Maple Express | September 28, 2026 — Toronto's mayoral election is four weeks away

1. Toronto's mayoral election is four weeks away: three frontrunners face off

Source: CP24

Toronto's next mayoral election is four weeks away, when Torontonians will decide whether Olivia Chow has earned a second term or whether challengers Brad Bradford and Chris Alexander are better suited to take the city's top job. The three have emerged as frontrunners on a crowded ballot that includes 50 other names, in a race shaped by affordability, traffic congestion and safety.

Chow, a former Toronto city councillor and NDP parliamentarian, won the 2023 byelection by a roughly 34,000-vote margin; born in Hong Kong, she immigrated to Toronto's St. James Town neighbourhood with her family at 13. Bradford was elected in 2018 to Ward 19 Beaches—East York and has a background in city planning, and he finished eighth in the 2023 byelection. Alexander is a former Conservative cabinet minister who oversaw the citizenship and immigration file under Stephen Harper from 2013 to 2015, and served as ambassador to Afghanistan from 2003 to 2005.

The cost of living has become one of the biggest topics this election cycle, with all frontrunners saying the city has become too expensive. Bradford has promised a one-year property tax freeze, keeping increases below inflation afterwards. Chow raised property taxes by 9.5 per cent in 2023, 6.9 per cent in 2025 and 2.2 per cent in 2026, and has pledged to keep them at or around inflation if re-elected, along with a TTC fare freeze in 2027 and a weekly ride cap making rides free after 10 paid trips in a week. Alexander has also promised no property tax increase next year, wants to raise TTC fares, and has pitched plans on food insecurity and U.S. tariffs. On safety, Chow has proposed a four-year, $28-million youth safety expansion reaching 15,000 youth a year; Bradford has pledged 1,000 net new police officers in his first term; and Alexander has released a five-point hate crime plan.

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2. Report: wait times rising for some procedures outsourced to for-profit clinics in Ontario

Source: CP24

Outsourcing surgeries and imaging to private for-profit clinics has not resulted in a drop in wait times for most procedures, according to a new study released Monday. The study, by the left-leaning think tank Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives, relied on publicly available information and data obtained through four Freedom of Information requests. Its author, Andrew Longhurst, wrote that since the provincial government prioritised for-profit surgical and diagnostic delivery over expanding public capacity, wait times are generally increasing in Ontario.

Citing the Canadian Institute for Health Information, the report says median wait times for eight of 12 priority procedures increased between 2017 and 2025. Median waits for cataract surgery rose slightly, from 67 days in 2017 to 68 days in 2025, while MRI waits climbed from 35 days to 47 days, a 35 per cent increase; CT waits stayed at six days, but waits at the 90th percentile rose 95 per cent for MRI and 231 per cent for CT. In 2024-25, about $674 million went to for-profit surgical and medical imaging in Ontario, up 48 per cent from 2017-18, and the number of Integrated Community Health Services Centres in the province rose to 918 from about 902 in 2023.

Lily Barnes, a spokesperson for Ontario Health Minister Sylvia Jones, called the report's claims 'misguided', saying Ontario has one of the largest publicly funded health-care systems in the world and is investing over $101 billion in health care this year, a 64 per cent increase from 2018, and pointing to large increases in cataract, MRI/CT and joint procedures. The report says the 2023 passage of Bill 60, the Your Health Act, has more deeply entrenched surgical and diagnostic privatisation while public hospitals face funding austerity, and it recommends more hospital funding, centralised waiting lists, physician payment reforms for team-based care, and staffing idle public operating rooms.

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3. Quebec election campaign enters final week as advance voting ends today

Source: CP24

Quebec's election campaign is entering its final stretch, with leaders having a week left to pitch to voters ahead of election day on Oct. 5. Voters can cast ballots early today, from 9:30 a.m. to 8 p.m., on the second and final day of advance polling.

Voters who attended Sunday's advance polls told The Canadian Press that health care, the economy, language and the environment were central to their vote. Talk of possible U.S. interference dominated the campaign trail this weekend. Rivals criticised claims by Coalition Avenir Québec Leader Christine Fréchette that American officials might try to support the sovereigntist Parti Québécois to weaken Canada.

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4. North York stabbing: Toronto man charged with murder, victim identified

Source: CP24

A 46-year-old Toronto man has been charged with second-degree murder following a deadly stabbing in North York on Saturday night. Police say the incident happened at an apartment building on Tangreen Court, near Steeles Avenue West and Hilda Avenue, just west of Yonge Street. Officers were called just before 8:30 p.m. for a stabbing and found a male victim who had been stabbed.

In a follow-up news release, police said two people were involved in a physical altercation when one stabbed the other. Life-saving measures were performed, but the victim was later pronounced dead on scene, and the suspect was arrested at the scene. Meir Cohen, 46, of Toronto, has been charged with second-degree murder and was scheduled to appear in bail court Sunday morning; the charge has not been tested in court.

The victim, initially described only as a male in his 50s, has been identified as 57-year-old Albert Gundran, of Vaughan. This is Toronto's 29th homicide of 2026. The investigation is ongoing, and anyone with information, including witnesses or anyone who may have video, is asked to contact Toronto police at 416-808-3200 or 416-808-7400, or Crime Stoppers anonymously.

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5. 'Embraced' theft: police seek suspect who swapped a necklace in Little Italy

Source: CP24

Toronto police are searching for a male suspect who allegedly stole a victim's necklace and replaced it with a fake one in the city's Little Italy neighbourhood. Police say the incident occurred on Aug. 23 near College and Beatrice streets, just east of Ossington Avenue, and that they were called that day just after 5 p.m. for a distraction theft.

Investigators say the suspect approached the victim roadside in a vehicle and asked for directions, and the victim approached the vehicle and gave directions. 'The suspect exited the vehicle and embraced the victim while removing a necklace and replacing it with a fake chain before fleeing the scene,' Toronto Police Service said in a news release.

The suspect is described as five-foot-eight and approximately 30 to 40 years old, with a heavy build, short dark brown hair and a dark beard, last seen wearing a white t-shirt, dark pants and a black baseball hat. The vehicle is described as a late-model light blue/grey Volvo XC60 with a sunroof and dark tinted windows. The investigation is ongoing; anyone with information is asked to contact Toronto police at 416-808-5200 or Crime Stoppers anonymously.

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6. Two homicide victims found in burning cars in Toronto identified

Source: CP24

Toronto police have identified two victims of a homicide in which their bodies were found in burning cars. Police say 30-year-old Mohamud Kheyre and 32-year-old Marcus Charles were killed before their bodies were placed in cars and lit on fire. The bodies were found in burning vehicles at opposite ends of Toronto.

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7. Toronto pays tribute to deceased firefighters

Source: CP24

Toronto has held a solemn memorial service for the families of firefighters who died in the line of duty, honouring their sacrifice.

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8. Alberta, Ontario premiers to share stage in Calgary on energy policy

Source: CP24

Alberta Premier Danielle Smith and Ontario Premier Doug Ford are set to share the stage in Calgary today to talk energy. The leaders will be in the city's downtown to discuss how best to get Canada's natural resources to market in a world of fluctuating politics and conflicts.

Smith has placed energy at the centre of her government's agenda, particularly the need to get more oil to the British Columbia coast and from there to markets in Asia. It also comes as Canada navigates an ongoing tariff war with the United States. Smith has rejected using oil as leverage in the tariff battle with U.S. President Donald Trump, while Ford has publicly said he does not agree oil should be off the table, but says both he and Smith agree more oil needs to flow within Canada.

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9. B.C. election campaigns enter second week with candidate, policy announcements

Source: CP24

The campaigns for the upcoming British Columbia election enter their second week, with major parties gearing up policy announcements and candidate nominations. The incumbent New Democrats announced that former Richmond-Queensborough MLA and BC NDP president Aman Singh will run in Vancouver-Fraserview. The seat was previously held by former Vancouver councillor and former cabinet minister George Chow, while Singh lost to Conservative Steve Kooner in Richmond-Queensborough in 2024.

Meanwhile, Conservative Leader Lorne Doerkson is in Vancouver today to make another policy announcement, after pledging over the weekend that his party would 'never raise taxes' if elected Oct. 24. Doerkson also said the Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity program in schools, known as SOGI, should be repealed. B.C. Green Leader Emily Lowan is also to make a policy announcement today, holding an event on Vancouver Island on child care and unveiling her party's candidate for the Victoria-Swan Lake riding.

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10. 'Wide-eyed and enthralled': The Tragically Hip, Feist enter Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame

Source: CP24

The Kingston alt-rock band The Tragically Hip were among four musical acts inducted into the Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame at a star-studded gala held at Toronto's Massey Hall on Saturday night. As members took the stage to accept the honour, the band paid tribute to their bandmate Gord Downie, who died in 2017 after he was diagnosed with a rare and incurable form of brain cancer.

Guitarist Rob Baker shared a message he said was from Downie, 'who couldn't be here', recalling standing 'before the songwriters' cabal... all wide-eyed and enthralled, just to be included at all'. The Hip entered the 2026 class along with Toronto indie music pioneer Feist, the songwriting duo behind rock band Loverboy, Mike Reno and Paul Dean, and French-Canadian artist Roch Voisine.

As the tribute to The Hip closed out the night, a purple feathered hat hung on a microphone stand, a nod to Downie's eclectic fashion. Allison Russell, among the artists performing The Hip's music, blew a kiss to the mic stand as she began 'Wheat Kings', then ended the song by saying, 'We will always love you, Gord.' Earlier, Los Angeles songwriter and producer Finneas inducted Feist, calling her an 'incredibly important, inspiring figure in my life'; Feist told the crowd that if 'all of the messy and meaningful and honest work can eventually lead anyone to a moment like this, then that's how I figured out how to stand here.' The night also featured Our Lady Peace closing the show with a cover of The Hip's 'Locked in the Trunk of a Car', among other performances.

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