Maple Express | November 4, 2026 — W5 investigation: alleged cult leader urged Canadians to move to Florida

1. W5 investigation: alleged cult leader urged dozens of Canadians to move to Florida

Source: CP24

The second instalment of CTV News' five-part W5 investigation "Fake Filtered Cult Leader," published Nov. 4, examines a self-described spiritual teacher whose online presence drew followers from around the world, and the questions raised by former members. The investigation says a Hawaii-based alleged cult leader, Liana Shanti — whose real name is Liane Wilson — persuaded more than two dozen Canadians to move to Florida, telling them Canada was a danger zone. In December 2022, at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, 16 Canadians from Regina and surrounding areas moved to Jacksonville, Florida. Former student Amanda Brady says Shanti repeatedly told them Canada was becoming an oppressive state because of vaccine rules and gathering restrictions, and shared conspiracy theories that the vaccine was dangerous.

Brady recalls Shanti saying Canada was turning into "the depths of hell" and likening it to The Handmaid's Tale. "We fully believed that if we stayed here our lives were in danger and our children's lives were in danger," she says. Brady and her husband bought a large property in Jacksonville so the Canadians could live together; they nicknamed it Destiny Manor. Several followers took their children across the U.S. border without the consent of the children's fathers; some considered it outright kidnapping.

Brady's ex-husband, Wade Martin, says he barely saw his two daughters for the next four years. "It's four years that I feel were stolen from me that no amount of money can ever get back," he says, though he does not completely blame his ex-wife: "I do feel that there was somebody in Amanda's ear telling her what to do." Brady has left the group and now believes she was part of a cult. Riley Lawson, another woman who moved from Saskatchewan to Destiny Manor, says the group eventually became disillusioned with Shanti's advice and restrictions.

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2. Ontario couple billed $60,000 for hip surgery despite travel insurance

Source: CP24

Carol and Doug Edwards of Collingwood, Ont., have been visiting Barbados for more than 30 years and always buy travel medical insurance. In March, Doug tripped over a piece of concrete and broke his hip. He was told he needed a full hip replacement, and the insurance claim came to $60,000.

"I would have loved to have gone back to Canada for the surgery, but because of the pain he was in, we did what we had to do to get him fixed up so we could get home," Carol says. The couple expected Manulife to pay the claim, but received a letter denying it because Doug had a history of hip issues: his right hip had already been replaced, and health records noted "left hip pain associated with a limp" and "mild left hip degenerative arthrosis and low bone mass."

In a statement to CTV News, a Manulife spokesperson said it is essential to answer all questions completely and accurately when buying travel insurance, especially those about pre-existing medical conditions, and that incomplete or inaccurate answers can affect coverage and even the validity of the policy. Travel insurance expert Martin Firestone, president of Travel Secure Inc., says non-disclosure is the number one reason claims are denied: "When there is a claim made, they order doctor reports and review them."

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3. Carney says Canada-U.S. trade talks have intensified

Source: CP24

Prime Minister Mark Carney says "more intense" trade negotiations with the United States have started since his call with President Donald Trump last weekend. "We've made progress but we haven't finished," Carney told reporters Tuesday in St. John's, Antigua and Barbuda.

Carney said some Canadian "red lines" have been taken off the table, including language, culture and Canada's ability to negotiate trade deals with other markets. "They're asking less and they're offering more but we're not quite there," he said. Trump told Fox News on Tuesday that a deal with Canada is imminent and claimed Canada would provide fertilizer to the United States tariff-free — the report notes Canada does not charge export tariffs on fertilizer or its components, including potash.

Carney called off formal trade talks with the U.S. in August at the eleventh hour as the two sides worked to finalize a deal before a new round of U.S. tariffs hit nearly $28 billion worth of Canadian goods. He did not say Tuesday which important issues still need progress, or when Canada's chief negotiator is likely to return to Washington.

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4. Toronto police discontinue Vulnerable Persons Registry

Source: CP24

The Toronto Police Service's Vulnerable Persons Registry (VPR) has been discontinued as of Nov. 3, and existing records will be kept for up to one year before being disposed of. Established in 2019, the registry was meant to give officers information to help them safely and effectively interact with vulnerable community members who got lost, went missing or experienced a medical or other crisis.

TPS spokesperson Nadine Ramadan says internal reviews over the years found the registry did not "work as effectively as intended": participation remained limited and information was not always available early enough in a call response. She says the decision reflects more effective tools, such as RapidSOS's Safety Network, which lets communications operators and the operations centre access vulnerable persons' important medical information faster and reduces the need for a separate TPS registry.

A 2024 investigation by Ombudsman Toronto found that TPS communications failures and poor management resulted in a low number of registrations. Ramadan says those findings helped inform the decision and that the ombudsman has been kept updated. Ombudsman Kwame Addo said in a statement that his investigation found "several issues," including that police did not provide enough information for the public to decide whether to use the registry and did not invest in promotion after launch.

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5. Scarborough parking-lot food bank needs a new home before winter

Source: CP24

Almost three years after losing its indoor space, the Whitby Specialty Food Bank (WSFB) is desperately searching for a new home while operating out of a parking lot in Scarborough. Founded in 2016 to serve people with special dietary restrictions, it was originally located at Kendalwood Seventh-Day Adventist Church near Dundas Street East in Whitby, but was forced to vacate in February 2023 after by-law restrictions prohibited a food refrigeration truck on site.

WSFB now serves about 85 families from across the region and 50 organizations every Tuesday outside an industrial building at 801 Progress Ave. Coordinator Marcia White says many volunteers are seniors who cannot weather another winter outdoors: "They're saying, 'We're gonna have to find somewhere to go. We can't stay with you.' I need the volunteers to operate the food bank."

White says that without a new indoor location before winter, the food bank will be forced to scale back how much food it distributes. Organizers are looking for a warehouse of at least 10,000 square feet in Whitby or possibly Ajax, ideally donated or on a long-term, low-cost lease. "We need an angel donor because right now we do not have the funds," White says. Between January 2024 and January 2026 the organization distributed an estimated 1.6 million meals and more than 1.7 million pounds of rescued food; it has had registered charitable status since 2026 and can issue tax receipts.

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6. Astronaut Jeremy Hansen joins Toronto moon-resort project as consultant

Source: CP24

Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen has been enlisted as a consultant by Toronto-based Moon World Resorts Inc., which wants to build a series of moon-themed "smart cities" complete with a luxury resort and a 13-acre lunar surface simulation.

"When I was flying around the moon, I really wanted to go down to the surface," Hansen told CP24.com. He admits he is not sure that will ever happen, but says a simulated lunar surface could be the next best thing. "Sharing that with other people, that would be really powerful, and I think good for humanity," he said.

The concept sits within a master-planned city of 500 acres and includes a lagoon, monorail, park space, residences, corporate real estate for space-related businesses, wellness facilities and an elevated pedestrian track called "Sky Walk." The centrepiece would be a giant replica of the moon hosting the "authentic lunar surface experience." Co-founder Sandra Matthews says a 90-minute walk in a spacesuit on the simulated surface would cost around US$500, while resort stays would be on par with other five-star facilities. A pre-development program is underway to determine costing; the company hopes to license the concept to developers on every continent and plans a showcase in Madrid next spring.

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7. Ontario keeps Toronto school boards under supervision, limiting new trustees

Source: CP24

Ontario has not lifted its supervision of Toronto's school boards, and a Toronto District School Board memo obtained by CTV News details just how limited the role of newly elected trustees will be after they are sworn in later this month.

The memo says trustees have no say on school governance and are not representatives of the board; in Catholic boards, trustees will only manage and control denominational components. Trustees may not attend school-based events or enter a school in their capacity as a board member, and may not engage with principals, school staff or school councils. They are not permitted to serve on committees or attend board meetings as trustees unless the supervisor invites them. Parental and community inquiries may only be forwarded to the chief executive officer, and trustees may respond only to acknowledge receipt and confirm the referral.

Trustees also may not issue newsletters or similar updates to constituents as elected officials, may not incur expenses or seek reimbursement for trustees' association fees or discretionary events such as symposiums, conferences and conventions, and will not have access to board resources including email accounts, cellphones, laptops or tablets. Trustee honoraria are suspended for English-language public board members, while Catholic board trustees retain 25 per cent for denominational matters. The TDSB, the Toronto Catholic District School Board and six others were placed under supervision over allegations of financial mismanagement, budget deficits, infighting and governance failures. The province has not provided a timeline for lifting supervision.

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8. Canadian soldiers in Latvia face 'insults' and 'open arms' near Russian border

Source: CP24

In Daugavpils, eastern Latvia — about 50 kilometres from the Russian border and 30 kilometres from Belarus — Canadian soldiers are conducting close-quarter battle (CQB) training alongside Italian troops inside the charred remains of a Soviet-era school.

"An actual clearing like this would include a lot of casualties and medevacs. It's one of the most dangerous things we can conduct on any given day during an actual combat mission," a master corporal told CTV News during the exercise. CTV was asked to withhold the names of infantry members to protect their identities. This week marked a significant shift: the alliance's entire brigade, 2,000 of whom are Canadian, deployed close to the borders of Russia and Belarus for the first time. Canadian troops have led NATO's multinational mission in Latvia for nearly a decade.

Nearly 50 per cent of Daugavpils' population is ethnic Russian, creating a complex region with differing political views. A Canadian Armed Forces lieutenant says reactions vary: "Some have shouted insults at us but others have welcomed us with open arms." The city's mayor, who was unavailable to speak to CTV News, has been painted as pro-Russian by some Eastern European media; multiple reports allege he refused to fly the Ukrainian flag at city hall following Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

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9. Carney: Russia will not compete at World Juniors in Canada

Source: CP24

Prime Minister Mark Carney says Russia will not be allowed to compete at next month's world junior hockey championship in Alberta. Speaking at the Commonwealth Summit in Antigua, Carney said Russian and Belarusian athletes will not be permitted to represent their countries in Canada as long as the war in Ukraine continues. "So if you're asking specifically about the world juniors, the Russians will not be there."

In a statement Tuesday, the federal government said it would use its immigration powers to prevent Russian and Belarusian athletes and officials from entering Canada to compete under their national symbols. It said the measure is not directed at the Russian and Belarusian people, but is intended to prevent their governments from using international sporting events hosted in Canada as platforms for state representation, political legitimacy and propaganda. Athletes competing as neutrals could still take part in international events hosted by Canada.

The comments came after the Court of Arbitration for Sport ruled Friday that Russia must be reinstated to international hockey competition, starting with the world junior tournament. Russian sports minister Mikhail Degtyarev said in an Oct. 30 statement that the ruling was final. Several European hockey federations, including Sweden, Finland, Czechia and Latvia, have said their teams will refuse to face Russia. Hockey Canada released a statement supporting the government's position and said it will meet with its board this week; Ukrainian foreign minister Andrii Sybiha thanked the federations that refused to play Russia and urged other hockey powers, including co-host Canada, to follow suit.

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10. Winnipeg investigates nearly 10 million litres of sewage spilled into Red River

Source: CP24

The City of Winnipeg is investigating what caused nearly 10 million litres of sewage to spill into the Red River early Monday morning. According to the city, the spill took place near one of the new areas of the North End Water Pollution Control Centre shortly after 1 a.m. and lasted until 3:47 a.m., after new motorized bypass gates at the facility opened unexpectedly.

"The gates are supposed to be in manual mode, and they weren't; they were in automatic," Tim Shanks, the city's water and waste director, said Tuesday. "We're investigating why they were put in automatic." He said the spill lasted more than two hours and wasn't noticed until an alarm in another part of the building went off. It has been reported to the province and Ottawa, and the city has placed physical locks on the gates to prevent a repeat. Shanks said the spill is not expected to have a long-term impact on water quality and there is no risk to the public; the city tests the river weekly and has done supplementary follow-up sampling.

In a statement, Manitoba Environment and Climate Change Minister Mike Moyes said the province will review the city's report to understand how the spill occurred and what measures are being taken, and will then determine whether there are any compliance or enforcement implications. The City of Winnipeg was previously charged by the province in 2025 after 228.4 million litres of raw sewage spilled into the Red River and Lake Winnipeg following the failure of two sewage pipes in 2024.

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