicopter is really needed if you want to do anything quickly. First of all, I got my dad to fly over the last spot where my mother. Molly had been seen where Jessica had fallen and dad had a look but he couldn't see her there unfortunately so days went by and then dad decided to have another look and then another

he did three looks off his own back but after that I just said you can't do anymore your your runners broke looking for this poor little dog because helicopters are extremely expensive they run at about $50 a minute New Zealand dollars a minute you know you couldn't cover you cover the, keep covering the cost, but you're still worried about Molly. So you decide to fundraise. And were you surprised by the speed of the reaction there? Extremely. I put it up on a Sunday morning and been already about five days Molly had been missing. I put it up with a goal of getting $2,400 and a few volunteers to help. And nine o'clock at night, I looked at the count and there was $11,500,000 donated, and I had had countless phone calls all day long from

people wanting to come and help. It was crazy, but it was so heartwarming to see that everyone cared enough about it. So we were able to make a plan of attack for the next fine day because it was raining this whole time, torrential grain. But the pressure was on as I had everyone's money, and I was feeling the pressure to find Molly. Where would you even start? Because, you know, after your dad's three trips looking, where were you thinking Molly might have gone? Because she wasn't where Jess had fallen initially. I had a few theories from what I'd looked up online in my own experience is that dogs typically don't leave one mile off where they were lost. And I had some theories that maybe she hadn't fallen down the waterfall with Jessica and she was still up above it. trying to get down. And I also thought maybe he was scared of the helicopter.

And every time they'd come in, she'd had in. One lady volunteered was a thermal imaging specialist from Christchurch. I think she could see as far as about 600 metres in this camera. And we also had my sister-in-law coming with her pig dog. We put a tracking collar on it. So we were going to put people on the ground that could walk around with their dogs. Was this bingo? The dog.

Bingo was one of them, but we had another one that was lined up to go, Forrest. Forrest and bingo looking for Molly. You had quite a crew up there with you. How long on that flight were you up there when, you know, in that difficult terrain when you realized you were close? The first flight when they went looking on the Tuesday of everyone's fundraised money, they would have only been half an hour until they found her on the heat. camera under the waterfall. Molly was directly where in the area where Jessica had fallen. So do you think she was just hiding, as you said, initially because she was, she was scared?

I reckon that she just hadn't made it down there yet. I reckon she was above the waterfall and it was a big job to try and get down the bluff. And how did you all react when you realized that there she was? I saw some of the video as you were approaching. It's Molly is so adorable. How were you reacting in that moment? Well, dad, because my dad flew the mission, he's an ex-rescue chop of Politbuy skillful and he said he was like crying pretty much in tears in his eyes

watching it. So yeah, they were just so overwhelmed and so happy. I was back at base coordinating everything and when I seen the helicopter come in and I could see this little fluffy white face popping around in the

back seat of the helicopter. And what kind of shape does Molly in? Because as you said, there were periods of rain. I mean, how did she stay safe? And stay in that spot for so long. She was perfectly in good condition. She must, I think she was eating possums. Lots of wild possums over here.

Molly did what she needed to do. Who got to tell Jessica? My dad, he sent her a text while he was still out there. from the helicopter telling her that they found Molly and so Jessica straight away

got in a car with her dead and he did drove her to our helicopter base to come and see reunite with Molly it was yeah just beautiful so great to speak with you

Lillian thank you thank you Lillian Newton is a helicopter pilot and administrator at precision helicopters. She's in Hokitika, New Zealand.

The National Film and Sound Archive of Australia preserves the most culturally significant media in that country's history. There's a clip of a man on roller skates in a Sydney Park in 1896, the earliest film ever shot in Australia. There are all 6,400 episodes of the soap opera neighbors. And now, at Lime, Last, there's news footage of police hustling an aggrieved man out of a Chinese restaurant in suburban Brisbane in 1991. The clip is an early example of the phenomenon of virality, racking up millions of views online. It shows a man named Jack Tucker Carlson being apprehended mid-meal by police and responding in a manner the archive describes as dramatic, indignant, and unexpectedly articulate. Gentlemen, this is democracy manifest.

Have a look at the headlock here. See that chap over there? Get your hand off my penis! This is the bloke who got me on the penis before. Get some cups, sir. Why did you do this to me? For what reason? What is the charge? Eating a meal? A succulent Chinese meal. Oh, that's a nice headlock, sir. Oh, ah yes, I see that you know your judo well. Good one. And you, sir, are you waiting to receive my limp penis?

Now, get your hand, you. The classic viral clip of the late Jack Tucker Carlson, which now has a permanent home in the National Film and Sound Archive of Australia, Mr. Tucker Carlson always insisted that that arrest was a case of mistaken identity.

CHMR should be celebrating 50 years on the air. Instead, it is struggling to stay alive. Memorial University of Newfoundland and Labrador's campus radio station has been broadcasting for decades, acting not just as a local media source, but as a training ground for budding journalists, broadcasters, and musicians. But last night at a board meeting, MUN's student union voted to cut funding to CHMR, resulting in a loss of as much as 70% of the station's funding, despite the dozens of people who showed up at the meeting

voicing their support for the station. Rea Rolman is the station manager at CHMR. We reached her in St. John's. Raya, what did you make of all of that support? The support was absolutely incredible. You know, over the last just week and a half to see, you know, hundreds of folks writing letters, people recording little video clips of themselves and posting them on social media,

talking about the importance of the radio station and of local independent media, and then seeing over 130 people show up for the Student Union Board meeting last night. I've never seen such a turnout. It was virtual. They wouldn't, at the last minute, they decided not to meet in person. They had a virtual meeting, but even so, I've never seen such a turnout for a student union board meeting. And they allowed folks to speak, and it was incredible hearing from all these voices, student voices, community voices. And others, too, even people with some notoriety.

Yeah, no, you know, we had musicians and bands, you know, recording statements of support. We had the Irish descendants. Joel Stacey Plaskett did a great video that he sent around. It's just incredible. So the station means a lot to a lot of people. You know that already. the funding we're talking about, the student union funding that's going to be cut, 60 to 70% of your budget is what you estimate.

What kind of dollar amount are we talking about? Well, you know, one of the difficult things has been trying to get a firm sense of figures from the student union. I've seen, I don't think anyone has really seen a clear sense of their financial documents, and they've given me a number of different figures, budget figures. My best estimate is we're talking more like 105 to 120,000, which is going to be a significant cut for us, especially overnight. We were pushing for having at least a year's grace to kind of reorient what we do, but they cut out with barely two weeks notice. If that funding is indeed gone and you can't find another way to make it up, what will that mean for what you're able to do and what you're able to broadcast?

Well, we're trying to reckon with that now. You know, we are very determined to keep going. The cut is devastating. We still have access to a media levy that students pay will pay directly to us, which is great. We still have fundraising. $2 each, yeah, per student? That's correct, yeah, $2. That hasn't increased in about 20 years.

So we'll probably, in the year to come, be looking at coming to students, seeing if they're open to increasing that to better help support us. We'll be doing a lot more fundraising. but, you know, it's going to have a serious impact. It's going to mean job losses here at the station for sure. And we're going to have to try and figure out what we're going to need to do differently in order to continue broadcasting. But that's our ultimate goal.

You know, we've seen just how important campus and community radio is to the community. So we're just absolutely determined to keep providing that, whatever it takes. How would you illustrate that connection and that importance? What does it mean to people there? It means so much, you know, like when I see the different people and groups who came out to support us, it was really reflection of the diversity of programming and content that campus community radio provides. You know, we are the only one of the only not-for-profit community stations here in the region. We broadcast in multiple languages.

We have a host of, you know, Ukrainian refugee programmers who've come and brought their skills here. We have, you know, the province's first K-pop show, you know, which is really popular. You know, and the fact the anti-racism coalition spoke out so powerfully, the provincial anti-racism coalition, you know, because the majority of our student volunteer base is international students, you know. It's the place where you see, you know, a lot of the folks who spoke out were speaking out on behalf of black students, students of color, international students. The diversity you see here, and the fact that all these folks are able to come together in this. space with community members, you just don't find anywhere anymore. The student union, as you know, says, you know, it's looking at a deficit of $300,000. They also cited, quote, low student use as one of the reasons for these cuts.

They're saying not enough students are listening. What do you say to those realities that the student union is putting forward? That it's utterly untrue. We had actually a meeting with the student union executives here at the state. station last week. And it was bizarre because they kept saying that, you know, radio stations are underutilized. The entire time they were talking to us, there was a steady stream of people in and out packing the studios. You know, there's this idea lodged in people's heads that somehow radio is something of the past. And then folks don't realize that, you know, radio stations have

become real complex, you know, multimedia kind of media production centers these days. And yes, There's lots of podcasts, lots of innovative digital content being produced at radio stations, but there's still radio stations as well. And being able to do that, you know, the fact that we're seeing the renewed importance, you know, with climate crises, with repressive governments around the world, you know, it's so easy to shut off the internet. But when that happens, you still have radio. And so it's really important.

They also say they don't have the money. You have said that even, you know, when you became station manager, that you wanted to see the station be more financially independent, you know, separate from the student union. Do you think that this will be that push and the attention around the story will get you, be able to get you to that place? Yeah, I hope so. You know, we've seen, I think, around the country, and it's a reflection, I think,

of how not just governments and university administrations and also students unions, everyone is pulling away from funding not-for-profit services, you know, non-revenue generating services, The student unions auditors told them they needed a cut non-revenue generating services. So this is kind of a problem. So, yeah, we wanted to kind of wind up independent anyway. We just weren't, we're planning on doing it with two weeks' notice. That's the real challenge. So I've received so many offers of support from people offering to help with fundraisers,

in-kind equipment donations, you know, local organizations, wanting to partner on things. I'm hoping we'll be able to capitalize on that and really work with the community to make sure we can keep what we do here going. Rea, thank you. Thank you. Rea Rowman is the station manager for CHMR, the campus radio station at Memorial University of Newfoundland and Labrador. We reached her in St. John's.

The days are finally getting longer in the Canadian North, which is good news for John Maine, who could use a few more hours in the day. Mr. Maine is the Premier of Nunavut, where the countdown is on before devolution comes into effect one year from now. By April 1st, 2027, the federal government must hand over control of Nunavut's land and resources to the territorial government. Before that can happen, there is a lot of work to be done. We reached Premier John Mayne in Akhaluit. Premier, depending on how you look at it, a year can feel like a long time to get things done.

It can also feel like a very short time for you in your position. I mean, are you getting any sleep at this point? Yeah, I'm getting sleep. You know, I sleep pretty well on a nightly basis. But, yeah, we've got a lot of work to do in the next year in terms of devolution. But it's exciting stuff. You know, we're still a very young territory, having been created in 1999,

so greater decision-making in the territory, greater responsibilities within our government. So it really has that sense of being a step forward and a step up for our government. It doesn't sound like you're nervous at this stage. I'm not too nervous. No, we have a lot of really smart and dedicated folks who've been working for years on this file.

So a lot of different moving pieces, but we're pretty confident that we're on track and things are going to roll out as planned. I want to ask you more about the priorities over the next year, but if we could look back to the 90s for a moment, what do you remember about Nunavut's creation? Yeah, I mean, around the creation of Nunavut back in the 90s, I was in school, you know, junior high and high school. So, you know, had a lot of different things on my mind. But my recollection as a high school student was that it was a time of really got an active discussion around politics and the future of our part of what became Nunabut. So what are your list on your to-do list? What is at the top of your to-do list to get done before this deadline?

The most important piece is the people. So staff members who are currently working for government of Canada here in Nurevut. We're hoping that many of those same staff people will agree to come across and to become staff of the government of Nurevut. And so we've been working closely with those folks who are skilled and dedicated to give them certainty around what it would mean if they switched employers and their positions switched governments. So that's a big part of what we have to do in the next year. There's other pieces that have to come in place around legislation

that needs to be passed in our assembly to mirror federal legislation. There's assets, so pieces of infrastructure that need to come over from the federal government to the municipal government. So there's that as well. But I think, you know, at the end of the day, the most important component are the staff and the people at the heart of this and wanting to make sure the transition is as smooth as possible for everybody. Your predecessor in the Premier's office, you know, when talking about how resource rich Nunavut is, you know, was linking that to national security. The land use plan that was released in 2023 has not been signed yet.

It's not legally binding yet. What is the hold up there? In terms of the land use plan, that's a very active file. There's a number of decision points that we are working towards internally. So it is an important file that we want to move forward. So we're working on it. And in terms of the moratorium on oil and gas drilling in Arctic waters from 2016, what will devolution mean for that?

Well, in terms of the oil and gas moratorium, it was an area that was excluded from the devolution agreement. But once April 1st, 2027 hits, we will have the ability to trigger negotiations with our federal partners on offshore oil and gas. And there's a lot of potential there. Nunavut has a lot of natural resources, including natural gas. as well as critical minerals. And so it's a, you know, you look at the needs of the territory. Our residents have huge needs in terms of infrastructure, services from the government. And we see natural resources as part of the answer in terms of meeting the needs of the territory.

So everything from housing to health care to education, you know, I see a lot of potential in terms of supporting those needs through responsible. use of natural resources. And to let our listeners who may not know, no, Nunavut has a consensus-style government. You were elected premier by the legislature in a secret ballot. You're Nunavut's first non-Inuk premier. How does that factor in to how you're handling things and planning to handle things over the next year? You know, I think ever since I got this position, you know, the overwhelming feeling

I've had has been one of gratitude and of wanting to make good on the things I said I would do. I fully recognize as a non-inil person that this is the Inuit homeland. I recognize

the fact that Nurevut government was created out of an article within the land claim agreement. So you know, I want to want to fulfill the duties that the government of Nineveut is obliged to. You know, I want to do my best. Listen, we have huge challenges here in Ninevut.

But it's also, you know, one of the most beautiful places in the world in terms of not just the landscape, but also people who live here in terms of. of Inuit language and culture. So I feel very grateful and lucky to be where I am. And I'm just trying to meet people's expectations and not let anyone down in terms of that important work that we have. Good to have you on the show, Premier. Thank you.

Thanks for your interest. John Main is the Premier of Nunavut. He's in Akaluit.

You've been listening to the As It Happens podcast. Our show can be heard Monday to Friday on CBC Radio 1 after your world tonight. And you can, of course, also listen to our show online at cbc.ca.ca.a slash A.I.H. Or on the CBC Listen app, or of course, wherever you get your podcasts. I'm Neil Kirksel. And I'm Chris Howden.

For more CBC podcasts, go to CBC.ca.com