Maple Express | October 4, 2026 — Four Seriously Injured in Highway 427 Crash; Pacific Link Named First National-Interest Project Ahead of Alberta Referendum

1. Four Taken to Trauma Centres After Serious Highway 427 Crash

Source: CP24

Several people were rushed to Toronto trauma centres with serious injuries after a two-vehicle crash on Highway 427 early Sunday, Ontario Provincial Police said. The collision happened just before 4 a.m. on the northbound lanes near Highway 401.

In an email to CP24, police confirmed four people were taken to trauma centres with serious but non-life-threatening injuries, while a fifth person was taken to a local hospital with minor injuries. A sixth person was assessed at the scene and released.

The on-site investigation is ongoing and there is no estimated time for the highway to reopen.

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2. Canada's First 'National Interest' Project Carries Political Weight

Source: CP24

The pipeline newly dubbed “Pacific Link” is expected to carry up to one million barrels of oil a day to the Pacific Coast once built — but it also carries political significance as Albertans prepare to vote on their province's future in Canada in little more than two weeks.

On Thursday, the federal government designated the pipeline as its first “project of national interest,” a move meant to streamline approvals and speed construction. Energy Minister Tim Hodgson told CTV's Vassy Kapelos on “Question Period” that the project could open new markets for Canadian oil, saying countries are looking for trusted suppliers and see Canada as an ideal source.

Beyond the economics, there is a political dimension given the coming Alberta referendum on the province's place in Canada. At Thursday's announcement, Prime Minister Mark Carney and Alberta Premier Danielle Smith both pointed to federal-provincial co-operation. Carney said the move showed “Canada is working,” crediting Ottawa, Alberta, British Columbia, Indigenous rights holders and unionized labour; Smith called it an example of “co-operative federalism” in action.

On Oct. 19, Albertans will vote on 10 referendum questions — four constitutional, five non-constitutional — with the 10th drawing the most attention: whether Alberta should remain a province of Canada or begin the constitutional process for a binding referendum on separation. Recent polling suggests most Albertans would choose to remain, though a substantial minority would not. Smith acknowledged separation support sits at “about 22 per cent… still too high for my liking.” Pollsters estimate 5 to 10 per cent of voters remain undecided — a group Lori Williams, a political science professor at Calgary's Mount Royal University, says Thursday's announcement could sway.

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3. Pedestrian Struck and Killed by Vehicle in Vaughan

Source: CP24

A pedestrian has died after being struck by a vehicle in Vaughan early Sunday morning. Toronto police said they received reports of an adult male lying on the roadway near Keele Street and Steeles Avenue West just before 2 a.m.

Police said the man was struck by a vehicle and pronounced dead at the scene. The driver remained at the scene.

Keele Street is closed between The Chimneystack Road and York Boulevard as the investigation continues, and drivers are being asked to use alternate routes.

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4. Driver Arrested After Vehicle Crashes Into Etobicoke Home

Source: CP24

Police say a driver is in custody after a vehicle crashed through a fence and into a house in Etobicoke late Saturday night. Toronto police responded to the collision near Kipling Avenue and Kidron Valley Drive just before 11:30 p.m.

The male driver initially fled the scene on foot, police said, but later returned and was taken into custody for an alcohol-related Criminal Code driving offence.

There is no word on injuries. Kidron Valley Drive was closed between Kipling Avenue and Hamer Avenue while police investigated.

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5. Man Seriously Injured After Stabbing in Scarborough

Source: CP24

A man was taken to hospital with serious injuries after a stabbing in Scarborough early Sunday morning. Toronto police said they responded to reports of an altercation near Lawrence Avenue East and Markham Road around 3 a.m.

Officers found a man with a stab wound, and he was transported to hospital with serious but non-life-threatening injuries. Police have not released a description of the suspect and are asking anyone with information to contact them.

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6. Nuit Blanche Takes Over Toronto

Source: CP24

Thousands of people spread out across the city for Nuit Blanche, the all-night festival that transforms public spaces into art installations. This year's theme is “Tomorrow's Memories.”

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7. Rainy Late Summer and Early Fall a Boost for Nova Scotia Farmers

Source: CP24

In Wolfville, N.S., after the haunting memory of a record-breaking dry growing season in 2025, farmer Josh Oulton is enjoying the province's recent rainy trend. “This year we had good rains in September, and no hurricanes,” Oulton said. Last year's drought wiped out many crops and almost put some farmers out of business.

Dalhousie University food researcher Sylvain Charlebois pointed to Nova Scotia blueberries as an example: the drought was so severe it forced many buyers to look beyond the province, and farmers who lose customers can lose them for several years, not just one. This year, timely late-summer and early-autumn rain has allowed yields to rebound. Oulton said bean and corn crops did well and fields remain full of good vegetables. “We had forgotten how much an apple will size up in the month of September if it has adequate rain,” he said.

CTV Atlantic chief meteorologist Kalin Mitchell said Prince Edward Island and central and eastern Nova Scotia received the most late-summer rainfall. There was major, destructive flooding, especially in Cape Breton, but elsewhere the rain had a restorative effect on soil and fields. Most of the Maritimes saw near- to well-above-average rainfall for September this year, he said.

It is not all good news. As farmers recover from the 2025 drought, they are also grappling with high diesel costs, and rising overheads have driven up the overall cost of production. “It all has made our margins that much smaller,” Oulton said. Fuel, labour, packaging and electricity costs are being passed to consumers, and not just in Nova Scotia. Charlebois said wheat is up 42.8 per cent, soybean oil 31.6 per cent, rice 25.6 per cent and corn 20.8 per cent, while diesel costs are double last year's. Oulton said the prices of the food he grows have also risen, but he hopes a strong growing season and bumper crop could be a first step toward lower prices by 2027.

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8. Stargazers, Look Up: Saturn Visible All Night

Source: CP24

Stargazers have a treat tonight: Saturn will be opposite the sun, allowing the planet to stay visible throughout the night and for its rings to be at their brightest.

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9. Germany's Merz Announces New Aid for Ukraine in Kyiv

Source: CP24

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz announced a new aid package for Ukraine worth more than 1.3 billion euros (US$1.5 billion) during a visit to Kyiv on Sunday, as Russia escalated its attacks on Ukrainian cities.

About 1 billion euros (US$1.1 billion) of the package is military aid, including long-range strike weapons, combat drones and satellite technology “so that Ukraine can also target Russian launch pads,” Merz said. Germany is also providing some 350 million euros (US$395 million) in energy aid ahead of winter for generators, substations and repairs.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the two countries also signed 15 agreements worth more than 8.5 billion euros (US$9.6 billion), mostly covering security co-operation, weapons production and procurement, as well as a deal to expand joint counter-drone efforts. “This is weaponry that will help right now,” Zelenskyy wrote on X, adding that air defence is “key” at this time. Merz said Germany will fund the joint production of drones designed to intercept Russia's jet-powered drones.

Zelenskyy said Russia launched 900 jet-powered drones this week alone and Ukraine intercepted only around half, and he highlighted the role of F-16 jets. He said the U.S. has been in contact with both Kyiv and Moscow and proposed a technical-level trilateral meeting by the end of October, possibly in the United Arab Emirates. Germany is Ukraine's largest donor, sending more than 43.3 billion euros (US$48.8 billion) since the war began. Merz was accompanied by Economy and Energy Minister Katherina Reiche and a business delegation.

Merz and Zelenskyy also visited a building of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine in central Kyiv that was damaged in a Russian attack that killed two people on Monday, as air raid sirens sounded across the capital. Merz said the “barbaric attacks on the civilian population” must stop and called on Russian President Vladimir Putin to end “this senseless war,” adding: “We're ready to talk.” Officials said one person was killed and 16 wounded Sunday in a Russian aerial bomb attack on the city of Sumy.

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10. UAE Shared Passenger List With Israel Ahead of Foiled FlyDubai Attack

Source: CP24

Authorities in the United Arab Emirates shared a list of passengers and crew with Israel ahead of the FlyDubai flight on which a pilot tried to seize control of the Israel-bound aircraft and crash it, regional officials said Sunday, raising new questions over how the attacker evaded detection.

With the investigation underway, preliminary details have highlighted several security lapses. Officials have said the Omani co-pilot had been barred from flying by his own country over concerns about his extremist views, and it remains unclear how a citizen of Oman — an Arab country with no diplomatic relations with Israel — was allowed to fly a planeload of Israelis to Tel Aviv.

The UAE, which is leading the investigation, said the co-pilot attacked the captain with the cockpit's crash ax and tried to take control of the plummeting plane in a “terrorist attack” Wednesday. His actions nearly crashed the flight, which had 182 people on board, before the Indian captain managed to open the cockpit door, allowing passengers and others to rush in and subdue him. The regional officials said Emirati authorities shared information about passengers and crew, including nationalities, and that Israel had not raised red flags on any of them.

The Shin Bet, Israel's domestic security agency, said the Transportation Ministry is responsible for vetting passenger lists from foreign flights. Transportation Minister Miri Regev told Kan that security agencies handle flight security and that her ministry was not given a list or warnings. But the head of aviation security at the ministry, Dvir Rubenstien, told Army Radio that it relies on local security checks and lacks the tools to check every passenger on every flight.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Thursday that Israel has long-standing agreements with foreign carriers to keep pilots from flying in if they are citizens of nations that do not maintain diplomatic relations with Israel. Australian police said Sunday that counterterrorism investigators were looking into the attacker's possible connections to Australia. Passengers who helped halt the attack have been hailed as heroes, but as the initial euphoria subsided, officials began raising questions and trading accusations over the security blunders. It also remains unclear how FlyDubai, a low-cost Emirati airline that operates flights between Israel and the UAE, failed to identify the Omani pilot as a security risk.

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