Maple Express | October 7, 2026 Three years after Oct. 7, Canadian Jews still face rising threats

1. Three years after Oct. 7, Canadian Jews still live with rising threats

Source: CP24

Today marks three years since Hamas attacked Israel, and The Canadian Press reports that daily life for Jews in Canada has changed dramatically: security guards search bags before bar mitzvahs, students hide their Star of David necklaces for fear of being attacked, and synagogue services often begin with staff pointing out where the emergency exits are.

Rabbi Lisa Grushcow of Temple Emanu-El-Beth Sholom in Montreal says her community faces a spike in antisemitic attacks, including firebombings at synagogues, shootings at Jewish schools and physical assaults classified by police as hate crimes. Her synagogue, founded in 1883, was attacked with a firebomb in June, and a swastika was spray-painted on its exterior in February 2025. CSIS's 2025 annual report noted several disrupted plots targeting Canadian Jewish institutions, including the August 2025 arrest of a Montreal youth who intended to target Jews.

Since 2023, Jewish communities have been the most frequently targeted group in police-reported hate crimes despite making up less than one per cent of Canada's population. Toronto police said in September they had made 573 arrests and laid 1,398 charges tied to demonstrations and hate-motivated offences targeting Jewish communities since Oct. 7, 2023. Grushcow said Canadians must stop saying "this isn't who we are" and recognise "it's who we've become," then work out how to change that.

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2. Chow and Bradford clash on housing and transit in Toronto mayoral debate

Source: CityNews

Toronto mayoral candidates Olivia Chow and Brad Bradford exchanged barbs Tuesday night in the first debate since Chris Alexander dropped out of the race. The debate, hosted by the United Way at Toronto Metropolitan University, covered affordable housing, affordability, public safety, getting around the city and newcomer services.

Housing dominated. Bradford said Chow promised in the last election to build 65,000 purpose-built rental homes by 2030 but "only 1,500 of them have been built - 2 per cent of your target," adding that at that pace it would take another 115 years. Chow shot back that Bradford voted to double development charges and "created the problems you're now campaigning to fix." She claimed his affordability plan would cut library, transit and affordable housing spending.

On transit, Chow accused Bradford of raising TTC fares and cutting service while on the commission, which she said cost riders, and said she restored service, finished the Gardiner Expressway ahead of schedule and opened the Scarborough Busway. Bradford countered that people stay off the TTC not because of the $3.30 fare but because it is "not safe, not reliable, and not clean," promising uniformed officers, better lighting, cleanliness standards and platform edge doors. The two also traded shots on bike lanes and supportive housing.

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3. Victims speak in court in $265K Taylor Swift ticket scam

Source: CP24

Court heard Tuesday from victims of Denise Tisor and David Blake, the Burlington, Ont., couple behind a $265,000 ticket scam that preyed on Taylor Swift fans hoping to attend her 2024 Toronto concerts. Several victims who each lost $1,000 or more delivered impact statements before Justice Peter Maund in a Milton courthouse.

Those who spoke described buying what they believed were legitimate Eras Tour tickets to sold-out dates, only to discover the tickets did not exist. Of the 107 victims, those who asked for refunds were told the money had been stolen by a third party - but court documents showed no third party was involved and both accused knowingly defrauded their victims. Some had bought the tickets as Christmas or birthday gifts for their children, only to learn on the day of the concert, outside the venue, that they had been duped.

Alaina Attard said her family pooled $1,500 for her then-15-year-old daughter's ticket, and two days before the concert she learned the tickets were gone. "I felt physically ill," she said. Leticia Chavez bought tickets as a Christmas gift for her then-12-year-old, while Kristina Picton paid $1,700 for her daughter, who had been sick for six years. Tisor and Blake pleaded guilty in July to defrauding the public and possession of property obtained by crime, respectively. Sentencing was due Tuesday but has been delayed.

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4. Respiratory illness season hitting the GTA earlier this year

Source: CP24

Despite double-digit temperatures, plenty of people around Toronto are sniffling - and doctors warn respiratory illness season is hitting the Greater Toronto Area a little earlier than usual. Dr. Fahad Razak, an internist at St. Michael's Hospital and Canada Research Chair in Healthcare Data and Analytics at the University of Toronto, said the data suggest "a little bit of an early uptick," especially in influenza, though it takes time to confirm the trajectory.

Dr. Isaac Bogoch, an infectious diseases specialist at Toronto General Hospital, told CP24 he has also seen an earlier start in many regions. Ontario began vaccinating high-risk groups on Sept. 28, but shots open to the general public - anyone six months and older - starting Oct. 26 through pharmacies, doctors' offices and public health units.

Razak said rollouts are usually timed so people reach peak immunity around mid-December, when virus levels are highest, and can be moved up if needed. With Thanksgiving and Halloween arriving before many people can get a shot, he advised good handwashing and staying home when sick. "Masks still work for all of these viruses," he said, adding that the flu vaccine is "an insurance policy... like putting on a seatbelt."

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5. Arkells sell TDSB-branded caps to fund school breakfasts

Source: CP24

The Arkells' newest merch isn't a band T-shirt - it's two vintage-looking caps bearing the Toronto District School Board logo, with all proceeds going to support healthy breakfast programs for students across the city. The hats went up for pre-order on the band's online store Monday for $40 each: a grey "floppy" hat and a green rope hat that singer Max Kerman has been spotted wearing.

Kerman told CTV News Toronto the idea began a couple of years ago when people kept asking what he was wearing, so he decided to point that attention to something important like public education. He asked the person who makes Arkells merchandise to craft a "cool-looking" vintage cap based on the TDSB's green apple logo, and the green rope hat was born. He first wore it for his mother, who worked as a special education teacher at Central Technical School.

Kerman said he was moved to donate the proceeds after watching his nieces and nephews attend high schools that offer breakfast programs and hearing his mother's stories about students from low-income families. "Food is so expensive right now," he said. Proceeds go to the Toronto Foundation for Student Success's Student Nutrition Programs, which provides more than 284,000 healthy meals to Toronto students every school day.

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6. Unifor to hold strike authorization votes as Stellantis talks stall

Source: CP24

Unifor, the union representing 9,000 Stellantis workers in Canada, says it will hold strike authorization votes later this month as talks with the U.S. automaker remain at an impasse. The union announced Tuesday that the votes will take place Oct. 17 and 18; if members approve, the bargaining committee will have the option to call a strike if necessary.

"With negotiations still at an impasse over several key issues, including the future of the Brampton Assembly Plant... the union will now proceed to hold strike votes," Unifor National President Lana Payne said in a statement. She added that strike action "remains a last resort, but the ability to strike is an important part of collective bargaining." The latest collective agreement with the automaker expired last month.

The future of the Brampton Assembly Plant has been at the centre of the talks. The plant halted operations in 2023, laying off more than 2,000 workers, as Stellantis began retooling it for Jeep production - a process paused in early 2025 amid U.S. President Donald Trump's tariffs, after which the automaker said Jeep Compass production would move to the U.S. Stellantis Canada president and CEO Trevor Longley said last month that "market and trade conditions have directly impacted the original business case" for the plant. Payne said results will be announced Oct. 19. Unifor has already reached deals with Ford and GM.

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7. Feds give Stelco's U.S. owner 5 days to explain Hamilton layoffs

Source: CP24

Industry Minister Melanie Joly is accusing Stelco of violating commitments to maintain employment after the company announced plans to lay off up to 500 workers in Hamilton. In a letter to Stelco's president Monday, Joly expressed "extreme disappointment" with the plan to indefinitely idle some operations at its Hamilton Works facility, saying it would be "inconsistent" with commitments U.S. parent company Cleveland-Cliffs made when Ottawa approved the Stelco takeover in 2024.

Joly noted that, at the time of the takeover, the company promised to keep at least the same number of unionized employees and the vast majority of non-unionized employees. She wrote that undertakings under the Act are "binding commitments" that do not cease to apply because business strategy or market conditions change, and gave the company five business days to provide a compliance plan - or face court action.

Stelco has said it expects a significant number of affected employees will be offered jobs at Lake Erie Works, where it is consolidating operations, adding that total steel tonnage will be unaffected though the product mix will shift toward hot-rolled steel. Hamilton Mayor Andrea Horwath welcomed Joly's letter, noting the five-year agreement is "not even halfway through yet" as layoffs loom "literally in a couple of days."

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8. Woman killed in Vaughan hit-and-run, police seek witnesses

Source: CP24

York Regional Police say a woman found with "severe injuries" in Vaughan on Tuesday afternoon was killed in a hit-and-run two days earlier. Officers were initially called shortly before 3 p.m. to Pine Valley Drive between Major Mackenzie Drive and Ballantyne Boulevard. The woman has not been identified.

After attending the scene, investigators determined the victim was struck by the driver of a vehicle on Sunday between 8 p.m. and 9:45 p.m. The driver did not remain at the scene, and police have not released descriptions of the driver or the vehicle. Pine Valley Drive remains closed as police canvass the area for witnesses and video.

Police are asking anyone with information to contact the Major Collision Bureau or Crime Stoppers anonymously.

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9. Thanksgiving turkey dinner to cost 10% more this year

Source: CP24

A typical turkey dinner in Canada costs more this year than in 2025. A study by the Agri-Food Analytics Lab at Dalhousie University found that a Thanksgiving dinner for four with turkey as the centrepiece is expected to cost $35.72, up 10 per cent from $32.48 in 2025.

Food professor Sylvain Charlebois told CTV News Ottawa that turkey, carrots and potatoes are likely driving the increase. The study's prices are based on a 7-lb. whole turkey at $1.79/lb ($12.53), plus potatoes, carrots, dinner rolls, pumpkin pie, cranberries, stuffing and gravy. A dinner for four with ham as the main course is expected to cost $36.37, up from $34.87 in 2025.

Charlebois said last year there were plenty of bargains but "not this year." He advises buying frozen turkey now if that's your choice, and not being shy about asking guests to help with salads or desserts, since hosting has become expensive. "Sharing the financial burden of hosting a Thanksgiving dinner is actually something that is in fashion," he said.

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10. Canadian buoy drifts across Atlantic, washes up on Irish island

Source: CP24

Officials in northwestern Ireland say they are working to recover a large Canadian buoy that floated across the Atlantic and washed up on a coastal island. A news release from Mayo County Council says the marine marker, weighing roughly 3.5 tonnes, came ashore on Achill Island, known for its rugged mountains and bright sandy beaches.

The council said the Canadian Coast Guard told it that its buoys, while "very friendly," have quite the habit of drifting far from home. The council wants to recover the buoy to prevent it from floating away and becoming a hazard to vessels or coastal infrastructure. The release says the unusual visitor can carry a navigation light and make a distinctive wave-powered whistling sound to alert nearby vessels.

The council added that the discovery is a lighthearted reminder of Mayo's connection to Canada through generations of emigration - before half-jokingly demanding a ransom. "Should the Canadians wish to see their buoy again, they may have to make a special trip to Mayo to collect it," the release said.

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