Maple Express | August 31, 2026 Toronto under special weather statement as heavy rain hits region

1. Toronto under special weather statement as heavy rain hits the region

Source: CP24

Toronto could see up to 50 millimetres of rain Monday, with Environment Canada issuing a special weather statement warning of 30 to 50 millimetres by this evening. Some areas have already received up to 25 mm from this morning's rainfall, the agency said.

Another round of showers and embedded thunderstorms is expected this afternoon, with an additional 20 to 30 mm possible in areas that see storms. Water will likely pool on roads and in low-lying areas. CP24 meteorologist Bill Coulter described it as "a very unsettled start to the work week."

The Toronto and Region Conservation Authority has issued a flood watch for the GTA, warning that rivers and streams are running high and the ground is already "very wet." The agency urged people to stay away from rivers, streams and shorelines, with more rain expected Tuesday and Wednesday before clearing ahead of the long weekend.

Source

2. Three-alarm blaze breaks out at commercial building in Scarborough

Source: CP24

Fire crews responded to a three-alarm blaze at a commercial building in Scarborough on Monday morning. The fire broke out at a building on McLevin Avenue, near Markham Road.

Crews arrived to find heavy smoke and flame, and "deteriorating structural conditions" forced firefighters to transition to defensive operations, Toronto Fire said in a social media post.

Source

3. Voters head to the polls in federal byelection for Toronto's Beaches-East York riding

Source: CP24

Voters are heading to the polls today in the Liberal stronghold of Beaches—East York in Toronto. It is one of three federal byelections being held today to fill recently vacated seats in Parliament.

Liberal MP Nate Erskine-Smith resigned the seat last month after an unsuccessful campaign for the Ontario Liberal nomination in Scarborough Southwest. He has since announced he is running for Toronto city council.

The other votes are being held in Chicoutimi–Le Fjord, Que., and North Vancouver–Capilano, B.C. Voting in the Toronto riding runs from 9:30 a.m. to 9:30 p.m.

Source

4. Toronto police seek suspect who made anti-Sikh slurs before stabbing victim near waterfront

Source: CP24

Toronto police are asking for the public's help to identify a man who allegedly made anti-Sikh utterances and racial slurs before stabbing a victim in the leg. The incident happened Saturday near Queens Quay and Lower Spadina Avenue.

Police say they were called to the area for reports of a person with a knife. Investigators allege a suspect approached the victim and a witness during an unprovoked interaction, made anti-Sikh utterances and racial slurs, then attacked the victim with a weapon. The injuries were non-life-threatening.

The suspect is described as male, five-foot-six with black hair, last seen wearing a navy-blue short-sleeved jersey with an NFL "Sunday Ticket" logo, blue jeans with a dark grease mark on the left calf, and grey and black New Balance running shoes. Anyone with information is asked to contact the Hate Crime Unit at 416-808-3505 or Crime Stoppers.

Source

5. Toronto family 'desperate for answers' after Nepal floods leave relatives missing

Source: CP24

Five days after deadly flash floods tore through Nepal and China, a Toronto woman says she still hasn't heard from relatives who were on a pilgrimage in the area. "This unknownness is indescribable," Neeral Patel said through tears in an interview with CTV News Channel on Monday.

Patel said she last spoke to her cousin, Ishan Patel, on Wednesday, when he was celebrating his 32nd birthday with his wife Akanksha and two other relatives. The group was on a pilgrimage when rushing water swept through, leaving more than 900 people dead and 4,700 missing.

Global Affairs Canada says 31 citizens and permanent residents remain unaccounted for, and at least one Canadian has been found. Patel said a tour group's helicopter flyover showed "the hotel is no longer there," describing her cousin as the "smart one" who had just finished a fellowship, bought a home and was about to start his life.

Source

6. Disbarred Brampton lawyer charged in alleged $4.5-million mortgage fraud

Source: CP24

A disbarred Brampton, Ont., lawyer has been charged in connection with a $4.5-million mortgage and cheque fraud, and police say there may be additional victims. Investigators began looking into Pawanjeet Singh Mann the month after his licence was revoked by the Law Society Tribunal of Ontario in July 2025.

The tribunal found that Mann, who operated PJ Mann Law Professional Corporation, knowingly participated in a mortgage fraud scheme in late 2019. Between June and July 2025, police received multiple complaints alleging Mann "orchestrated" four separate mortgage and cheque fraud schemes, resulting in roughly $4.3 million in losses.

Mann was arrested Aug. 21 and charged with four counts each of fraud over $5,000 and possession of property obtained by crime, along with three counts of criminal breach of trust and two counts of uttering forged documents. Peel Regional Police Deputy Chief Nick Milinovich called the allegations "a profound breach of trust."

Source

7. Laurentian Bank expects to close Fairstone, National Bank deal on Nov. 1

Source: CP24

Laurentian Bank of Canada says it expects to close its deal to be acquired by Fairstone Bank of Canada — with National Bank taking over its retail and small- and medium-sized banking portfolios — on Nov. 1. The bank announced the date, still subject to conditions, after the Canadian Investment Regulatory Organization and relevant securities regulators approved the deal.

Laurentian said the sign-off was the final key regulatory approval needed. The federal finance minister, the Office of the Superintendent of Financial Institutions and the Competition Bureau approved the deal earlier this year.

Under the agreement announced last year, Fairstone is buying Laurentian Bank and its commercial operations for $1.9 billion, while National Bank acquires its retail and small- and medium-sized banking portfolios.

Source

8. Unionized GM workers to wrap up voting on tentative agreement

Source: CP24

Unionized General Motors workers are expected to wrap up voting on a new tentative agreement. Unifor and General Motors agreed on tentative labour contracts for more than 4,600 autoworkers in Ontario on Aug. 22, and members have been voting over the weekend.

Unifor National President Lana Payne previously said the agreements deliver strong wage and benefit increases for workers at GM's Oshawa assembly plant, the CAMI facility in Ingersoll, and operations in St. Catharines and Woodstock.

Talks began earlier this month after Unifor reached an agreement with Ford, which included three per cent annual pay increases and a renewal of a no-closure agreement.

Source

9. Trump contacted Apple about Lake Ontario name change, official says

Source: CP24

A top U.S. official says President Donald Trump contacted Apple directly to get it to change the name of Lake Ontario to "Lake America." U.S. Interior Secretary Doug Burgum told Fox Business today that the lake's name might change on Apple maps very soon.

Over the weekend, maps on several Ontario government agency websites labelled the lake "Lake America," but by Monday morning Metrolinx, Hydro One and the LCBO had scrambled to reverse the change back to "Lake Ontario" after Google Maps announced it was altering how the name is displayed. Some sites, including Loblaws' store locator, still showed "Lake America" Monday morning.

Amid a trade war with Canada, Trump signed an executive order Thursday renaming the lake, which has been known as Lake Ontario for more than 400 years. Ontario Premier Doug Ford unveiled a new "Lake Ontario" sign Saturday in Winona, saying "the rest of the world will always call it Lake Ontario."

Source

10. Bank of Canada faces renewed trade war pressures ahead of rate decision

Source: CP24

The Bank of Canada finds itself in a familiar dilemma this week as the escalating trade war with the United States casts uncertainty over Wednesday's interest rate decision. The central bank has held its benchmark rate at 2.25 per cent for nearly a year, and most economists still expect it to hold the status quo.

On Aug. 22, the U.S. imposed 50 per cent tariffs on roughly five per cent of Canadian exports, with Canada planning counter-tariffs starting Sept. 8. Market odds for a seventh straight hold stood at 99 per cent as of Friday, according to LSEG Data & Analytics.

Oxford Economics' Tony Stillo said the bank has been "hesitant to make a move on rates that they might have to retrace later." BMO chief economist Doug Porter said to brace for "a tough spell," noting the trade battle "really does darken the growth outlook." The annual inflation rate settled at three per cent as of July.

Source