Maple Express | October 23, 2026 — Trump says a Canada-U.S. trade deal is 'very close', but 'we have all the cards'

1. Trump says a Canada-U.S. trade deal is 'very close', but 'we have all the cards'

Source: CP24

Canada and the United States are close to a trade deal, U.S. President Donald Trump said today (Oct. 23) during a scrum with reporters in Washington. Asked about progress toward a deal with Mexico, Trump said his administration is "very close" to a "very good" deal.

"The same thing with Canada. Canada's working very hard to make a deal with us. And I hate to say this, but we have all the cards," he said.

Hours before Trump's comments, Prime Minister Mark Carney told an overnight press conference in Istanbul that Canada was "continuing to engage with the U.S. government." He said Canada remains "ready to sit down in good faith to negotiate a trade deal that is in both of our interests," adding: "we're looking for the interests of Canadians, we don't care about the timing of that." Carney said a deal could be signed "this afternoon if the U.S. were there," and that Canada would accept waiting months or even for another administration. Pressed on timing, he said Canada would "drop everything" if the Americans were ready to negotiate in good faith, but the chance of that happening before the midterms is "up to the United States, they're a little hard to predict."

2. Five key moments from the CP24 mayoral debate

Source: CP24

Leading Toronto mayoral candidates Brad Bradford and Olivia Chow squared off Thursday night in the final debate of the 2026 municipal election — the last chance for both to face each other before voters go to the polls on Oct. 26.

On housing, Bradford attacked the pace of Chow's promise to deliver 65,000 purpose-built rental units by 2030, saying only 1,500 have been delivered — "a mere two per cent" of her commitment — and that at that pace it would take 115 years. Chow shot back that no affordable housing was built while Bradford chaired the Housing and Planning Committee, and that approvals have been sped up by 80 per cent and development charges lowered on her watch.

Asked whether they would use strong mayor powers against council, Bradford did not answer directly, saying he would focus on crime, congestion and costs and wants "a mandate from the people of Toronto"; Chow replied, "I didn't hear an answer there." On spending, Bradford called for an outside line-by-line review of a $19-billion budget he said is larger than those of four provinces, citing $11 million in Microsoft Office licences for retirees and $5 million for stickers on recycling bins; Chow said his plan really means a 1.5 per cent tax increase instead of a freeze, while he said taxes have risen nearly 20 per cent over three years under her. The sharpest exchange came over Bradford's plan to turn Toronto Water into an independent publicly owned utility: Chow said it would hand water to Premier Doug Ford and open the door to privatization, while Bradford called that "wild accusations, misinformation, frankly dishonesty," noted provincial law would not allow privatization, and said he would resign his seat if it happened. Chow also questioned his record as a councillor, saying "you don't get a promotion if you can't even get your own job done well"; Bradford called that "simply not true," saying he has met concerned tenants since 2010 and pursued dozens of prosecutions of negligent landlords.

3. Inquest into Regis Korchinski-Paquet's death set to continue this afternoon

Source: CP24

A coroner's inquest into the death of a Toronto woman who fell from a highrise balcony in the presence of police is set to resume this afternoon after adjourning early on Thursday. The inquest concerns Regis Korchinski-Paquet, 29.

Proceedings were paused roughly an hour into Thursday's session after her mother, Claudette Beals, made a new allegation against police, testifying that she saw officers push her daughter toward the balcony. Presiding coroner Dr. David Cameron told jurors Thursday that counsel were strategizing on how to let them hear evidence about the circumstances of the death "in a clear and fair manner."

As the inquest reconvened this morning, Cameron said counsel had worked "very late into the evening to reach a consensus on how to proceed forward" but were not "quite there yet," and encouraged jurors to review and discuss evidence until 3 p.m., when he would provide an update. Beals is expected to continue her testimony when evidence resumes. Earlier Thursday, she said the family struggled at times with Korchinski-Paquet's seizures and would have benefited from support and education about epilepsy. The inquest has heard she experienced seizures from epilepsy and had two on May 27, 2020, the day she died, and that her seizures were often followed by periods of erratic and aggressive behaviour.

4. With 53 names on the ballot, outsider candidates urge voters to look past the front-runners

Source: CP24

Toronto's mayoral race has largely centred on Olivia Chow and Brad Bradford, but with 53 candidates on the ballot, some lesser-known contenders say voters are missing an alternative vision for the city. Four hopefuls spoke to CP24 about homelessness, affordability and transit with three days to go before polls open.

A Nanos poll conducted exclusively for CTV News and CP24 found 49.8 per cent of decided voters support Chow, 46.6 per cent back Bradford, and another four per cent support other candidates. Municipal and land-use planning lawyer Laura Dean, who has more than a decade of experience, called homelessness the city's most urgent challenge and wants a coordinated response across governments with measurable targets and expanded access to housing and treatment. "We need to treat this like an absolute emergency," she said. She would keep property-tax increases around inflation in her first year, examine capital-budget savings and improve coordination of construction and road closures, and accused Premier Doug Ford of using public safety as a wedge issue — "he's putting lives in danger" — while saying she would work with the province where cooperation benefits the city.

Former CNE CEO Darrell Brown wants a homes-first approach, providing stable housing before expecting people to address addiction or mental-health challenges, and says the city needs 100,000 publicly supported housing units. Originally from Halifax, he housed seven Ukrainian refugees in his home in 2022 and has supported Syrian refugees; he argues Toronto must diversify revenue through options such as congestion pricing and sales taxes because "you cannot run this city on a property tax." Grassroots candidate Roberto Curto, 29, puts transit at the centre, calling for better streetcar infrastructure, expanded bus service and a costed pilot for overnight subway service on Friday and Saturday nights to reduce reliance on surge-priced rideshares. Entrepreneur Cory Deville's campaign centres on a "people first policy," including repurposing underutilized real estate, tasking CreateTO to convert two-to-three storey homes into micro-apartments, and a monthly contest giving youth entrepreneurs $5,000 to $25,000 in non-dilutive funding. Brown noted a group of alternative candidates has organized a virtual debate for Friday, Oct. 23 at 6:30 p.m., moderated by Ward 1 Etobicoke North candidate Chloe Brown.

5. Pedestrian critically injured after being struck in Burlington: police

Source: CP24

A pedestrian suffered life-threatening injuries after being hit by a vehicle in Burlington on Thursday night. Halton police said the pedestrian was walking in the area of Mainway and Walkers Line at around 7:30 p.m. when they were struck by a westbound black Hyundai Elantra.

The pedestrian was taken to Hamilton General Hospital in critical condition. The driver remained on scene and is cooperating with the investigation, police said.

"Due to the nature of the injuries the Collision Reconstruction Unit has taken carriage of the investigation," police said in a news release. Witnesses who have not yet spoken to police are asked to contact the unit at 905-825-4747 ext. 5065 or CRU@haltonpolice.ca.

6. Air Canada to phase out four U.S. routes in 2027

Source: CP24

Air Canada has confirmed plans to cancel four routes to U.S. destinations. In an email shared with CTVNews.ca on Thursday, the airline said it will no longer fly those routes starting next summer; the specific city pairs were listed in the email but did not appear in the text of the report.

"Air Canada regularly reviews its schedule to ensure capacity is aligned with customer demand and travel patterns," spokesperson Sean Davidson said in the email. The news comes as travel between Canada and the United States has plunged in recent years: despite a steady increase in cross-border travel over the summer, Canadian-resident return trips from the U.S. in July were 25.6 per cent below their July 2024 level, and U.S. residents flew to Canada 701,800 times in August, according to StatCan.

Davidson said Air Canada will continue to fly to Nashville, Raleigh-Durham and Seattle from other Canadian airports, but did not say anything about ongoing service to Charleston. Last week the airline announced new routes between Toronto and Louisville, Ky., Montreal and Indianapolis, Ind., and Edmonton and Newark, N.J. for summer 2027 travellers, and said it will increase capacity between Edmonton and San Francisco by deploying a larger Airbus A220. With United Airlines, seasonal U.S.-to-Canada routes will open next summer, including Denver to Ottawa and Quebec City, seasonal service from Newark to St. John's, expanded Washington, D.C.-Quebec City service and further expansion between Denver and Winnipeg.

7. Alberta sets flag rules for schools, limiting what can fly as of Jan. 4

Source: CP24

Alberta is rolling out its flag restrictions in schools across the province. As of Jan. 4, the Alberta and Canadian flags will be the only flags allowed — and will, in fact, be required — to be flown outside schools during the school year.

Education Minister Demetrios Nicolaides told CTV News Edmonton on Thursday that the limitations will "remove politics and ideology" from classrooms. "We want to make sure that our classrooms and our schools are focused on helping our kids learn how to read, write, and prepare for the future and not get embroiled into potentially divisive social or political issues," he said.

The rules were originally set to come into effect on Sept. 1 but were delayed amid backlash to proposed changes in the Act to Remove Politics and Ideology from Classrooms. Critics argued restricting flags such as the Pride flag was unnecessary and could threaten free speech in schools; Alberta Teachers' Association president Jason Schilling said at the time that academic rigour and intellectual integrity are already demanded in Alberta schools and "any suggestion otherwise is unfair and quite frankly, offensive to the profession." Nicolaides said the province needed time to nail down details, including defining what constitutes a flag, and cited a school's mural wall of flags representing its student body: "We certainly don't want to create any restrictions on being able to celebrate diversity in that way." The Franco-Albertan flag or sport team flags may be flown on specific days, while First Nation, Métis and foreign national flags go up during official visits or celebrations. Schools wanting to display any other flag must submit a written request to the Ministry of Education and Childcare for case-by-case assessment. "It cannot be something that seeks to promote or advocate a social, political, or ideological cause, and there has to be some clear rationale or explanation as to why any particular flag would be necessary," Nicolaides said. The legislation does not apply to flags displayed on a person or personal items.

8. Crown drops sex-offender registry charge against former Nova Scotia police chief

Source: CP24

A former Nova Scotia police chief convicted in 2020 of sexually exploiting a 17-year-old girl is no longer facing a charge of failing to comply with an order under the Sex Offender Information Registration Act. John Collyer was charged in September 2025 and was supposed to stand trial this week in provincial court in Bridgewater, N.S., where he used to be police chief, The Canadian Press reported on Oct. 22.

On Monday, Crown prosecutor Hannah Cameron told Judge James Burrill that the Crown was withdrawing the charge, saying there was no public interest in proceeding; she did not elaborate. Burrill dismissed the charge, but it remains unclear what Collyer was accused of in 2025.

On March 4, 2020, Collyer was sentenced to 15 months in jail for sexually exploiting a 17-year-old girl when he was deputy chief of the Bridgewater Police Service, plus one year of probation, with his DNA to be added to the national sex offender registry for 20 years. At the conclusion of the trial, the victim told the court the senior officer was like a father to her when she and her mother moved to Nova Scotia and needed support; she was 12 at the time, and by 15 the officer admitted he couldn't trust himself around her. A psychiatrist testified the girl had an intellectual and emotional age between 10 and 12, and the court heard her mother gave investigators screenshots of sexually suggestive online messages Collyer sent her. Nova Scotia Supreme Court Justice Mona Lynch said the intent of those messages was to groom the girl for sexual contact. The victim told investigators that in the spring of 2016, while she and Collyer were driving in his car, he reached between her legs, pushed aside her skirt and sexually assaulted her without her consent. The 26-year veteran was originally charged in May 2017 with sexual assault and two counts of sexual exploitation, one of which was withdrawn; Lynch convicted him on both remaining counts but ordered a conditional stay on the sexual assault conviction because an accused cannot be convicted of two offences arising from the same actions. He was granted full parole in August 2020.

9. Sleep expert flags nursery products that can be dangerous for babies

Source: CP24

A number of common nursery products can be unsafe for babies, according to a sleep expert, and it's related to infant development. Amanda Jewson told CTV's Your Morning on Friday that certain products could create an obstruction for breathing in infants whose airways are still developing — when their heavy heads go down, their breathing can be affected.

"They are still figuring out how to move and move themselves away from danger," Jewson said. "Recently rolling babies may not be able to roll in a way from scary things or bad things." She pointed to a 10-year study of infant sleep-related deaths by the American Academy of Pediatrics, which found that "several hundred infants" die each year in sitting devices such as car seats, bouncers or swings used improperly for routine sleep. The study examined 11,779 infant sleep-related deaths and found three per cent died in sitting devices, most in car seats, which were mostly being used improperly. About 3,700 infants die every year from sleep-related deaths, including sudden infant death syndrome, accidental suffocation and strangulation in bed.

Asked whether inclined sleepers, swings and rockers could be dangerous, Jewson answered: "yes." "People often panic when we talk about inclines, mostly because we use those for car seats," she said, noting car seats can be clipped in at an appropriate angle so a baby's head stays safe, but parents must be careful when removing a car seat and not use it incorrectly outside the car: "Ninety per cent of car seat deaths happen when the car seat was being used incorrectly." Crib bumpers are "a big no," she said, because they are full of fabric and padding: "A bump or even a bruise is harmless compared to a baby who rolls and puts them in a suffocation risk zone." Weighted sleep products can be an issue if a baby cannot move away from danger, while regular sleep sacks or swaddles are not dangerous as long as babies have full movement in their hips. Of loungers and nets, she said she doesn't understand "why this was ever on the market," noting such products get recalled and resold under other names, and warning parents not to put them in a crib: "If you're doing that, please stop."

10. Seven killed, 34 wounded in Jordan church shooting

Source: CP24

Gunmen opened fire during a funeral at a church in Jordan on Friday, killing seven people and wounding 34 others, authorities said. The shooting took place at a Greek Orthodox church in Karak, about 180 kilometres (110 miles) south of the capital, Amman.

Images broadcast on Jordanian state television showed two gunmen who appeared to be holding pistols approaching the church and firing shots; a third man who appeared to be holding a semi-automatic rifle then opened fire, and all three ran toward the church. A government statement said the attack was "carried out by unknown assailants" but did not say whether any gunmen were captured or killed, adding that "investigations are underway at full speed." Jordan's director of public security, Maj. Gen. Obeidallah Maaytah, said at a news conference that 27 of the wounded were still being treated.

King Abdullah II said on X that Jordan "will confront the terrorist act that targeted Karak with the harshest penalties" and offered his "deepest condolences to the families of the martyrs, and our wishes for recovery to the wounded." Karak is home to a minority Christian population. In 2016, gunmen ambushed police in a series of attacks in Karak, including at a Crusader castle popular with tourists, killing 10 people, including seven officers, and wounding dozens; Jordanian security forces killed the gunmen after a long standoff.