Global News What Happened To...?

On February 5, 1981, Toronto Police launched Operation Soap. Officers ambushed four Toronto bathhouses in a series of coordinated raids following a six-month investigation, which led to almost 300 patrons being arrested on the street. The raids were a watershed moment for Toronto's Queer community because, thousands of activists protested along the streets of Toronto and decided to fight the attacks in court. On this episode of What happened to…? Erica Vella speaks with members of the Queer community about the 1981 Toronto bathhouse raids. She learns about the public’s response, and ultimately, how communities came together to create lasting change. Find out more at https://globalnews.ca/news/9888886/what-happened-to-the-1981-toronto-bathhouse-raids/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

TikTok is one of the most popular apps around the world, with more than one billion users, but in February of 2023, Canada's federal government announced a ban of the app on government devices. It's a move several countries have made in recent months. TikTok has maintained the app isn’t unique in the amount of information it collects and all social media companies should be looked at with the same scrutiny. On this episode of What happened to…?, Erica Vella speaks with experts about whether these concerns are legitimate and if similar measures will be taken against other social media apps. Find out more at https://globalnews.ca/news/9899774/what-happened-to-tiktok-security-concerns/ Contact: Email: erica.vella@globalnews.ca Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The old days of air travel were quite risky…compared to today, the chances of your flight going down were far greater …every airport had kiosks and coin-operating vending machines where you could buy life insurance before you headed to the gate—you know, just in case you thought you weren’t going to make it to your final destination… 1977 was one of the worst years for accidents in aviation history…in addition to several violent hijackings every month—sometimes with fatal results—There were also passenger plane crashes with great loss of life…including the worst aviation disaster of all time when two 747s planes collided on a runway in the Canary Islands, killing 583 people. Frank Sinatra’s mother, the Prime Minister of Yugoslavia, and all but one member of the University of Evansville basketball team died in crashes… But then there were the events of October 20, 1977, when a rickety chartered plane went down in a swamp in Mississippi…on board were members of Lynyrd Skynyrd…six of the 24 passengers died, including singer Ronnie Van Zandt, guitarist Steve Gaines, backup singer Cassie Gaines, and assistant road manager Dean Kilpatrick…both pilots also died… What happened? Have I got a story for you... Like what you hear? You can find and follow Uncharted: Crime and Mayhem in the Music Industry on your favourite podcast app or by clicking here: https://link.chtbl.com/uncharted-rssdrop Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

TikTok is one of the most popular social media applications with more than 1 billion users around the world. On this episode of What happened to…? Erica Vella speaks to Bev Standing, the original voice behind TikTok’s text-to-speech feature. She also speaks with Kat Callaghan, the woman behind TikTok’s current text-to-speech character “Jessie.” She learns about the adoption and evolution of the feature, and how it changed the way users create and interpret TikTok videos. Find out more at: https://globalnews.ca/news/9888850/what-happened-to-tiktok-text-to-speech-voice/ Contact: Email: erica.vella@globalnews.ca Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Kourosh Doustshenas met Forough Khadem in 2010 but a relationship between the couple wouldn't blossom until years later. The couple planned to get married, but before that could happen, Khadem traveled to see her family in Iran. Her return ticket to Canada was scheduled for Dec. 21, 2019, but the flight changed and she was now scheduled to depart on Jan. 8, 2020. By the beginning of January 2020, tensions between the U.S. and Iran began to escalate following the death of Revolutionary Guard Gen. Qassem Soleimani who was killed by a U.S. airstrike as he and others travelled from Baghdad’s international airport on Jan. 3, 2020. As the couple watched the news unfold Forough Khadem boarded Flight PS 752 on Jan. 8 and was one of the 176 people killed after the two surface-to-air missiles struck the plane. On this episode of What happened to…? Erica Vella speaks with Dousteshenas about his experience and the work he does with the Association of Families of Flight PS752 Victims. She also learns more about what the international community has done to seek accountability from Iran. Find out more at https://globalnews.ca/news/9899880/what-happened-to-ukraine-international-airlines-flight-ps752/ Contact: Email: erica.vella@globalnews.ca Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this episode of What happened to…?, Erica Vella revisits Google Glass — the product that sparked curiosity, protests and internet memes around the world. She speaks with one of Wired’s gadget reporters, Mat Honan, about the controversial pair of smart glasses. Find out more at https://globalnews.ca/news/9873033/what-happened-to-google-glass/ Contact: Email: erica.vella@globalnews.ca Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The 2018 Thai cave rescue quickly became an international spectacle that captured the attention of people all around the world. Twelve boys and their soccer coach were exploring the Tham Luang cave in Chiang Rai when the cave suddenly flooded, trapping the team. Monsoon season came early that year, and the cave became blocked by heavy rainwater. On this episode of What happened to…? Erica Vella revisits the incredible Thai Cave rescue mission. She speaks with diver Rick Stanton about the life-saving dive and how a team of people was able to successfully rescue the Wild Boar soccer team from the Tham Luang cave. Find out more at https://globalnews.ca/news/9733852/what-happened-to-thai-cave-rescue-part-2/ Contact: Email: erica.vella@globalnews.ca Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The 2018 Thai cave rescue quickly became an international spectacle that captured the attention of people all around the world. Twelve boys and their soccer coach were exploring the Tham Luang cave in Chiang Rai when the cave suddenly flooded, trapping the team. Monsoon season came early that year, and the cave became blocked by heavy rainwater. On this episode of What happened to…? Erica Vella revisits the incredible Thai Cave rescue mission. She speaks with diver Rick Stanton about the wins, the challenges and ultimately, how it was pulled off. She also speaks to water management expert Thanet Natisri to find out how the cave was made safe enough for divers to enter. Find out more at https://globalnews.ca/news/9733417/what-happened-to-thai-cave-rescue-part-1/ Contact: Email: erica.vella@globalnews.ca Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

There are stories…..that grab the world’s attention… But what happens when the cameras turn off and new stories take over the headlines? On this season of Global News “What Happened to”, Erica Vella brings you some of the most gripping stories from the past and talks to the people at the heart of them to find out what's happened since. Starting Sept 14 we'll share stories on The Thai Cave Rescue, The Downing of Ukraine International Airlines Flight 752, The 2011 Vancouver Riots, TikTok, Google Glass, and The Toronto Bathhouse Raids. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this season wrap we give you a sneak peek at the complete season on Global News What Happened To…? as journalist Erica Vella brought you incredible stories and spoke to the people at the heart of each one to find out what’s happened since the news cycle turned and the cameras walked away. Contact: Email: erica.vella@globalnews.ca Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Brook Schryer recalled his first interaction with zebra mussels in the early 1990s. He was living with his family on Lake Scugog in Ontario and one fall, Schryer and his brothers pulled the family boat out of the water and noticed that it was double its normal weight. This was because of the sheer number of tiny mollusks that clung to the bottom of the boat. The brothers scraped the mussels off the boat but at just five years old, Brook didn’t understand just how big of a problem the pesky mollusks would become. Zebra mussels are native to the Black and Caspian seas region in southeastern Europe and in the 1980s they established themselves in the Great Lakes through ballast water from ships. According to the Department of Fisheries and Oceans Canada, as of 2020, the mussels have been found in Lake St. Clair, the Great Lakes, the St. Lawrence River, the Mississippi River watershed and most recently in Lake Winnipeg, the Red River and the Nelson River. Zebra mussels have created huge changes in the ecosystems they have established in; they have also caused significant economic impacts. In the 1990s and early 2000s, attempts were made to prevent other invasive species from causing the same havoc. On this episode of What happened to…? Erica Vella speaks with experts about the damage caused by zebra mussels and finds out what has been done to stop the spread of the invasive species and how can we prevent it from happening again. Contact: Email: erica.vella@globalnews.ca Resource for reporting invasive species in North America www.EDDMapS.org Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Fifty years ago, Kim Phuc Phan Thi's life seemed simple; she lived with her family in the village of Trảng Bàng in Vietnam. The country was in the middle of a war, but as a nine-year-old child, nothing seemed out of the ordinary. Everything changed in June 1972 when several napalm bombs fell on her once peaceful village. Suddenly there was fire everywhere around her and her clothes burned off. In excruciating pain, Phuc ran down the main highway in her village and at that time, Associated Press photographer Nick Ut snapped a picture and the rest is history. On this episode Erica Vella takes a closer look at the Pulitzer Prize-winning photo, The Terror of War, which is commonly referred to as 'Napalm Girl'. She speaks with Kim Phuc, the young girl in the photo and learns about her miraculous survival. Contact: Email: erica.vella@globalnews.ca Kim Foundation http://www.kimfoundation.com/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In a nearly three-hour-long interview between Det. Rob Thomas and the man accused of driving a rental van on a busy Toronto sidewalk we got insight on the driver's frustrations with women and his inability to attract a partner. "I would say that sometimes I am a bit upset that they choose to date obnoxious men instead of gentlemen," he said in the interview. He then speaks about 4Chan — an online anonymous image board — where he engaged in conversations with others about his anger with women and being a part of the involuntary celibate ("incel") community, an underground online community that lives primarily on the dark web. Experts have been studying the proliferation of the incel community for several years. Mike Halpin, an associate professor at Dalhousie University, said the term was coined in 1997, when a Canadian woman who only went by her first name, Alanna, began a support group online for people struggling to form relationships. "It was more about the kind of frustrations and complications with wanting a romantic partner, not being able to have one. Over time, the community became more and more populated by men and also more and more by people who were upset and angry about being alone," he said. The incel community then started popping up on places like 4chan and Reddit, he explained. Halpin has been studying the incel community for several years and this episode of What happened to... Erica Vella speaks with Mike Haplin about the complex subculture of the incel community; she also finds out if the community has grown and learns more about other incel-inspired attacks. She also speaks with experts about incidents of gender-based violence that continue to increase across North America.  Contact: Email: erica.vella@globalnews.ca Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On Apr. 23 2018, a man drove a white rental van down busy sidewalks in Toronto, killing 11 people and injuring 16 others. The driver was arrested without injury on the day of the attack and was brought in for questioning by Toronto Police. The almost three-hour investigative interview between the driver and Det. Rob Thomas was released publicly in September 2019. At the time, the driver of the white rental van was facing ten counts of first-degree murder and 15 counts of attempted murder. During the interview, the suspect begins to speak about4Chan – an online anonymous image board – where he engaged in conversations with others about his frustrations with women and being a part of the Involuntary Celibate (Incels) community, an underground online community that lives primarily on the dark web. The interview was a crucial piece in the trial of the driver that began in November 2020. During the trial, the driver had admitted to planning and carrying out the attack, but argued he should be found not criminally responsible for his actions because of his autism spectrum disorder. The Crown had argued that the driver is a mass killer who knew right from wrong, and happens to have autism. But the defence argued that because of autism, the driver never developed empathy, and that lack of empathy left him incapable of rational choice. On this episode of Global News’ What happened to…?, Erica Vella revisits the Toronto Van Attack and speaks with Watkins who explains details and tactics used in the investigative interview with the driver. She also learns more about the trial and continues her conversation with survivor, Cathy Riddell. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Cathy Riddell has lived in Toronto's Yonge and Finch neighbourhood for over six decades; it's an area where she says she’s surrounded by familiar faces, shops and restaurants. On a warm Monday in April 2018, Riddell was eager to be outside and run errands in the sunshine. However, her day was interrupted when a white rental van wreaked havoc in the neighbourhood she called home. On April 23, 2018, a white rental van mounted the sidewalk at the southwest corner of the intersection of Yonge and Finch streets and travelled south for several blocks Riddell was one of the victims who was struck by the van while walking on Yonge Street. At 1:27 p.m., the first call was made to 911. The attack would last approximately seven minutes as witnesses watched in horror while innocent bystanders got struck by the white van. After driving 2.2 km, the van stopped at Poyntz Avenue because a beverage splattered across the windshield, making it difficult for the driver to see. The driver got out of the van. The tragedy left the Toronto community heartbroken and grieving for the victims who lost their lives that day. Riddell remembered very little about what happened that day. On this episode of Global News’ What happened to…?, Erica Vella revisits the Toronto Van Attack to speak to a victim who was heavily impacted by the attack. She also speaks with Insp. Graham Gibson about his experience as a detective on the scene, and with reporter Catherine Mcdonald, who begins to unravel the motives behind the driver’s attack. Contact: Email: erica.vella@globalnews.ca Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The man who killed six men and injured over a dozen others after storming a Quebec City mosque will be eligible for parole after 25 years after a Supreme Court struck down a Criminal Code provision on consecutive sentencing for multiple murderers. The unanimous high court decision happened May 27 and declared unconstitutional a 2011 provision that would allow a judge, in the event of multiple murders, to impose a life sentence and parole ineligibility periods of 25 years to be served consecutively for each murder. The killer pleaded guilty to six charges of first-degree murder in the January 2017 attack that took place at the Islamic Cultural Centre of Quebec City. Aymen Derbali was at the mosque the night of the shooting and was critically injured. He said he was disappointed in the Supreme Court ruling. "When I read the decision of the Supreme Court, I felt a deep deception as a victim of this tragedy," he said, adding he was surprised by the decision. "I was expecting this decision to be sincere because I followed the public consultation." On this episode of What happened to..? Erica Vella speaks with Derbali about the decision and finds out how the Supreme Court ruling will impact other cases involving multiple murders in Canada. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In June 2014, cases of Ebola were reported in Guinea and the disease began to rapidly spread across the border to Liberia and Sierra Leone. More than 28,000 people became ill with the disease and over 11,000 died. The 2014 outbreak was the first Ebola outbreak in West Africa. According to the World Health Organization, it first appeared in two simultaneous outbreaks in 1976 in South Sudan and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The outbreak in DRC happened in a village near the Ebola River and that’s where the illness gets its name. The early symptoms of an Ebola infection include fever, headache, muscle aches and sore throat, according to the World Health Organization. It can be difficult to distinguish between Ebola and the symptoms of malaria, typhoid fever or cholera. Only in later stages do people with Ebola begin bleeding both internally and externally, often through the nose and ears. Dr. Brantly is originally from U.S. but he had arrived in Monrovia, Liberia in October 2013 and he was working at the ELWA hospital at the time of the Ebola outbreak. He had been treating patients with Ebola for several weeks and on July 23, 2014, he woke up feeling ill. He would eventually be given the officially diagnosis; he was ill with Ebola and the U.S. doctor was transported to Emory University Hospital in Atlanta. On this episode, Erica Vella speaks Dr. Brantly who shares his experience and she speaks with other with health-care workers who were on the front lines, battling Ebola. She finds out where it came from, why it spread so quickly and how the 2014 outbreak impacted communities in Liberia, Guinea and Sierra Leone. — with Files from the Associated Press. Contact: Email: erica.vella@globalnews.ca Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this special episode journalist Erica Vella shares an excerpt of the series on the Brentwood Five massacre first covered by Nancy Hixt. Nancy is a Global News colleague and a senior crime reporter based in Calgary and she covered this case in an episode of her award-winning podcast Crime Beat. In the excerpt of the episode shared with you today you’ll hear from Timothy McLean’s mother, Carol De Delley….who is fighting to change the law in Canada-- so killers deemed to be not criminally responsible or NCR--would have to continue their treatment and monitoring...indefinitely… https://omny.fm/shows/crime-beat/the-brentwood-five-massacre-part-3  The families of the Brentwood five...are concerned--the same thing that happened to Timothy McLean’s killer...will happen to the man who killed their five children. Contact: Email: erica.vella@globalnews.ca Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

From the late 1980s to the early 2000s, companies made the move to create products that were colourless or transparent as it was often equated with purity. It was called the clear craze and it was first inspired by Ivory soap's "99.44/100% Pure" campaign. Crystal Pepsi was launched in 1992 with a big splash at Super Bowl 27 in a commercial with Van Halen’s hit song Right Now in the background, but the product was taken off the shelves about two years after its launch. In the 30 years since Crystal Pepsi launched, the product has been brought back for limited periods. On this episode of What happened to…? Erica Vella revisits the elusive drink from the 1990s, Crystal Pepsi. She learns why the pop flopped and asks if there is a chance the cola could ever return to store shelves. -- Contact: Email: erica.vella@globalnews.ca Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In May 2016, tens of thousands of people in Fort McMurray were forced to flee their homes, as a fire burned through surrounding forests and entered the city. Damian Asher, a veteran firefighter and the captain of the Fort McMurray fire department, said the department had been monitoring the wildfire's movement. READ MORE: Short-term exposure to Fort McMurray wildfire smoke affected lungs of RCMP officers: study "We've had lots of forest fires in our area in the past and we work with lots of forest fires in that area. As far as moving into our city, with a forest fire, you never know what's going to happen," he said. "Forestry crews Alberta Forestry were on it. They were putting in their measures to keep the fire at bay and keep the fire located in the area where it was," he recalled. "We were prepared for it for where it was; we had discussions of testing all of our skills, making sure our equipment worked, all that sort of stuff," he said. Then the fire made its move. "The wind direction made a 180-degree shift in wind direction and pushed the fire into the city." The fires in May forced the evacuation of almost 90,000 residents from the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo and destroyed about 2,400 homes and other buildings. READ MORE: Fires and floods: How Fort McMurray is addressing risk of disaster 5 years after massive wildfire Asher was one of the firefighters working to battle the blaze. For days, he and several crews tried to suppress the flames. "The fire moved in really fast and it just came in like a big wave. It was super dry that year, so it was just a big wave of fire that come up out of the trees. "And as it come down out of the trees, it threw a lot of debris into the residential zones. A lot of burned embers were landing in houses, backyards on decks and stuff like that," he said. "We had lots of fires in multiple areas, not just at the face of where the fire was." READ MORE: 5 years after ‘The Beast’ ignited, investigation into Fort McMurray wildfire ‘remains open and active’ The Insurance Bureau of Canada said insured damage caused by the wildfires in Fort McMurray, Alta., totalled $3.58 billion, making it the most expensive disaster for insurers in the country’s history at the time. On this episode of What happened to …? Erica Vella revisits speaks with residents in the city of Fort McMurray and people on the frontlines who attempted to stop the fire. She finds out how the city has recovered and what has been done to prevent fires like this from happening in the future. Contact: Email: erica.vella@globalnews.ca Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Journalist, Erica Vella is on a journey to find and speak with the people at the heart of stories that have captured the entire world’s attention, … and today she shares major developments in two stories that we’ve covered so far. Contact: Email: erica.vella@globalnews.ca Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On Dec. 9 2012, video of a baby monkey running around in a faux-shearling coat at a North York IKEA garnered international attention when Darwin escaped a locked crate and vehicle before making a dash toward the furniture store. “(I thought) this is absolutely ridiculous that there would be a monkey wearing clothes, walking around in Canada in the middle of winter. It just doesn't make any sense whatsoever and just really, you start to think about how did he get to that position, how did he get to be a pet in the first place?” said Dania Leipa, executive director of Story Book Farm Primate Sanctuary. Leipa was volunteering with the primate sanctuary at the time when she learned about the incident. Within a day or two of Darwin being transferred by Toronto Animal Services to the sanctuary, Darwin's former owner, a real estate and corporate lawyer named Yasmin Nakhuda, threatened legal proceedings because ultimately, she wanted what she said was her monkey returned to her on a permanent basis. On this episode of What happened to…?, Erica learns about the legal battle for Darwin and finds out where the monkey is now. She also speaks with experts about the illegal exotic animal trade to see how much of an issue it is in North America. Contact: Email: erica.vella@globalnews.ca Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Elias Tarabay remembers Aug. 4, 2020, clearly. He arrived home after having a late lunch with a friend. He was living in Beirut, the capital city of Lebanon. His house had a balcony that looked out at the city’s ports. Just as he settled in, he heard a loud explosion. Tarabay was working as an editor for a local newspaper at the time and he thought he would take the video to send back to his office. Then a second large explosion rocked the Beirut port. The explosion killed at least 214 people, according to official records. Thousands were injured. It was one of the largest non-nuclear explosions in history — the result of hundreds of tons of ammonium nitrate igniting after a fire broke out. The explosion tore through the city with such force that it caused a tremor across the entire country that was heard and felt as far away as the Mediterranean island of Cyprus, more than 200 kilometres away. It would soon emerge in documents that the highly combustible nitrates had been haphazardly stored at a port warehouse alongside other flammable material since 2014 — and that multiple high-level officials over the years knew of its presence and did nothing. The event galvanized people to demonstrate in the streets, asking for government accountability and in the days following the explosion, several cabinet members announced their resignation. On Aug. 10, 2020, Beirut’s prime minister, Hassan Diab, announced he would be stepping down from his position. On this episode of What happened to …? Erica Vella revisits the days that followed the deadly blast and finds out if anyone has been held accountable. She also learns how Lebanon’s economic crisis has made it difficult for the country to rebuild. Contact: Email: erica.vella@globalnews.ca Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Elliott Price attended the Montreal Expos' first home game on April 14, 1969 at Jarry Park. "There was a lot of worry because it snowed significantly during that week in April 1969, and it was a makeshift field, as well, and they were worried about what kind of, you know, will they be able to play the game?" Price said. "And lo and behold, April 14, 1969, the sun came out and was 72 degrees Fahrenheit, and there were people standing on snow mounds behind the outfield fences, looking into a full house to the first game ever played in Canada." The Expos were Montreal's team for over three decades and in 1994, the team was on track to go the World Series but a labour dispute ended the season. "They were arguably the best team in baseball," Price said. "It was clear to me, and I said so on the radio, that there was a very good possibility that there was going to be a significant work stoppage. Owners and players had reached the point and there had been such animosity for years, and this was the tipping point that they would never complete the season. That they would stop and have a full stop, period, and never play the World Series that year was unfathomable. But apparently unfathomable happens." Jeff Fassero was on the team in 1994 and said there was always hope among the players that they would go back to finish the season. "We were taking the chance of it was going to be like it was in what was it like (in the 80s) when there was another major strike, but they got back and finish the season and that's what we were hoping for," he said. "But we just didn't happen." Attendance after the 1994 season began to decline in Montreal and a decade later, it was revealed the Expos would no longer be Montreal's team. The team would move to Washington and become the Nationals. "We cried. The game ended, I recorded. I knew it wouldn't get through the finale and closing off the last broadcast, so I recorded it. And while we were listening to it ... it was the end," Price said. The legacy of the Montreal Expos has continued and there were hopes that Major League Baseball would come back to the Quebec city. On this episode of Global News' What Happened to...?, Erica Vella speaks with former players and people in Montreal who have been calling for the return of baseball to the city of Montreal. Contact: Email: erica.vella@globalnews.ca Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Devon Harris always had a passion for sport and dreamed of competing in the Olympics as a teenager. He spent his childhood in Haughton, a rural district in Saint Elizabeth, Jamaica, but moved to Olympic Gardens in Kingston, Jamaica. "The thing that I would say kept me sane was school. I loved school. ... I loved to play and guess where I could play? At school. So I discovered sports. ... The thing I loved about sports was regardless of what your situation was off the field or on the field, man, it's my heart against yours; it's me against you and what you can bring to the table." Harris said he was 15 years old when he had dreamed of being an Olympian. "It's 1979 and I'm 15 years old and it was a year before the Moscow Olympic Games and ABC Wide World of Sports — American TV — had a series called Road to Moscow, and they showcased athletes from around the world, different nationalities and disciplines," he said. "And what I saw in that series were these very average and ordinary people, but they had extraordinary dreams and they had an equally extraordinary desire to achieve those dreams." Before pursuing his dream to become an Olympian, Harris enlisted in the army and in 1987, he was asked to try out of the first-ever Jamaican bobsledding team. "We do this in Jamaica, called the Pushcart Derby, and two Americans who lived in Jamaica saw that and thought it looked like bobsledding," he said. "They came to the army looking for athletes, and that's when I initially heard and as I mentioned, I was not interested. ... I thought it was the most absurd, ridiculous idea ever conceived by a man and I remember saying nobody could ever get me to go on one of those things until my Colonel suggested that I try out for the team." With the idea in his head, Harris tried out of the team and earned one of four sports; he was going to attend the 1988 winter Olympics. "That day I was literally flying around the beach. I just like, 'Oh,' so I was like, 'Whoa, I'm on the team, right?' Not officially, but yeah, I really felt like Superman," he said. It was the Caribbean country’s first Winter games, but hardly its last. In the years since, Jamaica has appeared at every Winter Olympics outside the 2006 Games in Turin, Italy. Team Jamaica will be competing in the 2022 winter games; it has qualified for the four-man bobsled and two other bobsled events in Beijing. On this episode of What happened to...? Harris describes his journey to the 1988 Winter Olympics and Erica speaks with the current Jamaican bobsled team, which is looking to build upon the success of previous teams. Contact: Email: erica.vella@globalnews.ca Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

As a former multiple-franchiser owner, Alan Payne is familiar with Blockbuster; he had owned over 40 stores in Alaska and Texas. Early on, however, Payne said he noticed issues with how the company had been operating. At its peak, there were over 9,000 Blockbuster stores around the world and many of the stores were corporately owned. While it appeared that Blockbuster was growing, Payne said he identified many financial flaws. In 2010, Blockbuster declared bankruptcy, and by 2014, all corporate-owned stores had shuttered. Payne watched as each of his stores shut down and in 2018, Alan saw his last stores in Alaska close. On this episode of What Happened To...? Erica Vella speaks to Payne about the rise and fall of Blockbuster and finds what caused the once-global brand to disappear. She also speaks to the general manager of the last Blockbuster to hear how she kept her store running. Contact: Email: erica.vella@globalnews.ca Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In March 2012, a 30-minute film produced by U.S.-based not-for-profit Invisible Children and narrated by co-founder Jason Russell, aimed to shed light on Joseph Kony, the leader of the Ugandan rebel group, the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA). He was the target of the Kony 2012 campaign led by Invisible Children, which garnered international attention. Before Invisible Children existed, in 2003, Russell, along with Bobby Bailey and Laren Poole, set out to create a film on the conflict in the Darfur region of Sudan and travelled to northern Uganda to speak with those who had fled Sudan. Their plans changed when they witnessed the war in Uganda with the Lord’s Resistance Army. Russell, Baily and Poole produced their first film, Invisible Children Rough Cut, and out of that film, the not-for-profit Invisible Children was born. On this episode of What happened to…? Russell speaks about how the idea of Kony 2012 started, how it became a viral sensation after its release and the swift criticism that followed. Contact: Email: erica.vella@globalnews.ca Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this episode of the Global News podcast What happened to…? Erica Vella finds out what happened to viral video, Kony 2012, which aimed to shed light on the Ugandan militant who founded the Lord’s Resistance Army. Dominic Akena grew up in a small village in Patongo, Uganda; his childhood was spent outside playing with other children in his village. In 2001, when Akena was seven years old, he remembers hearing a lot of commotion early one morning. The LRA had attacked a village close to Akena’s home and from that day, he said his life would change; each night his family would sleep in the woods to avoid the rebel group. That went on for three years. In 2004, Akena decided to sleep in the classroom with his older brother instead of going into the woods with the rest of his family. Just as he was about to sleep one night, he heard a lot of noise from outside of the classroom. That night, Akena and his older brother were abducted by the LRA. On this episode of What happened to…? Erica Vella speaks with Akena about his capture and also learns more about the LRA and how a film produced in 2012 aimed to shed light on the atrocities committed by Kony and LRA. Contact: Email: erica.vella@globalnews.ca Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On April 15, 2019, the world watched with despair as a fire ripped through Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris. The flames began just before 7 p.m. local time and spread rapidly throughout one of Europe’s most well-known structures. By 7:40 p.m., the fire had spread to the spire, which collapsed just before 8 p.m. Firefighters worked diligently to save the towers and to keep a bell from collapsing, but their efforts could not save a roof structure that dated to the year 1220. On this episode of Global News What happened to…? Erica Vella looks back on the history of the gothic cathedral and finds out how the fire nearly threatened its future. She also discovers how much work is underway to repair and restore the building. Contact: Email: erica.vella@globalnews.ca Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In 2011, a 90-second video launched Ted Williams, a man who was experiencing homelessness, as an international celebrity. In the video, Williams was standing at the side of a road in Columbus, Ohio; he was holding a sign that read in part, “I have a God-given gift of voice.” Doral Chenoweth, a photojournalist with The Columbus Dispatch -- a daily newspaper based in Ohio – took the video. Chenoweth posted the video in January 2011 and it quickly began drawing international attention; media from all over the U.S. went on a search to find Williams, dubbed the man with the golden voice. On this episode of Global News What happened to…? Erica Vella speaks with Ted Williams and Doral Chenoweth about the viral video that launched Williams into fame. Williams speaks about his battles with addiction; he explains what happened after the video went viral and where he is now. Contact: Email: erica.vella@globalnews.ca Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Moufida Holubeshen and her husband John Holubeshen have long been passionate about beekeeping; the couple has three hives of their own at their home in Nanaimo, B.C. In 2019, Moufida recalled an email that sparked her attention; several sightings of large hornets had led officials to believe there was a suspected Asian giant hornet nest in Nanaimo. On this episode of Global News’ What happened to…? Erica Vella finds out more about the Asian giant hornet and how they managed to arrive in Canada in 2019. She also learns how the insect earned the nickname "murder hornets" and finds out if the insects pose a significant risk to North American honeybees. Contact: Email: erica.vella@globalnews.ca Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

There are stories…..that grabbed the whole world’s attention… But what happens when the news cycle continues to turn and new stories take over the headlines? This season, not only do we revisit major new events, we dig deep into topics YOU have asked for. We have 20 brand new episodes for you this season.  Global News What Happened To...? arrives November 25th. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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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: @ericavella Email: 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: @ericavella Email: erica.vella@globalnews.ca Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Introducing Episode 1 of China Rising - Hostage Diplomacy On 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: @ericavella Email: 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: @ericavella Email: erica.vella@globalnews.ca Captive - 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: @ericavella Email: 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: @ericavella Email: 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: @ericavella Email: 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: @ericavella Email: erica.vella@globalnews.ca Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Eleven years ago, Haiti was rocked by a seven-magnitude earthquake that killed, injured and displaced hundreds of thousands of people. Franciscot Auguste was living in the country at the time with his mother and four other siblings. He said Jan. 12, 2010, started out like a normal day that is until he realized the shaking he was feeling was an earthquake; he acted immediately and ran outside of the building. 20 seconds after he escaped the three storey building came crumbling down and he heard chaos around him. Shock and adrenaline coursed through Auguste; he escaped death by seconds. He thought everyone made it out safely, but his brother was still unaccounted for. 13-year-old brother, Peterson Auguste, was killed by the earthquake. In the days after the earthquake international foreign aid began flooding into the country; more than $13-billion was pledged to help rebuild the small Caribbean country. On this episode of Global News What Happened To…?, Erica Vella finds out what happened to the money that was raised. She also finds out what happened to Franciscot Auguste and how his life changed after the earthquake. Contact: Twitter: @ericavella Email: erica.vella@globalnews.ca Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this episode of the Global News What Happened To...?, journalist Erica Vella revisits the story of Alan Kurdi and the Syrian refugee crisis (Part 2) In 2012, Ruba Bilal was living in Damascus, Syria with her husband and two sons; she had reached a level of stability in her life, but the country where she had lived her whole life was in the middle of a dangerous civil war. Bilal said she was an activist in her community and worked on providing aid to people who were in areas that were under siege, but her family had concerns that she would be taken and detained because of the work she was doing. That year, Bilal and her family felt tensions beginning to mount and she said they made the decision to temporarily relocate to Lebanon. As the civil war continued, it was clear Bilal and her family would never have the chance to return to Syria and she submitted an application to LifeLife Syria, an organization that connects Syrian refugees with potential sponsors in Canada. In 2016, she learned her family would be coming to Canada as privately sponsored refugees. Bilal and her family were one of thousands who came to Canada in 2016, after the federal government made promises to resettle 25,000 Syrian refugees. The commitment came after a photo of two-year-old Alan Kurdi garnered international attention on the dangers refugees undertake to seek safety. Kurdi and his family were attempting to cross the Mediterranean Sea by boat after fleeing war-torn Syria. On the journey Alan, his brother Ghalib and mother Rehana perished; Abdullah Kurdi, Alan and Ghalib's father, was the only one to survive. On this episode of Global News What Happened To…?, Erica Vella speaks with Bilal about how she and her family adapted to life in Canada. She also finds out what happened to the Kurdi family and if the federal government has continued its commitment to resettle refugees in Canada. Contact: Twitter: @ericavella Email: erica.vella@globalnews.ca Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In early September in 2015, a photo of a young boy lying lifeless on a beach in the Mediterranean captured the world’s attention. The picture showed two-year-old Alan Kurdi lying face down in the sand. Kurdi and his family were attempting to cross the Mediterranean by boat after fleeing war-torn Syria, but on the journey Alan, his brother Ghalib and mother Rehana perished; Abdullah Kurdi, the family’s father and husband, was the only one to survive. Tima Kurdi, Abdullah’s sister and Alan’s aunt, spoke about the night the family boarded the boat in Bodrum, Turkey. Tima said she went to grab her phone and noticed she had dozens of missed calls; she called her sister-in-law who was living in Turkey. The journey the Kurdi family took was one thousands of Syrians attempted at the height of the civil war. On this episode of the Global News What Happened to...? journalist Erica Vella revisits the story of Alan Kurdi and the Syrian refugee crisis and speaks with Tima about the Kurdi family’s devastating journey and finds out how the photo of Alan mobilized Canada to take action and help thousands of Syrians fleeing persecution. Contact: Twitter: @ericavella Email: erica.vella@globalnews.ca Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this episode of the Global News What Happened To...? journalist Erica Vella revisits the 2013 Lac Megantic train derailment. In the early hours of July 6, 2013, a train carrying petroleum crude oil crashed into the centre of Lac Megantic, a small town in Quebec. The downtown core erupted in flames; 47 people perished, 2,000 people were evacuated from their homes. The tragedy marks one of the worst rail disasters in Canadian history. The incident happened at 1:15 a.m. July 6, 2013, when a runaway train with 72 oil tankers — owned and operated by the now-bankrupt railway company Montreal Maine and Atlantic Railway Ltd. (MMA) — barreled into the town at over 100 km/h. Along with the 47 deaths, much of the town was also destroyed. The Transportation Safety Board launched an investigation into the derailment and found 18 factors led to the Lac-Megantic disaster, including poor training, mechanical problems and sloppy safety oversight, a Transportation Safety Board (TSB) investigation concluded. Three men, Tom Harding, Richard Labrie and Jean Demaitre, were charged following the derailment, but in 2018 a jury had found the men not guilty. On this episode of Global News What Happened To...?, Erica Vella visits the town of Lac Megantic to speak with people who witnessed the tragedy over seven years ago. She describes what the town looks like know and finds out if any changes were made to ensure a derailment like this never happens again. Contact: Twitter: @ericavella Email: erica.vella@globalnews.ca If you enjoy Global News What Happened To...?, please take a minute to rate it on Apple Podcasts or Google Podcasts, tell us what you think and share the show with your friends. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Following years of drought, Australia was ravaged by sweeping bushfires that began in 2019; 33 people were killed and thousands of others were displaced. Bushfires are an annual threat during Australia’s dry summers, but this wave of fires came early, catching many by surprise. The speed of the fires, coupled with the consistently dry conditions, created a situation firefighters struggled to control. New South Wales, a coastal state, was the hardest hit. The region located in the eastern part of the country is home to about six million people. Nathan Barnden, who has been working as a volunteer firefighter for the New South Wales Rural Fire Service since he was 16 years old, knew the 2019 fires were going to be bad ones. According to Australia’s Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment, more than 10 million hectares of land was affected. The World Wildlife Fund estimates the bushfires killed or displaced nearly three billion animals, including 143 million mammals, 2.5 billion reptiles, 180 million birds and 51 million frogs. The devastation motivated people around the world to donate. The Wildlife Information Rescue and Education Service — also known as WIRES — received more than $90 million to help native Australian wildlife. In this episode, Erica Vella speaks with Barnden about his story, learns about the animals and land that was destroyed and finds out how the country is recovering since the massive blaze a year ago. Contact: Twitter: @ericavella Email: erica.vella@globalnews.ca If you enjoy Global News What Happened To...?, please take a minute to rate it on Apple Podcasts or Google Podcasts, tell us what you think and share the show with your friends Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Brandon Wolf recalls the hours leading up to June 12, 2016 vividly. He said he made plans to go out with his friends Christopher Andrew (Drew) Leinonen and Juan Ramon Guerrero. They decided to go to Pulse, a gay nightclub in Orlando. At 2:02 a.m. a man armed with a semi-automatic rifle and a handgun walked into the tightly packed club and began firing. The massacre is on record as one of the deadliest mass shootings of LGBTQ2S+ people in the U.S. Forty-nine people were killed and 53 others were injured by gunfire, most of whom were LGBTQ2S+ and many were people of colour. On this episode, Erica Vella revisits the story of the Pulse nightclub shooting in Orlando, Fla., on June 12, 2016 and speaks with Brandon Wolf about his experience as a survivor and how witnessing the shooting that night changed the course of his life. She also finds what happened to the nightclub and the investigation into the mass shooting and if the events led to any changes in the U.S. Contact: Twitter: @ericavella Email: erica.vella@globalnews.ca If you enjoy Global News What Happened To...?, please take a minute to rate it on Apple Podcasts or Google Podcasts, tell us what you think and share the show with your friends. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this episode of Global News What Happened To...?, journalist Erica Vella revisits the SARS epidemic that gripped parts of Canada in 2003. This year has been an unprecedented year as the world battles the COVID-19 pandemic, but 17 years ago, parts of the world faced another coronavirus -- Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome, better known as SARS. Erica Vella looks back at the SARS epidemic and explains how one super-spreading event brought the virus to Toronto, where health-care workers were among the hardest hit. Sylvia Gordon was working in the critical care unit at Scarborough Grace Hospital in 2003 and there was one day in early March that she recalls vividly. “I was doing a day shift -- a 12-hour day shift -- we had trouble staffing and I stayed on for an extra hour or so,” she said. “Just as I was on my way out the door, I heard deep snoring. I thought, wow somebody is in trouble. I went in the room and sure enough, the patient was having like a cardiac arrest. So I put my bag down and called a code and we began resuscitating him.” At the time, Gordon had no idea that the patient she was resuscitating had SARS and she was now infected with the virus. “Initially I thought I was coming down with the flu. It was, you know -- you're coughing and you're feeling lethargic, running the temperature and just body pain, aches and pains all over,” she said. Gordon called in sick and explained what she was feeling. “I was told 'gosh, you know, you're not the first one. We've been getting a number of calls from other colleagues that they're not able to make it to work, that they're ill.' And then I started figuring out, well, maybe we contracted something. So I started calling my colleagues and then they described the same symptoms.” In Canada, there were 438 probable and suspect SARS cases reported and there were 44 deaths that included three health-care workers. Globally, the virus killed more than 800 people. Erica Vella finds out what changes were made following the SARS epidemic to protect health-care workers in Ontario and most importantly, if it helped in the battle ahead with COVID-19. Contact: Twitter: @ericavella Email: erica.vella@globalnews.ca Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this episode of Global News What Happened To...?,, journalist Erica Vella revisits the story of the ice bucket challenge. In 2014, social media feeds were flooded with videos of people showering themselves in ice cold water; the goal was to raise awareness and money for ALS. Julie Frates’ husband, Pete Frates, was one of the co-creators. “Our good friend Pat Quinn, who has ALS and lives in New York, he was challenged and in that challenge, he also named one of Pete's good friends,” she said. “Pete saw it immediately and thought, okay … everyone's got to get on this right away and I remember sitting down that night at dinner and he directed all of us to go on Facebook and just continually start challenging people and sharing it.” The campaign went viral; celebrities like Justin Timberlake, Jimmy Fallon and Bill Gates joined in on the dare and globally over $220 million dollars was raised. “It was unfathomable,” she said. “It was shocking for us and it was shocking for everyone in the medical community. Everyone who had spent their whole career trying to research this disease; it was kind of like such a huge windfall. It was amazing and overwhelming and completely hard to grasp.” Pete was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis in 2012. The disease weakens muscles and impairs physical functioning. There is no known cure. Erica Vella speaks with the family that started the viral campaign to see what has happened since 2014 and endeavors to answer; did it lead to any positive change? Contact: Twitter: @ericavella Email: erica.vella@globalnews.ca Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this episode of the Global News What Happened To...?, journalist Erica Vella revisits the story of the 33 trapped Chilean miners. On Aug. 5, 2010, the San Jose Mine in Chile collapsed while 33 men were underground. Mario Sepulveda, who has worked in the mining industry for almost two decades, spoke to Global News through a translator and said he remembers the day vividly. At approximately 2 p.m., Sepulveda said he began hearing really loud noises. Above ground, teams of people had been working to find the trapped miners, unaware if they had survived, but on Aug. 22, contact was made with the 33 men after a drill broke through. For 69 days in 2010, the world held its breath hoping for the safe return of 33 men trapped in a mine in Chile and people from all over the world helped in the rescue – including members of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. Erica Vella speaks with one of the miners and members of the teams that helped in the rescue. She also finds out what changes were made to the mining industry following the collapse. Contact: Twitter: @ericavella Email: erica.vella@globalnews.ca Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this episode Erica Vella revisits the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake and the nuclear crisis that followed at the Fukushima Daiichi plant. On Mar. 11, 2011, a magnitude-9.0 earthquake rocked parts of Japan and triggered a massive tsunami that killed almost 20,000 people. Kazuko Moghul, who lives in Ontario, said she had family in parts of Japan that was hit by the earthquake and tsunami. “I watched the program of NHK [Japan Broadcasting Corporation]. … I realized a big earthquake and huge tsunami hit Tohoku region,” she said. “I knew I had to contact my family right away.” Moghul tried to get in touch with her family that day, but had no luck and in the days that followed she would learn that earthquake and deadly waves would take the lives of four family members. The natural disaster caused the Daiichi nuclear power plant in Fukushima to go into meltdown. Ontario resident, Dan Ayotte, an employee for General Electric, was working in the offices of nuclear plant when the earthquake hit. “I really didn't think we were going get out. I thought the building was going to come down,” he said. While Ayotte managed to escape and make it back to his home in Peterborough, Ont., a nuclear crisis was unfolding at the Daiichi plant and concerns had been raised around if people in Canada had been exposed to unsafe levels of radiation. On this episode of Global News What Happened to…? Erica Vella speaks with Moghul and Ayotte; she also discovers if the nuclear disaster affected people living on Canada’s west coast. For more exclusive content head over to https://globalnews.ca/news/7457185/whatever-happened-to-podcast-great-east-japan-earthquake-daiichi-nuclear-crisis/  Contact: Twitter: @ericavella Email: erica.vella@globalnews.ca Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Just because a story disappears from the news doesn’t mean it’s gone… Like whatever happened to the nuclear disaster at Fukushima? or the trapped Chilean Miners? And did anything come out of the Ice Bucket Challenge? Join Erica Vella, a reporter for Global News, as she revisits these stories and talks to the people at the heart of each one to find out exactly what’s happened since.   Global News What Happened To...? Coming Soon Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices