Maple Express | Aug 29, 2026 Ford unveils new Lake Ontario sign after Trump renaming

1. Ford unveils new Lake Ontario sign after Trump renaming

Source: CP24

Ontario Premier Doug Ford unveiled a new Lake Ontario sign in Winona, Ont. on Saturday afternoon, just days after U.S. President Donald Trump renamed the Great Lake as "Lake America." Ford used the appearance to reinforce his message that Ontario will "never back down" and always defend its interests.

"President Trump can call it whatever, but I can tell you the rest of the world will always call it Lake Ontario," Ford said. He added that he has received numerous calls from governors saying they will always call it Lake Ontario, and obviously Canada always will too.

Trump signed an executive order directing federal agencies to transition to the name "Lake America" in official databases and maps, following his earlier push to rename the Gulf of Mexico. Prime Minister Mark Carney has rejected the name change, citing the lake's longstanding history and its Wendat origins. Ford struck a defiant tone, saying political leaders on both sides of the border told him they will keep using Lake Ontario. "We're resilient, and we're strong Canadians... we'll never ever back down from a bully ever."

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2. Man in his 40s critically injured in downtown Toronto stabbing

Source: CP24

A man in his 40s suffered life-threatening injuries after he was stabbed in Toronto's downtown core Friday night, police say. Officers responded to reports of a stabbing in the Bathurst and Dundas Street West area at about 8 p.m.

The victim was located and taken to hospital with what were initially described as non-life-threatening injuries. Police later upgraded the victim's condition to life-threatening.

Investigators say there is currently no suspect description and it is not known exactly where the stabbing occurred. The investigation remains ongoing.

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3. Male stabbed in North York, female fled the area

Source: CP24

A male was rushed to hospital following a stabbing in North York late Saturday morning, Toronto police say. The incident happened in the Black Creek neighbourhood, near Jane Street and Shoreham Drive.

Police were called to the area at 11:12 a.m. for a stabbing at a residence, where officers found a male victim who had been stabbed. He was transported to hospital via trauma run by paramedics, with serious but non-life-threatening injuries.

A female suspect fled the scene before police arrived, and investigators later said the victim and the suspect are known to each other. There is a large police presence in the area, and anyone with information is asked to contact Toronto police at 416-808-3100 or Crime Stoppers anonymously.

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4. Toronto masseur charged after allegedly sexually assaulting a client in Chinatown

Source: CP24

A Toronto man working as a masseur has been charged after allegedly sexually assaulting a client in Chinatown. The incident happened on Aug. 22 near Spadina Avenue and Dundas Street West.

Jiquan Liu, 53, of Toronto, was arrested on Friday and charged with sexual assault. The charge has not been tested in court, and he was scheduled to appear before a judge that morning.

Investigators believe there may be more victims and have released an image of the accused. Anyone with information is asked to contact Toronto police at 416-808-1400 or Crime Stoppers anonymously.

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5. Convicted sex offender from Oakville charged with sexually assaulting woman he met online

Source: CP24

A convicted sex offender from Oakville is facing several charges after allegedly sexually assaulting a woman he met online, Peel police say. Police say between December 2025 and April 2026, a man met an adult female online and subsequently met with her in person several times.

"During these encounters, the accused allegedly rendered the victim unconscious and unresponsive before sexually assaulting her," police said in a news release, adding that the accused allegedly covertly recorded the assaults on his cellphone without the victim's knowledge or consent.

Following an investigation, police arrested Allen Siu Ming Chow, 73, of Oakville, on Aug. 27. He is charged with overcoming resistance by administering a drug, sexual assault causing bodily harm, and voyeurism. Police say he was previously sentenced to 18 years in prison for sexual offences and was released on federal parole on March 13, 2025.

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6. Ontario man thought he bought Canadian beef at Costco, then saw the back label

Source: CP24

Randy Thompson of Gravenhurst, Ont., stopped at a Costco in Orillia this week to pick up some Canadian beef. "On the front of the label it says, 'Kirkland brand cut triple AAA Canada beef,'" he said, describing the short ribs as one of his favourites.

But when he got home, he noticed another label on the back that said "Cut from USDA Choice beef" and "Product of USA, processed in Canada." Thompson returned to Costco to try to get answers but didn't receive an explanation. "It was either mislabelled or, at the very least, it's confusing," he said.

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency said it cannot comment on the specific case, but that all information on food labels must be accurate, truthful, and not misleading. Dalhousie University food researcher Sylvain Charlebois said consumers want clarity on where their groceries come from during trade tensions. Thompson said he plans to keep watching labels closely so he can buy Canadian.

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7. CBSA classified this business's golf trolleys as Chinese EVs, now it faces $183K in tariffs

Source: CP24

Joseph McLuckie, managing director and owner of JPSM Golf, a Pickering, Ont. small business that sells electric golf trolleys, says he has had countless sleepless nights since the Canada Border Services Agency determined about three months ago that his company owes more than $180,000 in tariffs on a shipment from over a year ago.

The shipment in question, a 40-foot container filled with 330 Formula remote trolleys, arrived from China in April 2025. McLuckie paid Canada's standard 6.1 per cent import tariff, a little more than $19,000. Thirteen months later, the CBSA said the trolleys were reclassified under a different tariff, subjecting them to the China Surtax Order, a federal levy first imposed in October 2024 with a 100 per cent surcharge on Chinese-made EVs that Ottawa repealed on March 1, 2026.

JPSM Golf's lawyer, Greg Kanargelidis, argued the surtax was meant to help Canada's auto industry — meaning motor vehicles, not things merely classified as motor vehicles like golf trolleys. McLuckie described his company as the "unintended consequence and collateral damage" of a measure meant to protect the Canadian automobile sector.

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8. We asked Canadians if they intend to boycott U.S. products. We heard a lot more than that.

Source: CP24

CTV News asked readers whether they would boycott American goods amid the escalating trade war, and what products they are boycotting and how they are coping as consumers. More than 200 readers responded, the majority saying they have been boycotting U.S. goods, services and travel.

Ontario resident Tom Holder said that after Donald Trump became U.S. president a second time, he and his wife cancelled their winter bookings in South Carolina, forgoing US$4,000 in deposits and staying in Barrie, Ont. instead last winter. This year they are closing on a condo on Prince Edward Island. "I can't see us ever going back down," he said.

Many respondents said boycotting American goods has meant paying more for domestic products, but they would rather pay more than support the U.S. Markham resident Lindsay Marijan said her family sold their Florida condo, boat and dock. "Who wants to support a country that wants to take our sovereignty away?" she wrote. A few Canadians said they continue to buy U.S. products, citing lower costs and fairness toward American residents.

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9. Federal Court staff work weekends, on vacation to keep up with cases: chief justice

Source: CP24

A massive increase in immigration cases in the last six years has created unmanageable workloads at the Federal Court, says Chief Justice Alan Diner. When he joined the court in 2014, it typically saw between 5,000 and 6,000 immigration cases a year, but the court is now on track to see upwards of 33,000 immigration filings this year alone.

"The judges have the pedal to the metal and are trying to do their utmost," Diner said, describing staff working around the clock, on weekends and through vacations. More than 14,000 immigration cases were filed between Jan. 1 and June 30, with 28,000 pending.

The passage of border security bill C-12 in March is adding further pressure, with more than 2,000 applications challenging the law's constitutionality and requests for stays of deportation rising from 300 to 400 a year to more than 1,100. Diner said the 44 Federal Court judges have seen a roughly 600 per cent increase in immigration cases since 2020 with no change in the number of judges, and the court needs more judges to keep up.

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10. B.C. premier calls byelection in riding where Conservative leader set to run

Source: CP24

B.C. Premier David Eby has called a byelection for next month in the riding of Abbotsford-Mission, where embattled Conservative Leader Kerry-Lynne Findlay is set to run. Eby's New Democrats said Saturday that former agriculture minister Pam Alexis will be back on the ballot in the Sept. 26 vote.

The seat became vacant when Conservative MLA Reann Gasper resigned earlier this month to give Findlay a chance to get a seat in the legislature. Findlay was elected party leader in May, but six MLAs have left her caucus to sit as independents this month, including five in a single week.

Defector Peter Milobar said it is "highly unlikely" there will be enough time for the new party he hopes to create with fellow defector Ian Paton to field a candidate in the race. Alexis said the NDP is working on issues like health care and housing while the provincial Conservatives are "focusing on culture wars over the things that matter most."

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