Maple Express | November 13, 2026 — Multiple deaths reported in B.C.'s Squamish Valley

1. B.C. legislator 'devastated' by reports of multiple deaths in Squamish Valley

Source: CP24

A British Columbia legislator says he is "devastated" by reports of multiple deaths in the Squamish Valley north of Vancouver, where a river has been swollen by days of heavy rain. Jeremy Valeriote, who represents West Vancouver-Sea to Sky, said his thoughts are with the families of the victims.

First responders have described what happened as a "boating incident" that took place Thursday afternoon. BC Emergency Health Services said it received a call at 2:48 p.m. about the incident near the 15900 block of Squamish Valley Road.

A search operation is underway in the community, where members of Squamish Search and Rescue and North Shore Rescue have gathered at the local airport. A white pickup truck was seen pulling an RCMP boat around the parking lot as members gathered inside. Neither the RCMP nor rescue groups immediately responded to questions about the nature of the operation, while Emergency Health Services said no one has been taken to hospital.

Source

2. One dead after intense Scarborough house fire, investigation underway

Source: CP24

An investigation is underway into an intensely hot fire at a Scarborough home that left one male dead, Toronto Fire Chief Jim Jessop says. The fire broke out in the basement of a home on Marlena Drive, near Lawrence Avenue East and Kingston Road, at around 6:30 a.m.

Jessop said crews arrived on scene and immediately began a primary search for any occupants inside. "Looking at the stairwell that the firefighters had to fight their way down, the heat would have been extreme," he said, adding that crews also had to contend with flames and thick, black smoke. "They would have had zero visibility while they are searching for people." One male was located and pulled from the fire but was later pronounced dead in hospital.

The age of the deceased has not been released and it is unclear how many other people occupied the building at the time. Jessop said it is too early to say what caused the fire; Toronto Fire investigators, along with the Office of the Fire Marshal, will look into the cause, origin and circumstances. "The damage down below is substantive, and the heat was so intense that it actually melted portions of the garage," he said. "I haven't seen charring like that in a while." He offered condolences to the victim's family, calling it a "horrible situation." The blaze marks Toronto's 11th fatal fire of 2026.

Source

3. Federal government moves to overhaul airport security after W5 investigation

Source: CP24

Prime Minister Mark Carney's government is making sweeping changes after a W5 investigation revealed how corrupt airport workers are trafficking drugs using innocent passengers' luggage tags. "When we saw your report, we once again went back to the drawing board," Transportation Minister Steven MacKinnon said in a recent interview from his office on Parliament Hill. New laws will tighten access to security clearances and restricted areas, he said.

A bag tag switching scheme describes a scenario where a corrupt airport employee takes the tag off an unsuspecting passenger's luggage and attaches it to a suitcase filled with drugs headed to that traveller's destination, where a courier waits to pick it up. If the bag is intercepted by security, the innocent passenger is left to face the consequences. W5 has identified more than two dozen cases where Canadians have been caught up in this scheme, almost all of them flying out of Toronto's Pearson International Airport, and several have been detained overseas. Sixteen Pearson workers have been arrested over the past five years, most in relation to drugs and at least five in connection with tag switching schemes, the RCMP said in an email to W5.

The government now admits in an online discussion paper that it is not fully equipped to prevent organized criminals from getting into "trusted positions within the transportation system," because the system that decides who gets security clearances isn't working properly. Transport Canada wrote that the current system focuses on filtering out people who could put planes in danger but "limits our ability to consider … links to organized crime or patterns of suspicious activity," adding that organized crime is a growing threat inside Canadian airports.

MacKinnon said he plans to use expanded powers in Bill C-39, the government's omnibus "Building Canada Strong Act," to institute "higher thresholds for security clearances" and more restrictions on who has access to secure areas. "Whether you're working in a restaurant at the airport or working as part of ground crews or baggage handlers, we are watching ever more closely," he said. The bill is currently before Parliament and in committee, and could pass before the end of the year. Aviation management expert John Gradek said airport employees need to be physically screened as they enter secure areas so drug bags are stopped before they can take flight. Conservative transport critic Dan Albas said the proposed changes are welcome but won't solve the problem, since organized criminals often work with people with clean records who wouldn't be screened out; he suggested requiring airports to photograph travellers' baggage and reviewing secure areas where employees handle baggage, adding the minister could do these things unilaterally without another bill.

Source

4. Parents should think 'long and hard' about e-scooters for kids: Toronto police chief

Source: CP24

Toronto's chief of police is asking parents to "think long and hard" about gifting their children e-scooters because of the safety risks posed by the unregulated micro-mobility devices. Toronto Police Chief Myron Demkiw made the comments during his monthly appearance on CP24's Ask the Chief on Friday.

"To be clear, e-scooters are not allowed on roadways, sidewalks, or bike lanes at all," he said. "We've done enforcement and education campaigns to create awareness around that but there is no regulatory framework for e-scooters." He noted that e-bikes are permitted in bike lanes but not on sidewalks. "It is a very confusing environment to be sure," he added. He said officers have also run education campaigns at Toronto schools, noting that some devices can go "incredibly fast."

"Certainly a concern for sure and we would ask parents to really think long and hard about what they are providing their kids to get to and from school and ride around the neighbourhood because they are not legal and they… could potentially cause some danger," he said. Over the summer, Toronto police ran a two-week enforcement blitz on micro-mobility devices from Aug. 10 to Aug. 24, issuing 324 tickets for infractions such as illegal sidewalk riding, travelling the wrong way in cycle tracks and illegal e-moped use in cycle tracks. Dr. Daniel Rosenfield of Toronto's Hospital for Sick Children told CTV News Toronto's Pat Foran in September that there has been a significant uptick in hospitalizations for e-scooter users. "The classic user of these devices that we see (in the emergency department) that is most severely injured are boys aged 10 to 12, which is before you can get a driver's licence, before you know the rules of the road, and kids don't understand how powerful these devices are," he said.

Source

5. Two pedestrians critically injured in collision at Pickering mall

Source: CP24

Two pedestrians are critically injured following a collision at a mall in Pickering on Friday morning, police say.

Durham Regional Police said they are investigating at The Shops at Pickering City Centre, which is located near Highway 401 and Liverpool Road.

The circumstances surrounding the collision are unclear at this time. Police said Air Ornge is on its way and warned the public to expect a heavy police presence in the area.

Source

6. Brampton family needs $5M for U.S. treatment for son's rare genetic disorder

Source: CP24

A Brampton family is hoping to raise enough money for their two-and-a-half-year-old son to be treated in the United States for his rare genetic disorder after the province rejected their request for out-of-country funding. "We don't have any plan B right now," Mandeep Chandi said of the crowdfunding campaign the family started.

Zorawar Singh Chandi was seven months old when he was diagnosed with Aromatic L-Amino Acid Decarboxylase (AADC) deficiency. His parents said they started noticing he wasn't developing at the same rate as other children when he was just two months old. AADC is an enzyme responsible for catalyzing the conversion of certain amino acids to dopamine and serotonin. The deficiency is more of a developmental disorder than a neurodegenerative one and, according to one peer-reviewed paper, it impacts roughly one out of every 1.3 million people. Left untreated, it can cause developmental and cognitive delays, muscle weakness and impaired movement.

His mother, Ramandeep Kaur, says every day is a challenge. Several times a week his eyes will stay rolled upward for up to 30 minutes, which is painful for him and hard for her too. Zorawar is also on a liquid diet as he struggles chewing food. "Sometimes he is very irritated, cry all the day, and he is not able to—like he can't say anything that what is going on with him," Kaur said.

One of the treatments their doctor recommended was Kebilidi, which is not currently approved in Canada. "The treatment is a one-time treatment that is very expensive," Kaur said. Kebilidi is an FDA-approved gene therapy for AADC deficiency, the first of its kind to be administered directly to the brain, approved in November 2024 — six months after Zorawar was born. Boston Children's Hospital, where the family hopes to receive the treatment, said that while clinical studies are ongoing, patients receiving Kebilidi have so far been "able to synthesize neurotransmitters and begin achieving motor and other developmental milestones." The hospital says it is too early to say with certainty that it is a cure, but notes the treatment appears to correct the root cause.

Chandi told CTV News Toronto the treatment will cost about $5 million. "It will almost cost about like $5 million, so it's not possible for the middle-class family to pay that amount just for getting the treatment," he said. The family has set up a GoFundMe covering the treatment, medical assessments, travel and follow-up care; it has raised roughly $1.6 million. Their effort dates back to August 2025, when their family doctor first submitted a request for prior approval for full payment of insured out-of-country health services. The application said he is "severely affected, showing minimal to no improvement with conventional therapies currently provided," with developmental milestones corresponding to those of a 1-month-old. The ministry denied the application in January of this year after requesting more information in October 2025, saying the treatment did not meet the requirements under the Health Insurance Act and was "experimental." The family's appeal to the Health Services Appeal and Review Board in February was also denied. "After like waiting for two years, so we still left with no hope," Chandi said.

Health Canada spokesperson Karine LeBlanc said in an email the agency has not received a regulatory submission for Kebilidi, adding that "the decision and timing of a submission rests with the product manufacturer." The family's lawyer says the regulation was amended after Zorawar's application was refused, significantly curtailing the circumstances in which out-of-country care would be approved; the province announced the amendment on Oct. 6 of this year, while their application was submitted on Aug. 13, 2025. Health and regulatory lawyer Lonny Rosen said four conditions must be met for the province to approve funding: the treatment is performed in Ontario; the drug and its administration are publicly funded in Ontario; access to the drug is temporarily unavailable; and it is necessary for the Ontarian to travel out of the country sooner to avoid death or medically significant irreversible tissue damage. CTV News Toronto contacted PTC Therapeutics, the maker of the drug, but has not received a response.

Source

7. Richard Neil found guilty on all 17 charges in decades-old child sex assault case

Source: CP24

A jury has found Richard Neil, the man accused of sexually assaulting three children in southwestern Ontario more than 30 years ago, guilty on all charges. Justice Rosemarie Juganovic completed her charge to the jury on Thursday; the next morning, they returned with a verdict. Neil, now 67, faced 17 charges including multiple counts of sexual assault, kidnapping and uttering threats.

Court heard that, while he does not deny the attacks happened as the victims described, he was not the perpetrator. The first attack was in 1992 on an 8-year-old boy at Idlewood Park in Kitchener, Ont. Then, in 1994, a 10-year-old boy was sexually assaulted in Norton Place Park in Brampton, Ont. The third attack was on a 15-year-old girl in Wildwood Park in Oakville, Ont., in 1995 — an ordeal lasting five hours.

The attacks were similar in nature: they all took place in parks, the attacker was a stranger to the children, and the victims were tied to trees with yellow rope, threatened and sexually assaulted, including being forced to drink urine. After a police investigation that spanned years and involved multiple services, Neil was arrested in 2024. At trial, the Crown argued the evidence implicating Neil was "so overwhelming that we need a new word for overwhelming." DNA later matched to Neil was found on items from all three crime scenes, and fingerprints collected from an Oakville park also matched the accused. The Crown made the case that Neil's "highly distinctive urine-drinking fetish identifies him." Neil downplayed his admitted interest in urine drinking during cross-examination, saying it is "actually quite common," that he started around 2012 and only with consenting male adults. He repeatedly denied being the perpetrator.

Source

8. Microsoft issues continue Friday as company targets email

Source: CP24

Microsoft said Friday it is seeing "encouraging" progress in its push to restore service across various platforms. On Thursday, users in Canada and across the globe reported issues accessing Outlook and the 365 suite, and the outage caused issues at hospitals, Via Rail and elsewhere.

"We're seeing encouraging recovery progress, with service availability and email delivery performance improving across a growing portion of affected Microsoft 365 infrastructure. Some users may still experience intermittent issues as recovery actions continue," the company said.

The City of Toronto said on social media that Microsoft services affecting City services are being restored and that it will continue to monitor the situation to ensure stability. Microsoft said Friday that email was among the areas it was targeting.

Source

9. Missing man found dead in northern B.C. wilderness

Source: CP24

A young man who was reported missing earlier this week was found dead in the northern B.C. wilderness, according to authorities. Police said the Northern Rockies RCMP were asked to check on the well-being of the 22-year-old Fort Nelson resident on Tuesday afternoon.

Officers and police dogs immediately began searching and continued until it was dark, resuming at first light the following day. Around 10:30 a.m. Wednesday, the detachment says Police Dog Services found the man near the Muskwa River, along a path through challenging terrain.

"We extend our sincere condolences to all those affected by this loss and thank the officers, emergency responders, and partner agencies who worked tirelessly throughout the search," Staff Sgt. Jason Rumming with the Northern Rockies RCMP said in a statement Friday. The B.C. Coroners Service is investigating the cause of death, but police said it is not considered suspicious. Mounties said they will not release further details out of respect for the man's family.

Source

10. What is 'loud working' and is it a new form of job protection?

Source: CP24

It's a workplace dynamic many professionals will recognize — that one colleague who needs to show off their productivity instead of just putting their head down to get the work done. The behaviour isn't new, but it appears to be growing common enough to have earned a name: "loud working." It can show up as boastful social media posts about what the employee accomplished that day, or as Slack updates every time a task is completed.

Annoying at best and distracting at worst, the behaviour is seen by some professionals as a reflection of a time when many younger people don't feel secure about their professional future. Anil Verma, professor emeritus at the Rotman School of Management and former director of the Centre for Industrial Relations and Human Resources at the University of Toronto, told CTV News by phone that generation Z didn't invent self-promotion, but it has been amplified by the reality younger generations face.

"This generation is facing a lot of uncertainty and (an) uncertain future, there's a lot of competition," he said. "There's a question of scarcity of jobs, and so this is their world that they inhabit. It wasn't like this for us boomers, when the economy was expanding, and there were plenty of jobs." He added that the growth of social media may be a big part of what is pushing the trend — "you make your voice known, not just at the water cooler."

Cal Jungwirth, director of permanent placement services at employment agency Robert Half, said there's no problem with making sure your contributions are recognized, but it depends on how the message is articulated. "I would say that the distinction is whether someone is either communicating something meaningful around their accomplishments or just drawing attention to themselves," he said. Too much self-promotion can affect workplace culture and lead to retention issues, he said: "If it gets to a certain degree, it would absolutely need to be addressed," suggesting this be done one on one and behind closed doors, with open and transparent feedback so the person can reflect and change. Verma said organizations can communicate norms around this behaviour, noting that when email and Slack were first introduced some people may not have realized they were being rude. "In the beginning, we tend to use it in various appropriate and inappropriate ways," he said. "What happens over time is that some group norms develop. And you start to say, 'well, this is acceptable.'" Jungwirth added there are many ways to contribute positively without loud working: "Putting up your hand and volunteering to be part of a project is always a great way to be noticed. When appropriate, give others their due credit. That tends to create a positive culture, and others in turn will hopefully give you due, when you do quality work."

Source