Maple Express | September 10, 2026 Ford Expands Tariff Relief, Calls Scrapped U.S. Deal 'Absolutely Terrible'

1. Ford expands tariff relief, calls scrapped U.S. deal "absolutely terrible"

Source: CP24

Ontario Premier Doug Ford announced expanded eligibility for two tariff relief programs during a speech at the Toronto Region Board of Trade on Thursday, aimed at helping businesses and workers hit by the Canada-U.S. trade war.

Ford said Prime Minister Mark Carney was right to walk away from an agreement with the U.S. government. He called it "an absolutely terrible deal" that "would have destroyed our economy from top to bottom," hurting Canadian workers, undermining Canadian sovereignty and causing permanent damage to businesses that employ hundreds of thousands of workers.

Earlier this week, Canadian counter-tariffs of 15 to 50 per cent on nearly $28 billion of U.S. goods took effect, after which U.S. President Donald Trump announced plans to ban Canadian alcohol and other products, including motorcycles, mattresses and some dairy items. Ford said he supports Carney's "dollar-for-dollar" response, and warned "we have to be prepared to withstand the pain."

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2. Carney gathers cabinet in Banff as Canada-U.S. trade war escalates

Source: CP24

Prime Minister Mark Carney will assemble a close circle of lawmakers for a cabinet summit in Banff, Alberta on Thursday. The meeting comes days after he imposed sweeping counter-tariffs on U.S. imports, which President Donald Trump answered with another round of punishing trade action.

Both countries have now placed levies on a wide range of goods. Canadian counter-tariffs, which took effect Tuesday, cover $27.6 billion in American steel, dairy, paper and other products. The same day, Trump signed a flurry of executive orders barring a series of Canadian imports, including motorcycles, alcohol and whey.

Trump also signed an order renaming Lake Ontario "Lake America" and criticized Canada's relatively weaker dollar. Separately, Carney was set to hold a closed-door meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Calgary, where he reiterated Canada's support for Ukraine.

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3. Doug Ford shuffles cabinet with three posts to fill

Source: CP24

Ontario Premier Doug Ford is shuffling his cabinet on Thursday, with at least a few people set to move as he looks to fill three vacant posts.

Ford's office has given no details beyond confirming the shuffle is happening, framing it as putting Ontario on solid ground amid U.S. President Donald Trump's trade war. Ford has lost three cabinet ministers in recent months, including former Treasury Board President Caroline Mulroney.

After her departure, the premier tapped Finance Minister Peter Bethlenfalvy to hold dual roles, though he may look to name someone new to the treasury post. Stan Cho resigned as minister of tourism, culture and gaming after coming under fire for spending $16,000 on Toronto hotel stays despite living in the city, while Neil Lumsden stepped down last month as minister of sport and MPP for Hamilton East-Stoney Creek.

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4. Highway 427 southbound lanes closed in Vaughan after crash

Source: CP24

The southbound lanes of Highway 427 are closed in Vaughan on Thursday morning following a crash.

Ontario Provincial Police say two vehicles were involved in the collision, which shut down the southbound lanes between Major Mackenzie Drive and Rutherford Road at around 2:40 a.m. Police said one person was taken to a local trauma centre for treatment, and it is unclear when the highway will reopen.

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5. Criminal network behind smash-and-grab robberies across Durham and Toronto: police

Source: CP24

Four members of a criminal network have been arrested in connection with a string of vehicle thefts and commercial break-ins across the GTA, including nearly $150,000 in merchandise stolen from a trading card retailer in Ajax, Durham Regional Police say.

Police believe the four suspects belong to an "organized" criminal network responsible for more than a dozen vehicle thefts and eight commercial break-ins across Durham Region and Toronto, along with a range of "brazen" offences including attempted carjackings and fraud.

In a smash-and-grab robbery at the Ajax trading card retailer on June 14, police allege the suspects made off with $148,000 in merchandise. At a news conference Thursday, police said the suspects have been linked to 36 incidents between June and September 2026, with total losses in the vicinity of $1 million.

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6. Watermain break opens massive sinkhole, halting Toronto streetcar traffic

Source: CP24

TTC streetcar traffic was halted in a part of Toronto on Thursday after a watermain break opened up a massive sinkhole.

Officials say shuttle buses are running to serve passengers affected by the sinkhole.

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7. Rain could extend mosquito season in Toronto, experts say

Source: CP24

The amount of rain Toronto has seen over the past week could keep mosquitoes buzzing through the city longer than usual. Experts told CTV News the city still appears to have a significant number of mosquitoes, partly due to the wet start to September, including a massive storm on Sept. 2 that dumped more than 130 millimetres of rain on parts of the GTA.

Rosalind Murray, an assistant professor of biology at the University of Toronto Mississauga, said the surge is "almost entirely because of" the heavy rainfall, pointing to an "explosion" of floodwater mosquitoes. Last week's storm caused widespread flooding across Toronto, even resulting in an extended closure of the Don Valley Parkway.

Murray added that this summer wasn't "crazy hot," and mosquitoes tend to thrive in slightly cooler temperatures, which also makes them live longer. Pest experts recommend removing standing water, keeping grass short and trimming shrubs to reduce breeding. Murray said the mosquitoes will disappear once colder, freezing temperatures set in, meaning this wave should last only a few more weeks at most.

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8. Man, 37, in custody after teen randomly stabbed in Hamilton: police

Source: CP24

Hamilton police say a 37-year-old man is in custody following a random daylight stabbing on Wednesday night. The incident happened around 5:30 p.m. in the area of Main Street West and Frid Street.

Police said a 16-year-old boy called 911 to report he had been randomly attacked by an unknown male and believed he had suffered a stab wound. The victim was taken to hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.

Several roads in the area were closed to help with the search and investigation, police said. The suspect was located nearby and arrested without incident, and the Hamilton Police K9 Unit searched the area and located the weapon believed to have been used.

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9. Four federal departments account for about 40% of early retirement applications

Source: CP24

Four federal departments account for roughly 40 per cent of all early retirement applications filed by federal public servants, as the federal government looks to shrink its workforce by 2029.

The federal government received 10,006 applications for the Early Retirement Incentive Program, which lets employees retire with an immediate pension based on years of service with no reduction for retiring early. As of Tuesday, 9,438 applications had been confirmed to meet the criteria and approved, while 68 were denied and 106 discontinued.

The Canada Revenue Agency was the top department with 1,552 applications, and it employed 48,774 people as of March 31, 2026. Employment and Social Development Canada had 1,053 applicants, National Defence had 764, and Public Services and Procurement Canada had 705. Approved employees must retire by Jan. 20, 2027.

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10. Grocer Empire refuses supplier requests for tariff price hikes: "too early"

Source: CP24

Fewer food items are seeing tariff-related price increases despite the escalating trade dispute between Canada and the U.S., according to executives at grocery chain Empire Co. Ltd., whose banners include Sobeys, Safeway, FreshCo and Farm Boy.

Chief customer officer Luc L'Archevêque told analysts during Thursday's fiscal first-quarter earnings call that the company has received a handful of supplier requests to raise prices but hasn't accepted any so far. "Our position will remain the same as the first time around: it's too early, so we won't accept any cost increases related to tariffs," he said.

Canada's retaliatory duties of 15 to 50 per cent kicked in earlier this week on U.S. imports including dairy, molasses and honey. Chief executive Pierre St-Laurent said the company feels "even better now than 18 months ago" thanks to stronger relationships with local and non-U.S. suppliers. Empire reported net earnings of $233 million in the quarter, up from $212 million a year earlier.

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