Maple Express Evening | October 9, 2026 — SIU clears officer in fatal North York shooting of Const. Marc Pinizzotto

Source: CP24

1. SIU clears officer in fatal North York shooting of Const. Marc Pinizzotto

Ontario's Special Investigations Unit released its final report Friday into the June 11 shooting in North York, concluding that a second Toronto police officer who returned fire at a 19-year-old suspect will not face charges. In the report, SIU Director Joseph Martino wrote that the officer and Const. Marc Pinizzotto fired their weapons to defend themselves "from a reasonably apprehended attack."

The report recounted the events: at 5:40 a.m., members of the Toronto police Emergency Task Force went to an apartment in the area of Black Creek and Trethewey Drives to execute a search warrant, with the 43-year-old Pinizzotto as the third officer in the stack. Police said the warrants were tied to multiple shootings, including one at the U.S. consulate. As Pinizzotto turned into a hallway leading to the bedrooms, the 19-year-old appeared in a doorway and fired three times at close range.

Pinizzotto returned four rounds from his C8 rifle before collapsing, and an officer behind him fired nine times, then five more after a brief pause. The SIU said four other people in the unit were unharmed, and the 19-year-old was taken to hospital with multiple gunshot wounds. Toronto police identified him as Nicholas Bennett, who has been charged with first-degree murder and is due back in court Nov. 4. Chief Myron Demkiw said the decision "does not diminish the profound loss our Service continues to feel."

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2. New video released in Vaughan hit-and-run that killed Richmond Hill woman

York Regional Police released new security video Friday showing the moments before a 60-year-old Richmond Hill woman was fatally struck on Sunday, Oct. 4, in the Vaughan area of Pine Valley Drive, just north of Major Mackenzie Drive. Walking northbound at around 8:30 p.m., she can be seen carrying what appears to be a small suitcase and a flashlight.

The video shows three vehicles travelling in the same direction one after another, and police have not yet identified which one struck her. Investigators say they want to speak with the drivers of all three vehicles, and are asking residents north of the collision site, between Ballantyne and Teston roads, to review home security and dashcam footage recorded between 8:30 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. on Oct. 4.

Police previously identified the victim as a live-in caregiver who had just stepped off a bus and was walking to work along a stretch with a "narrow shoulder and no sidewalk," Const. Kevin Nebrija said. Her body was found nearly two days later — at around 3 p.m. Tuesday, a passerby spotted her suitcase on the road and then discovered her in nearby grass. Her next of kin has been notified, and investigators are urging the driver responsible to seek legal advice and turn themselves in.

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3. Stelco begins layoff notices at Hamilton plant; worker questions tariff rationale

Stelco Holdings Inc. has begun handing out layoff notices to workers at its Hamilton, Ont., steel plant. Its U.S.-based parent, Cleveland-Cliffs, has said it intends to lay off up to 500 workers, citing tariffs and market pressures beyond its control.

Stelco employee Mike Watts received his notice Friday morning and was told it would be his last day. After two decades at the company, he said he was handed an envelope with his layoff papers and wished good luck. "What's my future?" he asked, adding that he doesn't understand why the company is making sweeping layoffs when it has so many Canadian orders.

"They're sending all of our slabs down to the United States," Watts said. "We had companies from B.C., they want our steel. Honda from Alliston, they want our steel. This company just doesn't want to help a Canadian product." Industry Minister Melanie Joly said Wednesday that the company's U.S. owner has supported steel tariffs and therefore cannot portray the layoff plan as beyond its control. In 2024, Canada allowed Cleveland-Cliffs to buy Stelco under the Investment Canada Act on condition it maintained union jobs; the company said it would hire workers back if a steel trade agreement is reached.

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4. Halton police seek drivers in two separate Burlington hit-and-runs

Halton police are searching for two drivers wanted in separate hit-and-runs in Burlington that injured two people. The most recent incident occurred Wednesday night on Fairview Street, east of Brant Street.

Police said an adult male pedestrian was hit by a westbound vehicle in the curb lane and was later taken to hospital with serious injuries. The driver fled and was last seen speeding away on Fairview Street. The vehicle is described as a dark-coloured compact SUV, and the driver and passenger are both believed to be men in their 20s.

The other incident happened on the morning of July 10 at the intersection of Appleby Line and Dundas Street. Police said a teen was crossing the road when he was struck by a vehicle turning from Dundas Street onto Appleby Line. The driver stopped and briefly spoke with the teen before leaving; the teen went to hospital with serious but non-life-threatening injuries. The driver is described as a white woman, 40 to 50 years old, five-foot-five with light-coloured hair.

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5. Ontario's top court revives challenge to Hamilton's anti-encampment bylaw

Ontario's top court has revived a constitutional challenge brought by a group of homeless people in Hamilton against the city's anti-encampment bylaw. Whether the bylaw is unconstitutional will be left for a new judge to decide, after the Court of Appeal for Ontario found flaws in a lower court's decision to dismiss the challenge.

The Appeal Court found the trial judge's ruling leaned heavily on his finding that the city did not carry out overnight encampment evictions, contrary to the testimony of several residents. Friday's ruling says the trial judge discounted that testimony based on stereotypes about mental illness and addictions.

The Appeal Court panel also said that on key legal issues the trial judge's reasons "lacked the depth of analysis that is required" when dealing with homeless encampments. The city did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

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6. Ontario's SIU seeks new director as Martino's term ends

The province's police watchdog is looking for a new director as the current head of the Special Investigations Unit is set to step down at the end of the year. The SIU says Joseph Martino's term expires on Dec. 31, and a job posting for his replacement closes today.

The civilian agency investigates incidents involving police that have resulted in death, serious injury, shots fired at a person or allegations of sexual assault. The job posting says the director oversees all aspects of SIU investigations and has "the sole authority" to decide whether charges against police officers are warranted.

The agency's latest annual report for 2024-25 says criminal charges were laid by the director in 17 cases against a total of 18 police officers — fewer than five per cent of all cases investigated. Martino has served as SIU director since 2019.

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7. A wild turkey has been roaming a west-end Toronto neighbourhood for weeks

One turkey has escaped its demise this Thanksgiving weekend and has been spotted roaming a west-end Toronto neighbourhood. Resident Angela McCann first spotted the bird near Brock Avenue and Dundas Street West around the end of August and has seen him regularly since, most recently on Wednesday.

"He just eats the weeds and the grass beside the brick wall where the cars are parked," McCann said. "He comes up to my screen door and he looks at my cats and then he just walks away." In a video she shared with CTV News, taken shortly after 7:30 a.m. on Sept. 8, the turkey can be seen waddling around the street by parked vehicles before McCann ushers it onto the sidewalk.

Neighbour Stephanie Huynh says the turkey takes cover under the trees in their yard whenever it rains, and people call her "Tina the turkey." In one picture, the bird surveys the block from atop a black SUV. McCann says it hasn't acted aggressively, but she's concerned for it as cooler weather arrives. The City of Toronto confirmed it is aware of a wild turkey sighting in the Parkdale area and advises residents to keep their distance and avoid feeding or approaching the animal.

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8. Backstreet Boys add two more Toronto shows, bringing residency to 11

The Backstreet Boys added two more concerts to their Toronto residency on Friday, bringing the total to 11 shows. Tickets to the nine previously announced shows went on sale at 10 a.m. and by noon most had been snatched up.

"It's. All. Happening. You guys have blown through these tickets and we truly didn't know the demand would be THIS BIG so we are adding TWO MORE SHOWS on March 5th & 6th," the band wrote on social media.

After tickets for the two new dates went on sale shortly after 11 a.m., there were nearly 100,000 people in the Ticketmaster queue for the Saturday show. The 11 concerts will be held at the Rogers Centre, with the first on Feb. 12. Ticket prices ranged from around $80 in the 500 level to $300 for floor seats. The tour is called "Into the Millennium - HOMECOMING: Live in Canada."

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9. More than 400 kg of nicotine pouches, 10,000 vapes seized at Windsor borders

More than 400 kilograms of nicotine pouches and 10,000 nicotine vapes have been seized at Windsor, Ont., borders. On Sept. 26, Canada Border Services Agency officials at the Gordie Howe International Bridge seized 481 kilograms of tobacco products from a commercial driver coming from the U.S.

The next day, officials at the Ambassador Bridge seized 10,200 nicotine vapes from a different commercial driver, also coming from the U.S. The CBSA says the products were seized with no terms of release, and the investigations are ongoing.

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10. B.C. woman who married an ISIS fighter pleads guilty to terrorism charge

A woman from Squamish, B.C., who married an ISIS fighter and moved to Syria over a decade ago has pleaded guilty to a terrorism charge. Kimberly Polman spent nearly four years in a Syrian detention camp before she was repatriated to Canada in 2022.

In 2024, she was charged with "leaving Canada to participate in the activity of a terrorist group" and "participation in the activity of a terrorist group." On Thursday, one month before her trial was set to begin, she pleaded guilty to the first charge. The maximum sentence for such a terrorism offence is 10 years in prison.

Her legal team told CTV News in an email that the plea meant she was taking responsibility for her actions in 2015, when she left Canada to join her husband whom she met online. Polman was arrested by Kurdish fighters in 2019 on suspicion of involvement with ISIS and detained in a Syrian Democratic Forces camp. She has been the subject of a terrorism peace bond since November 2023.

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