Maple Express | September 20, 2026 Multiple people injured in multi-vehicle crash in Aurora

Source: CP24

1. Multiple people injured in multi-vehicle crash in Aurora

Multiple people were injured in a collision in Aurora on Saturday night, York Regional Police said. The multi-vehicle crash happened at the intersection of Wellington and Bathurst Streets shortly before 8 p.m.

A York Region spokesperson said paramedics assessed five patients. The extent of their injuries is unknown. The cause of the crash is under investigation.

Source

2. Multi-vehicle crash snarls traffic on DVP, Gardiner Expressway

A multi-vehicle crash brought traffic to a standstill on portions of the Don Valley Parkway and Gardiner Expressway in downtown Toronto on Saturday night. Emergency crews were called to the northbound lanes of the DVP north of Gerrard Street East shortly before 7 p.m. for a five-vehicle collision.

Toronto police said two people were taken to hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. The crash closed all but one northbound lane at Gerrard Street East and backed up traffic on the eastbound Gardiner Expressway. Police said they received reports of vehicles doing U-turns and driving the wrong way on the Gardiner Expressway eastbound on-ramp from Yonge Street. “Obey the rules of the road at all times,” police said in a social media post.

Source

3. Hundreds rally against proposed high-speed rail line between Toronto, Ottawa and Quebec City

Hundreds of people gathered Saturday afternoon in rural Quebec to push back against a proposed high-speed rail line between Toronto and Quebec City. Many in the farming community at the rally in Rigaud, Que., between Ottawa and Montreal, say the project would negatively impact their way of life. It comes after Alto confirmed this week it has acquired a property along the proposed corridor.

Farmer Karine Bercier received letters in April to access her family property. “We noticed that 3,000 acres that we have is actually in the corridor,” she said, adding the line would be devastating for her farming business. “There’s so many things that we can’t control and the only thing that we can control is actually the acres that we have,” she said.

Alto is studying a high-speed rail line connecting Toronto and Quebec City, with possible stops in Ottawa, Montreal, Laval and Trois-Rivières. The first section would be built between Ottawa and Montreal. An Alto spokesperson said the Toronto-Quebec City corridor is Canada’s largest economic region, home to 17 million people, representing 41 per cent of Canada’s population and generating more than 40 per cent of GDP — conditions where high-speed rail has proven successful worldwide. Ian Lee, an associate professor at Carleton University, argued the project has radically underestimated capital costs and overestimated ridership. Conservative Party of Quebec leader Éric Duhaime also attended and spoke in support, calling it “unacceptable” for farmers.

Source

4. Scarborough parking lot could become a micro-home community for people experiencing homelessness

An underused parking lot at the rear of a commercial building in southwest Scarborough could soon be transformed into a micro-home community for people experiencing homelessness. Located near Danforth and Birchmount roads, the proposed project is being spearheaded by Tiny Tiny Homes, a Toronto-based non-profit that has provided cost-effective temporary shelter in mini-dwellings since 2024.

Founder and executive director Ryan Donais said the idea dates back to July, when he first began communicating with the owners of Sefonias Catering, who own the property. Things moved quickly, and the two sides soon entered a three-year lease at a cost of $1 a year. “It all happened really fast,” he said. Bosena Mekonen, of Sefonias Catering, said they “love doing charitable work” and were excited to take part. “We had this unused space. It was just junk, damaged cars, a trailer there so we offered up the land,” she said.

Donais said roughly $350,000 is needed to complete the project — about 10 per cent of the cost of one bed in a shelter — and that about 20 per cent has been raised so far through donations and in-kind contributions. “We can build this whole project for the cost of one shelter bed and at no cost to taxpayers,” he said. The goal is to have the community ready for occupancy by Dec. 31, with 10 pet-friendly, 96-square-foot units plus two buildings housing accessible washrooms and showers, programming and community space, and administrative and case management offices. It has been named Brent’s Place, in honour of one of Tiny Tiny Homes’ first residents, Brent Blake. The City of Toronto told CP24 the proposal is under review and must meet all necessary zoning, building and regulatory requirements before it can move forward.

Source

5. One of Canada’s largest private English language schools ceases operations, files for bankruptcy

One of Canada’s largest private English language schools has shut down after filing for bankruptcy on Friday. In a message posted on its website, the International Language Academy of Canada cited increased financial challenges over the past three years “due to significant regulatory changes affecting the sector.”

“Throughout this period, we have done everything possible to ensure the school has the resources it needs to operate, while continuing to offer high-quality education to our students. Despite these best efforts, ILAC no longer has the financial resources necessary to continue operating,” the message read. “We understand and deeply regret the challenges our community will face because of this news.”

The academy, which opened in 1997, had campuses in Toronto and Vancouver. It is not immediately clear how many international students are impacted. ILAC said it is working with regulators to support students through the “difficult transition,” and that KPMG has been appointed as insolvency trustee. In 2024, the federal government announced a temporary cap on international student permits to ease pressure on housing and services. Earlier this month, IRCC said in an email to CTV News that the international student population has dropped by one-third since then. This year, arrivals are tracking well below target — just 22,405 arrived in the first six months of 2026, below the 155,000 target. Many colleges in Ontario have suspended programs and laid off staff due to declining enrolment.

Source

6. Police expand search for missing senior along Humber River

Toronto police say a senior went missing while kayaking along the Humber River on September 10.

Police have expanded the search for the missing senior. CTV News Toronto’s Mike Walker reports.

Source

7. Woman wanted after stealing gold chain off a victim, replacing it with a fake

Toronto police are searching for a 23-year-old woman accused of stealing a gold chain off a victim and replacing it with a fake before fleeing the scene.

Police identified the woman as Andreea Ispas, 23, who is wanted for robbery.

Source

8. Wanted man accused of pushing person draped in Palestinian flag, making anti-immigrant comments

Toronto police are looking for a man accused of pushing one person and making anti-immigrant comments during an unprovoked interaction earlier this month. Police said they got a call at 2:30 p.m. on Sept. 5 for an assault in the area of Yonge Street and Sheppard Avenue East.

The suspect approached a person draped in the Palestinian flag standing at the intersection and allegedly pushed them, then allegedly hurled anti-immigrant comments before walking away.

In a news release on Saturday, police shared an image of the suspect, believed to be between 55 and 60 years old, six feet tall with a heavy build and clean-shaven. He was last seen wearing a grey shirt with “JUST DO IT” writing, green shorts, a beige baseball hat, and grey running shoes.

Source

9. Vancouver seniors relive childhood freedom on three wheels

In Vancouver, a group of seniors is reliving the freedom of childhood through Cycling Without Age. Lorraine McKendry remembers the freedom of childhood bike rides in Calgary: “Your parents didn’t know where you were. You just got to go on your bike, with a lunch, and be home for supper,” she recalled. “We lived at a lucky time.”

Decades later, she is getting a chance to feel some of that freedom again. McKendry is among the many Vancouver seniors hitching rides with Cycling Without Age, a volunteer-powered charity that gives older adults the opportunity to get outside on three-wheeled e-bicycles — also known as trishaws — even when they can no longer pedal themselves. The organization’s trained volunteers, known as pilots, pedal seniors and their loved ones around Vancouver’s parks, seawall and scenic neighbourhoods.

Cycling Without Age says its goal is to help seniors reconnect with the outdoors, their communities and other people. It operates from May through October, with rides arranged through care homes, senior organizations or by seniors living independently. The organization currently has about 80 volunteers in Vancouver. “We have teachers, we have physicians, we have police officers. We have a lot of pilots and retired flight attendants,” said executive director Jake Winn. In July, about 750 seniors took part in rides in Vancouver, with dozens of care homes already on the waitlist. The charity relies on volunteers, fundraising and grants, and hopes to purchase more trishaws (at $25,000 each) and secure more storage space.

Source

10. Film jobs are booming in Newfoundland. So where are they going to shoot?

On Wednesday, audiences in St. John’s got a sneak peek at the latest big-budget production showcasing Newfoundland and Labrador. Dozens were invited to a special screening of Below, a drama starring Josh Hartnett headed for a worldwide release next month on Netflix.

Not only is the miniseries shot in Newfoundland, but it is thoroughly set there. “I think it, for one, really sends a message to Hollywood and to Canada at large that we’re capable of telling stories that are big in scale and scope,” said executive producer Chris Hatcher. The production spent big during its shooting in 2025, helping boost the film industry to a milestone year. PictureNL — a project by the provincial government — said spending in 2025 hit more than $150 million across multiple productions. “We’re on track to go beyond that $150 million in production activity this year already,” said director Laura Churchill.

Churchill says the next step for the growing industry is a way to tackle the province’s moody weather. Although productions like Below have traded on the province’s natural beauty, Newfoundland and Labrador is infamously foggy, rainy and grey. A dedicated, purpose-built indoor sound stage would help crews keep more work inside the province and allow production year-round. Churchill says the local industry currently supports about 800 jobs, with a local film campus graduating roughly 70 students every year. Parts of Peter Pan & Wendy and Aquaman, as well as the TV shows Frontier, Reacher and Severance, were shot in the province. “It’s the warmest reception I’ve ever had, in any place I’ve ever been in my life,” Hartnett told the audience Wednesday evening at the Majestic Theatre in St. John’s.

Source