Maple Express | September 11, 2026 — Chrétien to U.S. in Gander: 'We bow to no one'

1. Former PM Chrétien to U.S.: 'We bow to no one'

Source: CP24

Speaking this afternoon (Sept. 11) at a ceremony in Gander, N.L. marking the 25th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, former prime minister Jean Chrétien delivered what he called "a message for our American friends." "Never mistake our generosity for weakness," he said. "We embrace our friends, and we help them in their moment of need. But we bow to no one. And the more we are insulted and threatened and abused, the more we will stand up for ourselves and stand united." The remarks drew applause. He added that he said this "not in anger, but as one friend to another."

Chrétien said he was not representing "any government," but speaking as a 92-year-old former prime minister and a "very proud Canadian." "Friends need to be honest with each other. Just as the people in Gander, and anywhere else in Newfoundland and Labrador, they will give you the shirt off their backs. Like they did 25 years ago," he said. "But they will always show you the respect of telling you the truth." He closed by wishing both the U.S. and Canada well in French.

His speech comes amid the trade war between Canada and the U.S. that has run since February 2025. Both countries have mounted escalating restrictions on goods from alcohol and dairy to metals and softwood lumber, affecting billions of dollars in products. President Donald Trump has repeatedly called Prime Minister Carney "governor," a reference to U.S. pressure on Canada to give up its sovereignty. The two countries appeared close to a deal in late August, but talks fell apart after the U.S. sought last-minute changes. On Thursday, U.S. Trade Rep. Jamieson Greer blamed Canada for the breakdown.

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2. Gander, N.L., marks 25 years since the 9/11 attacks

Source: CP24

A ceremony got underway this morning in central Newfoundland to remember those killed in the terrorist attacks in the United States 25 years ago. On Sept. 11, 2001, hijackers took command of four aircraft and crashed them into the World Trade Center in New York, the Pentagon in Washington and a field in Pennsylvania. After the attacks, 38 planes carrying more than 6,500 passengers were grounded in Gander. Dignitaries expected at the event included Jean Chrétien, Canada's prime minister on 9/11, and Gov. Gen. Louise Arbour. U.S. Ambassador Pete Hoekstra was also on the list of speakers.

People in Gander dropped everything to fill churches and community halls with cots, food and clothing, and they cared for the stranded passengers for days. As planes were forced to land at airports across the country, the town became a symbol of the kindness shown across Canada.

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3. UP Express closed all weekend, delays on Line 2

Source: CP24

Those planning to take the UP Express this weekend will have to make alternate travel plans. In a statement today, Metrolinx said UP Express service will be suspended Sept. 12 and Sept. 13 due to planned construction. As a replacement, GO buses will run directly between Union Station and Toronto Pearson International Airport's Terminal 1, but will not stop at Bloor, Mount Dennis or Weston stations. On Friday, UP Express service from Pearson to Union Station will end at 11:39 p.m., and the last train from Union Station to Pearson will depart at 11 p.m.

There is also delayed subway service on Line 2 this weekend. The TTC said that because of planned infrastructure maintenance, a portion of Line 2 Bloor-Danforth will open later on Sunday — subway service between St. George and Broadview stations will begin at 11 a.m. Sunday instead of the usual 8 a.m. Shuttle buses will operate as a replacement service between the affected stations.

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4. New report reveals details of Union Station derailment

Source: CP24

A train derailment outside Union Station earlier this year, which led to widespread delays and cancellations across the GO network for days, highlighted the need for "strengthening infrastructure inspection" along rail corridors, a new in-depth report notes. Metrolinx released the nearly 60-page report this month, about seven months after a GO train derailed on the Kitchener Line while leaving Union Station on the morning of Feb. 2. None of the passengers were injured, but the derailment led to overcrowding at Union Station and major disruptions for days.

A preliminary report found the derailment was caused by rail fastenings that failed after screws "sheared" and ultimately "gave way" under pressure. Metrolinx CEO Michael Lindsay previously said the required number of lag screws were not used — two instead of four. Standards had been updated, he noted, and that section of track was not in compliance. The new report said the fastening arrangement at the location had existed within the infrastructure for an extended period prior to the 2025 standards update, and that there was no evidence the condition was knowingly accepted as compliant.

The report also said an inspection blitz after the incident revealed that 40 other locations along the rail corridor had rail fastenings that did not meet the required standards, including missing or insufficient fasteners, rolled plates and mixed fastening configurations; corrective actions were taken. The review also examined communications, noting that "multiple unsanctioned communications channels and chat threads" were used during the disruption, reducing consistency of messaging, and that frontline staff and customers "did not always receive timely or realistic information" about expected service impacts.

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5. Stellantis signs MOU with Roshel as union talks break down

Source: CP24

Automaker Stellantis said today it has signed a memorandum of understanding with Canadian armoured vehicle maker Roshel on a potential sale of its idled Brampton, Ont., assembly plant. Meanwhile, Unifor, the union representing Canadian workers at Stellantis, said it has paused contract talks, citing an impasse over the future of the Brampton plant. Trevor Longley, chairman, president and CEO of Stellantis Canada, said the company considered multiple options for the facility, and believes Roshel "represents a strong path to restoring sustainable operations at Brampton Assembly," preserving the site's strategic role in Canada's advanced manufacturing sector and helping avoid a prolonged period of inactivity.

Unifor said it is "actively considering next steps" and will provide more details in the days ahead. The current collective agreement expires Sept. 20 at 11:59 p.m. Talks began Sept. 1 in Toronto after Unifor ratified new collective agreements with Ford and General Motors in Canada earlier in the summer as part of its pattern bargaining with the Detroit Three. While the union set a Sept. 11 deadline to reach a new deal with Stellantis, it said Friday that talks had broken down after 10 days.

"The persistence of the company's proposal to close and sell the Brampton plant has hindered the bargaining process," Unifor spokesperson Kathleen O'Keefe said in a statement. She said the proposed closure and sale threaten the wages, pensions and other benefits of Unifor members, and deal a devastating blow to Canada's industrial sector, especially Ontario and the community of Brampton. More than 2,000 workers were laid off from the plant when it halted operations in 2023.

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6. Police hunt suspect in string of Square One robberies

Source: CP24

Peel Regional Police are searching for a suspect in connection with multiple robberies at Square One mall in Mississauga that injured two people. The most recent incident happened on Sept. 3. Police said one person was walking in the mall's parking garage when an unknown suspect approached and robbed them of an electronic product they had just bought. The victim suffered significant injuries and was taken to the hospital. Investigators also determined that two other incidents, between May 9 and June 27, are believed to involve the same suspect.

Police said that in these cases the suspect approached the victims in the parking garage and forcibly took their recently purchased electronic products, and one victim suffered minor injuries. "Investigators believe the suspect may be following customers who have purchased products from an electronic store before approaching them in the parking garage," police said in a Friday news release. They also released images of the suspect, described as a Black male, six feet tall, weighing about 215 pounds with a thin build, short black hair and brown eyes, known to wear medical masks and gloves. Police are asking anyone with information to contact investigators or Crime Stoppers anonymously.

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7. One person injured in North York shooting

Source: CP24

Toronto police are investigating a shooting in North York on Friday afternoon that left one person injured. Police said they received reports of a shooting in the area of Finch Avenue West and Driftwood Avenue, east of Jane Street, at 3:46 p.m. Officers arrived and located a male victim with gunshot injuries.

He was taken to the hospital, and according to Toronto paramedics, his injuries are not life-threatening. No suspect information has been released.

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8. MapQuest's Toronto billboard pointing to Lake Ontario is gone a day later

Source: CP24

MapQuest is making it crystal clear it won't be charting new waters — Lake Ontario is still Lake Ontario. Its message that the Great Lake will not be renamed "Lake America" has been plastered across six-foot billboards in six cities across the continent: Chicago, Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco, Washington, D.C., and Toronto. "It's still Lake Ontario. And we're still here," the poster reads. Depending on the location, the California-based mapping company provides driving directions on how to get to Lake Ontario from that very intersection.

The signs were posted up in downtown Toronto at 43 Lower Jarvis St., south of St. Lawrence Market, on Thursday. As of 11:30 a.m. Friday, however, the billboards appeared to have been taken down. "The poster may be gone, but Lake Ontario remains Lake Ontario on MapQuest and the route is still there whenever you need it," MapQuest General Manager Doug Berger told CTV News. After President Donald Trump signed an executive order to call the lake "Lake America" and Google Maps updated its maps for U.S. users, MapQuest repeatedly voiced support for keeping the original name. It shared its stance in an Aug. 27 social media post, created a name generator letting users rename the lake as they wish, and released merchandise bearing "we're not changing" designs. The move has also catapulted MapQuest's GPS app to the top of Apple's App Store, the highest in its 30-year history.

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9. Economists expect August inflation held at 3%

Source: CP24

Economists expect inflation was steady in August as gasoline prices dropped from earlier in the summer, but the trade war between Canada and the U.S. will likely put some pressure on consumers' wallets later on. Statistics Canada is set to release its August consumer price index on Monday. A Reuters poll of economists (based on LSEG Data & Analytics) expects annual inflation held at three per cent last month.

"We're expecting the headline number to not go above three per cent," said Tu Nguyen, an economist at RSM Canada. "We are still seeing the inflationary pressure coming solely from gasoline prices, energy prices. The rest of the economy is pretty stable." Volatile gas prices through the spring and summer were driven by the war in Iran. Nguyen said hostilities between the U.S. and Iran were "less turbulent" in August, but in recent days crude prices hovered around US$100 a barrel. "That period of a little bit more peace has ended," she said, warning that the longer it goes on, the more it spreads through the economy, because everything we buy has to go through some transportation channel.

Despite slight relief at the pumps in August on a monthly basis, RBC economists Nathan Janzen and Abbey Xu said in a note that gas prices were still up 23 per cent from a year ago. Earlier this month, the Bank of Canada left its key policy rate unchanged at 2.25 per cent, its seventh consecutive hold, as it monitors whether cost pressures from the war in Iran could spark additional inflation concerns. RBC sees the central bank holding steady for the rest of the year, with gradual hikes likely in 2027. U.S. tariffs hit a range of Canadian goods on Aug. 22, prompting Canada's counter-tariffs on American products that took effect Sept. 8, so prices could face upward pressure in the months ahead.

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10. Toronto Zoo names its Bactrian camel calf

Source: CP24

The newest member of the Toronto Zoo's Bactrian camel herd finally has a name. The calf, born in May, has been named Zorig, which means courage and determination, the zoo revealed during a special ceremony on Friday afternoon. "The name was chosen by traditional camel herders from the other side of the world and will now find a home here in Toronto," said Dolf DeJong, the CEO of the Toronto Zoo. According to the zoo, the Embassy of Mongolia in Canada reached out to Mongolian camel herders to ask for name suggestions.

Bactrian camels have long accompanied herders across the Gobi Desert, making them a special part of Mongolian history, culture and traditions. "For Mongolians, camels represent endurance, resilience and patience, and the cherished bond between people and nature that has shaped this nomadic heritage for generations," the zoo said. Friday's ceremony was also attended by representatives of the Honorary Consul of Mongolia Toronto. Zorig is the third calf born to 11-year-old mom Suria and 10-year-old dad Zip, and currently weighs 340 pounds. The zoo said he "can often be seen running around the habitat with a case of the zoomies," and now has seven camels. There are fewer than 950 wild Bactrian camels left in remote regions of Mongolia and China, and they are listed as an endangered species.

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