Maple Express | October 12, 2026 | Scarborough Voters Want More Than Promises as Toronto Mayoral Race Heats Up

1. Scarborough Voters Want More Than Promises as Toronto Mayoral Race Heats Up

Source: CP24

Scarborough is emerging as a key battleground in Toronto's mayoral race. An analysis of recent campaign activity by CTV found that since early September, candidates Olivia Chow and Brad Bradford have each made six campaign appearances or announcements in Scarborough. Transit, housing, youth safety and road congestion are among the issues drawing heightened attention.

Several experts and community leaders say the area matters far beyond its ballot-box influence. Larry Whatmore, president of the Scarborough Community Renewal Organization, said Scarborough has often been an afterthought in City of Toronto politics, especially since amalgamation. Stephen Farber, a University of Toronto professor who directs the Mobility Network, said residents are frustrated after decades of limited rapid-transit investment and repeated delays to major projects.

A Nanos Research survey conducted from Sept. 30 to Oct. 4 put Chow ahead among decided Scarborough voters with 51.8 per cent of respondents, compared with 43.5 per cent for Bradford. It found 32 per cent of Scarborough voters were still undecided. Scarborough has about 630,000 residents, 76.6 per cent of whom identify as a visible minority.

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2. Toronto Man Charged After Allegedly Exposing Himself to 3 Victims

Source: CP24

A Toronto man is facing several charges after allegedly exposing himself to three victims, Toronto police say. The first incident happened on Sept. 1 at around 3 p.m. aboard a southbound TTC subway car at King Station, where a man exposed himself to two victims before leaving the train after they activated the security alarm.

Investigators further allege that on Oct. 3 at about 12:10 a.m., a man followed a person getting off a TTC subway car at College Station. They got onto an escalator, and the accused allegedly exposed himself again. The victim confronted him and he fled the area.

Adebayo Maoli, 28, of Toronto, has been arrested and charged with one count of sexual assault and two counts of indecent act. The charges have not been tested in court. He was scheduled to appear in bail court on Oct. 9. Police believe there may be more victims and ask anyone with information to call 416-808-5200 or Crime Stoppers anonymously.

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3. 'Just Go Die Already': Ontario Cancer Patient Latest to Be Denied Provincial Drug Funding

Source: CP24

Another patient with a rare disease has come forward, saying Ontario's new policy to deny funding for most out-of-country drugs not already approved in Canada could mean she dies once she runs out of money to pay for her treatment. Toronto resident Holly Wardlow, an anthropology professor at the University of Toronto, has already spent close to half a million dollars on a drug that costs $78,000 a month for her rare liver cancer, wiping out her savings.

Wardlow said she was devastated to learn she had been turned down by a public program designed to help patients in unusual and life-threatening circumstances. 'It's scary and it's sad,' she told CTV News Toronto. 'I feel like the Ontario government just told me to just go die already, that's what it feels like.' Ontario's health ministry pointed to a policy announced last week to change regulation 552 of the Health Insurance Act to only fund drug treatments that have gone through provincial approvals, saying the old rule could cost OHIP $5.2 billion each year.

Wardlow has a rare NRG1 fusion cholangiocarcinoma, diagnosed in only about five Ontarians a year. Her drug, Bizengri (zenocutuzumab), was approved under Health Canada's Special Access Program but has not received wider approvals. She started taking it in April and has seen her tumour shrink markedly, but the monthly cost is steep, and a crowdfunding page had raised just over $57,000 as of Sunday.

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4. Police Release Photos of Suspect Wanted in North York Mischief Investigation

Source: CP24

Toronto police have released images of a suspect wanted in connection with a mischief under $5,000 investigation in North York. Police said they responded to a mischief call near Finch Avenue West and Weston Road on Aug. 5.

They said that on Aug. 3 at approximately 1:15 p.m., a suspect approached a commercial address and spray painted a symbol on the window of the business. The suspect was last seen wearing glasses, a brown vest, black pants and dark shoes with red laces.

The investigation is ongoing. Anyone with information is asked to contact Toronto police at 416-808-3100 or Crime Stoppers anonymously.

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5. Hurricane Isaias Moves North Into Appalachians and Mid-Atlantic

Source: CP24

Hurricane Isaias, the first hurricane of the Atlantic season, came ashore as a Category 2 storm near Destin, Florida, on Friday, then roared into Alabama with tropical-force winds before heading farther north. At least four deaths were linked to the storm. In Florida's Escambia County, a woman was killed when a tree fell on her home, and a man died of carbon monoxide fumes from a generator running in his garage.

In North Carolina, heavy rainfall caused rivers to overflow and raised the risk of flash and urban flooding. First responders in McDowell County said they dealt with five landslides and voluntary evacuations overnight Saturday into Sunday as roads flooded and streams overflowed. Earlier, an unhoused man and woman camping in Burke County were caught off guard by floodwaters from the Catawba River and were rescued, along with their dog.

Fewer than 300,000 customers remained without power Sunday evening in the Florida Panhandle and southern Alabama. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said he expected nearly everyone to have power restored by Tuesday night. Meanwhile, former tropical storm Rachel brought unusually big waves to Southern California, tearing apart a century-old wooden boardwalk in Long Beach and forcing homeowners to evacuate.

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6. Saudi Airport Passenger Terminal Struck Again, a Day After 12 Were Killed

Source: CP24

A projectile struck a passenger terminal at the international airport in Riyadh on Sunday, a day after a missile hit the same terminal and killed 12 people, the Saudi-led coalition fighting Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen said. The Houthis claimed responsibility for those attacks and others.

Saudi authorities said there were injuries in the latest attack on the King Khalid International Airport complex for terminals 3 and 4, serving domestic flights. The airport, struck four times in the past five days, has been closed since Saturday's missile attack, the deadliest in a Gulf Arab nation since the Iran war began. Over 300 other people were wounded.

India's embassy in Saudi Arabia said one of its citizens died Sunday of injuries from Saturday's attack, which would bring the toll to 13. Saudi authorities later said King Fahd International Airport in Dammam also was attacked. The Riyadh strike came as the Saudis hosted a major international energy conference, where Saudi Energy Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman said, 'There is no way that somebody will break our back.'

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7. Box Office: 'Other Mommy' Tops the Charts as 'The Social Reckoning' Opens Soft

Source: CP24

The Jessica Chastain horror film 'Other Mommy' topped the North American box office this weekend with a bigger audience than expected, while 'The Social Reckoning' got off to a lackluster start.

Released by Universal Pictures, 'Other Mommy' earned US$27.5 million in its first few days in 3,365 theaters, according to studio estimates on Sunday. With a production budget of around US$19 million, it opened in 50 international markets and lifted its global debut to US$45.2 million. It drew dismal reviews, earning a D+ CinemaScore.

'The Social Reckoning,' written and directed by Aaron Sorkin about a Facebook whistleblower who leaked documents to a Wall Street Journal reporter, earned an estimated US$5.5 million from 2,606 North American theaters and a B- CinemaScore. Paul Dergarabedian of Rentrak said October is a time when studios take chances and it does not always work out. The annual domestic box office crossed the US$8 billion mark on Friday, up over 19 per cent from last year.

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8. Manchester City Beat 10-Man Liverpool, 3-0, Amid Uncertain Financial Future

Source: CP24

Manchester City shrugged off the threat of swingeing sanctions to beat 10-man Liverpool 3-0 in their first game since being found guilty on more than 100 charges of breaking Premier League financial rules. Second-half goals from Erling Haaland, Jeremy Doku and Rayan Cherki sealed the win after Ryan Gravenberch was sent off for two yellow cards.

An independent commission found City and their Emirati owners arranged 'sham' deals to artificially inflate revenues and reduce costs by more than 900 million pounds (US$1.2 billion) between 2009 and 2018. No sanction has yet been handed down, but a severe points deduction or even expulsion from the English top flight are on the table unless City overturn the decision, and there has been speculation about retrospective title stripping.

Liverpool fans lined the streets chanting 'cheats' and 'going down,' and a banner at the Kop end read 'a generation of supporters cheated.' New Liverpool boss Andoni Iraola, without injured players including Dominik Szoboszlai, Alexander Isak and Cody Gakpo, suffered his first defeat since taking charge. The victory reestablishes City's three-point lead at the top of the table.

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