Global News What Happened To...?

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On this episode of the Global News podcast What happened to…?,  Erica Vella updates stories that were covered in Season 1 of the podcast, including the Quebec mosque shooting, Boko Haram and the Fukushima nuclear crisis.Contact:Twitter: @ericavellaEmail: erica.vella@globalnews.ca Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In 2002, Trent Evans was overcome with excitement when he learned he would be invited to the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, Utah to volunteer as an icemaker.Originally from Edmonton, Alta., Evans had been working as a supervisor for the maintenance team that cared for the ice during Oilers games, team practices and other activities.Evans was one of 16 people invited to make and maintain the ice that would be on the international stage at the Olympics.When Evans arrived in Salt Lake City in February 2002, he started working on creating the ice that would be eventually used in the Olympic hockey tournaments for both the women’s and men’s teams.To mark centre ice, he placed a loonie — a piece of luck for the Canadian teams.Canada’s men’s hockey team hadn’t won a gold medal since 1952.Wayne Gretzky was the team’s executive director, Pat Quinn was the head coach and with players like Mario Lemieux, Joe Sakic, Eric Lindros and Jerome Iginla, Eric Zweig, a sports historian and author, said people were hopeful Canada could win the 2002 tournament.On this episode of Global News’ What happened to…? Erica Vella finds out if the loonie was really lucky and speaks with Trent Evans to see what happened once it was revealed that it was hidden in the ice. She also finds out where the loonie is now and if its legacy has continued on.Contact:Twitter: @ericavellaEmail: erica.vella@globalnews.ca Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Introducing Episode 1 of China Rising - Hostage DiplomacyOn the first episode of China Rising, we examine the Chinese government's practice of detaining political prisoners, by hearing directly from Canadians who've become caught in the crossfire. Christian aid workers Julia and Kevin Garratt lived in China for 30 years before their arrest in 2014, when they were suddenly cast as pawns in a geopolitical chess match. The Garratts’ traumatic experience is eerily similar to the case of the 'Two Michaels,' Canadians Michael Spavor and Michael Kovrig, detained in China since December 2018. Using their stories and others as a guide, we'll investigate how Western countries, including Canada, should respond to China's so-called 'Hostage Diplomacy.'You can listen to more episodes here: https://link.chtbl.com/china-rising Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In the 1980s, the threat of acid rain in Canada and the U.S. had become a brewing environmental crisis.In areas of Southern Ontario, lakes that once were teeming with wildlife were on the verge of becoming dead lakes, void of fish and other aquatic species.Acid rain occurs when sulphur dioxide and other pollutants mix with moisture in the air to form rain droplets with a high level of acidity. This acidity causes aluminum to leach out of the soil and water, potentially poisoning the plants and animals in the impacted ecosystem.Acid rain had been a big issue in Sudbury because of its nickel production, and early on, large smelters were identified as a source of the pollution and all levels of government worked to change regulations and have companies reduce emissions.The acid rain crisis also led to a bilateral Canada-U.S. agreement: the Air Quality Agreement, which was signed in 1991 by former prime minister Brian Mulroney and then-U.S. president George H. W. Bush.Mulroney and Bush committed to cutting down on the air pollution that causes acid rain in 1991, under the Canada-U.S. Air Quality Agreement. Both nations promised to reduce the emissions of sulphur dioxide and nitrogen oxides — the air pollutants that give rise to acid rain — through a cap-and-trade system.The agreement led to major reductions in dirty fossil-fuel emissions in both countries. Canada slashed its total sulphur dioxide emissions by approximately 63 per cent from 1990 to 2014, while the U.S. cut emissions by 79 per cent. Both countries also recorded major reductions in nitrogen oxide pollution.At the height of the environmental crisis, 2.5 million tonnes of SO2 emissions were being released in the atmosphere a year from Sudbury. With changes in emission standards, Sudbury now emits 50,000 tonnes of SO2 a year. In Canada, SO2 emissions have decreased by 69 per cent — and in Sudbury, by 98 per cent.On this episode of Global News’ What happened to…?, Erica Vella finds out how emissions causing acid rain were reduced, what is happening now in Ontario lakes, and how can we apply the lessons learned from acid rain to other environmental problems.Contact:Twitter: @ericavellaEmail: erica.vella@globalnews.ca Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Hannatu Stephens was in her school's hostel in Chibok on the night of April 14, 2014.Speaking through a translator, she said at around 1 a.m., she heard loud noises coming from outside.The men who had broken into the hostel were not military soldiers, but members of the insurgency group, Boko Haram.Stephens and 275 other young women were ordered to leave the hostel and the insurgents set the school on fire.Stephens and the other girls were taken to Sambisa Forest, the known hiding sport for members of Boko Haram.The abduction of 276 girls sparked a campaign called Bring Back Our Girls, which had become the rallying cry in Nigeria and abroad.The #BringBackOurGirls hashtag tweeted by hundreds of thousands of people, including former U.S. first lady Michelle Obama.Stephens would be one of 82 schoolgirls eventually released after more than three years in Boko Haram captivity.In the largest liberation of hostages since the schoolgirls were abducted from their boarding school in 2014, five commanders from the extremist group were exchanged for the girls’ freedom.On this episode of Global News’ What happened to…?, Erica Vella speaks with Hannatu Stephens about the night of the abduction and what life was like after she was freed. Erica also speaks with experts to find out if Boko Haram is still a threat to those living in Nigeria.Contact:Twitter: @ericavellaEmail: erica.vella@globalnews.caCaptive - https://www.tvo.org/video/documentaries/captive-feature-version  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In April 2014, Grace Danladi Saleh had moved to her husband’s hometown of Chibok, Nigeria.He husband, Idrisa Danladi Saleh, was the town’s doctor and cared for the community.On April 14, 2014, Grace said she heard loud noises and their home began to shake. Her husband went to investigate.That night 276 schoolgirls were abducted by Boko Haram and in the days and weeks following the abductions, international outrage began to mount.A campaign called Bring Back Our Girls became the rallying cry in Nigeria and abroad, with the #BringBackOurGirls hashtag tweeted by hundreds of thousands of people, including former U.S. first lady Michelle Obama.On this episode of Global News’ What happened to…?, Erica Vella finds out what happened the night of the abductions, but also looks into how the insurgency group started and how the Bring Back Our Girls campaign helped shed light on an issue that had many people in Nigeria living in fear.Contact:Twitter: @ericavellaEmail: erica.vella@globalnews.ca Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Aymen Derbali knew he would be late for evening prayers, but he decided to go anyway.He left his home in Sainte Foy, Que., on Jan. 29, 2017.When he arrived at the Islamic Cultural Centre of Quebec City, he took a spot in the back corner to not disturb others but within minutes, he said he heard a loud noise.That night, six people were killed and 19 seriously injured when a gunman burst into the Islamic Cultural Centre of Quebec City, Derbali was one of them.The attack stunned the country and was condemned as an act of terrorism.In the months following the shooting, Canadian Muslims voiced fear around discrimination and there was a heated debate erupted in Canada over the concept of Islamophobia.On this episode of Global News’ What happened to…? Erica Vella speaks with Aymen Derbali about that night. She also looks at what happened to the man who was responsible for this tragedy and finds out if Islamophobia played a role in the tragedy.Contact:Twitter: @ericavellaEmail: erica.vella@globalnews.ca Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Flint Michigan water crisis garnered international attention in 2015 after it was discovered that residents were being poisoned by the water running through their taps.A year earlier in 2014, the city switched its water source from the Detroit water system to the Flint River as a cost-saving solution while awaiting the building of a pipeline from Lake Huron which hadn’t been completed yet.Many people living in the city questioned the decision before the switch which officially happened on April 25, 2014, and Lewis said she remembers noticing an immediate difference in the water.Residents began reporting various illnesses and several people had died from a Legionnaires outbreak.It was later revealed that the city didn’t treat the water with anti-corrosion agents that might have prevented aged pipes from leaching lead into the water system.On this episode of Global News’ What happened to…? Erica Vella revisits the water crisis to find out how it all began and what has happened since. She also speaks with the community members who pushed for change and finds out where they are now.Contact:Twitter: @ericavellaEmail: erica.vella@globalnews.ca Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Brazil was among one of the countries most affected by the Zika virus in 2015 and 2016 but Dr. Carlos Pardo, a professor at Johns Hopkins University, said the virus emerged in the 1950s.Zika virus is an arbovirus — a type of virus that is transmitted by certain kinds of insects like mosquitos. The ades Aegypti mosquito, which is primarily found in tropical climates, is a known carrier of the virus. It can also be sexually transmitted.In 2015, Germana Soares, who lives in Brazil, was infected with Zika virus. Soares was 12 weeks pregnant when she became ill, but at the time, doctors believed there was no harm to the baby.In November, just before she gave birth, Soares said local news stations began reporting a link between Zika and microcephaly with women who were pregnant.Days after his birth, doctors confirmed the diagnosis; Guilherme had microcephaly.Pardo said only 20 per cent of infected people show symptoms, but the risk rests with pregnant mothers as Zika is known to also cause Congenital Zika Syndrome and microcephaly in fetuses.Microcephaly occurs in these children when their mothers are infected with Zika while pregnant, he said. The fetus develops viral illness and eventually encephalitis.The World Health Organization estimated at the height of the epidemic, there were over 216,207 probable cases of acute Zika virus disease reported in Brazil, and thousands of babies were born with complications.Anis Institute for Bioethics, a not-for-profit organization in Brazil, has been one of the leading organizations advocating for women and families affected by the Zika epidemic.Luciana Brito, researcher and psychologist for Anis Institute for Bioethics, said since the beginning of the epidemic, over 19,000 babies have been born with suspected Congenital Zika Syndrome.On this episode of What Happened To…?, Erica Vella revisits the 2015 Zika epidemic and finds out if the virus is still a threat. She also speaks with the families impacted virus who share what life has been like.Contact:Twitter: @ericavellaEmail: erica.vella@globalnews.ca Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices