Maple Express Evening | November 4, 2026 - Fatal three-vehicle crash shuts QEW in both directions in Niagara Falls

Source: CP24

1. Fatal three-vehicle crash shuts QEW in both directions in Niagara Falls

The QEW was closed in both directions in Niagara Falls on Wednesday afternoon after a fatal three-vehicle collision. Ontario Provincial Police said the crash happened between Thorold Stone Road and Mountain Road.

In a video posted on social media, OPP Sgt. Kerry Schmidt said there was at least one fatality and that other people were being taken to hospital. He said one of the vehicles involved was a tractor-trailer.

Schmidt warned drivers to expect "extensive delays," saying the closure was expected to remain in place through the afternoon and into the evening.

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2. Toronto wants a new deal with the province. Ford says the answer is 'no'

Premier Doug Ford said flatly on Wednesday that the province will not be putting together a "New Deal 2.0" to solve Toronto's finances. "No, there's no 2.0 to answer your question directly," Ford told a reporter at Queen's Park when asked whether he planned to cut a new deal giving the city more money.

The original new deal was signed early in Mayor Olivia Chow's first term. It uploaded responsibility for the Gardiner Expressway and the Don Valley Parkway back to the province, saving the city billions, and provided $1.2 billion in operating support over three years ending in 2026, along with capital support through 2024. City officials had said they were working with the province on a second iteration offering more long-term, predictable funding. The premier's comments came a week after a fall economic update showed the provincial deficit ballooning to $16.9 billion.

Ford said the province would still work with the city on certain priorities, particularly safety, including putting police in the subways. "We're all in," he said, calling the tragedy in the Bridle Path "unacceptable." Chow's office did not directly address his dismissal of a new phase, saying in a brief email that the mayor looks forward to meeting the premier on shared priorities such as housing, transit and public safety. Ontario NDP finance critic Jessica Bell said she was concerned, arguing municipalities want stable and predictable funding rather than piecemeal pots of money.

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3. Man dies in industrial accident in Scarborough, police say

A man has died after an industrial accident in Scarborough on Wednesday morning, Toronto police said. It happened just before noon in the area of McNicoll Avenue and Tapscott Road.

Police said officers responded to reports of a person injured by construction equipment. Paramedics said no other injuries were reported.

In a statement to CP24, the Ministry of Labour confirmed it had been notified of the workplace incident and said an inspector had been assigned to investigate. "As the investigation is ongoing, no further details are available at this time," the statement said.

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4. Ford says OSAP auditors will clear low-risk career colleges first, with no timeline given

Premier Doug Ford said Wednesday that the audit firm examining how student financial aid is used at Ontario career colleges will prioritize clearing lower-risk schools so their funding can be unfrozen, but he gave no timeline. "We've asked KPMG to prioritize low-risk colleges," Ford said. "Let's get them back up and moving as quickly as possible, and that's our goal."

Ford's government paused Ontario Student Assistance Program payments to all career colleges and private post-secondary institutions while KPMG audits serious concerns about the integrity of the system. Colleges and Universities Minister Nolan Quinn has said preliminary findings include inadequate student validation and verification of course enrolment, plus unusually high concentrations of OSAP from the same geographic locations, and he referred those findings to the Ontario Provincial Police.

Quinn has said the pause will last until a new, strengthened approval process is in place, which he expects early in the new year. NDP critic Peggy Sattler said students at schools that always followed the rules should never have been caught up in this. "Students did all the right things," she said. Interim Liberal leader John Fraser said students cannot wait until the new year.

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5. Ford 'very open' to scrapping seasonal time changes if Quebec and New York are on board

Premier Doug Ford said Wednesday he is "very open" to eliminating seasonal time changes in Ontario, provided Quebec and neighbouring U.S. jurisdictions are on board. "This argument's been going on for decades. If Quebec and New York and the Eastern Corridor of the U.S. want to do it, I'm all there," Ford told reporters at Queen's Park.

Ford said Ontario would need to stay aligned with Quebec and New York because of economic ties, particularly in the financial sector. Kenora and northwestern Ontario remain permanently on daylight saving time, while the rest of the province still changes its clocks twice a year.

Ford said he is open to discussions with Quebec Premier Paul St-Pierre Plamondon, who said last month that his government intended to abolish the time change but had not yet decided whether to keep daylight or standard time year-round. Ford also pointed to Alberta, British Columbia and Manitoba, which as of this year remain permanently on daylight time. "The reason they did it, they want to get closer to our time frame. They don't want to be three hours behind," he said.

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6. Ontario tribunal finds Hollywood financier Jason Cloth defrauded film investors

Ontario's Capital Markets Tribunal has found that Hollywood financier Jason Cloth defrauded investors of money intended to bankroll film productions. The tribunal found Cloth misused tens of millions of dollars entrusted to his company, Creative Wealth Media Finance Corp., which acted as a go-between for investors and film producers looking for loans.

The case was brought by the Ontario Securities Commission, which examined a database tracking the company's transactions and submitted transcripts of two interviews with Cloth. The decision states that Cloth did not appear at the hearings and that his lawyer did not take a position on the allegations or make any factual admissions, and did not cross-examine witnesses.

The tribunal found Cloth and his company used more than $50 million of investors' money for a real estate project without the investors' knowledge when it was supposed to finance specific films, and that about $4.75 million was diverted in 2018 from a project called "The Nightingale" to other purposes including "Bombshell." Cloth has been given until Nov. 16 to arrange another hearing on how he might be sanctioned. In July he was indicted by a federal grand jury in Chicago on allegations he defrauded clients of more than $100 million, facing seven counts of wire fraud punishable by up to 20 years each; he was released on bail and those allegations have not been proven in court.

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7. Former secretary of Serbian Orthodox Diocese of Canada charged with fraud over $200K

The former secretary of the Serbian Orthodox Diocese of Canada has been charged with fraud after more than $200,000 was redirected or fraudulently claimed, Halton Regional Police said Wednesday.

Police said the investigation into the former secretary of the Milton-based church began in August. Investigators allege the suspect submitted fraudulent expense claims and redirected funds intended for the Diocese into "accounts under his personal control."

Police determined total losses exceeded $200,000 but did not disclose the exact amount. They said 40-year-old Jovan Marjanac, of Wingham, Ont., was charged on Oct. 21 with fraud over $5,000. The charge has not been tested in court.

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8. B.C. hospitals declare Code Orange after bus crash injures several

A bus crash has left multiple people injured, including some seriously, in northern British Columbia. First responders were called Wednesday morning to Highway 39, south of the community of Mackenzie, after the bus left the roadway.

Authorities have not confirmed how many people were hurt. A spokesperson for the Northern Health authority said the Mackenzie and District Hospital and the University Hospital of Northern B.C. in Prince George both declared a Code Orange to deal with the mass-casualty event, and asked residents to avoid both emergency departments unless they are suffering a life-threatening situation.

Cpl. Brett Urano of the B.C. RCMP said multiple ambulances, including air assets, were called to the scene. "At this early stage of the investigation, limited details are available," he said. A spokesperson for data centre company IREN told The Canadian Press the bus was chartered by one of its contractors. Police said the highway was expected to remain closed for several hours with no alternate routes, and Mackenzie Secondary School said the incident did not involve a school bus and all its students were safe.

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9. A dozen arrested in Guelph Homecoming investigation as police seek more suspects

Twelve people between the ages of 17 and 21 are facing charges for their alleged roles in a chaotic, unsanctioned street party during the University of Guelph's Homecoming weekend, police announced Wednesday.

Guelph Police believe approximately 15,000 people took part in the Sept. 26 gathering on Chancellor's Way. Officers responded to about 550 incidents across the city that day, including 250 directly related to Homecoming. Social media videos showed party-goers throwing objects into crowds, young men climbing the side of a building and police in tactical gear trying to quell the event.

Each of the 12 is charged with assault with a weapon, causing a disturbance and two counts of mischief; one man was also charged with assaulting a peace officer with a weapon. "A crowd does not provide anonymity and it doesn't protect anyone from the consequences of their actions," Police Chief Gord Cobey said. Police said 16 people have been identified but they are still looking for the names of another 18.

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10. Democrats retake Congress as Canada's trade fight drags on

Democrats have retaken control of the U.S. Senate and Congress in a sweeping rebuke to President Donald Trump and the Republican Party, The Associated Press reported. Two years into a trade war, Canadians are waiting to see what the shift in the balance of power means, but on Wednesday it remained unclear how the results will affect trade negotiations.

The two sides have yet to reach an agreement. Prime Minister Mark Carney has indicated progress, but political watchers say immediate relief is unlikely. The report also noted that Trump's trade war hit conservative parts of the South: in the unexpected battleground state of Mississippi, international trade supports 20 per cent of all employment, and the top destination for the state's exports is Canada.

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