Maple Express | October 20, 2026: Alberta referendum immigration questions pass, Carney says no constitutional change needed

Source: CP24

1. Albertans have voted 'yes' to referendum questions on immigration. Here's how Carney responded.

Albertans voted Monday on a slate of referendum questions; beyond the separation question that drew the most attention, nine others covered issues ranging from proposed constitutional changes to health-care access. According to preliminary results, all five questions focused on immigration passed, including whether the province should have more control over who comes into Alberta.

Speaking to reporters on Parliament Hill Tuesday morning, Prime Minister Mark Carney said Ottawa and the provinces should work together to bring immigration down to sustainable levels, rather than through constitutional change. He said cooperation between federal and provincial governments can produce a system that works for Canadians, for the economy and society, and treats newcomers with the dignity they deserve.

Carney said he spoke with Alberta Premier Danielle Smith Tuesday morning, first about additional support for victims and families of the deadly fire at Canadian Forces Base Wainwright, then about the referendum and cooperative federalism. He said asylum seekers are down 70 per cent, temporary foreign workers 60 per cent and foreign students 80 per cent over the past year and a half. The updated federal immigration levels plan will be released in November.

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2. U.S. food importer sues Trump over Canada tariffs

A U.S. food importer filed a lawsuit in the U.S. Court of International Trade on Tuesday challenging President Donald Trump's tariffs targeting Canada. The suit was filed by the non-profit Liberty Justice Center on behalf of Gellert Global Group, arguing that Trump's use of a Depression-era trade statute exceeds his presidential power.

After trade talks broke down in August, Trump used Section 338 of the Tariff Act of 1930 to impose a 50 per cent levy on an array of Canadian goods, and the following month used the same statute to ban imports of other Canadian products, including motorcycles and some alcohol and dairy items. The White House says the section lets the president impose tariffs when a country puts U.S. exporters at a disadvantage, though the law had never been used for that purpose.

The lawsuit says Canadian policies do not justify such sweeping duties, noting that auto quotas and liquor bans were themselves a response to Trump's tariff measures and that dairy supply management was agreed under CUSMA. Liberty Justice Center CEO Sara Albrecht said no president should be able to pull a dormant statute off the shelf and use it to impose sweeping tariffs or import bans without the limits Congress required. The White House has not responded to a request for comment.

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3. Canadian man gets 50 additional years in prison after knife attack on U.S. guards

The U.S. Department of Justice announced Monday that Abdulrahman El Bahnasawy, 28, of Mississauga, Ont., already serving 40 years for his part in a foiled terrorist plot, has been sentenced to an additional 50 years for stabbing two correctional officers in the name of ISIS. The sentences will run consecutively.

According to the DOJ, on Dec. 7, 2020, at U.S. Penitentiary Allenwood in Pennsylvania, El Bahnasawy made a weapon from part of a steel desk in his cell and stabbed one officer in the head and face; that officer had to have his eye removed. A second officer who tried to intervene was stabbed in the hand. After he was subdued, officers found a note in his sock reading that the attack was for the Islamic State, and a pledge of allegiance to ISIS taped inside a locker door in his cell.

El Bahnasawy pleaded guilty in 2025 to multiple counts of assault, assault with intent to commit murder, possession of contraband in a prison cell and providing material support to ISIS. He was previously convicted for a 2016 plot to bomb Times Square and the New York subway and shoot civilians at concert venues; he was arrested by the FBI with RCMP assistance in May 2016. Assistant Attorney General John A. Eisenberg said the sentence ensures he remains in prison for a very long time.

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4. Toronto tenants are facing a wave of rental building demolitions. What advocates say councillors can do

New data shared with CTV News Toronto shows Toronto City Council has approved 117 rental housing demolition applications over the past five years, involving the replacement of 5,148 rental units. The group No Demovictions believes up to 300 buildings across the city are on track to come down.

One proposal at 48 Isabella St., near Yonge and Bloor, would replace a 10-storey, 84-unit rental building with a 69-storey tower of 814 units. Tenants say they love the spacious units, balconies and underground parking but are upset about having to leave. Abbie Adelman, 75, who has lived there since 1975, said: I feel we are less than. We are tenants, and we are less than.

The tenants association says it does not oppose redevelopment but wants the developer to secure units similar to what residents are leaving, including parking and balconies. Jocelyn Deeks, a partner at consultant Bousfields, said tenants have been a primary consideration from the start, the earliest work could begin is 2030, the new building will offer extensive amenities, and eligible tenants have the right to return at a similar rent with relocation compensation. She did not say whether the team would meet tenants again. The Federation of Metro Tenants' Associations says reported demolitions have decreased over the past five years.

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5. OCAD plans to hand out $40K scholarships to 150 students

OCAD University announced Tuesday that it will give 150 scholarships of up to $40,000 each to students to mark the school's 150th anniversary. Recipients will be chosen in September 2027 and will receive $10,000 a year for a total of $40,000 over four years.

President and Vice-Chancellor Ana Serrano, speaking at an event at the Princess of Wales Theatre, called 150 FUTURES an ambitious investment in students and in the future of art, design and culture in Canada, saying that as the school marks 150 years it is looking ahead to the students who will shape what comes next.

The university says the scholarships will be paid through donations, helped by what it called significant philanthropic momentum after $1-million gifts from Nancy McCain and Bill Morneau, and from John and Jan MacIntyre. The program has received $3 million in donations and is halfway to its $6-million goal. OCAD U was founded in 1876.

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6. Four people hospitalized following collision in East Gwillimbury

York Regional Police say a serious collision in East Gwillimbury on Tuesday afternoon sent four people to hospital, with one patient taken to a trauma centre.

Police say the crash happened before 2:30 p.m. on Davis Drive and involved three vehicles. As of 3 p.m., Davis Drive was closed from York Durham Line to Centre Street.

The nature of the injuries is not yet known, police said.

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7. Toronto man charged with sexual assault of minor after allegedly lying about his age

York Regional Police say a 23-year-old Toronto man is facing almost a dozen charges, including three counts of sexual assault, after he allegedly contacted an underage girl on social media and led her to believe he was also a minor.

Police say the suspect first contacted the female victim in July 2024, and investigators allege he met with her on several occasions and engaged in sexual activity with her. On Aug. 25, 2026, the victim came forward after learning the suspect's real age.

Lucien Teufack, 23, of Toronto, was arrested following an investigation. He faces one count each of luring a child under 14, invitation to sexual touching and uttering a forged document, two counts of luring a child under 16, and three counts each of sexual interference and sexual assault. Police say he was known online as @itsacrificed and @userislucien, and released his image because they believe there may be more victims.

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8. Ontario to allow over-the-counter hearing aids for sale in the province

Ontario plans to make over-the-counter hearing aids available in the province for people with mild hearing loss. The government says a legislative change will be included in the fall economic update later this year.

Health Minister Sylvia Jones says the change will give Ontarians more choice and flexibility to get the hearing support they need, when and where they need it. Health Canada has issued medical device licences for some wireless earbuds with built-in hearing aid capabilities, but Ontario law currently bans selling a hearing aid unless it is prescribed by a doctor or audiologist.

Following the legal update and some regulatory changes, makers of in-ear headphones and earbuds with built-in hearing aid features will be able to turn those features on in devices sold in Ontario. The government says the measure does not replace or affect existing hearing aid prescriptions and coverage.

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9. Finance minister announces date for new federal budget to be tabled

Finance Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne announced in the House of Commons on Tuesday that the federal budget will be tabled on Nov. 5. He said the plan will unlock investment, create high-paying jobs across the country and strengthen Canada's economy for generations.

It will be the second fall budget under Prime Minister Mark Carney, who said last month his government is on track to balance its operating budget by 2027-28, a year earlier than first promised. But a recent Parliamentary Budget Officer report projects Ottawa will miss that target by a year.

Another PBO report released Tuesday found federal borrowing will grow significantly faster than deficits and that the government will not meet its second fiscal anchor of a declining deficit-to-GDP ratio. It also projects larger deficits than the April spring economic update, with the deficit remaining above $63 billion in 2030-31 versus the government's $53 billion. Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre, speaking in Calgary, criticized Carney's spending commitments, saying what matters is whether Canadians save money and whether their jobs are saved.

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10. Man drowns after canoe capsizes on western Quebec lake

Police in western Quebec's MRC des Collines-de-l'Outaouais say a 23-year-old man from Welland, Ont., died after his canoe capsized while fishing on Lac a la Truite in La Peche.

Police say the canoe carrying four people overturned just after 3 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 16, and no one on board was wearing a lifejacket. Three people reached shore but a fourth was missing; officers using a boat found docked on the shore located the victim in the water, but an officer who jumped in was unable to retrieve the body.

Firefighters from La Peche recovered the body at 4 p.m., and the victim was pronounced dead at the Wakefield hospital. Police say the investigation shows no evidence of a criminal nature.

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