Maple Express | September 22, 2026: After the Belleville Synagogue Shooting, a Look at Recent Violence Near Canadian Jewish Institutions

1. After Belleville Shooting, a Look at Recent Violence Near Canadian Jewish Institutions

Source: CP24

Ontario's police watchdog is investigating after a 29-year-old man allegedly opened fire at a constable stationed outside a synagogue in Belleville, Ont., on Sunday night. The resulting shootout left both the suspect and the officer with serious injuries and sparked widespread condemnation from political leaders. Police have declined to comment on a possible motive.

The Canadian Press compiled a look at other violent incidents at or near Canadian synagogues and Jewish institutions in recent years. In June 2026, a fire at Montreal's Temple Emanu-El-Beth Sholom was believed to have been caused by a Molotov cocktail, and a 38-year-old man was arrested. Between April and May 2026, a Toronto man allegedly carried out two assaults against Jewish community members using a gel blaster imitation gun, one outside the Congregation Chasidei Bobov synagogue, and an 18-year-old suspect was charged with assault with a weapon and possessing a weapon for a dangerous purpose.

In March 2026, two Toronto-area synagogues — Beth Avraham Yoseph of Toronto in Vaughan, Ont., and Shaarei Shomayim in Toronto's north end — were damaged by gunfire overnight, with no injuries reported, and police later arrested three suspects aged 17, 18 and 23. Other attacks were recorded in December 2024, May 2024 and November 2023 at synagogues and Jewish schools in Montreal, Toronto and Vancouver.

Source

2. Toronto Police Release Video of Etobicoke Shooting as Investigation Continues

Source: CP24

Toronto police have released video footage as an investigation into a shooting in Etobicoke continues. The incident happened on Aug. 5 near Castlebar Road and Uno Drive, west of Royal York Road and north of The Queensway. Police say they were called to the area just before 8:10 p.m.

In a 38-second clip, a man is seen watering the front lawn when a grey, four-door SUV with its front passenger door open pulls up to a dead end. The back passenger door is then flung open as a male appears to exit and runs down the street, seen holding what appears to be a handgun. The driver then reverses back down the street as the clip cuts off. Investigators say a suspect exited the rear passenger side armed with a firearm, ran toward another vehicle and discharged the weapon. The suspect is described as having a medium build and brown hair, last seen wearing a green jacket, grey pants and white shoes. The Integrated Gun and Gang Task Force wants to identify him.

Source

3. U.S. Tariffs and Looming Bans Weigh on Canadian Wine, But One Expert Sees Opportunity at Home

Source: CP24

As Canada's wine industry faces mounting pressure from U.S. trade restrictions, one industry leader says the turmoil could create an opportunity to expand the domestic market for Ontario and Canadian-made wines. Dan Paszkowski, president and CEO of Wine Growers Canada, said: "We can't control what Washington does, but we can control our own choices, and we can control how we grow the industry in Canada." The association represents 90 per cent of vineyards coast to coast.

According to Paszkowski, 90 per cent of Canadian wine shipped to the United States is produced in Ontario, leaving the province's wineries particularly exposed. The trade dispute escalated in March 2025, when the U.S. imposed tariffs on a wide range of Canadian goods, including alcohol, and Ontario and other provinces removed U.S. alcohol from store shelves. In July, the Trump administration imposed a 50 per cent tariff on goods including Canadian spirits and wines. On Sept. 8, Trump signed executive orders that will effectively ban imports of a number of Canadian products, including alcoholic beverages, beginning Sept. 29. Paszkowski said wineries have seen a 45 per cent increase in domestic sales since tariffs came into effect 18 months ago.

Source

4. Drunk Driver With 3x Legal Limit Sentenced in Deadly Markham Crash

Source: CP24

A Stouffville woman convicted of impaired driving causing death and bodily harm in a November 2024 crash that killed a Markham man has been sentenced. Carolyn Nielsen, 43, is heading to prison for four years and 10 months for having more than three times the legal limit of alcohol in her blood when she crashed head-on into another car along Highway 7 in Markham, killing 68-year-old Lloyd Szeto and injuring his wife.

A Newmarket judge accepted a joint submission from the Crown and defence. The Crown told the court that Nielsen reached a top speed of 123 km/h in a 60 zone when her SUV crossed the centre line and hit the Toyota Matrix driven by Szeto, launching it about 50 feet. Szeto's wife was airlifted to a Toronto hospital with a broken jaw, sternum and ribs. Nielsen apologized to Szeto's family, saying "No words could ever express how sorry I feel for causing so much pain." Upon her release, she will be banned from driving for eight years and three months.

Source

5. Ontario Real Estate Investors in Limbo as 'Simple Investor' Firm Suspends Payments

Source: CP24

Hundreds of real estate investors in a company run by a media-savvy realtor who owns dozens of buildings across Ontario got a shock over the weekend when they were told their rent payments were in limbo. Todd C. Slater is known as the Simple Investor through advertising, a radio show he once hosted on Newstalk 1010 and a series of podcasts. The condo management company, estimated to be worth more than $100 million, now seems to be anything but simple.

Investor Billie-Jo Newman, who owns six properties in four Ontario cities through Slater's company The Simple Investor, said she got good returns for 13 years; the business model bought apartment buildings, turned them into condos, sold the condos and managed the properties for a fee. But in January she was confused by a $41,000 water bill for a condo complex in Perth County, followed by a change in payment deadlines, a $100 increase in the per-condo management fee and, this month, no rent money at all. Sireg, which manages the properties, told investors last week it is "working with advisors to evaluate alternatives" amid "market and liquidity challenges." Investor Marcin Migdal said he has heard from more than 79 investors with some $26 million in assets, and heard there are approximately 1,800 total investors.

Source

6. Peel Police Union Endorses Alvin Tedjo for Mayor of Mississauga

Source: CP24

The union representing nearly 4,000 uniformed and civilian members of the Peel Regional Police has endorsed Alvin Tedjo to be Mississauga's next mayor. The Peel Regional Police Association (PRPA) made the endorsement on Monday morning, opting to support the longtime Ward 2 councillor over candidates that include incumbent Carolyn Parrish, former Mississauga mayor Bonnie Crombie and current city councillor Dipika Dimerla.

In a news release, the union said Tedjo has "made safer communities a key part of his campaign," with a plan focused on tackling auto theft and violent crime, modernizing law enforcement tools and ensuring Mississauga gets its fair share of policing resources. President Adrian Wooley said PRPA backed Tedjo specifically for his crime and safety plan, and that the union believes he understands the challenges law enforcement faces today. Tedjo has promised to hire more officers and fight for a new and fairer police funding formula for Mississauga and Brampton, and he also wants to better use non-police emergency resources, modernize traffic enforcement and work on bail reform.

Source

7. 'All I Needed Was a Safe Space': Ontario Mom Turns Daughter's Loss Into SickKids Legacy

Source: CP24

A Mount Forest family is turning the loss of their baby girl into a legacy of support for other families at the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto. Scottie-Lynn Stewart was born on Sept. 19 of last year and was diagnosed in utero with truncus arteriosus type 3, a rare congenital heart defect. Within an hour of delivery she was transported to SickKids. She underwent her first open-heart surgery at three days old and a second procedure about a week later.

Mother Chelsey Briere said the medical teams who cared for Scottie-Lynn became like family during the six weeks they spent at the hospital. But Scottie's condition deteriorated, and Scottie-Lynn died on Oct. 31. Recalling that she had collapsed in a hallway very publicly, Briere realized how much families need a private place to grieve. The family reached out to a SickKids social worker about creating a more private space for other parents and began raising money to revitalize a private room on the hospital's Cardiac Critical Care Unit. Briere said the family set a fundraising goal of $30,000 and had raised about $27,500; the SickKids Foundation said donations above the amount needed will support the hospital's highest-priority needs.

Source

8. Multiple Injured in Aurora Crash, Police Say

Source: CP24

Multiple people were injured in a collision in Aurora on Saturday night, York Regional Police said. The multi-vehicle crash happened at the intersection of Wellington and Bathurst Streets shortly before 8 p.m.

A York Region spokesperson said paramedics assessed five patients. The extent of their injuries is unknown. The cause of the crash is under investigation.

Source

9. Quebec Election Campaign Enters 27th Day as Final Debate Nears

Source: CP24

Quebec's party leaders are back out on the campaign trail, with less than two weeks to go before the provincial election. The leaders of the Parti Québécois (PQ), Liberals (PLQ), Coalition Avenir Québec (CAQ), Conservatives (PCQ) and Québec solidaire are gearing up for the third and final televised debate scheduled for Wednesday in Montreal. The leaders have faced questions in recent days about potential alliances if no party succeeds in forming a majority.

Parti Québécois Leader Paul St-Pierre Plamondon said Monday that an alliance was out of the question, after his rivals suggested his ideas were similar to those of Conservative Leader Éric Duhaime. Poll aggregator Qc125 suggests the Parti Québécois remains the front-runner but that a minority outcome remains the most likely scenario. Quebec voters go to the polls on Oct. 5.

Source

10. New B.C. Conservative Leader Doerkson to Appear With Caucus Amid Election Speculation

Source: CP24

The new interim leader of the British Columbia Conservatives will face reporters today as he works to reconstruct the Opposition caucus after weeks of upheaval ahead of a potential early election. Lorne Doerkson, who was appointed after Sunday's resignation of Kerry-Lynne Findlay, is scheduled to appear in Richmond, B.C., with members of his caucus. The party's parliamentary group grew to 29 members on Monday after the return of five MLAs, who either quit in recent weeks or were kicked out of caucus by Findlay in the dying days of her leadership.

The Conservatives have been trying to put up a united front amid anticipation of a snap election. Premier David Eby last week said his caucus needed to be "election ready," while pledging to temporarily pause the expansion of the provincial sales tax and order that BC Ferries' next round of vessels be built in British Columbia.

Source