Maple Express | October 01, 2026 Toronto Board of Trade urges zoning reform to speed up housing

1. Toronto Region Board of Trade calls for regulatory reform to speed up housing

Source: CP24

The Toronto Region Board of Trade is urging the province to amend zoning and building code rules, saying Ontario is on pace to fall well short of its goal of building at least 1.5 million new homes by 2031. In a report published Thursday, the board said the target, set by the provincial government in 2022, is unachievable even if housing production rises over the next five years. Based on budget forecasts, Ontario is projected to fall more than 550,000 homes short of the pace needed by 2029.

Board president and CEO Giles Gherson said the housing gap was already massive. "We already had a massive gap. It was called the housing crisis for a reason," he said in an interview, adding that despite a lot of effort, "the gap remains very, very large." Gherson said the key to faster development is regulatory change, describing zoning and building code rules across the province as "very fragmented" and "out of date." In Toronto alone, builders face dozens of different requirements, making standardized production difficult.

The report recommends a provincial zoning code giving every municipality the same framework and terminology, setting a baseline of housing types that can proceed without special approval — starting with townhouses and multiplexes. It also proposes provincewide limits on rules that most often block housing, such as parking, setbacks, lot coverage, height, density and upper-storey step-backs, plus building-code changes including an assessment of each requirement's lifetime cost and allowing single-stair buildings up to six storeys. It noted Toronto-area home prices rose about 187 per cent between 2006 and 2025, far outpacing inflation of about 51 per cent.

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2. Ford asks PM to set 30-year parole ineligibility for police killers

Source: CP24

Ontario Premier Doug Ford says anyone convicted of murdering a police officer should not be eligible for parole for 30 years. In a letter sent to Prime Minister Mark Carney on Monday, Ford requested "common-sense measures" he said are needed to protect frontline officers, following several violent incidents including the shooting of an officer outside a synagogue in Belleville, Ont. last month.

That officer, Const. Jeff Smith, was critically injured after a suspect opened fire — an incident police described as a "premeditated and targeted" attack on the Jewish community. Ford called on Carney to amend the Criminal Code to raise parole ineligibility from 25 to 30 years for anyone convicted of first-degree murder in the death of a police officer.

Ford also requested a new six-month mandatory minimum sentence for those who resist arrest, assault an officer or flee when they cause bodily harm or endanger life or safety. He wants the maximum penalty for violent home invasions set at life imprisonment, with multiple offences from the same incident served consecutively rather than concurrently. He also asked Ottawa to "permit judicially authorized access to encrypted communications" for threats to law enforcement personnel.

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3. Minimum wage to rise in five provinces

Source: CP24

The minimum wage is going up in five provinces. The increases, of between 25 and 40 cents, come in Ontario, Prince Edward Island, Nova Scotia, Manitoba and Saskatchewan. Ontario has tied its increase to the rising cost of living.

Ontario is moving its minimum wage to $17.95 an hour, while P.E.I. rises to $17.30 and Nova Scotia to $17. Manitoba goes to $16.40 and Saskatchewan to $15.70.

The changes mean all provinces and territories will have raised their rates this year except Alberta, which hasn't increased its minimum wage since 2019 and keeps the country's lowest at $15 an hour. Nunavut lifted its rate in early September and leads the country at just over $20 an hour.

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4. Peel police bust vehicle registration fraud scheme tied to $100K in unpaid 407 tolls

Source: CP24

Peel police say four people have been arrested in connection with a vehicle registration fraud scheme linked to more than $100,000 in unpaid 407 tolls. The investigation, dubbed Project Octane, began in May 2026.

Investigators said the probe, conducted with the Ministry of Transportation and the 407 ETR, targeted the "use of fraudulent documents at several Service Ontario locations by multiple individuals." Further investigation revealed the plates were registered to fictitious companies, enabling users to evade accountability while accumulating significant toll and parking fees, including more than $100,000 in 407 ETR dues.

Four people have been charged with offences including fraud, using forged documents and possession of property obtained by crime. Police recovered 10 re-vinned vehicles confirmed stolen, with a total estimated value of $750,000. Peel Regional Police Deputy Chief Nick Milinovich said the investigation exposed a scheme designed to exploit public systems and shield suspects from accountability, calling the recovery of 10 stolen vehicles "a significant blow" to auto crime.

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5. Toronto police hunt suspects who posed as delivery drivers in home invasion

Source: CP24

Toronto police are searching for suspects who allegedly forced their way into an apartment after pretending to deliver a package. Police said that on Aug. 16 at around 9:40 p.m., officers were called to the area of Finch Avenue East and Warden Avenue for a reported robbery.

A lone male suspect knocked on the victim's door claiming to be making a delivery. The victim told him to leave the package at the door, and the suspect dropped it off and left. When the victim opened the door to grab it, three suspects rushed in and forced their way into the unit. "The suspects ransacked the apartment before fleeing with several luxury items," police said in a Sept. 30 news release. They fled in a white, third-generation Acura RDX. The hold-up squad is leading the investigation.

Police described the first suspect as about 20, thin, with medium-length black hair and stubble, wearing a construction shirt over a black long-sleeved shirt and carrying a red book or folder. The second, about 30 with a medium build, wore a grey Reebok hoodie, black pants, a black ski mask and black gloves, carrying a red GoodLife bag. The third, also around 30 with a large build, wore a black Nike hoodie, black track pants, a black ski mask and white gloves. Images have been released; police say the suspects are considered dangerous and anyone who sees them should not approach and should call 911.

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6. Suspect in 2022 Brampton attempted murder arrested in Manitoba

Source: CP24

Peel Regional Police say a suspect wanted for more than three years on a Canada-wide warrant for an attempted murder in Brampton has been arrested. Police said 36-year-old Nakeem Jamar Johnson was arrested on Sept. 22 in Cross Lake, Man., and transported back to Peel Region.

Johnson was wanted in connection with a shooting in the area of Queen Street East and Rutherford Road in Brampton on Feb. 3, 2022. A male victim was found with serious but non-life-threatening gunshot wounds.

Search warrants executed on May 8, 2023 recovered five firearms, 10 kg of methamphetamine and a "significant" quantity of fentanyl and cocaine, after which a Canada-wide warrant was issued for Johnson. He has been charged with attempted murder, conspiracy to commit murder, possession of a firearm, possession for the purpose of trafficking, possession of a loaded prohibited firearm and possession of a prohibited device.

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7. Pedestrian struck by vehicle in Etobicoke suffers serious injuries

Source: CP24

Paramedics say one man was taken to hospital with potentially life-threatening injuries after reports he was struck by a vehicle in Etobicoke on Thursday morning.

It happened near Albion Road and Humberline Drive at around 5:40 a.m. The victim sustained serious injuries and was taken to hospital, paramedics said. Police have not said whether the driver remained at the scene.

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8. Westbound Hwy. 401 reopens in Milton after crash

Source: CP24

The westbound lanes of Highway 401 have reopened in Milton following a collision early Thursday morning.

Ontario Provincial Police said the highway was closed for several hours between Regional Road 25 and Guelph Line. Four people were transported to hospital as a result of the crash. The highway reopened at around 7:30 a.m.

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9. CPP Investments to sell Australian toll road assets for $4.5 billion

Source: CP24

The Canada Pension Plan Investment Board has signed a deal to sell its Australian toll road assets to Transurban for about $4.5 billion.

The deal includes CPP Investments' 10.5 per cent stake in WestConnex and its 25 per cent interest in NorthWestern Roads Group, which includes the Westlink M7 and NorthConnex roadways. James Bryce, head of infrastructure at CPP Investments, said the sale allows the investment manager to realize value from mature assets.

CPP Investments first invested in Westlink M7 in 2010, followed by investments to develop NorthConnex in 2014 and WestConnex in 2018. The deal will see Transurban raise its interest in NorthWestern Roads Group to 75 per cent and in WestConnex to 60.5 per cent. The transaction is subject to closing conditions, including regulatory approvals.

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10. AI agents tried to hack a Canadian government website: research firm

Source: CP24

An artificial intelligence research firm said Wednesday that AI agents tried to hack into a Canadian government website, calling it a failed hacking attempt, while Canada said there was no indication its systems were compromised.

Transluce said the attempts exhibited tactics "consistent with prior observed agent activity that we have attributed to OpenAI in a similar timeframe," but added it was not confidently attributing them to OpenAI. The agents tried to access Library and Archives Canada on May 28 and June 9, Transluce said in a blog post, and it disclosed the action to the Canadian government on Monday.

The Canadian Centre for Cyber Security said Tuesday it was aware of reports of suspected AI agent activity, adding "there is no indication that government systems have been compromised at this time." OpenAI said it was aware of reports of its models attempting to access publicly available information from Canadian government websites, and a spokesperson said it was reviewing the findings and had briefed Canadian officials. Transluce said arquivo.pt, Portugal's national web archive, captured 899 requests hitting Library and Archives Canada's "collection-search" service on May 28 and June 9, including apparently failed rudimentary hacking attempts. Last week Australia said an OpenAI agent breached a government health data portal in June — the first known instance of an AI agent hacking a government website. OpenAI apologized on Tuesday.

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