Maple Express | September 3, 2026 Severe Thunderstorms Wreak Havoc in Toronto and the GTA

Source: CP24

1. Severe thunderstorms wreak havoc in Toronto and the GTA

Toronto was hit by what was described as an "extremely dangerous" thunderstorm on Wednesday evening, as heavy rain, golf ball-sized hail and destructive winds brought widespread flooding, large power outages and downed trees and wires. The storm quickly flooded major roads, catching drivers by surprise as several had to be rescued from their submerged vehicles.

The powerful storm also triggered emergency alerts sent to phones, televisions and radios, advising residents to seek shelter indoors. Toronto Hydro said about 65,000 customers were without power at the peak of the outage, and after restoring service to roughly 20,000 customers, some 45,000 remained in the dark.

The Don Valley Parkway was closed in both directions because of flooding, and sections of the Gardiner Expressway were also shut down. The CNE closed its grounds early, while Michael Garron Hospital's emergency department flooded but remained open. Cleanup and repair work continued Thursday.

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2. Toronto Fire: storm led to nearly 1,500 calls, including water rescues and collapsed scaffolding

Toronto Fire Chief Jim Jessop said Thursday that crews responded to nearly 1,500 calls over a 24-hour period, the second-highest call volume the service has seen in a single day since the 2013 ice storm. He said crews, along with police and paramedics, handled structure fires, high-angle rescues from collapsed scaffolding, elevator entrapments, water rescues and partial building collapses.

"At one point on our app, we had over 400 active 911 calls," Jessop said. "The very fact that we have not had any reported major, significant injuries or fatalities shows that the system worked."

City Manager Paul Johnson said some areas saw up to 110 millimetres of rain, meeting the threshold of what is called a "100-year storm." Mayor Olivia Chow said the emergency operations centre was activated earlier in the day, and that about 90 per cent of customers who lost power have since been restored.

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3. Experts explain what caused the destructive Toronto storm

Retired Environment Canada senior climatologist David Phillips said Thursday that a cold front combined with hot, humid air made conditions ripe for the "100-year storm" on Wednesday. "Everything seemed to come together — the huge amounts of rain, the wind, the visibility, the hail — at around 5 o'clock in the afternoon," he said.

CP24 Meteorologist Bill Coulter explained that a tropical air mass full of heat and humidity fuelled the storm, while a cold front descending from the north acted like a "steam shovel" digging under that hot, humid air, igniting the storm late in the afternoon at the point of maximum daytime heating.

Coulter said the warm, moist air was pushed quickly upward, condensing into towering cumulus clouds while powerful updrafts held up the core of water and ice until it became too heavy. He noted such storms are rare in Toronto because cold fronts usually arrive from the west and are weakened by the Niagara Escarpment, but this one came from the north.

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4. Rogers Stadium suffers 'significant damage' after powerful Toronto storm

Toronto's Rogers Stadium sustained "significant damage" during Wednesday's powerful thunderstorms, with CP24/CTV News Toronto helicopter video showing rows of bleacher seats tangled and destroyed, and debris scattered across the venue.

In an email to CTV News Thursday, the venue said no employees or on-site contractors were injured during the storm, but that staff are "assessing the extent of the damage." "As a result of yesterday's extreme weather, Rogers Stadium sustained significant damage. We are currently assessing the extent of the damage and will provide further information as it becomes available."

The wreckage comes less than two weeks before AC/DC is scheduled to perform there on Sept. 16. The venue holds a maximum capacity of 50,000 people, and it remains unclear whether the concert will be affected.

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5. Ontario court denies Toronto woman's motion to apply for MAID for mental illness

An Ontario judge has denied a motion that would have allowed a woman who suffers solely from a mental illness to apply for a medically assisted death. Claire Brosseau, a 49-year-old Toronto resident, filed a motion in May seeking a constitutional exemption from a law that currently prevents people from applying for MAID on the basis of mental illness alone.

"It is yet another barrier put in front of me that is forcing me to extend my suffering, and yet another example of governmental systems telling people with mental illnesses that we do not have the same rights nor the same autonomy as others," Brosseau said in a statement Thursday.

Justice Carissima Mathen said in her decision that although she is dismissing the motion, she is ordering the Attorney General to respond to a constitutional challenge Brosseau launched in August 2024, and that the two parties must schedule next steps within 14 days.

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6. Man arrested for hate-motivated assault after two attacked in downtown Toronto

A man has been charged with hate-motivated offences after two people were assaulted in downtown Toronto in separate incidents on the same day last week. The first incident occurred on Aug. 29 at Union Station, where the suspect approached a victim, made anti-Sikh comments and racial slurs, then brandished a knife and waved it at the victim.

The second incident took place about an hour later near Queens Quay West and Lower Spadina Avenue. Investigators allege the suspect approached a victim and a witness in an unprovoked interaction, made anti-Sikh utterances and racial slurs, then stabbed the victim in the leg, causing non-life-threatening injuries.

On Tuesday, police arrested Lakshitha Arakmullage, 32, of Toronto, and charged him with multiple hate-motivated offences. Toronto police's Hate Crime Unit is continuing to investigate.

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7. Ontario woman falls victim to 'bank investigator' scam, loses $56K

An Ontario woman is sharing her story after falling victim to a "bank investigator" scam and losing $56,000. Carrie Watrich of Barrie said she received a call in June from someone she believed to be a Scotiabank representative.

During the call, she was told someone was trying to fraudulently use her credit card in Manitoba and that she would need to click a link to protect her money. "I said, 'Okay, great, thanks,' and I clicked on the link," Watrich recounted. Soon after, she found that scammers had stolen about $56,000 from various accounts and lines of credit.

"I was sick, I was shaking, I couldn't speak," she told CTV News. Scotiabank eventually recovered her money.

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8. Voters head to polls today in three Ontario byelections

Voters head to the polls today in three Ontario provincial byelections, with at least one race set to be tight. Candidates say long-standing concerns such as health care, education and affordability came up often as they knocked on doors, but the trade war with the United States is also a worry for voters.

Premier Doug Ford's Progressive Conservatives are hoping to hold on to two seats while the New Democrats wish to hold onto the third. Candidates expect a close race in Hamilton-Stoney Creek after Conservative Neil Lumsden retired in August.

Scarborough Southwest will likely be a battle between the New Democrats and the Liberals, while the Progressive Conservatives are expected to hold York-Simcoe following the resignation of Caroline Mulroney. Polls open at 9 a.m. and close at 9 p.m.

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9. Bank of Canada unveils new $20 bill featuring King Charles

The Bank of Canada has unveiled a new version of the $20 bill, set to enter circulation in February 2027. Unlike previous horizontal incarnations of the currency, the new $20 bill's design layout is vertical, and it is the first banknote in Canada to feature King Charles III.

His portrait will replace that of his late mother, Queen Elizabeth II, whose face has graced 18 different banknotes in the country since 1935. On the other side of the bill is an image of the Canadian National Vimy Memorial, located on the site of the 1917 Battle of Vimy Ridge in France.

The updated polymer banknote boasts advanced security features and innovative 3D design. Its tactile features include raised ink on the King's portrait, the large number 20 and the word "CANADA," and it also features four plants with cultural relevancy to the country's Indigenous populations.

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10. Defence minister says Canada needs time to get F-35 decision right

Canada's defence minister says the federal government is still assessing all available options as it weighs whether to proceed with the planned purchase of F-35 fighter jets from the United States. Ottawa has already committed to buying 16 of the stealth aircraft to replace its aging CF-18 Hornet fleet, but Prime Minister Mark Carney ordered a review of the contract for the remaining 72 aircraft after the U.S. first announced tariffs on Canadian goods early last year.

As trade tensions have escalated, the political sensitivity around the deal has only grown. Last week, B.C. Premier David Eby joined calls urging Ottawa to scrap the American jet contract, saying, "When your friend kicks you in the back, one of the first rules is you don't then go and buy $12 billion of fighter jets from that person."

Defence Minister David McGuinty pushed back on sacrificing the F-35 deal to anti-American sentiment, saying Canada has a responsibility to obtain an appropriate fighter jet fleet and that the government will take the time it needs to get the decision right. Chief of the Defence Staff Gen. Jennie Carignan said the F-35 review is proceeding independently of outside pressure to cancel the agreement.

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