Maple Express | August 30, 2026 - Ford unveils new Lake Ontario sign, vows to 'never back down'

1. Ford unveils new Lake Ontario sign, vows to 'never back down'

Source: CP24

Ontario Premier Doug Ford unveiled a new "Lake Ontario" sign in Winona, Ont. on Saturday afternoon, days after U.S. President Donald Trump signed an executive order directing federal agencies to adopt the name "Lake America" in official databases and maps.

Ford said Trump can call it whatever he wants, but the rest of the world will always call it Lake Ontario. He added that several U.S. governors told him they would keep using the name, and Canada will always use it too.

Taking a defiant tone, Ford said Canadians are resilient and strong and will always protect their sovereignty, and will "never ever back down from a bully." He also reiterated his support for Ottawa in trade negotiations, saying provinces remain united in seeking a deal that protects Canadian workers, calling the previous proposal "terrible" and saying "no deal is better than a bad deal."

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2. Canadians keep travel money home, costing U.S. $800 million

Source: CP24

New data from Statistics Canada's National Travel Survey shows Canadians made nearly 500,000 fewer trips into the United States and spent about $800 million less on those trips in the first three months of 2026 compared with a year earlier.

The spending total covers the full cost of trips made between January and March, including money spent in Canada and on airfare. The data shows a continued decline in Canadian interest in U.S. travel.

Canadian tourists interviewed said they would rather explore Canada, with domestic travel spending rising to $14.5 billion in the first quarter, up from $13.8 billion a year earlier. Meanwhile, American visitors spent nearly $3 billion on visits to Canada between January and March, up about $500 million from the prior year.

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3. Five people including two kids hospitalized after North York crash

Source: CP24

Five people, including two children, were taken to hospital after a two-vehicle crash in North York on Saturday evening. The collision happened at Jane Street and Stong Court, just north of Finch Avenue West.

Toronto police were called to the area just after 5:45 p.m. Paramedics transported two children and an adult to a local hospital with minor injuries, and two adults with serious but non-life-threatening injuries to a trauma centre.

Police said two women in their 60s were taken to hospital via emergency run. Northbound Jane Street was blocked at Stong Court, with motorists advised to expect delays and consider alternate routes.

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4. Man injured in stabbing near Toronto waterfront, suspect at large

Source: CP24

A man was taken to hospital via emergency run after a stabbing near Toronto's waterfront on Saturday evening, as police search for a suspect. The incident happened near Queens Quay West and Dan Leckie Way, just west of Bathurst Street.

Police were called just before 7:30 p.m. and found an adult male who had been stabbed. Paramedics said the stabbing occurred closer to Lower Spadina Avenue, and the victim suffered serious but non-life-threatening injuries.

The suspect fled before police arrived. He is described as a brown male, five-foot-four with a skinny build, wearing a blue shirt and blue jeans.

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5. Man arrested after woman injured in North York incident

Source: CP24

A woman was injured in an incident at a residence on Thwaite Avenue in North York, north of Sheppard Avenue and east of Jane Street, on Saturday.

Toronto police were called to the area at 5:10 p.m. for reports of unknown trouble inside a residence, and found an adult female with serious injuries. She was taken to hospital via emergency run, and her injuries were later described as non-life-threatening.

An adult male suspect was arrested and an edged weapon was recovered. Investigators say there are no outstanding suspects.

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6. Toronto masseur charged after allegedly sexually assaulting client in Chinatown

Source: CP24

A Toronto man working as a masseur has been charged after allegedly sexually assaulting a client in Chinatown. The incident happened on Aug. 22 near Spadina Avenue and Dundas Street West.

Jiquan Liu, 53, of Toronto, was arrested Friday and charged with sexual assault. The charge has not been tested in court, and he was scheduled to appear before a judge that morning.

Investigators believe there may be more victims and have released an image of the accused. Anyone with information is asked to contact Toronto police or Crime Stoppers anonymously.

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7. Golf trolleys reclassified as Chinese EVs, business faces $183K in tariffs

Source: CP24

Joseph McLuckie, owner of JPSM Golf, a Pickering, Ont. small business that sells electric golf trolleys, is facing more than $180,000 in tariffs after the Canada Border Services Agency reclassified a shipment of his products as Chinese EVs.

The shipment, delivered from China in April 2025, contained 330 Formula remote trolleys. McLuckie paid Canada's 6.1 per cent import tariff, about $19,000, at the time. Thirteen months later, the CBSA said the trolleys had been reclassified under the China Surtax Order, a 100 per cent levy on Chinese-made EVs.

McLuckie and his lawyer argue the surtax was meant to protect Canada's auto industry and should not apply to golf trolleys, and have requested a remission from the Department of Finance. The Canadian Federation of Independent Business has also advocated on his behalf.

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8. Two Ontario men fined for illegal walleye fishing, one banned for life

Source: CP24

Two Southern Ontario men were fined more than $4,000 in total after pleading guilty to illegally fishing walleye on a river closed to the activity year-round for conservation.

According to the Ministry of Natural Resources, conservation officers found Chunyang Liu of Scarborough and Mifeng Li of East Gwillimbury fishing from the riverbank of the Black Sturgeon River in the Nipigon area on Sept. 18, 2025. Li fled the area and was later located with help from the OPP.

Liu was fined $1,050 for catching walleye during the closed season. Li was fined $2,990 for fishing during the closed season, fishing without a licence and obstructing an officer, and received a two-year probation order and a lifetime fishing ban in Ontario.

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9. Former Surrey RCMP officer sentenced to 18 months for breach of trust

Source: CP24

Former Surrey RCMP officer Dawwd Alaaeldine Soukary was sentenced Thursday to 18 months in jail for breach of trust, with B.C. Supreme Court Justice Murray B. Blok accepting a joint submission from Crown and defence.

Soukary pleaded guilty in April to accessing confidential police databases and files for a purpose inconsistent with his duties between Nov. 30, 2020 and his arrest on Jan. 27, 2021.

According to the decision, the RCMP ran a fictitious undercover operation involving 43 scenarios to investigate Soukary, who was given $72,000 to buy a kilogram of cocaine and was later arrested. He resigned after his arrest and, along with the jail term, must provide a DNA sample and pay a $200 victim surcharge.

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10. Police, CBSA officers injured in Ambassador Bridge incident

Source: CP24

A man is facing charges after a dangerous driving incident on the Ambassador Bridge left a Windsor police officer and a Canada Border Services Agency officer injured.

Police were called to the bridge around 2:30 p.m. Friday after a driver allegedly failed to stop at border inspection lanes. The 32-year-old became combative and sped away, striking one Windsor officer and one CBSA officer, who suffered non-life-threatening injuries.

The vehicle later crashed into several barriers and flipped over. The suspect fled on foot but was arrested a short time later. He faces charges including dangerous operation of a vehicle, obstructing a peace officer, and assaulting a peace officer with a weapon.

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