Maple Express | October 2, 2026 — Police hunt driver after fatal Scarborough hit-and-run

1. Police search for driver after fatal hit-and-run in Scarborough

Source: CP24

Toronto police are investigating a fatal hit-and-run in Scarborough early Friday morning. Officers said the collision happened near Midland and McNicoll avenues shortly before 2 a.m., when a pedestrian was struck by a vehicle and the driver fled the scene.

The pedestrian was pronounced dead a short time later. Police have not released a description of the vehicle involved, and the investigation continues. Anyone with information is asked to contact police at 416-808-2222.

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2. Poll: Canadians cautious about privatizing major airports

Source: CP24

A new Nanos Research survey for CTV News shows Canadians are skeptical of the federal government's plan to privatize some of the country's major airports. More respondents oppose allowing private investors to operate Canada's four largest airports than support it. Nik Nanos, founder and chief data scientist at Nanos Research, called the response "very cautious" and "a mixed bag."

Asked for their views on the proposal, 28 per cent of respondents said they oppose it and 19 per cent somewhat oppose it, while 26 per cent somewhat support it and 12 per cent support it. Nanos said the government "is going to need a lot of explaining in terms of protecting the public good," adding that "this could be a very tricky political issue for the Carney government to navigate." Last month, Prime Minister Mark Carney announced the federal government is seeking private investment to run Canada's four major airports: Toronto-Pearson, Montreal-Trudeau, Calgary and Vancouver. Under the proposal, private investors would operate the largest airports under long-term leases while the federal government retains ownership of airport land and assets.

Transport Canada would continue to regulate the airports, but the specific rules governing fees and charges have not yet been announced. Nanos said Canadians need to hear "what will this mean for the cost of travel," noting that the cost of living is top of mind: "If there's any initiative that is seen as increasing the cost of travel, this will make it even more difficult politically." The survey of 1,057 Canadians aged 18 and over was conducted by phone and online from Sept. 27 to 29, 2026, with a margin of error of plus or minus 3.0 percentage points.

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3. Barrie mayor says city land is now clear of encampments

Source: CP24

Barrie Mayor Alex Nuttall says not a single encampment remains on city-owned property after more than a year-long crackdown. "I was just informed that as of 3:30 p.m. today, Oct. 1, 2026, there are zero encampments remaining on City of Barrie property," Nuttall said in a social media post. He said the only remaining encampment is along Highway 400 on provincial land, and that the city will keep working with the Province of Ontario to address the site and connect people with support.

The shift marks a turnaround from nearly a year ago, when Nuttall declared a state of emergency as encampments, violence and drug use spilled onto public property. The city has addressed 221 encampments since the emergency declaration, according to figures reported by CTV News on Sept. 9. The push also brought changes to city hall: council approved tougher rules around camping, sidewalk obstruction and the use of public spaces, while By-law 2025-110 replaced the previous bylaw and gave police greater authority to regulate behaviour on municipal property.

Nuttall also launched a public petition calling for changes to mental health legislation and more funding for treatment and shelters, while pressing both Queen's Park and Ottawa for help. Premier Doug Ford even toured Milligan's Pond, one of Barrie's largest encampments, alongside Nuttall and pledged to look at additional provincial support. Despite the drop to zero, Barrie's state of emergency remains in place, more than a year after it was first declared on Sept. 9, 2025.

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4. Toronto man charged after alleged online luring of 15-year-old girl

Source: CP24

Toronto police have arrested a 23-year-old man in connection with a child luring investigation in which explicit images were allegedly exchanged with a 15-year-old girl earlier this year. In a news release, officials said the Internet Child Exploitation Unit began an investigation in June. It's alleged the suspect communicated with the girl through social media and phone chat applications, made inappropriate comments and sent explicit images to her.

Investigators further allege the suspect extorted the victim, causing her to send explicit images of herself. Police said they obtained an arrest warrant for the suspect on Sept. 3, and that officers from 33 Division located and arrested the wanted man on Sept. 7 while investigating an unrelated incident. Kayaan Jiwan, 23, of Toronto, faces charges including luring a person under 18 and under 16 by means of telecommunication, making sexually explicit material available to someone under or believed to be under 18, exposing his genitals to a person under 16, and extortion.

Police said they are concerned there may be more victims and have released an image of the accused. None of the charges have been tested in court. Anyone with information is asked to contact police.

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5. One critically injured, another hospitalized after crash in Mississauga

Source: CP24

One person suffered critical injuries in an overnight collision in Mississauga. It happened near Airport Road and Churchill Avenue at around 1 a.m., paramedics said. Two people were taken to hospital, including one person who was critically injured.

The second person suffered non-life-threatening injuries. The cause of the crash remains under investigation.

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6. Backstreet Boys to play four Toronto shows at Rogers Centre in February

Source: CP24

The Backstreet Boys will come to Toronto for a four-show residency at the Rogers Centre next year. The shows will be held on Feb. 12, 13, 19 and 20, Rogers and Live Nation said in a news release issued Friday. "Into the Millennium - Homecoming: Live in Canada" will be the band's only stadium shows in North America in 2027, the release noted.

Following their "Into the Millennium Sphere" shows in Las Vegas, the band will bring the Toronto concerts as well as a 10-show stadium residency in Düsseldorf, Germany, which began last week. Presale tickets will be available to Rogers customers on Oct. 5, and the public sale begins Oct. 9.

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7. Bank says he opened a $35K line of credit; he says he's never been to the branch

Source: CP24

Brampton resident Manshapinder Singh says that last November, when he checked his banking online, he was confused to see a $35,000 line of credit had been added to his account. "When I checked the balance, I was shocked because the whole line of credit was used and I had no idea about it," Singh said. He added that the bank told him it looked like it might be a case of identity theft.

It appears someone went to his bank, opened the line of credit, asked for a credit card and then maxed out the $35,000 account. "They issued a physical client card to someone under that line of credit, and they handed it over to someone at the Milton branch. I told them I have never been to that branch in my whole life," Singh said. Singh, a Scotiabank customer, said he was told he must have opened the account and was responsible for paying back the funds.

A Scotiabank spokesperson told CTV News the bank cannot comment on individual client matters for privacy reasons, but takes allegations of fraud seriously and reminds clients to remain vigilant and never share passwords, PINs or personal information. Singh said that after four months trying to clear up the issue, he contacted CTV News; after CTV News reached out to Scotiabank on his behalf, the $35,000 line of credit was completely refunded, which he called a great relief. New statistics show credit card application fraud has increased by eight per cent over last year, with almost one per cent of all applications considered fraudulent. Carl Davies, head of Fraud and Identity at Equifax Canada, said the space is seeing "a major increase... primarily driven by identity theft." According to Equifax, 0.91 per cent of all credit card applications are fraudulent, meaning that for every 100,000 credit card applications, almost 1,000 are submitted by scammers.

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8. Island mayor doesn't know what comes next after truck refused at U.S.-Canada border

Source: CP24

The mayor of Campobello Island says he doesn't know what next steps look like after American border agents stopped a truck headed for the island from entering the U.S. "Nobody knows because ... we're dealing with another country," Harvey Matthews told CTV Your Morning on Friday. "They don't have to let us do anything if they don't want to." Matthews said he received some confirmation Thursday night that the situation might be resolved, "but it's not a sure thing." "I'm hoping maybe after this afternoon we won't have to worry about it," he said. "But if it isn't, I don't know what we're going to do."

The truck was stopped Tuesday by U.S. border agents at the St. Stephen-Calais border crossing between New Brunswick and Maine. The only way to access the island year-round is by bridge via Lubec, Maine, about 80 kilometres by road from the crossing. The truck has a permit from U.S. Customs and Border Protection allowing it to transport imported goods over the border. Agents denied the driver entry because the vehicle was carrying milk and "over 1,000 bottles of spirits," according to the U.S. border agency. Importing those items into the United States is prohibited under new rules that went into effect Tuesday as part of the ongoing trade war.

"It kind of threw everybody for a loop," Matthews said. After being refused entry into the U.S., the truck boarded a provincial government ferry to Deer Island, N.B., and from there took a privately run ferry to Campobello Island. "He's on his regular runs as usual, but he just won't be able to bring those items," Matthews said of the driver. Vikas Vakkanti, manager of Campobello Value Foods, told CTV News Atlantic on Thursday that he estimated it costs $450 to ship via ferry and that he'd have to exclude dairy and alcohol from the shipments. The private ferry is scheduled to cease operations for the season on Oct. 12 because it can't handle rough winter crossings. Matthews said he has been in touch with New Brunswick Premier Susan Holt about extending the ferry's operations to keep a viable shipment route open. "I don't know if that's going to fix everything," he said, but he's optimistic a resolution will come.

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9. Auto sales see fourth consecutive month of gains in September

Source: CP24

DesRosiers Automotive Consultants Inc. says auto sales in September were up from a year ago, marking the fourth consecutive month of sales gains. The firm estimates 168,000 vehicles were sold in the month, up 3.4 per cent from September 2025. Andrew King, managing partner at DesRosiers, says the market has shown stability in recent months despite conflict in the Middle East and a tariff dispute with the United States.

But DesRosiers says sales could be weaker in the fourth quarter compared with stronger sales in 2025. On a year-to-date basis, auto sales are still 0.7 per cent lower than 2025 levels. Despite the winning streak, auto sales have slowed this year as gas prices remain elevated and Canadian households pull back on spending amid geopolitical uncertainties.

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10. CPKC sets new grain handling record for September and third quarter

Source: CP24

Canadian Pacific Kansas City Ltd. says it has set records for grain shipments in Canada and the United States for September and the third quarter as a whole. The railway says it moved 2.94 million metric tons of grain and grain products in Canada in September to set a new record for the month.

The total came as it moved 30,324 carloads of grain and grain products in Canada, the company said. September was the second month of the 2026-27 crop year. In the United States, CPKC moved 2.51 million metric tons and 26,236 carloads of grain and grain products in September. CPKC says the new records topped marks set in 2020.

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