Maple Express | September 2, 2026 Bank of Canada Set to Make 6th Rate Decision of the Year

1. Bank of Canada Set to Make 6th Interest Rate Decision of the Year

Source: CP24

The Bank of Canada is set to make its sixth interest rate decision of the year this morning. Most economists and financial markets favour another rate hold from the central bank today.

The Bank of Canada has held its policy rate steady at 2.25 per cent since late last year as the economy copes with U.S. tariff uncertainty and higher global energy prices from the war in Iran. Annual inflation rose to three per cent in July, but the consumer price index has been volatile since the Middle East conflict sent gas prices soaring over the spring.

The economy and labour market are showing signs of rebounding as Canada heads into a re-escalating trade war with the United States. An ongoing strike among the Bank of Canada's security officers is once again preventing the central bank from holding its customary lockup with journalists before releasing the decision.

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2. Ford Government to Move Ahead with Removing Bike Lanes on Bloor Street

Source: CP24

The Ford government says it is immediately starting to remove bike lanes along a stretch of Bloor Street West and is moving forward with plans to strip lanes from two other major Toronto arteries.

Following the recent ruling from the Ontario Court of Appeal, the province has issued a request for proposals (RFP) to begin restoring motor vehicle lanes previously removed for bike lanes on Bloor Street, Yonge Street, University Avenue, Queen's Park, Queen's Park Crescent and Avenue Road. The province will immediately begin restoring lanes on Bloor Street West starting at Clissold Road, where vehicle lanes were restored in December 2025.

Transportation Minister Prabmeet Sarkaria said the government was given "a clear and direct mandate" to fight gridlock. Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow has repeatedly spoken out against the move, saying bike lanes are very local decisions that should be left to the community.

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3. Liberal Tanveer Shahnawaz Wins Beaches-East York Byelection

Source: CP24

The Liberals have won the Beaches-East York federal byelection, with Tanveer Shahnawaz earning 14,837 votes, just under 55 per cent of the vote, with 191 of 200 polls reporting.

NDP candidate Shannon Devine finished second with 25.9 per cent of the vote, followed by Conservative Jim Syrbos at 16.3 per cent and Green Bruce Livesey at 1.7 per cent. Shahnawaz is the long-standing constituency office manager for departing Liberal MP Nathaniel Erskine-Smith.

Born at the former East General Hospital to parents who immigrated from Bangladesh, Shahnawaz told supporters it would be the "honour of a lifetime" to represent "the only home I've ever known" as the next MP for Beaches-East York.

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4. North York Stabbing Sends Man to Hospital

Source: CP24

Toronto police are investigating a stabbing in North York that left a man seriously injured Tuesday night. Police say a call came in shortly before 7:30 p.m. for a stabbing in the area of Wilson Avenue and Keele Street.

Officers located the victim upon arrival, and paramedics transported him to hospital with serious but non-life-threatening injuries. No suspect information has been released.

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5. Youth on Scooter Struck by Vehicle in Pickering Suffers Serious Injuries

Source: CP24

A youth riding a scooter was struck by a vehicle in Pickering and sustained serious injuries on Tuesday night, Durham police said. The collision happened in the area of Finch Avenue and Whites Road shortly before 7:30 p.m.

Police said the youth was transported to a Toronto-area trauma centre. There is no immediate word on whether the driver remained at the scene, and the intersection is closed for the investigation.

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6. Suspects Allegedly Damaged Toronto Home After Victim Refused Roofing Scam: Police

Source: CP24

A group of suspects who allegedly damaged a home in Toronto's affluent Rosedale neighbourhood after the victim refused to fall for their elaborate roofing scam is being sought by police.

Police said that sometime between Aug. 10 and Aug. 17, one suspect attended the home near Mount Pleasant Road and Elm Avenue, identifying themselves as a "fraud investigator" looking into roofing scams in the area. The suspect claimed repairs were being done for "free" and the homeowner would be reimbursed as a roofing scam victim.

When the suspect returned with another person, they said the victim would need to pay for repairs up front, which was refused. Days later, the suspect and three others returned without the owner's knowledge and damaged the roof and fence. Police advise homeowners to be wary of unsolicited door-to-door contractors demanding advance payment.

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7. Massage Practitioner Charged with Sexual Assault in Richmond Hill

Source: CP24

A massage practitioner has been arrested after police say a person was sexually assaulted during a massage appointment in Richmond Hill over the weekend. York Regional Police say the victim attended an acupuncture massage appointment Sunday in the area of Major Mackenzie Drive East and Bayview Avenue.

On Monday, police arrested Jianji Li, 61, of Richmond Hill and charged him with sexual assault. The charge has not been tested in court. Police released an image of Li as they believe there may be additional victims.

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8. Ontario Woman Convicted of Murder in Boyfriend's Stabbing

Source: CP24

A Newmarket judge has found McKenzie Gill guilty of second-degree murder in the July 2024 stabbing of her ex-boyfriend Blake Bibby. Despite claims of self-defence, Gill was convicted by Justice Vanessa Christie for the stabbing following an alcohol-fuelled argument inside Bibby's Millard Avenue Newmarket apartment.

Gill, 33, testified that Bibby ran toward her that night and she stabbed him in the chest, while the defence argued she was defending herself from an abusive on-again, off-again boyfriend. But Justice Christie found Gill deliberately stabbed Bibby knowing the consequences, calling her actions "retaliation" and saying "there was no force used or threatened on her" and that Gill "was not in fear, she was furious." Gill was taken into custody following the conviction.

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9. Canadian Families Still Waiting for Answers One Week After Nepal Disaster

Source: CP24

Neeral Patel sent well-wishes to her cousin on his birthday last Wednesday but never heard back. Her cousin Ishan Patel was in Nepal near the border with China, where a devastating flash flood ripped through the valley that same day.

Ishan Patel was travelling with his wife Akanksha Patel, both dual Canadian-U.S. citizens, along with his mother Shilpa Patel and father-in-law Umesh Patel, who are Canadian. The flooding on Aug. 26 killed more than 1,100 people and left roughly 4,400 missing after a glacier collapsed in the Himalayan border region between Nepal and China.

Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand has said 30 Canadians and permanent residents are among the missing. Ottawa said Monday it has 10 government officials on the ground in Nepal to help locate the missing, while Neeral Patel, who lives in Toronto, is urging a wider international response.

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10. Pentagon Defends Hegseth's Controversial Post About Canadian Cadet Program

Source: CP24

The Pentagon is standing behind a controversial social media post by U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth about a Canadian cadet program. Hegseth posted an image from the Cadet Training Centre in Vernon, B.C., depicting two young women in uniform with the caption "this is real" alongside a Canadian flag.

The post triggered massive backlash from Canadians, with some accusing Hegseth of body-shaming women in the cadet program and others criticizing him for targeting the youth program to disparage the Canadian Armed Forces. Asked about the backlash, Pentagon deputy press secretary Jacob Bliss said "the X post speaks for itself."

Prime Minister Carney told reporters that comments from Trump administration officials maligning Canada's military were "beneath their office," and B.C. Premier David Eby called the post and the Pentagon's defence of it an embarrassment. Conservative MP Garnett Genuis noted "cadets do great work, and are not members of the military."

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