Maple Express | Aug 28, 2026 Ontario's top court rejects Greenbelt law challenge

1. Ontario's top court rejects developer's Greenbelt law challenge

Source: CP24

Ontario's Court of Appeal today (Aug. 28) sided with a lower court in rejecting developer Minotar Holdings Inc.'s constitutional challenge of a 2023 law that returned 15 parcels of land to the Greenbelt, reversing Premier Doug Ford's plan at the time to open up protected land for development.

Lawyers for the developer argued the law violates the authority of the superior courts and "unwritten constitutional principles." In a decision released Friday, the Appeal Court found the argument would do "real harm to the balance of the Constitution and must be rejected."

In a 2-1 ruling, the court agreed with a lower court that the province's action did not violate the jurisdiction of the superior courts. The decision states the amendments "alter the legal rights of persons through changes to substantive law" and "fall within well-established modes of regulation."

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2. Canada Post reports $277M pre-tax loss in second quarter

Source: CP24

Canada Post says it lost $277 million before taxes in the second quarter, an improvement from the $407-million loss in the same period a year ago. The postal service credited labour stability — new collective agreements were ratified in June — along with an early-stage recovery of its parcels business and lower operating costs.

Quarterly revenue grew by $22 million, or 1.5 per cent, with parcels revenue up 20.7 per cent year-over-year. However, its pre-tax loss for the first six months was $482 million, compared with $448 million in the first half of 2025.

To address its financial struggles, Canada Post is converting 621,000 homes from door-to-door delivery to community mailboxes in late 2026 and 2027, with a long-term plan to convert roughly four million addresses.

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3. Edmonton-born father back in Canada after 9 months in U.S. detention

Source: CP24

An Edmonton-born man who lived most of his life in the United States is back in Canada after nine months in immigration detention. Curtis Wright, 40, said he endured terrible conditions at U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement facilities in Texas after being taken into custody 10 months ago.

Wright said he fought to remain in the U.S. to raise his two young sons from a previous marriage, ages eight and 11, who remain in Texas. Rather than self-deport to Canada, he chose to stay south of the border to be with them.

Wright was returned to Canada from the South Texas ICE Processing Centre a little more than two weeks ago. He says a drug possession conviction from when he was 17 resurfaced in November as he returned from a work trip in Mexico, leading to his detention.

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4. Markham man charged with indecent act

Source: CP24

A 57-year-old man has been charged in connection with an indecent act in Markham that was captured on video and posted on social media. York Regional Police said the incident happened on Aug. 20 in the area of McCowan Road and Highway 7 East.

Police said a man approached a woman and allegedly committed an indecent act. Investigators are aware the incident was recorded and circulated on social media, police said in a news release on Friday.

The man, identified as Fabio Guerrieri of Markham, has been arrested and charged with indecent act. Police believe there may be additional victims and are encouraging anyone with information to come forward.

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5. Police seek man after 11-year-old girl photographed in Toronto washroom

Source: CP24

Police are looking for a man who allegedly took pictures of an 11-year-old girl in a washroom stall in Kew Gardens. It happened Tuesday at around 4 p.m. at the park in the Beaches neighbourhood near Queen Street East and Lee Avenue.

Police allege the male suspect was inside the washroom when the girl walked in, and took photos of her through the gaps of the cubicle after she entered a stall. The girl sought assistance and the suspect fled in an unknown direction.

Police are searching for a man between 27 and 30 years old, about five-foot-10 with a medium build, a black grown-out buzz cut with tiny curls and a short beard. He was last seen wearing a black baseball cap, black-framed sunglasses, a black shirt with a white "arctic" logo, black shorts and black running shoes.

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6. Toronto developer investment fraud cost victims $3.49M: police

Source: CP24

Police have made two arrests following an investigation into alleged investment fraud involving a development company that they say cost victims approximately $3.49 million. The investigation began in 2025 after multiple reports of fraud involving Goldentrust Development Inc. in North York.

Police say multiple victims were approached regarding investment and real estate development opportunities and promised returns, only to later discover that representations about property ownership and investment security "were false." Some victims also provided funds toward a home renovation project that was never completed.

Two suspects were arrested Tuesday: Peng Zhang, 43, of Toronto, charged with three counts of fraud over $5,000, and Bingbing Dong, 41, of Markham, charged with one count of fraud over $5,000. A third suspect, Jiachen Dong, 37, of Toronto, remains outstanding and is believed to have fled to China.

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7. Police release images of suspect in Burlington condo ransacking

Source: CP24

Halton police have released images of a suspect who allegedly broke into several units at a condo building in Burlington. Police said it happened on Aug. 16 at the building near Brant Street and Lakeshore Road.

The suspect entered five units while the residents were not home, ransacking the homes in search of valuables and stealing cash, jewelry and handbags, police alleged in a news release on Friday.

The suspect is described as a white male between 30 and 40 years old with an average build, last seen at the building wearing two separate outfits. Anyone with information is asked to contact police or Crime Stoppers anonymously.

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8. Ontario warned of suspicious OSAP activity at career colleges: documents

Source: CP24

The association representing career colleges in Ontario began warning the government about possible "suspicious" student financial aid activity at a few campuses three years ago, documents show. The documents were filed as part of a court challenge to a government decision blocking students at five career college campuses from accessing OSAP loans this school year.

Career Colleges Ontario also asked the government to refer certain related concerns to police, though the details of those concerns are not clear. A February letter says the association began raising concerns about "indicators consistent with suspicious activity" in OSAP applications in January 2023 and held four meetings with the ministry that year.

In a January 2025 letter, the association told the ministry its analysis of 2022-2024 data found 10 schools had anomalous increases averaging 855 per cent. One school went from 107 applications in 2022 to 2,992 in 2024, an increase of nearly 2,700 per cent.

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9. Canadian brands rally around Lake Ontario with new merchandise

Source: CP24

Canadian companies are turning Donald Trump's decision to rename Lake Ontario "Lake America" into an opportunity to promote Canadian-made products and push back against the U.S. president's latest jab, as trade tensions continue to escalate.

Liam Mooney, co-founder and CEO of Canadian clothing company Jackpine, told CP24 Friday his company moved quickly to produce a hat featuring the words "Lake Ontario." He said the goal is to highlight Canadian manufacturing rather than simply capitalize on the political dispute.

Another Canadian clothing company, Province of Canada, has also launched Lake Ontario merchandise, donating 15 per cent of each order to Indspire, an Indigenous charity investing in the education of First Nations, Inuit and Métis people.

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10. StatCan: World Cup gave economy only minor bump

Source: CP24

New figures from Statistics Canada show the FIFA World Cup modestly boosted economic activity in June, with some tourism-related industries even edging down slightly for the month.

The agency says accommodation services lowered 0.7 per cent in June despite the influx of tourists for the 10 soccer matches held that month, while air transportation contracted 0.5 per cent. Food services and drinking places grew 0.6 per cent compared with May.

A notable World Cup-related boost was an 8.6 per cent increase in radio and television broadcasting stations, the largest growth rate since the Olympics in February, while strength in spectator sports drove 1.1 per cent growth in arts, entertainment and recreation in June.

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