Maple Express Evening | August 21, 2026 Canada-U.S. Trade Talks Enter Final Stretch

1. Canada-U.S. Trade Talks Enter Final Stretch as Midnight Tariff Deadline Looms

Source: CP24

High-level trade negotiations between Canada and the United States were underway in Washington on Friday, with negotiators having less than 24 hours to reach a deal and avoid U.S. President Donald Trump's new 50 per cent tariffs on Canadian goods. The Canadian side has remained tight-lipped about the details of the accord, with Dominic LeBlanc saying Wednesday that Canada's dairy supply management system will remain in place. Multiple sources tell CTV News they expect reductions in American aluminum, steel and auto tariffs, but questions linger on lumber and agriculture.

LeBlanc returned to the U.S. Trade Representative's office after a lunch break Friday afternoon without stopping to speak to media. A source from the Canadian team tells CTV News LeBlanc, Janice Charette, Blanchard and Wiseman are participating in a "working lunch." The lumber industry, meanwhile, is wary of the outlook. Brian Menzies, executive director of the Independent Wood Processors Association of B.C., says the talks have been going on for nine years, with tariffs rising from around eight per cent to 45 per cent and possibly expanding to 50 per cent, while about $11 billion in tariff deposits is currently being held at the border.

International trade lawyer Robert Glasgow expects negotiations may adopt a "phased approach" and could extend through the weekend. Meanwhile, all premiers say they will comply with Prime Minister Mark Carney's request to bring U.S. booze back to shelves, though experts and residents aren't sure Canadians will buy it. Former Alberta premier Jason Kenney said he hopes the Canadian trade representatives haven't made any preliminary concessions during the negotiations.

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2. 22-Year-Old Man Charged in Connection with String of Sexual Assaults in Markham

Source: CP24

York Regional Police announced Friday that a 22-year-old man has been charged in connection with a series of sexual assaults that happened in Markham within a week. Police say all four incidents involved the same suspect, who was riding a bicycle in the area of Edward Jeffreys Avenue, between Markham Road and Roy Rainey Avenue, with each incident occurring in the evenings.

Police announced they were searching for the accused on Tuesday, and by Friday he was brought into custody. York police charged Abdul Basit Raufi, 22, of Markham, with four counts of sexual assault and one count of disguise with intent. The charges have not been tested in court. Investigators are releasing the suspect's picture as they believe there may be more victims, and they add that the accused has ties to Brampton.

"The suspect is believed to have taken steps to alter his appearance and may have looked different at the time of the offences," police said in Friday's news release. Investigators are asking anyone with additional information to contact them.

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3. Ontario Raises Speed Limits on Several Highways Effective Friday

Source: CP24

Drivers across the province can now travel faster as speed limits increase on numerous highways, including some stretches of Hwy. 400, effective Friday. The affected stretches include Hwy. 7 from Appleton Side Road/County Road 17 to Hwy. 417, Hwy. 400 from Hwy. 401 to Lake Joseph Road, Hwy. 115 from Hwy. 35 to Parkway Interchange, Hwy. 416 from 1.5 km south of the Hwy. 416/417 interchange to Fallowfield Road/County Road 12, Hwy. 417 from Leitrim Road to Ottawa Regional Road 174, and Hwy. 417 from the Hwy. 416/417 interchange to Hwy. 7.

The changes come after the Ford government sought to increase speed limits on numerous stretches across the province. By the end of September, 89 per cent of the province's highways will have posted speed limits of 110 km/h, according to Transportation Minister Prabmeet Sarkaria during a news conference in June. On Aug. 31, multiple stretches of Hwy. 401 will be affected by the change.

"The key focus around this is based on safety and it is also based on previous pilots that we have run. We've had over 800 kilometres already that over the past two years we've shifted towards 110 km/h posted speed limit," Sarkaria said, adding that there has not been an increase in fatalities in those sections.

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4. New and Expanded Schools Set to Open in the GTHA This Fall

Source: CP24

Several new schools and school additions in the Greater Toronto Area are set to open this fall for the upcoming school year. In a news release, the Ontario government laid out exactly which institutions are opening or expanding as part of its $30-billion, 10-year plan to build and renew schools across the province.

More than $1 billion was earmarked for 35 projects which will open in the next several months and create more than 18,000 student and 1,100 licensed child-care spaces. New schools include Dante Alighieri Catholic Secondary School in Toronto ($60.7 million), St. Peter Catholic Elementary School in Toronto ($30.5 million), Cedar Valley Secondary School in Oshawa ($72.3 million), Waaban Public School in Oshawa ($27.7 million), Whitby Meadows Public School in Whitby ($30.5 million) and Heartwood Public School in Whitby ($24.4 million).

School expansions include St. Kateri Tekakwitha Catholic School in Oshawa ($3.8 million) and Hodgson Public Middle School in Toronto ($40.6 million). École élémentaire catholique Sainte-Kateri-Tekakwitha in Mississauga ($21.9 million), Caledon East Public School in Caledon ($30.9 million) and Northglen Orchard Public School in Bowmanville ($36.8 million) are also opening this fall.

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5. Astronaut Jeremy Hansen Opens CNE, Touts Canada's Space Sector

Source: CP24

Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen said Friday that his experiences in space left him forever changed and he wants to spend his time post-retirement from the Canadian Space Agency pushing the domestic space sector forward. Hansen, who became the first Canadian to venture to the moon and the first non-American to travel beyond low Earth orbit while flying in the historic Artemis II mission, was in Toronto to mark the opening of the Canadian National Exhibition.

Hansen says it was an honour to open the CNE and tour the fair's space exhibition, which includes a gallery of photos from the Artemis II mission that sent humans flying by the moon for the first time since 1972. The CNE opens for its 147th year. The astronaut says Canada's space sector will continue to grow and be an important pillar for the economy, and it's important to inspire the next generation to be the "workforce of the future."

Three months after Hansen and his three American crewmates returned from their lunar flyby, he announced he was retiring from Canada's astronaut program. Hansen says he would "100 per cent go back to space" if asked: "I saw some things and witnessed some things that will be with me forever. The views out the window were literally to die for." Canada has made integral contributions to space exploration, including designing the robotic Canadarm on the International Space Station and producing vital hardware for the James Webb Space Telescope. The federal government estimated in 2024 that the space sector added $3.8 billion to the country's economy.

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6. Driver Crashes into Parking Garage Door, Strikes a Tree in North York

Source: CP24

A man was taken to hospital after crashing into a parking garage door and then striking a tree in North York on Friday. The collision happened in the area of Don Mills Road and Finch Avenue East at noon.

Toronto paramedics said the man sustained serious, non-life-threatening injuries. The circumstances that led to the crash are unknown.

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7. Man Wanted After Bank Robbed in Burlington

Source: CP24

Halton Regional Police are searching for a suspect after a bank was robbed Thursday in Burlington. It happened at around 5:40 p.m. at the Bank of Montreal (BMO) branch at 519 Brant Street.

Officers say they responded to reports of a lone male suspect who entered the bank and began demanding money from staff. The suspect allegedly jumped the counter and "targeted rolls of coins and cash" from accessible drawers before fleeing from the rear of the building and hopping into a dark-coloured sedan. Police noted that customers were also present at the time of the robbery.

No weapons were seen or indicated, and nobody was injured, police said. Police believe the suspect to be a white male, approximately 25 years old, with short, light or brown-coloured hair and yellow teeth. At the time of the robbery, police say he was wearing a yellow hoodie. Police are asking anyone with information, including any security footage or dashcam video, to contact investigators or Crime Stoppers anonymously.

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8. Nominations for Ontario's Fall Municipal Elections Now Closed

Source: CP24

Ontarians now have a clearer picture of the choices they'll face at the ballot box this fall, with nominations for thousands of municipal roles locked down after a final burst of declarations. Would-be candidates had until 2 p.m. to register for the Oct. 26 vote.

The last few days have seen a flurry of high-profile entries, including former Liberal MP Nate Erskine-Smith, who is running to represent the east-end Toronto ward of Beaches—East York. Some came down to the wire: in Windsor, incumbent Mayor Drew Dilkens's name was added to the official list of candidates with less than half an hour left on the clock.

Some political observers have raised concerns over the number of seats showing only one candidate or none at all. Zachary Spicer, an associate professor of public policy at York University, says a competitive mayoral race can bump up voter turnout in municipal elections, and he'll be keeping an eye on Mississauga and Hamilton. In Toronto, where veteran politicians including former federal Conservative minister Chris Alexander and current council member Brad Bradford are seeking to unseat mayor Olivia Chow, a new Ipsos poll conducted for the Toronto Region Board of Trade found 59 per cent of respondents said the city lacks speed in making decisions, while 57 per cent say it lacks willingness to try new solutions, and 55 per cent said the city isn't investing enough in infrastructure.

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9. TSX Gains More Than 250 Points as Investors Brush Off U.S. Trade Risks

Source: CP24

Canada's main stock index gained more than 250 points on Friday as trade talks between Canada and the U.S. continued, while markets south of the border also gained ground. Canada-U.S. Trade Minister Dominic LeBlanc and Canada's chief negotiator Janice Charette are meeting with U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer in Washington as the clock ticks down on the latest tariff deadline.

The S&P/TSX composite index was up 254.81 points at 36,620.23, with the basic materials sector leading the gains. "The market reaction today definitely suggests investors are treating a deal as a risk reduction, rather than an economic boom," said Brianne Gardner, senior wealth manager of Velocity Investment Partners at Raymond James Ltd. U.S. President Donald Trump's latest tariff threat on $28 billion worth of Canadian goods is set to take effect just after midnight, unless officials are able to finalize a trade agreement.

The December gold contract was up US$109.20 at US$4,680.60 an ounce. Meanwhile, Canada's big banks are set to report their third-quarter results next week: BMO Financial Group and Scotiabank report on Tuesday, followed by National Bank on Wednesday, with CIBC, Royal Bank of Canada and Toronto-Dominion Bank reporting on Thursday. The Canadian dollar traded for 72.67 cents US compared with 72.54 cents US on Thursday. In New York, the Dow Jones industrial average was up 517.80 points at 53,277.01, the S&P 500 was up 33.21 points at 7,674.37, and the Nasdaq composite was up 113.29 points at 26,180.46.

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10. Two Children and a Woman Hospitalized After Early Morning Collision in Barrie

Source: CP24

Two children and a woman are in hospital after an early morning collision in southwest Barrie on Friday. Police say a 9-year-old and 5-year-old boy and a woman were struck while crossing the street on Friday morning.

Police tell CTV News the driver of the vehicle was turning at the intersection of Mapleview Drive onto Garibaldi Drive when the collision occurred. According to Barrie Fire, the collision happened just before 7 a.m. Police say the 9-year-old was transported to a local hospital while the 5-year-old and the woman were transported to a Toronto area trauma centre via air ambulance.

Police later confirmed to CTV News that the 5-year-old and the woman are in stable condition in hospital in Toronto, and the 9-year-old in the local hospital has non-life-threatening injuries. Mapleview Drive between Garibaldi Drive and Nakiska Court has been reopened after previously being closed for the collision investigation. The female driver remained on scene following the collision, but police say there is no word yet on charges nor cause of the collision.

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