Maple Express | October 08, 2026 — Two house explosions in Hamilton send three to hospital, one critically injured

Source: CP24

1. Two house explosions in Hamilton send three to hospital, one critically injured

Two separate house fires involving suspected explosions in Hamilton sent three people to hospital on Thursday morning, one with critical injuries, firefighters said. Speaking from the scene, Hamilton Fire Chief David Cunliffe told CP24 that one fire happened at a home at 8 Lampton Place in the city's east end just after 9 a.m.

He said the structure was "fully involved" when crews arrived and showed signs of an explosion, adding the fire is suspected to be gas-related. Neighbours and a person from a nearby industrial business helped rescue the two residents from the home, Cunliffe said. Both were taken to hospital — one in "critical, life-threatening" condition and the other in serious condition. The fire is now under control, and the Ontario Fire Marshal's Office and the Technical Standards and Safety Authority (TSSA) have been notified.

The other fire happened at 182 Springside Dr. on Hamilton Mountain earlier in the morning, just after 7:30 a.m., where crews found a fully involved structure and a "large debris field," according to the fire chief. One person suffered burns and was taken to the city's burn unit in serious condition. That fire was also brought under control, but Cunliffe said its cause remains uncertain. The Ontario Fire Marshal's Office, the TSSA and the gas company have also been notified. Cunliffe said there is "absolutely no link" between the two fires.

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2. Stelco begins issuing layoff notices, first job cuts to take effect Sunday

The union representing workers at Stelco Holdings Inc.'s steel plant in Hamilton, Ont., says the company has started issuing individual layoff notices, with more expected before the end of the week. Ron Wells, president of United Steelworkers local 1005, says some workers received notices Wednesday telling them not to return for their next scheduled shift.

He says about 90 workers are expected to receive notices this week, with the first layoffs taking effect Sunday. The cuts are expected to unfold over roughly three weeks as operations are idled. Wells says the layoffs at the Hamilton plant are expected to affect roughly 330 workers, with additional cuts expected among co-op workers and employees at the pickling operations at Lake Erie Works in Nanticoke, Ont.

He says the company is describing the cuts as indefinite layoffs, while the union is treating them as temporary under its collective agreement. Stelco, which is owned by U.S.-based Cleveland-Cliffs Inc., announced last week plans to cut up to 500 workers across its Hamilton and Lake Erie facilities, citing the ongoing trade crisis, weak demand and continued import pressure. Industry Minister Mélanie Joly has threatened legal action against Cleveland-Cliffs if it fails to provide a plan outlining how it will honour the job commitments made when it acquired Stelco in 2024.

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3. Ontario narrows out-of-country drug funding rules after cancer patient court victory

An Ontario man with Stage 4 melanoma says the province has effectively blocked access to public funding for out-of-country drug treatments in response to his attempts to urgently seek therapy in the United States. Alex Shved, a 37-year-old father of two young children, took the province to court over Ontario Health Insurance Plan rejections.

OHIP denied his oncologist's request for Shved to receive tumour-infiltrating lymphocyte therapy in Florida at an approximate cost of US$600,000, largely citing the fact that the therapy is under consideration for public funding in Ontario. The executive officer of Ontario public drug programs wrote in his denial that routinely funding out-of-country drug therapies while they are undergoing review in Ontario would "undermine the incentive structure that encourages manufacturers to participate in Canada's drug review processes."

A Divisional Court ruling found that OHIP offered no real basis for that reasoning and ordered OHIP to reconsider. Following that ruling, OHIP has now rejected Shved's request for a third time, and Health Minister Sylvia Jones announced that the province has amended regulations to clarify that drugs will only be funded out of country if they are already funded within the province but access is temporarily unavailable or delayed. She also says the government is exploring a "mutually satisfactory resolution" in Shved's individual case.

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4. TTC: Subway service resumes on section of Line 1

Subway service has resumed along a stretch of Line 1 on Thursday morning following a mechanical problem, the TTC says.

Service was suspended on the Yonge-University Line between St. Clair and College stations. The TTC issued the notice at 6:27 a.m. and provided an update at 6:56 a.m., saying service had been restored shortly before 7 a.m.

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5. Collision closes eastbound Hwy. 401 express lanes in Scarborough

All express lanes of Highway 401 were blocked in Scarborough on Thursday morning due to a jackknifed tractor-trailer. The collision occurred near Morningside Avenue.

"It's not great out there unfortunately," CP24 Traffic Specialist Meital Sperling said Thursday. "Definitely stick to those collector lanes heading into Scarborough."

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6. What is open and closed in Toronto on Thanksgiving Monday 2026

CP24 has published a list of what is open and closed in Toronto on Thanksgiving Monday 2026.

Most grocery stores will be closed, with the exception of a few that will remain open. Convenience stores licensed to sell alcohol will be permitted to do so on Thanksgiving Monday, while a number of malls will be closed that day. The roundup also covers which GTA attractions are open and closed, and what else will be shut on Thanksgiving Monday.

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7. 'It was not what I had paid for': Ontario couple denied $22,000 refund after cruise itinerary changed

An Ontario couple who planned a riverboat cruise had their itinerary changed at the last minute and said the company didn't offer a refund for a $22,000 vacation when the new trip didn't fit their plans. "We had all our bags packed, and we were ready to go," said Brian Lobaskie in an interview with CTV News.

Lobaskie and his partner had been planning their 11-day European river cruise with AmaWaterways for more than a year until the company changed the itinerary 24 hours beforehand. "Unfortunately, I got a 24-hour notice before I was scheduled to fly that the cruise company could not operate the river cruise in its entirety," said Lobaskie. His planned trip included a cruise from Amsterdam to Switzerland, plus purchased excursions and a rail pass. The travel company then offered a different route through the Netherlands and Belgium.

A spokesperson for AmaWaterways told CTV News that "we understand that changes to a long-awaited vacation can be disappointing," adding that "in this case, the cruise was not cancelled and did operate, although extraordinary river conditions required adjustments to the original itinerary." The company said that as the cruise operated and was not cancelled, a refund did not apply, but that it offered different options to Lobaskie and all affected guests. Lobaskie was given a $22,000 travel credit, but he says prices have already gone up for next year and feels it's unfair a refund was not allowed. Travel expert Loren Christie said heatwaves and drought in Europe this year have been causing issues for many riverboat cruise companies, and that such trips commonly carry waivers covering itinerary changes.

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8. How modifications to an e-bike landed an Ontario rider criminal charges

Ontario Provincial Police say a modified e-bike, in conjunction with some questionable decisions, resulted in criminal charges for a man from New Tecumseth. On Saturday evening, Nottawasaga OPP officers observed a man on an e-bike riding down the Yonge Street sidewalk in Alliston.

Police claim the man took his bike onto the roadway, crossed multiple lanes of traffic and entered a commercial plaza. Officers followed him into the plaza and stopped him. According to OPP, an investigation led officers to discover the e-bike's pedals had been removed and it was operating exclusively on the power of its electric motor — which, under the Highway Traffic Act, means the e-bike met the qualifications of a motor vehicle.

Police say the man was then unable to provide a driver's licence, a vehicle permit or proof of insurance, and verbally identified himself with a false name; when asked again, he refused to identify himself altogether and was placed under arrest. A 47-year-old New Tecumseth man now faces a number of charges, including obstruction of a police officer, five counts of operation while prohibited under the Criminal Code and two counts of failure to comply with a release order. He also faces charges for operating a motor vehicle without a licence, a permit, plates or a vehicle identification number. He is due back in court later this year and his vehicle was impounded for 45 days.

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9. Toronto-born poet and essayist Anne Carson wins Nobel Prize in literature

Canadian poet Anne Carson, whose work blends the ancient with the avant-garde, has won the Nobel Prize in Literature. Ingrid Carlberg, permanent secretary to the Swedish Academy, said she reached Carson Thursday in Iceland, where she was "listening to the wind." "She was taken by surprise, but very happy," Carlberg said. "I could hear that in her voice."

Carlberg said the academy rewarded Carson for her "bold and inventive oeuvre that, in playful dialogue with the classical tradition, has created new forms for contemporary literature." A poet, essayist, classical scholar and translator, Carson is renowned as a master of esoterica whose body of work constitutes a genre unto itself. With a bibliography of more than 20 books of poetry, essays, plays, libretti and translations of ancient Greek texts, Carson has defied literary conventions, amassing two Griffin Poetry Prizes, a Governor General's Literary Award, the T. S. Eliot Prize for Poetry, a MacArthur "genius grant" and a Guggenheim Fellowship.

Various accounts suggest Carson was born in Toronto in 1950 and studied classics at the University of Toronto, and has held teaching positions at institutions including McGill University, Michigan University and Princeton University. Anders Olsson, chair of the Nobel committee for literature, said she published her doctoral thesis in Classics, "Odi et Amo Ergo Sum," in 1981 and "has, throughout her entire career, combined poetry writing with translation work and teaching at various universities." Carson is the second Canadian woman to be named a Nobel laureate in literature, following Alice Munro's 2013 win. The prize is worth 12 million Swedish kronor, or roughly $1.7 million.

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10. Air Canada CEO rebuked over lack of French in New York crash condolence message

The Commissioner of Official Languages of Canada is rebuking Air Canada's outgoing CEO for a condolence message he delivered almost entirely in English after a deadly plane crash in New York earlier this year. The commissioner's annual report says her office received a large number of complaints after Michael Rousseau posted a four-minute video that only included two French words — "bonjour" and "merci."

Kelly Burke's report says it's important for Canadians to hear and see their leaders speaking equally in both official languages in times of crisis. Burke adds that bilingualism is an essential skill for any leader, whether in politics, the federal public service or the private sector.

The commissioner's office said in an email that it received 2,425 complaints on the video, including 98 that arrived after the end of the current financial year on March 31. Air Canada announced in March that Rousseau would retire by the end of the third quarter of 2026. Rousseau's message came after an Air Canada regional jet that took off in Montreal crashed at LaGuardia Airport in New York on March 22, killing two pilots and sending more than 40 people to hospital.

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