Maple Express | October 10, 2026 Toronto police seek to ID suspect in Moss Park break-in and sexual assault

1. Toronto police seek to ID suspect in Moss Park break-in and sexual assault

Source: CP24

Toronto police are searching for a male suspect who allegedly broke into a Moss Park residence and sexually assaulted a resident. Police said they received a call at 5 a.m. for a break and enter and sexual assault in the Richmond Street East and Sherbourne Street area.

Officers learned the victim was sleeping when an unknown suspect woke them. The suspect allegedly sexually assaulted and assaulted the victim. The victim managed to escape the apartment and call for help, and the suspect then left and fled in an unknown direction. The suspect is described as a white male with a skinny build and scruffy facial hair.

Police are asking anyone with information to contact them or Crime Stoppers anonymously.

Source

2. Peel police issue safety advisory as man convicted of manslaughter released

Source: CP24

A man convicted of manslaughter will reside in Peel Region after being released, prompting police to issue a public safety advisory. Peel Regional Police said 74-year-old Gil Dasilva was released from custody earlier Friday after completing his sentence for manslaughter.

Police said their Offender Management Unit believes Dasilva presents a significant risk to public safety and an elevated risk of re-offending or breaching his conditions, particularly involving women. The 74-year-old has an extensive criminal history, police said, adding that officers will monitor his activities and compliance with court-ordered conditions.

"Peel Regional Police are releasing this information as a precautionary measure to help reduce the risk to the community. Members of the public are reminded not to approach him," police said.

Source

3. What to know about flu, COVID-19 and RSV this respiratory virus season

Source: CP24

Respiratory virus specialists say Canadians should get their flu shot as soon as it becomes available in their area this fall. Most provinces will start providing the flu vaccine to the general public by the end of October, free of charge. In Ontario, both the flu and COVID-19 shots became available on Sept. 28 for people age 65 and older, residents of long-term care or retirement homes, and hospital patients and staff.

Dr. Winnie Siu, a senior medical adviser for the National Advisory Committee on Immunization (NACI), said the flu vaccine is recommended for everyone six months of age and older, with a higher-dose version recommended for adults 65 and older. Dawn Bowdish, an immunologist at McMaster University, said the vaccine works for about six months with peak protection lasting about three months, and noted this year looks like an early season, so people should get vaccinated soon. She also urged parents to immunize their children and said pregnant people are a priority group.

Early data from the Public Health Agency of Canada shows H1N1 influenza A is circulating in parts of the country, after H3N2 dominated last year. For RSV, NACI recommends ready-made antibodies (nirsevimab or clesrovimab) for all infants in their first RSV season, and vaccination for adults 75 and older. This year's COVID-19 vaccine targets the XFG strain of the coronavirus, a subtype of the Omicron variant, with NACI strongly recommending it for anyone 65 and older.

Source

4. Toronto bakery wins title of best croissants in the city

Source: CP24

The trick to a perfectly flaky, buttery croissant is preparing it at the right temperature, says the chef who recently earned the title of having the best croissants in Toronto. The Best Croissant and Best Baguette in Toronto competition, held by French Morning Media Group on Oct. 4, awarded Tangssant Viennoiserie the Grand Prix prize for croissants, beating 11 other finalists judged by a panel of four chefs and food writers.

Head chef Zhaofeng Huang said he was surprised to win, having never competed in such an event before. His bakery only opened in Toronto in September of last year. Huang spent three years at Mings Bakery in Winnipeg before returning to China to hone his skills, then moved to Toronto to attend George Brown, graduating from its baking and pastry arts management program in 2024 before opening Tangssant Viennoiserie in 2025. The name combines the Tang Dynasty and the croissant.

The 30-year-old said the bakery focuses on laminated pastries and that its butter croissants, pain au chocolates and vanilla flans are the most popular items. Tangssant Viennoiserie can be found at 193 Church St., a couple of blocks east of the Toronto Eaton Centre.

Source

5. 'Home' documentary explores complexities of an Ontario encampment

Source: CP24

When tents started appearing on the lawn in front of a sprawling provincial property in Cobourg, Ont., television producer Linda Schuyler — best known as co-creator of "Degrassi" — wondered who the people living there were. She teamed up with filmmaker Will Bowes to explore the encampment and its residents' complex circumstances, resulting in a new documentary titled "Home," set to premiere on TVO on Saturday, coinciding with World Homeless Day.

The film introduces unhoused people who settled at Brookside, a vacant provincially owned property that once housed Cobourg's elite and later became a youth detention centre. It details the many reasons someone can end up without a home, from executives and business owners losing their livelihoods to those who faced abusive partners, the death of loved ones, and challenges with addiction and mental health. The filmmakers said they first entered without filming equipment and simply listened, later asking people if they were comfortable speaking on camera.

The documentary, which gathered around 60 hours of footage over about a year, also shares the perspectives of the local community, including the town's mayor, social workers and concerned citizens with reservations about the encampment's proximity to schools. It deliberately includes no narration. Schuyler said she hopes the film arouses empathy, and that it is "embarrassing as a Canadian" that the country cannot treat its unhoused better.

Source

6. Toronto police constable charged after CBSA intercepts firearm suppressors

Source: CP24

A Toronto police officer has been charged in connection with a firearm investigation by the Canada Border Services Agency. The CBSA said in a release Thursday that officers at its commercial operations facility in Mississauga intercepted a parcel from the United States on July 23 and seized two complete firearms suppressors.

Its investigation identified the suspected recipient as 47-year-old Nasser Gholami from Brampton. On Sept. 24, the CBSA searched Gholami's home and said it seized three non-restricted firearms, one prohibited suppressor attached to one of the guns, digital devices and ammunition. He was arrested and charged with importing prohibited devices while knowing he was unauthorized, possession of a prohibited device, and unsafe display of a non-restricted firearm, along with charges under the Customs Act and Firearms Act.

A Toronto police spokesperson confirmed Gholami is a constable with seven years of service, currently suspended with pay and served notice that the Chief intends to suspend him without pay after the mandated 60-day period under the Community Safety and Policing Act. The spokesperson said the charges are unrelated to his duties as a Toronto police officer.

Source

7. Another Marineland whale dies at Shedd Aquarium in Chicago

Source: CP24

Another whale shipped out of Marineland has died at the Shedd Aquarium in Chicago. The aquarium says Caspian, a 27-year-old female beluga, died on Wednesday despite efforts to save her — the sixth animal from the closed Niagara Falls, Ont., theme park to die after a massive relocation of whales and dolphins over the summer. Four other belugas and one dolphin from Marineland have died since they were moved out.

Shedd said Caspian had not been eating properly and blood samples showed abnormalities in her electrolyte levels, with her blood becoming "dangerously acidic." Those findings helped the veterinary team understand how sick she was but did not establish a cause of death. She was on life support for nearly four hours before she died. Necropsies on two other Marineland whales that died there, Peekachu and Rain, concluded they had chronic, pre-existing diseases.

Shedd and four other aquariums in the United States and Spain helped Marineland relocate all 30 of its belugas and four dolphins over six weeks this summer. Marineland had said it was running out of money and could no longer care for the last captive whales and dolphins in Canada. A beluga named Jelly Bean and a dolphin named Echo died at Oceanografic Valencia in Spain after the move.

Source

8. Former OPP officer 'very happy' as Crown stays historical assault charges

Source: CP24

Historical assault charges against a former Ontario Provincial Police officer have been stayed by the Crown ahead of trial. Ted Oderkirk, 51, walked out of the Barrie courthouse Friday afternoon after the prosecution abruptly halted the case, staying five counts of assault and a single count of uttering a threat.

"He's very happy," said Oderkirk's lawyer Alexa Banister-Thompson, who said the Crown's decision followed "late disclosure" that came in Thursday evening. According to court documents, Oderkirk faces allegations from two different complainants who claim he assaulted them years ago, with publication bans protecting their identities. He still faces remaining charges of three counts of sexual assault and one count of obstruction of justice. A staying of charges means the Crown has one year to revive its prosecution, and his second trial is set to begin in December.

In August, Oderkirk was found guilty in a Perth courtroom of two counts of breaching an earlier release and given a conditional discharge and three years of probation. He was released from custody earlier this week following a bail review and recently resigned from the OPP after 23 years of service. His lawyers say he maintains his innocence and looks forward to defending himself.

Source

9. Manitoba farmers face major harvest delays after heavy floods

Source: CP24

Manitoba farmer Chuck Fossay has been hit hard by a year of extreme, unpredictable weather, leaving him salvaging what he could from a challenging growing season. He said all 3,400 acres of his farmland were impacted, with precipitation about 10 inches above normal drowning out acres or reducing yields. Fossay said he was only able to harvest around 60 per cent of his wheat, canola, soybeans and oats, with the other 40 per cent reduced to weeds, mud and grass.

A two-day storm in June dumped dozens, and in some areas hundreds, of millimetres of rain, with about 255 millimetres falling in Stonewall in just a few hours. Curtis McRae, who farms near Clandeboye, had two to three feet of water sitting on his fields for several weeks, destroying between 1,500 and 2,000 acres.

The latest Manitoba government report found 65 per cent of all crops across the province have been harvested, 21 per cent lower than at this time last year, with the southwest seeing the steepest decline. Keystone Agricultural Producers president Jill Verwey said it has been a challenging season, though October's favourable forecast offers some optimism. Manitoba Agriculture Minister Ron Kostyshyn noted that Ottawa and the province announced flood recovery support in July through the AgriStability program.

Source

10. Prairie-based pilot among six killed in U.S. air ambulance crash

Source: CP24

A Saskatchewan man was among six people killed in an aircraft crash off the United States east coast last week. The plane, operated by Latitude Air Ambulance, was travelling to Boston from Bermuda at the time. Alberta-based Prairie College confirmed Thomas (Tommy) Henry Farquhar, a 2023 graduate of Prairie Aviation Training Centre, was on the aircraft.

PATC director Dallas Derkson described Farquhar's passion for life and said flying with Latitude gave him the chance to use his skills to help those in need. In his honour, the Farquhar family established the Tommy Farquhar Aviation Scholarship Fund. On Oct. 3, the medical transport aircraft went missing en route from Bermuda to Boston amid reported electrical difficulties; the pilot declared an emergency before air traffic controllers lost contact, and a debris field was found off the coast of Nantucket, Mass., hours later.

The four Canadians on board were part of the Ontario air ambulance crew: captain Philip Childerhose, first officer Thomas Farquhar, flight nurse Sarah Paton and respiratory therapist Jolene Weir. Marilyn Lavonne Bean, 66, and her son Sergio Wayne Lottimore, 41, were identified as the two Bermudan nationals on the plane. The incident is under investigation by the Transportation Safety Board of Canada.

Source