TORONTO (November 6, 2017) – In her first report since joining Canada’s most-watched documentary series, W5 Investigative Reporter Avery Haines uncovers the climate change disaster unfolding in the Canadian Arctic in “The Big Thaw”, airing Saturday, Nov. 11 at 7 p.m. ET on CTV, the CTV GO app, and CTVNews.ca.

The effects of climate change are playing out daily across the globe, and Canada’s western Arctic is now one of the most rapidly warming regions on the planet. Roughly half of Canada – almost 23 million square kilometres – sits on top of permafrost, a massive layer of frozen soil, rock, and organic material that acts as nature’s giant freezer. Trapped in that freezer for tens of thousands of years are ancient viruses and bacteria, as well as vast amounts of carbon and methane gases.

With rising temperatures, this frozen foundation is vanishing, causing dramatic alterations to the landscape, including draining lakes and widespread erosion. And as the permafrost continues to thaw, scientists are left with ominous questions, such as what happens when these frozen-in-time bacteria and gases are released?

In W5’s “The Big Thaw”, Haines interviews environmental scientists and permafrost experts to give viewers a front row seat on the devastating effects of climate change here in Canada, how this growing climate disaster is affecting Canada’s Indigenous and Northern communities, and how changes to our permafrost are escalating into a major global concern.

 Interview Opportunities: Avery Haines is available for interviews on Friday, Nov. 10. Please contact Rob.Duffy@bellmedia.ca with interview requests.

Also featured during the Saturday, Nov. 11 edition of W5 is CUBA REVOLUTION, profiling Cuban-Canadian singer-songwriter Alex Cuba. The multiple Latin Grammy^® and Juno Award winner is one of the hottest Latin musicians in the world. W5 Host and Managing Editor Kevin Newman follows Cuba from recording studio to stage, to the small town in northern B.C. that he calls home and “the Latin capital of Canada.”

In addition to airing Saturdays at 7 p.m. on CTV, W5 also airs Saturdays at 10 p.m. on CTV Two and Sundays (see local listings). W5 can also be seen on demand at CTVNews.ca/W5, and on the CTV NEWS GO app (visit CTV.ca for local television listings).