Maple Express | August 27, 2026 — Trump Renames Lake Ontario 'Lake America'

1. Trump renames Lake Ontario 'Lake America' in video as buy-Canadian push gains steam

Source: CP24

U.S. President Donald Trump posted a video on social media Wednesday night showing himself in the Oval Office crossing out "Lake Ontario" on a map and writing "Lake America." "We're going to make a little change. We're not going to call it Lake Ontario anymore. We're going to call it Lake America," Trump says in the video. "Lake Ontario, that's gone."

The stunt has fuelled a renewed "buy Canadian" push, with both major grocery chains and local stores placing "Made in Canada" stickers on domestic products. A "Shop Canadian" app created by two Edmontonians, William Boytinck and Matthew Suddaby, has seen roughly 30,000 requests for product information since last week.

Canadian ice cream maker Chapman's vowed Wednesday to keep prices unchanged until March 2028 and to use only 100 per cent Canadian dairy. Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow also urged residents to support local businesses and buy Canadian, warning that "the prices could go up again" amid tariffs.

原文链接

2. LeBlanc confirms U.S. won't target language, culture protections in trade actions

Source: CP24

Canada-U.S. Trade Minister Dominic LeBlanc announced on social media today that the United States has confirmed Canada's protections of language and culture will not be the subject of future trade actions. He said Canada looks forward to "further constructive U.S. clarifications" on other positions.

LeBlanc's statement came in response to U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer's comments to CBC News on Wednesday, in which he said discoverability of French content was discussed during trade talks but was by no means a dealbreaker. Earlier, Trump called the idea of interfering with Canadians speaking French a "stupid thing" on Tuesday.

Meanwhile, Finance Canada issued a statement late Wednesday saying it is adjusting its list of counter-tariffs and will no longer tariff U.S. fish and seafood products, citing a need to protect against "broader economic harms" after hearing from Canadian industries.

原文链接

3. Quebec election campaign officially underway, voters head to polls Oct. 5

Source: CP24

Quebec's election campaign officially kicked off today, with voters set to head to the polls on Oct. 5. Coalition Avenir Québec leader Christine Fréchette visited Lieutenant-Governor Manon Jeannotte to dissolve the legislature and launch the campaign, and Jeannotte signed the decree calling for the Oct. 5 election.

Fréchette took over the party leadership in April after former premier François Legault stepped down amid poor polling numbers. The CAQ is seeking another mandate after eight years in power. Liberal leader Charles Milliard launched his campaign in the Quebec City region, saying a Liberal government would carry out "priority projects" to improve traffic flow but not the third link between Quebec City and Lévis.

The CAQ will face challenges from the Parti Québécois, Quebec Liberal Party, Québec solidaire and the Conservative Party of Quebec.

原文链接

4. Woman in her 30s seriously injured in hit-and-run in Toronto's west end

Source: CP24

A woman in her 30s was seriously injured in a hit-and-run in Toronto's west end. Toronto police say they received a call shortly after 8:36 p.m. Wednesday for a woman struck by a vehicle near Lansdowne and Brandon Avenues, north of Dupont Street.

Paramedics told CP24 they transported the woman to hospital with serious but non-life-threatening injuries. The driver of the vehicle fled the scene.

Police say the vehicle, believed to be small and grey, may have a broken windshield. There is no word on its last known direction of travel.

原文链接

5. GTA single-family home sales more than tripled last month while condo market lags: report

Source: CP24

New single-family home sales in the GTHA more than tripled in July compared with a year earlier as the sector continued to benefit from the HST rebate program, a new report states. According to the Building Industry and Land Development Association (BILD), 1,018 new homes were sold across the GTA last month, up from a record-low 395 in July 2025.

The recovery was far more pronounced in the single-family sector, with sales rising from 226 a year ago to 781 last month, while new condo sales inched up from 169 to 237.

BILD President and CEO Dave Wilkes said it is encouraging to see positive momentum for a fourth straight month. Single-family sales were 50 per cent above the 10-year average, while condo sales remained 80 per cent below it. The benchmark price for a new condo was $1,054,938 in July, up 2.5 per cent, while a new single-family home was $1,362,433, down 8.5 per cent.

原文链接

6. Ontario man gets $1,000 towing bill for SUV he sold 15 years ago

Source: CP24

A Toronto man says he was shocked to receive a more than $1,000 towing and storage bill for an SUV he sold 15 years ago, after the vehicle was never registered to the new owner. Mario Iamundo sold his 2002 Honda CRV in 2011.

Earlier this summer, Iamundo received a bill from Classic Towing and Storage in Etobicoke for a total of $1,130. General manager Kevin Araya said the company goes by the registered vehicle owner, not who it was sold to.

The Ontario Ministry of Transportation says buyers must register as the new owner within six days of a sale, after which sellers can update the vehicle's status to "sold." Toronto police remind private sellers to complete a proper bill of sale. Iamundo reluctantly paid the bill and called for more consumer safeguards.

原文链接

7. Family of Peggy Ann Smith marks 10 years since unsolved killing

Source: CP24

It has been exactly 10 years since Peggy Ann Smith was fatally shot in broad daylight in Toronto's Rivertowne neighbourhood. On Aug. 27, 2016, at around 6:10 p.m., the 61-year-old was sitting on the back porch of her daughter's home on Munro Street, near Broadview Avenue and Dundas Street East, when she was struck by a stray bullet and died at the scene.

Toronto police say the mother of three and grandmother of 13 was the innocent victim of a gang war between members of the former Don Mount Court and Regent Park communities, and her murder remains unsolved. Her family said she should have spent the past decade "celebrating birthdays, holidays, graduations, new homes, new babies."

Det. Sgt. Steve Smith of the cold case unit called the killing one of the city's most horrific homicides, with the killer never found. He urged anyone with information to come forward — "We just need a name." Shortly after the killing, police released images of two male suspects believed to have been firing toward a residence.

原文链接

8. Ontario youth mental health providers brace for back-to-school demand spike

Source: CP24

As students return to class, Ontario's youth mental health providers are bracing for September's typical spike in demand. Dr. Katherine Matheson, a child and adolescent psychiatrist at the Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario, says children face more demands than ever with fewer resources.

Data from 1Call1Click, which coordinates services in eastern Ontario, shows demand has risen 69 per cent over four years, and the number of children under six seeking help doubled to more than 1,000 last year from 502 in 2024.

Dr. Ripudaman Minhas, a developmental pediatrician at St. Michael's Hospital in Toronto, says demand climbs about a month into the school year and wait lists grow. Rebecca Shields, president of Kids Help Phone, expects a 10 per cent bump in demand when school starts and recently recorded a 27 per cent overnight spike.

原文链接

9. After fleeing fire or flood, the financial hit comes next

Source: CP24

For those forced from their homes by fire or flood, the financial reality often hits after the immediate danger passes. Ali Harris-Saunders of the non-profit Credit Counselling Society says the impacts are much broader than physical damage and can disrupt virtually every aspect of a person's financial life.

She divides the impacts into near term — accommodations, food, lost income and repairs — and long term, including reduced property values, higher premiums and mounting debt. She urges evacuees to contact mortgage, phone and utility providers early, since relief is not automatic.

Rob de Pruis of the Insurance Bureau of Canada says the moment a person is evacuated, their insurance policy is triggered, and policies generally cover living expenses. Flood coverage is trickier, however, with overland and sewer backup coverage purchased on top of a base policy — a topic worth discussing with a broker at renewal.

原文链接

10. Man who killed 9-year-old Calgary girl in Boxing Day crash to be sentenced today

Source: CP24

The man responsible for a collision that killed a nine-year-old girl in 2024 is expected to learn his sentence today. Duane Nepoose, now 31, pleaded guilty to dangerous operation of a motor vehicle causing death, dangerous operation causing bodily harm, robbery and fleeing a police officer.

On Boxing Day in 2024, Nepoose robbed a pharmacy, stole a minivan and was speeding when he ran a red light, slamming into another vehicle. Five vehicles were involved in the crash at Macleod Trail and Southland Drive. Nine-year-old Victoria Desjardins was killed, and seven others, including her older sister and mother, were hurt.

An agreed statement of facts says Nepoose was driving 170 km/h. His defence is asking for no more than nine years, including credit for time served, and a five-year driving ban, while the Crown argued for nine and a half to ten and a half years plus lifetime bans. He is expected to be sentenced Thursday afternoon in a Calgary courtroom.

原文链接