Maple Express | October 29, 2026: Four in hospital after shooting at Bridle Path home

1. Four in hospital after shooting at home in Toronto's Bridle Path neighbourhood

Source: CP24

Four adults are in hospital after a shooting at a home in Toronto's Bridle Path neighbourhood in the early hours of Thursday morning. Paramedics told CP24 that four adults were taken to hospital for treatment after the incident near Bayview and Lawrence avenues at around 3:45 a.m.

In a post on social media, police said three people were reportedly shot inside the residence, and a fourth person was also taken to hospital. The severity of their injuries is not clear. Three suspects fled the scene in an SUV, according to police, who have not released a description of the suspects.

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2. London police hate crime unit investigating video of alleged racist incident at Western University

Source: CP24

The London Police Service has confirmed its Hate Crime Unit is investigating an alleged hate-related incident on the Western University campus on Tuesday, much of which was captured on cellphone video. The video, which lasts two minutes and 45 seconds, appears to show a verbal altercation between a man and a group of women. The person who shared the video with CTV News claims children were present at the time.

In the video, the man tells a woman wearing a hijab that she should take it off, says Muslims do not belong here, and says it is "not Christian values" and "this is my country." Two other women then come to the woman's defence, one of them saying she was born here. CTV News tracked the man down; he identified himself only as Tom and said the incident began when the woman gave him the middle finger, adding "I consider myself a nationalist." After learning the Hate Crime Unit was investigating, he apologised for his behaviour and said he would "probably" call police himself.

Abd Alfatah Twakkal, chair of the Council of London Imams, said the contents of the video were "quite vile, racist, Islamophobic, disturbing on many different levels." Steven Zhou, a spokesperson for the National Council of Canadian Muslims, called on governments to sit down with the community and build a national strategy to combat Islamophobia. Western University said in a statement that it does not tolerate hate or discrimination and is working with all levels of government and London police on the matter.

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3. Fire at New Brunswick military base not a threat to public: defence officials

Source: CP24

Military officials say a fire burning in an area of a central New Brunswick army base is not a threat to public safety. The Department of National Defence says the blaze in the northeastern part of the CFB Gagetown training area is being monitored. A notice posted on social media says there is currently no threat to nearby communities, and that although residents may see smoke, its presence does not indicate a threat.

The notice says unauthorised entry onto the training area is prohibited and may pose significant safety risks, and that flying drones over the area is also forbidden. Scheduled training activities in the area of the fire have been suspended as a precaution. The department also notes that no military members are in the area of the fire.

The notice comes less than two weeks after a devastating grass fire at CFB Wainwright in Alberta that killed four soldiers and sent dozens more to hospital. CFB Gagetown is roughly 27 kilometres southeast of Fredericton and is the second largest military base in Canada.

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4. Toronto police search for 3 suspects after person assaulted at Yorkdale Station

Source: CP24

Toronto police are searching for three suspects who allegedly assaulted a victim on a TTC train last month. The incident happened on Sept. 2 at Yorkdale Station. Police say the suspects were aboard a northbound train when they got into an altercation with a person and allegedly assaulted them, leaving the victim with serious injuries.

In a news release on Wednesday, police released images of the three male suspects. One has a medium build, short curly or wavy brown hair, and was last seen wearing a black t-shirt, black pants and black shoes. The second is described as having a medium to heavy build with short brown hair, and was wearing a navy-blue t-shirt, blue denim shorts, black and white Nike Air Force shoes and sunglasses.

The third suspect has a medium build and short black hair, police said. He was wearing a white button-up shirt, black shorts and tall black rain boots. Anyone with information about their identities is asked to contact police.

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5. Wedding ceremonies paused at Toronto City Hall starting in January

Source: CP24

The City of Toronto is pausing wedding ceremonies at Toronto City Hall starting on Jan. 1 as it moves ahead with plans for major construction and workplace modernisation there. The move appears to be happening earlier than planned because the city could not reach a lease agreement with third-party provider Ministerial Associates Inc., which has run wedding ceremonies at City Hall for the last 32 years.

A city spokesperson told CP24 that staff had been working with the company on the future of its lease, which is set to expire on Dec. 31, 2026, including a short-term extension until March 31, 2027, which the company declined. Ministerial Associates Inc. says the city "did not wish" to renew the lease, adding there were "several untenable factors" behind its refusal of the three-month extension and that the city has not disclosed its future plans beyond "various renovations" planned for 2027.

Affected couples are being advised to contact the city at marriage@toronto.ca. The city says it will work directly with couples whose bookings may be affected to identify alternative downtown ceremony locations, which could include Old City Hall, St. Lawrence Market North and other City-operated venues where possible. Weddings currently booked at Old City Hall and all ceremonies scheduled at City Hall this year are unaffected. The provider, which opened in 1994, said it has taken great pride in its partnership with the city.

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6. Suspect wanted after several bikes stolen from downtown Toronto residence

Source: CP24

Toronto police have released images of a suspect who they say stole bicycles from a downtown residence in the summer. Police say the theft happened in the early morning hours of July 28 at a residence near Spadina Avenue and Dundas Street West. It is unknown how many bikes were stolen.

The suspect is described as a man between 20 and 30 years old with a medium build, braided shoulder-length hair, a moustache and a goatee. Police say he was last seen wearing a black t-shirt, green cargo shorts, a white and green camouflage Blue Jays baseball hat, white, red and black basketball shoes, and a black backpack.

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7. Senior wanted after underage victim allegedly sexually assaulted at Scarborough school open house

Source: CP24

A senior is wanted by police after an underage victim was allegedly sexually assaulted at a school open house in Scarborough on Tuesday. According to Toronto police, officers launched an investigation following reports of a sexual assault in the Guildwood Parkway and Livingston Road area.

It is alleged that the suspect attended a school open house in the area before sexually assaulting the victim on the school grounds. Police say the victim managed to stop the assault, and the suspect then fled the area on foot.

Police describe the suspect as an elderly male with balding gray and white hair and a gray and white beard. He was last seen wearing a beige jacket, a blue and white plaid button-up shirt, black pants and black shoes. Anyone with information is asked to contact investigators.

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8. Ontario finance minister to table fall economic update

Source: CP24

Ontario Finance Minister Peter Bethlenfalvy is set to provide an update on the province's finances today by tabling his government's fall economic statement. In a recent speech, Bethlenfalvy said Ontario has weathered the impact of tariffs better than economists had predicted, but the slower economy has affected the deficit.

Ontario closed out the 2025-26 fiscal year with a $13-billion deficit, and Bethlenfalvy says this year's is projected to be higher, in line with the spring budget forecast of $13.8 billion. He says deficits are not desirable in the long term but are necessary in the current environment.

Speaking at a pre-economic statement announcement on Wednesday, he said Ontario is matching the federal government's recent move to give businesses a tax break on capital investments. Premier Doug Ford has also recently announced more than $8 billion in joint funding to protect tariff-hit industries, including provincial funding of $1.67 billion for a steel action fund and $1 billion for the automotive industry.

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9. Manitobans head to the polls amid signs of higher voter engagement across Canada

Source: CP24

More than 130 municipalities across Manitoba held municipal elections on Wednesday, with voters choosing mayors, reeves, councillors and school trustees. A record number of voters cast ballots in advance of Winnipeg's municipal election, with 50,767 votes cast — a 21.2 per cent increase over 2022, when the previous advance voting record was set.

Twelve candidates are vying for Winnipeg's mayoral seat, including incumbent Scott Gillingham and former city councillor Kevin Klein. Voters are also electing representatives to 15 city council wards and choosing school trustees. Public safety, housing, affordability, homelessness and public transit emerged as key issues during the campaign.

The elections come amid signs of increased voter participation elsewhere: Toronto's civic election earlier this week had a 45 per cent turnout, following a 2022 election when turnout failed to reach 30 per cent, while Quebec's provincial election this month drew 66.93 per cent of eligible voters, a slight increase from four years ago. British Columbia is the exception, with its snap election seeing a record-low turnout. Lori Turnbull, a professor at Dalhousie University, said fluctuation is normal and that in some cases the numbers reflect a real appetite for change among voters.

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10. Doctors urge wider use of treatment shown to prevent serious UTIs

Source: CP24

When MaryAnn Bradley noticed her 92-year-old mother Olga was suddenly struggling to speak, she feared a stroke and asked staff at the nursing home near St. Catharines, Ont., to call an ambulance. It was not a stroke but sepsis, a life-threatening reaction to infection. Bradley said doctors told her it was caused by an undetected and untreated urinary tract infection. Two days later, Olga was dead.

A study published in the journal Urology, led by Justin LaClair at the Albany Medical Center, tracked nearly 1.9 million women who had suffered two UTIs and compared those prescribed vaginal estrogen with those who were not. Across all ages, women given vaginal estrogen had significantly lower rates of sepsis, hospitalisation and death. "The data was so strong," said co-author Dr. Elise De, a urologist and professor at Albany Medical College.

Vaginal estrogen is a low-dose hormone treatment in cream or pill form used in the vaginal area, and studies dating back to the 1990s show it helps reduce recurring UTIs. Dr. Alison Fox Robichaud, a critical care physician and professor of medicine at McMaster University who is also president of the Canadian Sepsis Foundation, says the treatment is not widely known and that she has received "funny looks" when prescribing it in hospital. "It's now about spreading the knowledge throughout the health system," she said.

Surveys show that 50 to 60 per cent of adult Canadian women experience at least one UTI in their lifetime, and 25 to 33 per cent of them will suffer recurrent infections. UTIs account for about 500,000 physician office visits across Canada each year. A survey cited by the Menopause Foundation of Canada found that 82 per cent of Canadian women did not recognise the association between menopause and UTIs, yet guidelines by both the U.S. and Canadian urological societies were updated in 2025 to recommend vaginal estrogen for peri- and postmenopausal women with recurrent UTIs. In the U.S., only about 5.1 per cent of women received vaginal estrogen within two months of being diagnosed with a recurrent UTI. Bradley, now 71 and getting UTIs herself, said: "I don't want to end up like my mother."

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