Maple Express | November 11, 2026: Pilot killed as Remembrance Day formation flight crashes near Quebec City

1. Pilot killed as Remembrance Day formation flight crashes near Quebec City

Source: CP24

Quebec provincial police have confirmed that a small plane taking part in a Remembrance Day ceremony crashed Wednesday morning south of Quebec City, killing the male pilot at the scene. Police said the pilot was a local man in his 60s and was alone on board. The crash happened at around 11 a.m. in a wooded area near the Saint-Georges airport in Beauce, about 100 kilometres south of Quebec City.

Sureté du Québec spokesperson Audrey-Anne Bilodeau said the major crime unit is investigating to make sure no criminal element was involved, and that the Transportation Safety Board is also heading to the site. She said the aircraft was taking part in an event with other planes when it went down. Saint-Georges Mayor Manon Bougie told CTV News the plane was part of a formation of six aircraft taking part in the city's Remembrance Day ceremony that morning, performing a "Missing Man" formation, and that it crashed on its final approach for landing.

A witness told Noovo Info the plane appeared to break away from the group; a woman watching from her office window noticed it flying lower than the others before it disappeared behind trees, with black smoke rising afterwards. Quebec Premier Paul St-Pierre Plamondon said he is closely monitoring the situation with Domestic Security Minister Guy Jr. Lapointe and offered his sincere condolences to the pilot's family, while Quebec Liberal leader Charles Milliard also posted a tribute.

2. Ford letter to PM: no Chinese EV kits at Brampton plant

Source: CP24

Ontario Premier Doug Ford has written to the prime minister urging the federal government to ensure Chinese-made EV kits are not assembled at the Brampton plant. The letter obtained by CTV News is dated Nov. 10, the day after the sale of Stellantis' Brampton assembly plant to defence manufacturer Roshel was announced. It states that Canada and Ontario cannot allow the introduction of Chinese-made knock-down kits at the Stellantis Brampton facility, which Ontario strongly opposes.

Sources say Stellantis plans to re-lease 25 per cent of the plant from Roshel to assemble "affordable" EVs for Canadian customers while retaining part of the workforce. Industry sources are concerned this means assembling Chinese EV kits, or even building the cars entirely. In the letter, Ford said replacing made-in-Canada vehicles with kit production would cost thousands of jobs — a direct loss of more than 7,500 positions in Brampton alone, replaced by only a few hundred assembly jobs.

Prime Minister's spokesperson Sofia Ouslis said Wednesday that the federal government is aligned with Ontario in protecting workers and manufacturing in Brampton, and is not considering any proposal to replace full vehicle manufacturing with Chinese-made kit cars, stressing that any Chinese EV investment must use Canadian parts, Canadian labour and a Canadian supply chain. Industry Minister Melanie Joly has repeatedly opposed knock-down kits, telling reporters in April that the auto parts sector employs 200,000 workers. Unifor National President Lana Payne opposes the plant sale; a meeting between the union, Joly and Stellantis is scheduled for Thursday in Toronto.

3. Molson Canadian, Coors Light among beers recalled nationwide over metal pieces

Source: CP24

Molson Canadian, Coors Light, Blue Moon and other popular beer brands are being recalled across Canada because of the presence of metal pieces. A recall notice published by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency warns: "Do not use, sell, serve or distribute the affected products."

The affected brands also include Hop Valley, Brasseur de Montréal, Black Horse and India Beer, covering both alcoholic and non-alcoholic beers made by Molson Canada 2005. That company is the Canadian subsidiary of Molson Coors Beverage Company, formed in a 2005 merger between U.S.-based Coors and Molson, which was founded in Canada in 1786.

The full list of specific recalled product codes is available in the CFIA recall notice.

4. Police identify one of two suspects in deadly Etobicoke shooting

Source: CP24

Toronto police said Wednesday they have identified one of two suspects wanted in the fatal shooting of an 18-year-old man near a community centre in Etobicoke. Joseph Kunene, 19, of Toronto, is now wanted for first-degree murder.

Police were called shortly before 1 a.m. on Nov. 10 to the area of Elmbank Community Centre, near Martin Grove Road and Finch Avenue West, for the sound of gunshots. Officers found a male victim suffering from gunshot wounds; first responders tried to revive him but he was pronounced dead at the scene. Police identified the victim Tuesday as Brandon Blake, 18, of Barrie. Two suspects fled before officers arrived.

Kunene is described as six feet tall and about 175 pounds, with black hair, brown eyes and a distinctive tattoo on his right hand. Police warn he is considered armed and dangerous and say anyone who locates him should not approach and should call 9-1-1 immediately. The second suspect, not yet identified, is described as a white male with a thin build who was wearing all black clothing with the hood up and a mask covering most of his face. Det.-Sgt. Sandra Arruda called the shooting in the community "very concerning" and urged anyone with information to come forward, saying even small details may provide major evidence for investigators.

5. Man seriously injured in stabbing near Dufferin Station

Source: CP24

A man was rushed to hospital with potentially life-threatening injuries after a stabbing near Dufferin Station in Toronto's west end Wednesday afternoon.

Police said it happened shortly after noon near Bloor Street West and Dufferin Street. A male suspect was arrested nearby and was also injured. Paramedics transported two people to hospital, one with potentially life-threatening injuries and the other with serious injuries.

Police said the investigation is ongoing and asked anyone with information to contact investigators.

6. Pellet gun damages Vaughan home, York police investigating

Source: CP24

York Regional Police are investigating after property damage caused by a pellet gun was reported at a Vaughan home early Wednesday morning.

In a social media post, police said officers responded to a call for property damage in the area of Teston Road and Highway 400 shortly before 7 a.m. Police initially said the damage had been caused by gunfire, but a forensic examination of the scene later confirmed a pellet gun was involved. No injuries were reported.

Police said the suspects fled before officers arrived, and officers remain in the area canvassing for video footage and witnesses.

7. Report finds Quebec regions have caught up with Ontario, but Toronto-Montreal gap persists

Source: CP24

A new report by the Institut du Québec has found that Quebec's regions have closed the economic gap with Ontario, even as the wealth gap between Toronto and Montreal remains.

The report found that Quebec's GDP per capita was 91 per cent of Ontario's in 2011 when Toronto and Montreal were excluded, and that the gap was nearly closed by 2022, when the per capita GDP of Quebec's regions reached 99 per cent of Ontario's. The spread between the two metropolitan areas, however, did not narrow: Montreal's per capita GDP remains at about 80 per cent of Toronto's.

Institut du Québec economist Jean-Baptiste Vallantin-Dulac said Montreal hasn't necessarily performed poorly, but Toronto's economy is heavily based on the lucrative finance and insurance sectors. The research group warned the gap could widen if Quebec does not reverse its immigration policies to attract a highly-skilled workforce.

8. Union report says understaffing is hitting students across all 72 Ontario school boards

Source: CP24

Student-to-staff ratios for education workers have worsened at all 72 of Ontario's school boards since the Ford government took office, according to a report published Monday by the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) and the Ontario School Board Council of Unions (OSBCU).

The report compared education worker staffing in the 2025-26 school year with 2018-19, the first full school year of Premier Doug Ford's government. At 60 school boards, ratios worsened in four or more education worker classifications, and 12 boards saw 10 or more. Dan Crow, CUPE's researcher for the report, said the average number of classifications with worsening ratios is 6.7 per school board. More than 12,000 education workers responded to the union's 2025 survey, and 92.3 per cent said more staff are needed in schools.

Among educational assistants surveyed, nearly 73 per cent said they support five or more students in a typical week, up from 60 per cent in 2018, while only three per cent provide one-on-one support, down from 7.4 per cent. In 2025-26, 1,559 kindergarten classes had no designated early childhood educator (DECE), affecting about 19,240 students, compared with 1,168 classes and 13,983 students in 2018-19. There are 642 fewer full-time-equivalent DECEs than in 2018-19. Seventy per cent of custodians surveyed said they are sometimes unable to finish daily duties, and 41 per cent said parts of their school aren't cleaned every day.

Staffing is a centrepiece of the union's proposals in central bargaining with the province. The union wants dedicated funding to hire new staff, a DECE and an educational assistant in every kindergarten class, and a hard cap of 26 students in classes with kindergarten students. The report comes as teachers' unions hold strike votes: the Elementary Teachers' Federation of Ontario votes Nov. 9 to 18, the Ontario Secondary School Teachers' Federation Nov. 6 to 16, the Ontario English Catholic Teachers' Association Nov. 12 and 13, and the Association des enseignantes et des enseignants franco-ontariens Nov. 16 and 17. OSBCU, which represents more than 57,000 CUPE education workers, began its vote Nov. 4, with voting closing Nov. 18.

9. One week left to claim part of $11-million CIBC mutual fund settlement

Source: CP24

The deadline to claim part of an $11-million class-action settlement involving CIBC mutual funds is only one week away. Anyone who held mutual fund units with CIBC or Renaissance Investments on or before Sept. 5, 2025 is eligible, as long as those investments were not held through a discount broker. Claims must be submitted by Nov. 18, 2026.

The lawsuit alleged that trailing commissions were improperly paid to discount brokers out of management fees tied to CIBC and Renaissance mutual funds. Mutual fund companies typically pay annual trailing commissions to financial advisers or brokers who oversee customer accounts, and Renaissance Investments is operated by CIBC Asset Management Inc., a CIBC subsidiary. The defendants — Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce, CIBC Trust Corporation and CIBC Asset Management — deny the allegations, and the settlement is not an admission of liability or wrongdoing.

Settlement funds will be deposited directly into the accounts of current CIBC mutual fund holders as well as current and previous Renaissance fund holders; previous CIBC fund holders must submit a claim online at cibcmutualfundssettlement.com. Under the plan of allocation, eligible claimants should expect to receive about $32, though the figure could vary depending on the number of claimants. Kalloghlian Myers LLP, the Toronto-based law firm that oversaw the class action, stands to earn more than $3.6 million in legal fees.

10. Canada refuses visas for Russians to play at world juniors

Source: CP24

The Canadian government has informed Hockey Canada and the IIHF that it will not issue visas for Russians to play in the upcoming World Junior Championship.

Secretary of State for Sport Adam Van Koeverden said Wednesday that the immigration minister will take measures to individually assess and prevent Russian and Belarusian athletes and officials from entering Canada to compete, regardless of whether they already hold valid visas. He said the measures are not directed at the Russian and Belarusian people, but are intended to prevent those governments from using international sporting events hosted in Canada as platforms for state representation, political legitimacy and propaganda. Canada's position, he said, is that there can be no return to business as usual as long as Russia continues its war of aggression against Ukraine.

Prime Minister Mark Carney said last week that Russian and Belarusian athletes could not compete in Canada representing their countries while the war continues. The government's Nov. 3 statement allowed individual athletes to compete as neutrals but did not clarify whether that could extend to a Russian team at the men's under-20 tournament, which opens Dec. 26 in Edmonton and Red Deer; Van Koeverden clarified Monday that the neutral designation applies to individuals, not teams. Norway's hockey federation said Sunday the IIHF had informed it that Russia would be added to the world juniors at Norway's expense. The Court of Arbitration for Sport ruled last month that the IIHF must reinstate Russia in international hockey.