Maple Express | October 8, 2026 — Chow Pledges 10,000 Rental Homes Would Break Ground in 2027 if Re-elected

Source: CP24

1. Chow Pledges 10,000 Rental Homes Would Break Ground in 2027 if Re-elected

Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow said at a campaign announcement Thursday morning that she would have shovels in the ground on 10,000 new rental homes in 2027 if re-elected. She said the pledge builds on the 60 housing projects currently under construction in the city, which will deliver 16,000 rental homes when complete, including thousands of affordable and rent-controlled spaces.

Chow said the money to fund the projects has already been secured through a $1.5 billion investment made by the provincial and federal governments in the spring to lower development charges by as much as 60 per cent. The city has also earmarked $1.2 billion from both its operating and capital budgets to offset costs for developers. The pitch is part of her plan to build 65,000 homes in the city by 2030, with at least 20 per cent set aside as affordable units. She noted a project must be able to start construction within the next 12 months to qualify, and that when the first round of building opened in November 2024, shovels were in the ground just three months later.

In response, Brad Bradford's team accused Chow of "holding 10,000 homes hostage," pointing out that last year Toronto was expected to start construction on 28,500 homes but only had shovels in the ground on 13,928 units (48.9 per cent of the target), while this year's target of 33,250 units had only 7,164 started (21.5 per cent) as of June. Chow also reiterated concern about a second mayoral candidate with the same surname — Braeden Chow — who appears first on the ballot because names are listed in alphabetical order. A city spokesperson said the Municipal Elections Act requires names to be listed alphabetically by surname and, where candidates share a surname, further ordered by first name, with candidates differentiated by their first names and a unique number assigned by the Clerk.

2. Province Confirms Bloor Street West Bike Lane Removal Starts Next Week

A spokesperson for Ontario Transportation Minister Prabmeet Sarkaria confirmed to CTV News that work to remove the bike lanes on Bloor Street West will begin next Tuesday. The lanes in Etobicoke were the first the Ford government announced would be ripped out.

The Ontario Court of Appeal ruled in August that the province could proceed with its removal plans. Michael Longfield, with the advocacy group CycleTO, said the group is "outraged but not surprised" by the latest development. Besides Bloor Street West, the province is also removing bike lanes along Yonge Street and University Avenue; last month, the government issued a request for proposals to study and provide options for restoring vehicle lanes along the three major roadways.

The government passed legislation in 2024 that enabled it to remove the bike lanes, but a lower court ruling in 2025 stopped it from proceeding, finding a violation of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. The province appealed, and a three-judge panel with the Court of Appeal for Ontario unanimously found that "the Ontario legislature is as free to establish bicycle lanes as it is to remove them or authorize their removal." Ford had blamed the bike lanes for contributing to increased traffic in Toronto and vowed to get the city moving again.

3. Two People and Three Dogs Rescued After Lithium-Ion Battery Fire in Regent Park

No injuries were reported after a lithium-ion battery fire broke out at a high-rise apartment building in Regent Park on Thursday afternoon, the fire chief said. The blaze erupted inside a unit on the sixth floor of 220 Oak St., just east of River Street, and emergency responders were called to the address at 1:40 p.m.

At the scene, Acting Platoon Chief Bob Cooke told CTV News Toronto that crews arrived and were "met by heavy black smoke and flames in the entryway to the unit," and soon realized they would need an aerial tower to rescue the people inside. "There two people and three dogs rescued out of a window by one of our towers," Cooke said. Toronto Paramedic Services said two people were assessed at the scene but no one was transported to hospital.

After bringing the occupants and their pets to safety, firefighters brought out a number of charred e-bikes, scattering a few lithium-ion batteries on the grass a few feet away. Toronto Fire Chief Jim Jessop confirmed to CTV News Toronto that "numerous" e-bikes were found inside the unit that caught fire. Just two days earlier, on Tuesday, he spoke about the "extreme danger" lithium-ion battery fires can pose, especially in multi-unit dwellings. The fire is now knocked down, though there is smoke throughout the building, Jessop said. Fire crews remain on scene along with the fire investigator, and roads in the area that were closed have since reopened.

4. Woman Seriously Injured After Being Struck by Vehicle Near Trinity Bellwoods

A woman is seriously injured after being struck by the driver of a vehicle near Trinity Bellwoods Park on Thursday afternoon. Toronto police said officers responded to reports of a pedestrian struck in the area of Crawford Street and Queen Street West at about 1:15 p.m.

Paramedics took the woman to hospital with serious, but non-life-threatening injuries. Police said the cause of the collision remains unknown, and the investigation is ongoing.

5. Oshawa Man Charged With Sexual Assault at Toronto's Main Subway Station

A man from Oshawa has been charged with sexual assault following an incident late last month on the TTC. It happened on Sept. 30 at Main Subway Station, on Line 2, and Toronto police said they responded to a call for a sexual assault there just after 3 p.m. that day.

Investigators said a female passenger exited an eastbound train and proceeded to the mezzanine level of the station, where a man came up behind her and sexually assaulted her before fleeing the area on foot. On Thursday, Paul-James Cote, 25, of Oshawa, turned himself in to police. He was arrested and charged with sexual assault.

Police noted the allegation has not been tested in court. The accused is scheduled to appear in court on Nov. 19. This investigation is ongoing and anyone with further information is asked to contact Toronto police at 416-808-5500 or Crime Stoppers anonymously.

6. 89-Year-Old Man Critically Injured in North York Multi-Vehicle Crash

An 89-year-old man is fighting for his life in hospital following a multi-vehicle crash in North York on Wednesday night. Toronto police said an 86-year-old female driver was trying to exit a private driveway on the east side of Bayview Avenue near Sheppard Avenue East shortly before 6:20 p.m. when she lost control of her vehicle.

She struck two northbound vehicles on Bayview Avenue before crossing into the southbound lanes, where she collided with a third vehicle, police said. The passenger in the third vehicle, the 89-year-old, sustained life-threatening injuries and was later transported to the hospital. Police did not report other injuries in the crash, which is under investigation.

7. 21-Year-Old Rider Suffers Life-Altering Injuries After Motorcycle Collision in Pickering

A 21-year-old man is suffering from life-altering injuries after losing control while riding a motorcycle in Pickering on Wednesday, police said. It happened shortly after 4:35 p.m. in the area of Liverpool Road, north of Bayly Street.

Durham Regional Police said the man was travelling southbound when he lost control of the motorcycle and left the roadway. The motorcyclist was rushed to a Toronto-area trauma centre with life-altering injuries, where he remains in serious but stable condition. A nearby pedestrian was also struck by debris and was taken to a local hospital with minor injuries, according to a news release. The cause of the collision is currently being investigated, and police are asking anyone with information to contact them or Crime Stoppers anonymously.

8. Hamilton to Pilot Bylaw Protecting Downtown Renters From Extreme Indoor Heat

Hamilton city council has voted to pilot a bylaw intended to protect downtown tenants from stifling indoor temperatures — the first of its kind in Ontario. The pilot will likely be watched closely by other cities, including Toronto, that are studying how to protect renters from increasing temperatures driven by climate change.

The pilot will require landlords in the city's downtown Ward 2, where most residents are tenants, to keep at least one room in each unit below 26 C, a threshold recognized by Health Canada. The pilot is set to start next year and run through September 2028, with staff set to report back to council with their findings and recommendations for citywide expansion by early 2029.

Interim city manager Mike Zegarac said the city wants to take a "thoughtful approach to implementing this groundbreaking law." Local tenant advocates argued the pilot should encompass more wards and apply citywide sooner, while a local landlord group had asked council to defer a decision while the city undertakes more studies. This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 8, 2026, by Jordan Omstead.

9. B.C. Conservatives Drop Candidate Over Social Media Posts Denounced as 'Horrific Racism'

The B.C. Conservatives have dropped their candidate in a Vancouver Island riding over social media posts a B.C. NDP candidate called out earlier Thursday as "horrific racism." Joachim Agou is running in the NDP stronghold of Victoria-Beacon Hill.

"There is no excuse for this. I will not tolerate it. The candidate in Victoria-Beacon Hill is no longer a Conservative candidate. If elected, he will not serve in the caucus," Doerkson wrote in a brief statement. The announcement came after a news release from the B.C. NDP pointing to a post referring to Pakistan as a "sh**hole" and another that said a driver who mowed down pro-Palestinian protesters "should have reversed too." The B.C. NDP also pointed out Agou has reposted prominent white supremacists.

CTV News caught up with Agou in the capital Thursday and asked him to comment on being dropped by the party as well as whether he stands by his previous posts.

10. Study: Covert U.S. Effort Led to Canada's Acceptance of Dubious Postwar Immigrants

OTTAWA — Newly released passages of a landmark 1986 study say at least 35 people with apparently suspect backgrounds came to Canada after the Second World War through a covert program set up by U.S. intelligence agencies. The previously secret details appear in a recently released version of a study on the resettlement of alleged Nazi war criminals in Canada during the Cold War era.

B'nai Brith Canada fought for years to see more of the report by researcher Alti Rodal, which was conducted for Canada's inquiry on war criminals led by Jules Deschenes in the 1980s. The Federal Court last month ordered the release of some long-concealed portions of Rodal's study.

The Canadian Heritage Department did not appeal the decision, and Library and Archives of Canada provided B'nai Brith with the latest public version of the Rodal report. Simon Wolle, B'nai Brith Canada's chief executive officer, called it a historic outcome, adding in a statement that the organization is pleased the information has been made available to historians, survivors of the Holocaust and their descendants, and the public. This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 8, 2026, by Jim Bronskill.