Maple Express | October 10, 2026 — Canada Sides With ICC as U.S. Moves to Sanction the Court

1. Canada Sides With ICC as U.S. Moves to Sanction the Court

Source: CP24

Canada has signed a joint statement in support of the International Criminal Court after the United States moved to sanction the court. Canada joined Denmark, Germany, France, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom in issuing the statement, saying they strongly disagree with the sanctions. The signatories reaffirmed their continued and unwavering support for the ICC's independence, impartiality and integrity. The statement said that if the sanctions take effect they will have a significant impact on the court's work, its dedicated staff and their families, who work every day to bring those accused of the most serious international crimes to justice and to support victims. The sanctions cut the court off from U.S.-based financial services, technology companies and U.S. currency, part of a U.S. campaign to dismantle the tribunal over its investigations into the United States and its allies, including Israel. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced the sanctions on Friday, calling the court a fake court. The sanctions were announced after the Nobel Peace Prize was awarded to South African jurist Navi Pillay, who chaired a commission that last year concluded Israel was responsible for a genocide with a specific intent to destroy Palestinians in Gaza. The Trump administration has previously sanctioned ICC officials, including Canadian judge Kimberly Prost, and the State Department has also taken action against ICC officials from France, Fiji and Senegal.

Source

2. 'Extra Stress': Tension Peaks in Alberta as Separation Vote Nears

Source: CP24

With nine days to go before Alberta's Oct. 19 separation vote, tension is rising among families, friends and colleagues across the province. In Airdrie, north of Calgary, music teacher Sarah Batchelor says politics will be off the dinner table at her home this Thanksgiving weekend so loved ones do not end up arguing. She plans to vote to stay in Canada: "At the end of the day, when we sit down, we're not that far apart on a lot of the concerns. We're just very divided on where the blame should be placed." In Sylvan Lake in central Alberta, 64-year-old Kathy Bradshaw says she plans to be more careful with her words as the vote nears. She has already voted to remain in Canada and says there has been more tension lately in her office, where some colleagues she has worked with for decades plan to vote to leave. "I love my work and I love my colleagues, so I sense their discomfort when it comes up," she says, adding that people tell her, "I don't want to separate, but I want to send Ottawa a message." Albertans will vote in person in nine days on 10 questions; the 10th and most debated asks whether they want to stay in Canada or hold a second, binding referendum on leaving Confederation. In Edmonton, 71-year-old Sheree Zielke says she feels similar tension but wants to see an independent Alberta. Since Premier Danielle Smith ordered the vote in May, disputes have also erupted in small towns. Smith has said she supports Alberta staying in Canada and plans to vote that way.

Source

3. Toronto Mayoral Candidates Join Ford at Daily Bread Food Sort

Source: CP24

Toronto mayoral candidates Olivia Chow and Brad Bradford joined Ontario Premier Doug Ford on Saturday as hundreds of volunteers gathered at the Daily Bread Food Bank's annual Thanksgiving food sort. Organizers say the event brought more than 200 volunteers to sort and pack food donations for local residents in need over the holiday weekend. Chow, Bradford, Ford and other elected officials joined the first shift at 9 a.m., and the event was scheduled to run until 4 p.m. In a news release, Daily Bread said its network recorded more than 2.5 million client visits between January and August 2026, nearly four times the 664,876 visits recorded during the same period in 2020. About one in 10 Torontonians now regularly rely on a food bank, the organization says. Daily Bread CEO Neil Hetherington said: "The holidays can be some of the most difficult times of year for families struggling to put food on the table." Daily Bread has set a $5-million fundraising target this year, has raised about $2.5 million so far and aims to collect 185,000 pounds of food. Saturday's event comes as Toronto's mayoral candidates campaign ahead of the Oct. 26 election, with advance voting closing on Oct. 11 at 7 p.m. A Nanos Research survey conducted exclusively for CP24 and CTV News Toronto found nearly three-quarters of Toronto voters feel the city has become less affordable compared with four years ago. This past week, Chow unveiled a four-point plan to cut grocery prices and provide property tax breaks for community grocers; Bradford's campaign accused her of re-hashing previously announced policies.

Source

4. Manitoba Farmers Call This the Worst Harvest in More Than a Decade

Source: CP24

Manitoba farmers say this has been their worst harvest in more than a decade. Chuck Fossay, who farms near Dacotah, Man., about 36 kilometres west of Winnipeg, says every one of his 3,400 acres was impacted. "We're about 10 inches above normal precipitation, so that resulted in a lot of our acres either drowning out or having large areas of reduced yield," he says. "In the last 10 to 15 years, this is probably the worst crop we've had, as far as weather impacts." Fossay says he was only able to harvest around 60 per cent of his wheat, canola, soybeans and oat fields, with the other 40 per cent reduced to weeds, mud and grass. A two-day storm in June dumped dozens, and in some areas hundreds, of millimetres of rain; about 255 millimetres fell in Stonewall and surrounding communities in just a few hours, flooding fields. Curtis McRae, who farms near Clandeboye, about 37 kilometres northeast of Stonewall, says two to three feet of water sat on his fields for weeks, destroying between 1,500 and 2,000 acres. The latest report from the Manitoba government found 65 per cent of all crops across the province have been harvested, 21 per cent lower than at this time last year, with the southwest seeing the steepest decline at 50 per cent versus 90 per cent a year ago. Jill Verwey, president of Manitoba's Keystone Agricultural Producers, calls it a challenging season. Manitoba Agriculture Minister Ron Kostyshyn says the government is following the harvest closely and reminds producers that in July the governments of Canada and Manitoba announced flood recovery support through late enrollment in the AgriStability insurance program.

Source

5. Toronto Woman Wanted After Allegedly Removing GPS Ankle Monitor

Source: CP24

Toronto police are searching for a 19-year-old woman after they say she removed her ankle monitor and failed to comply with conditions of her release. In a news release, officials say officers were investigating an alleged breach of a release order at around 8:30 a.m. on Oct. 5 in the Silverstone Drive and Mount Olive Drive area. Police allege Denisa Dumitru was facing several charges and had been released from court with conditions, including wearing a GPS ankle monitor and living with a surety every single night. Investigators say police were notified that Dumitru was not at home and had removed her monitoring device. Her whereabouts are currently unknown. Dumitru is wanted on two counts of failing to comply with a release order. She is described as five-foot-five with a medium build and long black hair. Police have released an image of her, and anyone with information is asked to contact Toronto police.

Source

6. Police Find Evidence of Gunfire Near Etobicoke Park

Source: CP24

Toronto police are investigating reports of firearm discharge near a park in Etobicoke early Saturday morning. Officials say officers responded to a shooting call near Dundas Street West and Mabelle Avenue at approximately 3:11 a.m. There, officers confirmed they located evidence of gunfire near a park in the residential neighbourhood. No property damage or injuries were reported, and police have not released information about any suspects. Anyone with further information is asked to contact police.

Source

7. UN Human Rights Office Slams Racist Abuse of Coco Gauff

Source: CP24

The United Nations' human rights office has condemned the racist abuse of tennis player Coco Gauff and called for solidarity to help push back against racism and sexism. The office, led by High Commissioner Volker Türk, issued a social media post Saturday saying the racist messages sent online targeting Gauff were "appalling and illustrate that Black female athletes are specifically targeted for vitriol and racial abuse." Gauff, a two-time Grand Slam champion ranked No. 4, said last week she received an "insane" amount of racist comments on social media following a controversial point in her China Open match against home player Sun Xinran on Monday. She lost to Elise Mertens two days later, saying she had "no energy" and felt as though she would pass out. "There is no place in sport for racial or sexist slurs and abuse," the office said, calling on players, coaches and sports bodies to stand up for those facing such attacks.

Source

8. At Least 38 Hurt as Supermarket Ceiling Collapses in South Korea

Source: CP24

At least 38 people sustained minor injuries after parts of a plaster ceiling collapsed at a supermarket in South Korea's Daegu city, fire officials said Saturday. The Daegu Fire Department said 66 other people evacuated the facility following the collapse, which was reported at 10:16 a.m. Nine people received treatment at hospitals. Fire department official Yoon Jong-mi said the toll could rise, but emergency personnel at the scene determined it was highly unlikely anyone had suffered serious injuries. A photo from the scene showed emergency rescuers searching through debris following the collapse on the second floor of the four-story building. It was not immediately clear what caused the collapse. The office of South Korean President Lee Jae Myung said he instructed officials to make every effort to rescue people and ensure a thorough response to the collapse.

Source

9. Country Star Ella Langley Cancels Show Over Security Threat

Source: CP24

Country music star Ella Langley's Friday night performance in Oklahoma was cancelled shortly before it was scheduled to start over what the singer called a "serious security threat." Police said they conducted security checks after a caller warned of harm but found no credible threat. Langley had been scheduled to play at the 19,000-seat Bank of Oklahoma Center in Tulsa; about two hours before the planned start time, she and the venue alerted fans via social media that the show was called off. Tulsa Police Captain Richard Meulenberg, in a video posted on Facebook, said his department did not advise cancelling the event. He said the show was cleared to go forward after a standard security sweep with bomb-sniffing dogs. After that, a person called saying that someone was going to do great harm at the event with "shots fired and bombs." Meulenberg said police conducted a second security sweep and advised the group that they could not find a credible threat, adding: "Everything is safe." Langley, 27, is a rising star in country music. Her song "Choosin' Texas" made history last month after spending 23 weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, breaking Mariah Carey's longstanding record of 22 weeks.

Source

10. Christa Pike, Who Survived an Execution Attempt, Discharged From Hospital

Source: CP24

Christa Pike, who survived Tennessee's attempt to execute her by lethal injection, has been moved back to prison, according to a statement released by her attorneys. Pike, 50, was discharged from the hospital and is back at the Deborah K. Johnson Rehabilitation Center, the women's prison where she was housed for 30 years, her attorneys said. In a statement released Saturday, her attorneys said: "She is grateful to the first responders and her medical team for their care in these extraordinary circumstances. She is continuing to receive medical care at the prison, and we will continue to track her recovery." Pike survived two doses of pentobarbital as the state attempted to execute her by lethal injection on Sept. 30 for the 1995 beating and stabbing death of classmate Colleen Slemmer. She had been in a hospital since the failed execution.

Source