Maple Express | October 5, 2026 — Six presumed dead after Hamilton air ambulance crash

1. Six aboard Hamilton-based air ambulance presumed dead; TSB to lead investigation

Source: CP24

Canada's Transportation Safety Board (TSB) announced Monday it will lead the investigation into the air ambulance plane that crashed off the coast of Nantucket, Massachusetts on Oct. 3 with six people on board. All six — four Canadians and two Bermuda nationals — are now presumed dead, according to the air ambulance company Latitude. The aircraft was flying from Bermuda to Boston when the crew reported electrical difficulties; the pilot declared an emergency, and air traffic controllers later lost contact with the plane.

In a statement, the TSB said it will deploy investigators to assist in the search and recovery of the aircraft, with help from the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board. Debris from the aircraft was found off Nantucket on Saturday night, and after an extensive search and rescue operation the company confirmed Sunday night that it would transition to a recovery mission. The two Bermuda nationals were identified as mother and son Marilyn Lavonne Bean, 66, and Sergio Wayne Lottimore, 41.

In a statement released Monday, Hamilton Mayor Andrea Horwath called the incident a "tragic loss of life" and extended condolences to the families and the entire Latitude team. Latitude president Peter Byl said the company would honour the six by remembering the care, professionalism and commitment they brought to their work every day. Bermuda Premier David Burt also offered condolences, saying "the worst fears have been realized."

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2. Two Toronto-based Canadian Armed Forces members removed from duty after arrest

Source: CP24

Two Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) members based in Toronto have been removed from their military duties after being arrested on charges relating to kidnapping, organized crime and the theft of firearms and weapons, the Department of National Defence confirms. Sachintha Fernando and James Moreau were arrested on Aug. 11, 2026, according to DND spokesperson Laura McIntyre-Grills.

Both hold the rank of bombardier and are members of the 7th Toronto Regiment, a reserve artillery unit of Canada's 32 Canadian Brigade based at the Moss Park Armoury, 130 Queen Street East. Moreau enrolled in the Canadian Army as a reservist in March 2018 and deployed on Operation LASER in 2020. Fernando enrolled as a reservist in January 2020 and has not deployed on a CAF operation.

McIntyre-Grills said both were removed from military duties following their arrests, and their access to CAF equipment, facilities and bases was restricted. They remain CAF members pending the outcome of an administrative review — a formal process used to assess matters that may affect a member's continued service while providing procedural fairness. CTV News has reached out to the Toronto Police Service for comment.

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3. Five Toronto daycare centres close amid work stoppage

Source: CP24

Parents at five Toronto child-care centres will have to find alternative care after a work stoppage involving employees resulted in a full closure of the facilities. In a news release Monday, CUPE Local 2484 said child-care workers at Ideal Child Service Group (ICSG) have been locked out by their employer and are now on the picket lines.

ICSG has five child-care centres: Baycrest Child Care Centre at 50 Ameer Ave., BonAventure Child Care Centre at 295 Dufferin St., Children Are People Child Care Centre at 272 Codsell Ave., Pineway Childcare Learning Centre at 110 Pineway Blvd., and Tumpane Child Care Centre at 48 Tumpane St.

The union says negotiations stalled after ICSG "refused to respond" to the latest proposals presented in September, and the lockout was put in place 15 minutes before a strike deadline. In a statement on its website, ICSG said all centres are closed "due to CUPE 2484 withdrawal of bargaining unit services," effective 12:01 a.m. Monday. CUPE Local 2484 president Jess Tomas said members are fighting for fair wages, better protections when members are sick or injured, and staffing guidelines that provide children with consistency, adding that members "are ready to get back to work."

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4. Toronto Public Health urging vaccination as mpox cases rise

Source: CP24

Toronto Public Health (TPH) is warning of "increased" mpox activity in the city, with 14 new cases confirmed since September. In a news release Monday, the city said that while the risk to the public remains low, the confirmed cases underscore the need for vaccination for those eligible, and that federal wastewater monitoring has consistently detected mpox in the city.

Mpox is spread through close contact or sexual contact with a person who has the virus, including contact with skin lesions, blisters, body fluids or respiratory secretions. TPH said gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men continue to be the most affected group. "Mpox is making a comeback," said Gilles Charette, director of the Gay Men's Sexual Health Alliance, urging eligible people to get their first dose and complete their second if they have started the series.

Symptoms include rash, fever, swollen lymph nodes, headache, muscle aches and fatigue, and there is no specific treatment to prevent mpox infection. Toronto's Medical Officer of Health, Dr. Michelle Murti, said vaccination is the best way eligible residents can protect themselves. The city has seen 41 confirmed cases so far this year, compared with 118 during the same period in 2025, when a total of 158 cases were reported. The vaccine is free and available, even for those without an Ontario health card.

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5. Biscuit the bunny stolen from Markham Fair; police investigating

Source: CP24

An investigation is underway after a small rabbit named Biscuit was stolen from the Markham Fair this past weekend, organizers say. The Markham and East York Agricultural Society said Biscuit was taken from the Pet and Poultry Building on the Markham Fairgrounds sometime on the evening of Oct. 3 during the 182nd edition of the event.

Organizers say Biscuit belonged to an exhibit hosted by a 10-year-old girl. The theft was discovered by volunteers and exhibitors, who notified officials immediately. "We are deeply disappointed that someone would take an animal from the Fair entered by a 10-year-old girl," a spokesperson said in a statement, adding that the animals are cared for by exhibitors who invest significant time, effort and care. "This is not just a loss of property. It is the theft of a living animal that requires proper care, housing, and attention."

Organizers say York Regional Police are investigating the incident. Biscuit is described as a Holland Lop, a small rabbit breed known for its distinctive lopped ears and compact, rounded body. Members of the public who witnessed suspicious activity near the Pet and Poultry Building on Oct. 3, or who have information about the rabbit's whereabouts, are urged to contact York Regional Police.

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6. Senior Toronto cop charged with impaired driving, sources say he was found asleep at wheel

Source: CP24

A senior Toronto police officer has been charged with impaired driving after he was found asleep behind the wheel over the weekend in Leaside, sources tell CP24. Insp. Mike Hayles, 51, of 55 Division, was arrested at around 6 a.m. Sunday.

Sources told CP24 that officers were dispatched to the scene after Hayles was found asleep behind the wheel of his unmarked police-issued vehicle near the intersection of Eglinton Avenue and Laird Drive. In a statement to CP24, a Toronto police spokesperson said Hayles was off-duty at the time of his arrest. He was arrested and charged with impaired operation/conveyance and impaired operation/conveyance/exceed blood alcohol concentration.

Hayles has been a member of the Toronto Police Service for 30 years and is second in command at 55 Division. He has been suspended with pay in accordance with the Community Safety and Policing Act.

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7. Olivia Chow proposes free school lunch program for Toronto students

Source: CP24

Mayoral candidate Olivia Chow is promising to provide lunches in school if re-elected, a move she says will save parents an estimated $1,800 per year. But at least one of her opponents is slamming the proposal as "an idea without a plan to pay for it." "Prices at big grocery stores just keep rising. With a robust school food program, we can give parents some breathing room," Chow said in a written statement, noting that back in 1990 she and Jack Layton made a plan to feed every kid in Toronto schools.

Chow said the expansion to lunch will be phased in and funded like the existing school food program — paid for by the city, other levels of government and private donations. "Let's make universal school lunch a reality," she said at a news conference Monday morning, adding the goal is to work with the provincial and federal governments to make it happen by 2030. She previously expanded the school food program to offer a mid-morning meal to 330,000 students, with Toronto's share currently costing the city $32 million.

Chow did not provide an estimate of how much expanding the program would cost the city or other levels of government, but stressed that bulk purchasing saves about 40 per cent of the cost of food. Her opponent, Brad Bradford, applauded the existing school breakfast program but called the lunch promise "an idea without a plan to pay for it," and committed to keeping the breakfast program at every school with full funding. Bradford also outlined a plan to improve life for renters, including enforcing an existing renoviction by-law, increasing transparency with a public dashboard, properly funding Toronto Building and eviction prevention programs, and introducing a maximum heat standard that guarantees at least one cooled living space in every rental home.

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8. Ontario eyes major Highway 400 expansion to ease congestion

Source: CP24

Congestion is a common theme throughout Simcoe County and beyond for those travelling on Highway 400, and the provincial government is taking steps it believes will help ease traffic congestion along one of the region's busiest corridors. As part of its $31 billion plan, the province announced an 11-kilometre expansion along Highway 400 between the new Bradford Bypass and Highway 9.

The expansion will see the highway grow from six lanes to ten. "The expansion will add one new HOV lane and one new general purpose lane in each direction, connecting with the existing HOV network south of Highway 9," said Minister of Transportation Prabmeet Sarkaria. The extension is one of many the province has announced throughout the region, including bridge work throughout Barrie and the Bradford Bypass.

Sarkaria said the design process is over, and that next year the province will work with the existing infrastructure to see how some elements of early work can begin. MPP for King-Vaughan Stephen Lecce said the move connects the Bradford Bypass, the Highway 400 expansion, a series of GO Station enhancements and new station expansions, and new subways entering York Region. Newly elected MPP for York-Simcoe Susan Lahey stressed the expansion's importance for local businesses, saying it strengthens a key transportation link that helps move employees, customers and goods. The announcement comes as the region already sees significant delays from Bradford Bypass construction and bridge work in Barrie.

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9. Canada closely following reports of plague in Russia, health minister says

Source: CP24

Health Minister Marjorie Michel says Canada is very closely following reports that a woman who worked at a plague research institute in Siberia has died. Russian authorities say the woman contracted pneumonia from an unknown source and there is no evidence it was caused by any of the pathogens she worked with.

Media outlets in Siberia have reported that the woman died of pneumonic plague, a less common but still severe form of plague. Local authorities have placed a hospital in quarantine and are monitoring people who were in contact with the woman. Michel says there is no risk to Canada, but her government is working with the World Health Organization and other countries to stay on top of the situation.

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio says the United States is also watching the situation closely. This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 5, 2026, with files from The Associated Press.

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10. Canadian sentenced to one year for smuggling 31 kg of cannabis to London Heathrow

Source: CP24

A Canadian man was sentenced to one year in jail after he was caught attempting to smuggle more than two dozen kilograms of cannabis from Vancouver to the U.K., authorities announced Monday. The investigation began on Oct. 28, 2024, after the Canada Border Services Agency intercepted a suitcase bound for London Heathrow containing 31 kilograms of cannabis at Vancouver International Airport.

Alaaddin Koc, a 56-year-old from Windsor, Ont., was arrested and released pending further investigation, and was eventually charged under the Cannabis Act. Federal Policing Pacific Region says Koc failed to appear in court, a Canada-wide warrant was issued for his arrest, and he was later found in Ontario. He pleaded guilty to possession of cannabis for the purpose of exportation in July, and in September was sentenced to one year in jail and given a lifetime firearms prohibition.

RCMP say that despite cannabis being legal, there remains an "active illicit market" in Canada. "The outbound flow of illicit drugs is a continued focus of multiple international partners and is a priority for the FPPR Border Integrity Program," Staff Sgt. Rhonda Hislop said in a statement, adding that the ongoing support provided by the Canada Border Services Agency is critical to enforcement efforts.

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