Maple Express | October 13, 2026: Toronto Advance Voting Hits Record High

1. Toronto advance voting hits record high

Source: CP24

The City of Toronto said Tuesday that turnout for advance voting nearly doubled compared with the last general municipal election. A total of 225,550 eligible voters cast ballots during the six days of advance voting, up from about 130,000 in the 2023 mayoral byelection and roughly 116,000 in the 2022 general municipal election.

Data also showed that 53,363 Torontonians voted on Sunday, Oct. 11, smashing the record for the most votes cast in a single day since amalgamation. The previous record was set in 2023, when 38,621 eligible voters cast ballots.

Election day is Monday, Oct. 26, and polls will be open from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.

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2. Durham police issue new warning about "The Com"

Source: CP24

Police in Durham Region are once again warning parents and guardians about "The Com," an online group of predators they say is targeting children in the area through popular social media and gaming platforms. No suspect descriptions have been released and no arrests have been made.

Police said the group, short for "The Community," uses grooming, manipulation, coercion and intimidation to exploit young people, "which can lead to violent and/or criminal behaviour." Children as young as eight have been targeted on apps and platforms including Discord, Telegram, Snapchat, Roblox, Minecraft, Twitch and Steam, investigators said.

Police urged families to watch for clusters of concerning behaviour. This is the second such warning this year, following a threat against a Pickering school on Jan. 27. Anyone with information is asked to call police at 1-888-579-1520.

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3. Canada's Wonderland, La Ronde shut down roller-coasters

Source: CP24

After a deadly incident at a Six Flags park near Atlanta, two Canadian amusement parks said Tuesday they are closing roller-coasters "out of an abundance of caution." It is unclear when the rides will reopen.

Canada's Wonderland spokesperson Grace Peacock confirmed that Behemoth and Leviathan are currently closed, saying "the safety of our guests and team members remains one of our highest priorities." Canada's Wonderland became a Six Flags property in 2023 after its owner Cedar Fair merged with the theme-park giant.

Montreal's La Ronde also confirmed it temporarily closed its Goliath roller-coaster while conducting a thorough safety review with the ride's manufacturer. One person died and several were injured Monday at Six Flags Over Georgia, about 24 kilometres northwest of Atlanta; witnesses told The Associated Press the man fell to his death while riding Goliath.

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4. Exclusive poll: Chow's lead shrinks against Bradford

Source: CP24

A tighter contest is emerging in Toronto's mayoral race as Brad Bradford has cut Olivia Chow's lead to about 3.5 points among decided voters, according to a new poll conducted exclusively for CP24 and CTV News Toronto.

Nanos Polling surveyed 757 Toronto residents between Oct. 8 and Oct. 10. Among decided voters, 51 per cent said they would vote for Chow if an election were held today, compared with 47 per cent for Bradford. Among decided and undecided voters, Chow had 43 per cent, Bradford 39 per cent, one per cent backed another candidate and 17 per cent were undecided.

In a Nanos poll published last week, Chow was up nearly 10 points over Bradford among decided voters. Nanos chief data scientist Nik Nanos said the race "remains an open contest." The survey has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.6 percentage points, 19 times out of 20.

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5. Cyclists ask Supreme Court to weigh in on bike lane plan

Source: CP24

Cyclists challenging Ontario's plan to remove major Toronto bike lanes said Tuesday they will seek leave to appeal to the Supreme Court of Canada — the same day Ontario said it would start removing more bike lanes along parts of Bloor Street West.

A lower court initially ruled the province's plan to replace 19 kilometres of bike lanes with car lanes on three major roads was an unconstitutional risk to cyclist safety. But the Ontario Court of Appeal overturned that decision in an August ruling, saying the trial judge had improperly strayed into policy-making and political considerations.

Anyone who receives a judgment from a top provincial or territorial court can ask the Supreme Court to consider their case, but the court hears only a fraction of them.

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6. Key figure in Pearson airport gold heist testifies

Source: CP24

A man who admitted his role in the massive gold heist at Toronto's Pearson airport testified Tuesday at the trial of another man accused in the case.

Arsalan Chaudhary was sentenced this spring to four years in prison after pleading guilty to theft over $5,000, and he was given 40 years to pay back $22 million in restitution. He took the stand in the trial of Parmpal Sidhu, who has pleaded not guilty to theft over $5,000 and conspiracy to commit an indictable offence in the 2023 heist.

Prosecutors allege Sidhu, an Air Canada employee at the time, provided a doctored waybill that allowed another man to pick up more than $22 million in gold and currency from a Pearson airport cargo bay. Peel regional police have said 6,600 gold bars weighing more than 400 kilograms were stolen on April 17, 2023. The trial is taking place in Brampton.

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7. Family speaks at sentencing hearing for driver who killed father of 3

Source: CP24

Relatives of a father of three killed by a dangerous driver shed tears in a Newmarket courtroom Tuesday morning as they described the pain and loss after his sudden death.

Danny Cristillo described his 35-year-old son Andrew as "a man who built a rich, full, loving life for the people he loved the most." He said: "My son Andrew was the greatest gift. My joy. My pride. The moment I lost Andrew I also lost a piece of my heart."

The driver, Jaiwin Kirubananthan, sat facing forward, quietly listening to the victim impact statements, which are part of a hearing to determine his sentence. He pleaded guilty in April to dangerous driving causing death, failing to remain at the scene of a crash where death ensued, and three counts of dangerous operation of a vehicle. An agreed statement of facts said Kirubananthan, who was 18 at the time, was driving 136 km/h in the wrong direction on Highway 48 in Whitchurch-Stouffville on Aug. 3, 2025, where the posted maximum was 80 km/h. Andrew Cristillo was killed instantly.

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8. OPP seize $7.9M in illegal cannabis plants near Napanee

Source: CP24

Ontario Provincial Police said Tuesday that six people were arrested after officers dismantled an illegal cannabis production operation in Greater Napanee, seizing nearly $8 million worth of plants.

Police began investigating in September a suspected grow op on County Road 12 in Greater Napanee, about 60 kilometres northwest of Kingston. Officers executed a search warrant at the property on Sept. 24; four people were arrested on scene and two more were arrested a short time later after they tried to run away.

Officers seized approximately 5,260 cannabis plants valued at $7.9 million, a 2015 Lexus RX350 worth about $18,000 and around $1,900 in cash. OPP Chief Superintendent Mike Stoddart of the Organized Crime Enforcement Bureau said such operations generate significant profits for criminal enterprises while creating safety risks for communities. The six accused each face two Cannabis Act charges and are scheduled to appear in court in December.

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9. Trans Canada Trail urges Ottawa to keep funding

Source: CP24

With federal funding set to expire in 2027, the sprawling Trans Canada Trail is calling on Ottawa to continue supporting what has become the longest multi-use trail system in the world.

Spanning more than 30,000 km, the network stretches across every province and territory and connects Canada's Atlantic, Pacific and Arctic coasts. Used by an estimated 29 million Canadians every year, the trail winds through wilderness regions, rural communities, small towns and even major cities like Montreal, Toronto, Calgary and Vancouver.

Trans Canada Trail government affairs director Matt DeCourcey told CTV's Your Morning on Tuesday that even as government invests in important things such as resource development, exports and defence, it should not forget a trail built by successive generations of Canadians over 35 years. In the 2022 federal budget, Ottawa committed $55 million over five years via Parks Canada, funding set to expire on March 31, 2027. The group is now seeking another $55-million, five-year commitment in the next federal budget. A recent report estimates that without renewed funding, 11,000 km of trail could fall into disrepair and become impassible by 2045.

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10. Lotto Max jackpot reaches $85 million ahead of Tuesday's draw

Source: CP24

Canada's largest lottery jackpot in history is set to be drawn Tuesday, with the Lotto Max prize reaching $85 million.

The jackpot was $80 million in Friday night's draw, but no ticket matched all seven winning numbers: 6, 10, 19, 25, 29, 39 and 50. The bonus number was 36. The next draw will also feature 16 Maxmillions prizes worth $1 million each and 85 Maxplus prizes worth $100,000 each, according to the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corp. (OLG).

If no ticket wins the $85-million jackpot on Tuesday, the top prize will increase to $90 million. The previous record was $80.4 million, split between two friends in London, Ont., in December.

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