Maple Express | September 16, 2026 — Bernardo up for parole next month; victims' families say he must 'pay'

1. Bernardo up for parole next month; victims' families say he must 'pay'

Source: CP24

A report published today (Sept. 16) says convicted killer and serial rapist Paul Bernardo, who kidnapped, tortured and murdered two teenage girls, is up for parole for the fourth time in eight years next month, as the lawyer for the victims' families pushes for longer intervals between hearings. Now 62, Bernardo will plead his case before the Parole Board of Canada on Oct. 20 from the medium-security La Macaza Institution in Quebec, where he was transferred in 2023 from a maximum-security prison in Ontario.

"Paul Bernardo has been designated a dangerous offender, and has been diagnosed as being a sadistic sexual psychopath, and nobody can dispute medically or scientifically that there is no cure for sadistic sexual psychopathy," the families' lawyer Tim Danson said in an interview with CTV News. The report says Bernardo has spent more than 30 years behind bars since his 1993 arrest. He was convicted of the first-degree murders of 14-year-old Leslie Mahaffy (1991) and 15-year-old Kristen French (1992), and multiple sexual assaults, as well as manslaughter in the 1990 death of Homolka's 15-year-old sister Tammy. He was denied parole in 2018, 2021 and 2024.

Danson said the families accept that Bernardo was entitled to his first parole hearing in 2018 and a subsequent one in 2021, but the frequency of the hearings needs to be spaced out. He argues hearings for people like Bernardo should be held every seven years. The mothers of both victims, Donna French and Debbie Mahaffy, are expected to attend the hearing in person or virtually. Danson relayed their message to the man who killed their daughters: "The price he has to pay for what he did is to spend the rest of his natural life in jail."

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2. Study: Ontario ER visits for gambling disorders nearly doubled since 2022

Source: CP24

A new study published today (Sept. 16) finds that emergency department visits for gambling disorders have nearly doubled since Ontario expanded its online gambling market in 2022, with younger males most at risk. The Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences (ICES) released the findings on Wednesday. The study spanned 14 years, analyzing patients aged 10 to 105 who went to Ontario hospital emergency departments for gambling disorders between January 2012 and June 2025.

The study's senior author, Dr. Daniel Myran of North York General Hospital, told CTV that trips to the ER specifically for gambling disorders are currently about 99 per cent higher than before Ontario expanded online gambling. He said that by the end of the study period, 757 patients accounted for 952 such visits, nearly three-quarters of them male, with the highest number among males aged 10 to 29 — 154 per cent higher than expected had Ontario not opened the market. Myran said the numbers rise about seven per cent every three months.

The study noted that in 2024 there were 2.6 million player accounts across 83 betting sites in Ontario, collectively wagering $82.7 billion. More than 70 per cent of gambling disorder visits involved another mental health condition or heavy substance abuse, and one third led to admission. Myran said people with gambling disorders typically face a higher risk of suicide. "This is the tip of the iceberg of something. How big is that iceberg? And the size of the iceberg really has implications for the harms that you might see, the number of families impacted and individuals."

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3. Von der Leyen: EU wants Canada to become its first 'associate member'

Source: CP24

A report published today (Sept. 16) says that with Prime Minister Mark Carney seated in the front row, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen told her Parliament she wants to bring the relationship with Canada "to the highest level possible." In her widely-watched State of the Union address, von der Leyen stated plainly: "I would like to work with you on opening the door for Canada to be the first associate member of the EU." As she said it, many officials in the chamber rose to applaud, and Carney got up, walked to her podium and shook her hand.

Von der Leyen said that at this moment in geopolitics the EU needs to "urgently reimagine our partnerships," and that she sees Canada as an ideal partner. "We share one ocean, one set of values, one way of seeing the world. And we will now build our shared future as well," she said, adding that the partnership is "not against anyone else, but for our common strength."

The report notes that immediately after the idea of Canada becoming any form of EU member was first floated over the weekend, Carney was quick to pour cold water on it. Von der Leyen described what she wants to pursue as a voluntary "Alliance for the Future" that would take the relationship beyond the Canada-EU Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA). She said CETA has increased trade by 75 per cent in less than a decade, but some member states have yet to ratify the pact. The report says Carney is expected to address the same body tomorrow.

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4. New test: e-scooters are getting faster amid safety concerns

Source: CP24

A report published today (Sept. 16) notes that recent statistics show a 40 per cent increase in hospitalizations for people using e-scooters, with both adults and children being injured, and the number of children under 15 seriously hurt nearly tripling. Dr. Daniel Rosenfield of Toronto's Hospital for Sick Children said that while e-scooters are a favourite mode of transport for children, preteens are most likely to be injured. "The classic user of these devices that we see (in the emergency department) that is most severely injured are boys aged 10 to 12, which is before you can get a driver's licence, before you know the rules of the road, and kids don't understand how powerful these devices are."

The report cites Canadian Institute for Health Information data showing 837 hospitalizations involving e-scooters between April 2025 and March 2026. More concerning, the Canadian Pediatric Surveillance Program found that 10 children died in 2025 using e-scooters or e-bikes. Rosenfield stressed that e-scooters are not toys: "They may seem to be toys, and they be marketed as such, but they are high-speed motor vehicles."

The report says new testing by Consumer Reports found that the average top speed of an e-scooter rose from 25 km/h in 2022 to 32 km/h in 2026, with some going much faster; Consumer Reports tested 13 e-scooters and isn't recommending any of them. It also notes that in Ontario e-scooters are not allowed on public roads, sidewalks or bike lanes, and riders must be at least 16 years old, but many don't comply.

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5. A No Frills will replace a shuttered high-end North York supermarket

Source: CP24

A North York Whole Foods that shut last August will soon be replaced by a No Frills. The discount grocery store is taking over the large space near Sheppard and Yonge on Sept. 17. In an email, a representative with Loblaw's said the newest location will offer produce, hot prepared meals, in-store baked goods and "an expanded multicultural assortment that reflects the surrounding community." "Ultimately, our goal is to provide local customers with a convenient, welcoming and value-driven grocery experience," the statement read.

The report says the 45,000-square-foot store, located in the Hullmark Centre at 4771 Yonge St., will be the latest supermarket to open in the neighbourhood. The major intersection also houses a Food Basics, Longo's, Galleria Supermarket and Rabba Fine Food nearby, and a T&T is slated to open at Empress Walk a few streets away. Whole Foods closed its Yonge and Sheppard and Leaside stores on Aug. 22, 2025. At the time, an employee told CTV that staff learned only a week earlier that the store would be closing.

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6. Canada's largest airport responds to Carney's private investment plan

Source: CP24

Canada's largest airport has responded to Prime Minister Mark Carney's announcement that the federal government is seeking private investment to operate the hub and three other large airports. In a statement Tuesday afternoon, the Greater Toronto Airports Authority (GTAA), which runs Pearson, said: "Toronto Pearson recognizes the federal government's plan for future investment in airports. We look forward to working with the government on next steps that ensure stewardship of Pearson, one of North America's busiest and high performing airport hubs, while achieving the government's national investment strategy." It said the airport will continue to work with the federal government to ensure its long-term economic value.

The report says Pearson is currently undergoing a multibillion-dollar facelift that will take a decade to complete. Carney unveiled the plan in a keynote address at the Toronto investment summit on Tuesday; in addition to Pearson, the government is opening Montreal-Trudeau, Calgary and Vancouver airports to private investors. Carney claimed that "bringing in new capital and expertise" will "unlock" the true value of the four international airports, and noted the federal government will continue to own the airport lands and assets.

At a question-and-answer session, Carney stressed that the government looked at other countries' approaches before deciding to maintain land ownership. "We're selling a concession, not privatizing the airport," he said. Airports are currently run under a not-for-profit model in which local airport authorities manage the land via long-term leases. The Canadian Labour Congress called it a "wrong move" and warned that opening airports to private investment "will cost Canadians."

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7. More charges for Toronto sex-assault suspect after police ID another underage victim

Source: CP24

A Toronto man is facing nearly a dozen more charges after Toronto police identified another underage victim he allegedly sexually assaulted in 2024. Police said Kaden Charles-Robinson began chatting with the victim on Instagram in April 2024 and, during their conversation, allegedly convinced her to send sexual videos to him; he also sent sexual videos of himself to the victim, police allege.

Police said the two later met at a park near Evans and Kipling avenues, where the victim was sexually assaulted. Police said Charles-Robinson then allegedly put a firearm to the victim's stomach as he tried to put her in his car, and the victim was able to escape. In a news release Tuesday, police announced Charles-Robinson was arrested on Sept. 1 and charged with 11 offences, including sexual assault, accessing child sexual abuse and exploitation material, forcible confinement, sexual interference with a person under 16, and three counts of telecommunication with a person under or believed to be under 16 for special criminal offences.

The report says Charles-Robinson was initially arrested and charged in June after he allegedly lured an underage victim through Snapchat and sexually assaulted her when they met. Police said there may be more victims, adding that the suspect's Snapchat username was k_charles55 and his Instagram handle was k_charles789.

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8. How some Ontario municipalities are grappling with new AI data centres

Source: CP24

A report published today (Sept. 16) says the boom in artificial intelligence has put Ontario municipalities on the front lines of a major debate over how to regulate a new wave of large, energy-hungry data centres. Several municipalities have voted in recent months on temporary data centre moratoriums while they study possible guardrails, and at least one has amended its bylaws to specifically permit them on industrial lands. The report offers a brief look at what some Ontario municipalities have done and plan to do.

The report says Oakville officials said the town had no formal data centre applications, but developer Hive Digital Technologies announced in May plans for a 320-megawatt AI facility in the Greater Toronto Area targeted for the second half of 2027. Another council directed staff to draft a moratorium on data centres with energy demands over 50 megawatts, with a vote expected on Sept. 21. A municipality in eastern Ontario passed a bylaw in February to include data centres as a permitted use in the town's industrial lands.

The report says several councils have directed staff to review or study data centre planning policies and pressed the province for an Ontario-wide framework, and one regional municipality in August directed staff to report back to council early next year on possible data centre development implications. This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 16, 2026.

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9. Harper: Canada had 'no choice' but to walk away from U.S. trade talks

Source: CP24

The report says that on the final day of the Investment Summit in Toronto, former prime minister Stephen Harper delivered the closing remarks, addressing the ongoing trade war with the United States and calling on the federal government to diminish its reliance on the U.S. and assert Canada as a global energy superpower. Harper said he believes the federal government had "no choice" but to walk away from the fraught negotiations with the U.S., adding that to maintain its sovereignty Canada "must pursue diminished reliance upon the United States." He said the shift is both "sad" and "necessary," and will carry a "significant cost."

Harper said: "Leadership is defined by taking accountability for what you can control. And today, more than ever, Canada must become more internally competitive, more externally connected, and more truly sovereign than it has been." He pointed to Canada's potential as an energy superpower and congratulated the current federal government on measures to fast-track major project approvals, especially for oil sands projects.

The report adds that Prime Minister Mark Carney is headed for a whirlwind trip across the Atlantic: he will address the European Parliament in France while aiming to negotiate a "unique" partnership between Canada and the European Union, and is also expected to meet U.K. Prime Minister Andy Burnham in England. Carney earlier said he wants to see private investors operate Canada's four largest airports, but labour groups have pushed back against any sale. Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew said the overarching attitude among his fellow premiers is a Team Canada approach.

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10. Tariff squeeze: a U.S. lumber wholesaler pleads 'stop the tariffs'

Source: CP24

A report published today (Sept. 16) is datelined Washington, D.C. For Martin Wiegand, Canadian softwood lumber is the "champagne" of wood. His family lumber business dates back to the 1800s in Washington, D.C., employing about a dozen people, and he has relied for years on Canadian Western red cedar, a high-end lumber. In fact, more than half of his business involves selling Canadian softwood to customers to build fences, pergolas, decking and siding.

But U.S. President Donald Trump's tariffs are raising the price of the basic 2x4 plank, making it difficult for Wiegand to plan how expensive inventory will be or how much his business can afford to buy. "So, it lengthens the lead time for our customers and in their projects and ordering, so it makes it a little more difficult. Our crystal ball is not that clear. It's sort of cloudy," he said. The report notes Trump slapped a 10 per cent tariff on softwood lumber and timber last year under Section 232 of the U.S. Trade Expansion Act of 1962, and when the price of a truckload of Canadian lumber rises, so does the price of a 2x4.

Wiegand calculated with a pocket calculator that a 2x4 was around US$9.50 before, but with Trump's new tariffs the same piece of red cedar costs about US$16. "My message to Donald Trump is: Stop this. Stop. Stop the tariffs," he said. "I would say they're inappropriate and unproductive. I don't think they're creating American jobs or helping the economy at all." Wiegand added that there is no substitute for Western red cedar: "There's no American sawmill jumping in and starting to produce Western reds."

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