Maple Express | August 24, 2026 Conservatives call on PM to reconvene Parliament over trade deal

1. Conservatives call on PM to reconvene Parliament over trade deal

Source: CP24

Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre is calling on Prime Minister Mark Carney to reconvene Parliament, days after Canada walked away from a trade deal with the United States. In a letter Sunday evening, Poilievre wrote that the national interest must come first.

Carney pulled Canadian negotiators out of Washington late Friday night, citing unfair last-minute demands. New 50 per cent U.S. tariffs took effect at midnight Saturday, affecting $28 billion worth of Canadian goods, and Carney has pledged dollar-for-dollar counter-tariffs starting Sept. 8.

Poilievre said Parliament must address three issues: transparency on the abandoned deal, the true cost to Canadians, and the impact on jobs and industries such as steel, aluminum, lumber and auto.

2. Layoffs or price hikes: businesses face difficult decisions with new U.S. tariffs

Source: CP24

Inside a Toronto children's store, owner Jill Rochon is repricing goods imported from the U.S. New American tariffs and Canada's proposed counter-tariffs are expected to raise her costs, and she may be forced to lay off long-time employee Zoe Tilups and other staff.

An analysis by University of Calgary economics professor Trevor Tombe estimates roughly 87,000 Canadian jobs could be at risk from the new 50 per cent U.S. tariffs, about 52,000 directly and another 35,000 indirectly.

Ontario (36,100), Quebec (18,300) and B.C. (11,200) are expected to be hardest hit. Labour groups, including the Canadian Labour Congress's Bea Bruske, are urging Ottawa to extend employment insurance and expand work-sharing to protect workers.

3. Ontario youth mental distress back to pre-COVID level, survey suggests

Source: CP24

The Centre for Addiction and Mental Health says psychological distress among Ontario youth has fallen since the pandemic, though it remains high. Its latest Ontario Student Drug Use and Health Survey found 46 per cent of students in grades 7 to 12 reported moderate to serious distress in 2025, down from 51 per cent in 2023.

Lead investigator Hayley Hamilton called the decline encouraging but noted the figure is still far above levels from more than a decade ago.

The survey also found fewer students using alcohol and drugs, but a sharp rise in online gambling. One in 10 students placed sports bets in 2025, up from one in 100 in 2017, and nearly a quarter reported seeing gambling ads daily.

4. Overpayment scam leads to tree-chopping mishap

Source: CP24

An Alberta homeowner had her 26-year-old maple tree cut down without permission after a scammer posing as her hired an arborist while her family was away. Alina Schweer, of Lacombe, learned what was happening when a neighbour texted her, and she began yelling through her doorbell camera to stop.

Jesse Harder, owner of Clear Mountain Solutions, travelled about 90 minutes for the job, believing Schweer had hired him. Someone had used a photo from the home's real estate listing to arrange the removal. The cheque he received exceeded the deposit, and he was asked to pass the extra money to roofers who never existed.

The Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre identifies this as an overpayment scam. Lacombe police are investigating. Schweer estimates repairing and landscaping the front yard will cost between $5,000 and $15,000, forcing her family to put home-sale plans on hold.

5. Toronto special weather statement ends

Source: CP24

A special weather statement for Toronto and most of southern Ontario has ended, but rain remains in the forecast. The city was soaked all weekend by multiple rounds of showers and thunderstorms, and the advisory lifted shortly before 5:30 p.m.

The Toronto and Region Conservation Authority issued a flood outlook Sunday morning, warning that rivers could rise above normal levels with stronger flows over the next two days.

Monday is expected to be cloudy with a 60 per cent chance of showers and a high of 20 C, with sunny skies returning Tuesday.

6. Hwy. 401 ramp in Whitby reopens after tractor-trailer in ditch

Source: CP24

A Highway 401 eastbound off-ramp in Whitby was closed for several hours Sunday after a tractor-trailer entered a ditch.

Ontario Provincial Police said the ramp to Lake Ridge Road South was fully closed as of 11:30 a.m. while crews removed the truck. It reopened shortly before 5:30 p.m. The circumstances of the incident are not yet known.

7. Russian embassy protesters keep daily picket, 4.5 years into Ukraine invasion

Source: CP24

Four and a half years after Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, a group of protesters gathers every weekday outside Russia's embassy in Ottawa to show support for Ukraine.

Retiree Karen Niven-Wigston began attending shortly after the February 2022 invasion. Protesters decorate the lawn with pink plastic flamingos, a reference to Ukrainian-made Flamingo missiles, and use other props to remind people of the war.

Participants include Faith Jamieson, Kathryn Morneau and PhD student Angela Kalyta, who says she is alarmed at how Ukraine has slipped from the news cycle.

8. Hamilton police seek 3 people after shooting at private event

Source: CP24

Hamilton police are looking to speak to three people they say have critical information about a shooting at a private event early Sunday morning.

Police received a call at 3:10 a.m. for a shooting near Queenston Road and Parkdale Avenue South. A physical altercation broke out between two parties and a firearm was discharged, but there is no information suggesting anyone was injured.

Police have released images of three people and are asking them to contact investigators at 905-546-4883.

9. Hypothermic hikers rescued from B.C. backcountry

Source: CP24

Two hikers became hypothermic after their tent was damaged during the severe thunderstorm that swept through southern B.C. on Saturday night.

Lions Bay Search and Rescue said the pair were camping near Magnesia Meadows in Cypress Provincial Park along the Howe Sound Crest Trail. More than 7,000 lightning strikes were recorded, and high winds tore away their tent's rain fly.

Low cloud and rain prevented helicopter access, so rescue teams carried equipment up on foot, reaching the hikers around 4:17 p.m. After several hours of rewarming, they are being escorted down via the Harvey Basin Trail.

10. Firefighter wore 75 pounds of gear for a 5K

Source: CP24

In Cornwall, P.E.I., firefighter Bradley Slater pulled on 75 pounds of bunker gear for a rain-soaked five-kilometre walk Sunday, raising awareness of the cancer risks firefighters face.

Slater's partner, Janette Kerry, has been living with cancer for nearly three years. In November 2023 she was diagnosed with MEN2A and medullary thyroid cancer.

The pair's campaign is collecting donations for the P.E.I. Cancer Treatment Centre, while the Just Live Fun Run supports the Sarcoma Cancer Foundation of Canada, matching donations up to $100,000 for EHE research at Princess Margaret Cancer Centre in Toronto.