Maple Express | November 1, 2026: Woman dies after stabbing in North York parking lot

1. Woman dies after stabbing in North York apartment parking lot

Source: CP24

A woman has died after a stabbing in an apartment parking lot in North York on Saturday afternoon. Toronto police said officers were called shortly after 4 p.m. to the area of Bathurst Street and Finch Avenue West.

When officers arrived they found an adult female with serious, life-threatening injuries. She was taken to hospital, where she later died. Police have not identified her. Toronto paramedics told CP24 a second person was assessed at the scene but was not taken to hospital.

Police would not release information about the suspect, saying only that officers were not looking for anyone. A police spokesperson told CP24 the victim and the suspect knew each other, though the extent of their relationship is unknown. Police said there was no threat to public safety, and the homicide unit has taken carriage of the investigation.

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2. Woman in her 80s struck and killed by vehicle in Markham

Source: CP24

A woman in her 80s is dead after being struck by a vehicle in Markham on Saturday afternoon. York police and paramedics responded to the area of 16th Avenue and Markham Road just after 5:30 p.m.

Police said the woman was rushed to hospital and pronounced dead shortly after. The driver of the vehicle remained at the scene.

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3. Ontario proposes crackdown on illegal cannabis stores

Source: CP24

The Ontario government has announced proposed measures to crack down on illegal cannabis storefronts, a move welcomed by many of the province's estimated 1,800 legal retailers. The changes, announced Oct. 19, would give the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario the authority to inspect suspected illegal storefronts, seize contraband products and issue monetary penalties once approved.

Data from the Ministry of the Attorney General shows about 30 per cent of the province's cannabis retail landscape is still made up of illegal retailers, nine years after legalization. "I'm just happy that we're moving from reactive to proactive," said Paul Macchiusi, owner of Minerva Cannabis near Bathurst and Dupont streets in Toronto.

Macchiusi called the proposal a step in the right direction but said questions remain about how it will be implemented. "It's an announcement. It's not enforcement. There's no budget. There's no timeline," he said, adding that retailers want the laws changed and landlords held accountable for hosting illicit operators.

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4. Canada's Silver Cross Mother has a message for Wainwright families

Source: CP24

Virginia Hicks has been named Canada's 2026 National Silver Cross Mother by the Royal Canadian Legion. On Remembrance Day she will lay a wreath at the National War Memorial in Ottawa on behalf of every Canadian mother who has lost a child in military service. Her own daughter, 22-year-old Sapper Mariebeth Short, died in a training accident in 2002.

Hicks is herself a veteran, having served nearly 30 years in the Royal Canadian Air Force in logistics and supply. Short, born in Comox, B.C., stood four foot 11 and weighed 95 pounds when she chose combat engineering after her math skills fell short of her goal of becoming a navy navigator.

In September 2002, Short was taking part in a training exercise involving light armoured vehicles when the vehicle rolled twice and landed on its side, with her underneath. A military investigation later found a defect in the wheel assembly from when the vehicle was built. Hicks received the Memorial Cross in 2009, having believed it went only to families of those killed overseas.

In October, four soldiers were killed in a fire during training at CFB Wainwright in Alberta. Hicks said it felt "like a cold shower." Her advice to those families is to be patient while the military investigates: "It will get easier. I can promise them that, but it'll never go away."

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5. Manitoba farmer loses roughly 500 acres to flooding, calls for better mitigation

Source: CP24

Curtis McRae says this year's farming season has been one of the most challenging he has faced. A two-day storm in June flooded nearly half of his farmland — around 800 hectares — near Clandeboye, Man., about 41 kilometres north of Winnipeg. He salvaged some of the damaged crops but still lost approximately 200 hectares, roughly 500 acres.

About 255 millimetres of rain fell in Stonewall and surrounding communities in just a few hours. Some of McRae's fields held nearly a metre of water for several weeks. "The soil is still very, very saturated," he said. "Any little precipitation we get doesn't seem to go anywhere. It just sits."

Jill Verwey, a producer and president of Keystone Agricultural Producers, said many producers are filing crop insurance claims and will face below-average yields. The province's latest crop report shows 94 per cent of the harvest is complete. McRae is calling on local and provincial governments for better culvert maintenance and clearer drainage channels. "When you restrict farmers, you restrict your food, and guess what? Your food price goes up."

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6. Trade minister insists Canada-EU summit will bear fruit

Source: CP24

International Trade Minister Maninder Sidhu insists this week's Canada-EU Summit in Montreal will bear fruit, but would not say how much associate membership with the bloc could cost Canada, arguing instead that there is an "opportunity cost" to not pursuing deeper integration with Europe.

Prime Minister Mark Carney hosted European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and European Council President Antonio Costa this week. On Friday they signed a joint statement and launched an "alliance for the future," and said they would work toward Canada's eventual "associate membership" in the 27-member bloc, despite pushback from EU member states over the term.

Speaking on CTV Question Period, Sidhu said the EU is Canada's second-largest export market, with $175 billion in two-way trade last year. He pointed to the prime minister's target of increasing non-U.S. exports by $300 billion. Analysis this week from TD Economics said Canadian products currently make up only about one per cent of Europe's imports. The Conservatives dismissed the summit as "Liberal theatrics."

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7. Makeshift shelter near Ottawa's Mud Lake demolished, neighbours heartbroken

Source: CP24

A homeless man's makeshift shelter near Ottawa's Mud Lake has been demolished, leaving some residents heartbroken and raising questions about what happens to people experiencing homelessness when they have nowhere to go.

Beverly McDonald told CTV News Ottawa she used to pick up extra groceries at Farm Boy for a man neighbours know as Robert, who lived in a small wooden structure near the lake in the Britannia area. "He's not asking for money. He's just asking for bread, peanut butter, things like that," she said. During a recent walk she found the shelter had been removed.

Bay Ward Coun. Theresa Kavanagh said she contacted the city's housing services department after learning about the incident. She said outreach workers had visited the man several times and offered assistance, including a chance to meet with a nurse, but he declined, and he was given approximately one week's notice before the structure was removed.

The City of Ottawa said dismantling an encampment is considered only after efforts to support the individual have been exhausted, and that people are notified and offered housing-focused services. Kavanagh said officials were unable to offer the man a place to live. City figures show 16,347 households were on Ottawa's social housing waiting list at the end of 2025, with average waits of five to eight years. "It doesn't solve anything," said Kaite Burkholder Harris, executive director of the Alliance to End Homelessness Ottawa.

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8. Matthews, Nylander lead Leafs to 4-2 win over Canucks

Source: CP24

Auston Matthews scored his team-leading 11th goal of the season as the Toronto Maple Leafs defeated the Vancouver Canucks 4-2 on Saturday to snap a two-game NHL skid. William Nylander and Teddy Blueger each had a goal and an assist, and Zack MacEwen also scored for Toronto (8-6-2), which wrapped up a four-game road trip with two wins and two losses.

Brock Boeser scored on the power play and Max Sasson also scored for the Canucks (3-12-1), who have one win in their last 13 games.

Leevi Merilainen made 24 saves for Vancouver, while Anthony Stolarz stopped 26 shots for Toronto and earned an assist on Blueger's empty-net goal. Matthews gave the Leafs a 2-1 lead at 3:47 of the second period after a back-and-forth passing sequence with defenceman Darren Raddysh.

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9. King Charles to address Commonwealth with 'unflinching honesty' on slavery

Source: CP24

King Charles III will confront "shameful aspects" of U.K. history with "unflinching honesty" when he addresses Commonwealth leaders next week, Buckingham Palace said Saturday, amid renewed scrutiny of Britain's role in transatlantic slavery.

The comments came after Prime Minister Andy Burnham said he was open to a formal apology for Britain's role in the trade but ruled out paying the financial reparations demanded by some Caribbean countries. Charles is touring the Caribbean before delivering a speech Tuesday at the Commonwealth heads of government meeting in Antigua and Barbuda. A palace spokesperson said the King "will not shy away from confronting the most shameful aspects of the past," while noting he speaks as head of the 56-member Commonwealth and that it would not be appropriate for him to address U.K. government policy.

In a Guardian op-ed, Burnham wrote that "we need to face up to the past," pledging "difficult conversations" and a "structured dialogue with those affected." He expressed "sorrow and regret" for the suffering caused by the trade, but argued reparations were not "the right answer." He also announced a new debt restructuring drive for the poorest Commonwealth countries, led by former Labour prime minister Gordon Brown. Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch said there was "no need" for an apology.

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10. Pregnant woman killed, six wounded in shooting at California Spirit Halloween store

Source: CP24

One person was killed and six others injured after a shooting inside a Spirit Halloween store at a shopping mall in Fairfield, California, on Friday night, police said. Fairfield police identified the person killed as Constance Hages, 31, whom family members said was pregnant at the time of her death.

Three other victims — a 16-year-old male, a 19-year-old male and a 32-year-old male — remained in critical condition as of Saturday afternoon, police said. A 23-year-old man was hospitalized in stable condition, and two other victims who suffered gunshot wounds were treated and released. Fairfield Police Chief Dan Marshall said the shooting happened at the Solano Town Center mall, about 45 miles northeast of San Francisco.

Police said preliminary information suggested the shooting "stemmed from a targeted incident involving one suspect." The FBI's Sacramento field office sent an evidence response team to assist. Spirit Halloween said the store will remain closed "out of respect for those impacted and to support the ongoing investigation."

The incident took place on the eve of Halloween, and police said officers responded at 8:30 p.m. local time. Solano Town Center cancelled its scheduled "Mall-O-Ween!" event for Saturday evening. By Gun Violence Archive's count, there have been at least 388 mass shootings nationwide so far this year.

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