Maple Express | October 7, 2026 -- Man injured in Markham shooting; suspect outstanding

1. Man injured in Markham shooting; suspect outstanding

Source: CP24

A man was taken to hospital after a shooting in Markham on Wednesday afternoon, and York Regional Police are searching for a suspect.

Police said officers were called to the area of Yonge Street and Bay Thorn Drive, just south of Highway 407 in the Langstaff neighbourhood, just before 12:30 p.m. for reports that an adult male had been shot by an unknown male suspect at "a commercial premise." The victim was transported to hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.

Police said there is no ongoing threat to public safety but asked people to avoid the area, adding that a heavy police presence can be expected while the investigation continues. Anyone with information is asked to contact YRP's Firearms Investigations Team at 1-866-876-5423, ext. 7817, or Crime Stoppers anonymously.

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2. Liberals extend MAID exclusion for people solely suffering from mental illness

Source: CP24

The federal government plans to indefinitely exclude people whose sole condition is mental illness from accessing medical assistance in dying, Justice Minister and Attorney General Sean Fraser said Wednesday, adding the Liberals will table legislation this fall.

Fraser said Canada has decided not to move forward with the Criminal Code expansion that would have allowed MAID where mental illness is the sole basis. He said that while there is not a perfect consensus on the issue, the government believes this is the correct approach at this particular time. Certain Canadians have had access to MAID since 2016, with eligibility amended in 2021; expanding it to include mental illness as the sole factor has been highly controversial, and in 2024 the government under former prime minister Justin Trudeau delayed the move until 2027, after the next federal election. Fraser insisted the position is not "based on where we believe the politics is going to land," but rather "based on what we sincerely believe is right."

MPs also voted Wednesday on a private member's bill tabled by Conservative MP Tamara Jansen that would have amended the Criminal Code to provide that a mental disorder is not a grievous and irremediable medical condition for which a person could receive MAID. The bill was defeated 187-141, with the Liberals and Bloc Quebecois voting against and the Conservatives and NDP voting in favour. Fraser thanked Jansen but said the Liberals "have some challenges" with the bill on a technical level.

Fraser also said the yet-to-be-tabled Liberal bill will include provisions for advance requests, allowing people who provided consent while they still have capacity but have been diagnosed with an illness that will take that capacity away to access MAID; those provisions will have to comply with provincial legislation. Disability advocacy group Inclusion Canada welcomed the government's decision, saying people with mental illness need treatment and support, but said it opposes advance requests, arguing "consent at the time is the most basic protection a person has."

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3. Israeli flags set on fire near church in Toronto's east end, police investigating

Source: CP24

Toronto police say they are investigating after Israeli flags were set on fire near a church early Wednesday morning.

Police said they were called to the area near the Word of Faith International Christian Centre, near Sunrise Avenue and O'Connor Drive, for reports that multiple Israeli flags were on fire. Toronto Fire confirmed to CP24 that the flames were extinguished and no injuries were reported.

Police said they are investigating the incident as a hate-motivated offence. No arrests have been made and police have not released any information on possible suspects.

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4. 'Overjoyed': Biscuit the bunny returned to 10-year-old girl after being stolen from Markham Fair

Source: CP24

A small rabbit named Biscuit, who was stolen from a 10-year-old girl's exhibit at the Markham Fair this past weekend, has been returned by the same people who stole him.

In an update published Wednesday, organizers said Biscuit was reunited with his family after a cash reward was posted for his safe return. "The Markham and East York Agricultural Society is overjoyed to share that Biscuit…has been safely returned home to his family," the group said in a statement. Organizers first made the public aware of Biscuit's disappearance on Monday, saying the rabbit was taken on the evening of Oct. 3 from an enclosure at the Fair's Pet and Poultry Building; the theft was discovered by volunteers and exhibitors, who notified officials immediately. Biscuit, a Holland Lop rabbit, won first prize at the fair's rabbit show.

2026 Markham Fair president Devin King said the community's response has been "nothing short of incredible," thanking the volunteers who searched the fairgrounds, the media who helped spread the word, and the countless friends of the fair who shared posts and sent messages of support. York Regional Police were involved in the investigation; it is unclear what charges, if any, the individuals who took Biscuit will face, and they have not been identified. The society said the cash reward, the amount of which was not disclosed, was put up by a "stranger" to Biscuit's family who "stepped forward simply because she cared." As a result of the theft, the society said it is reviewing its security protocols to prevent similar incidents.

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5. Woman charged after allegedly stealing handbags, purses from seniors in North York

Source: CP24

A woman has been arrested and charged after allegedly stealing purses and handbags from seniors in North York.

Toronto police said that between Sept. 1 and Oct. 6, the accused attended retail stores near Weston Road and Lawrence Avenue West, allegedly targeting senior citizens who placed their purses and handbags in their shopping carts and waiting for them to lose focus before stealing the items and fleeing the store.

On Tuesday, 29-year-old Ashante Whittaker of Toronto was arrested and charged with two counts each of unauthorized use of a credit card and fraud under, and four counts of theft under $5,000. The allegations have not been proven in court. Police believe there may be additional victims and are asking anyone with information to contact them or Crime Stoppers anonymously.

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6. Brad Bradford wants to remove 12 km of Scarborough red bus lanes. Here is how his plan would work

Source: CP24

Toronto mayoral candidate Brad Bradford is promising to remove some red bus lanes in Scarborough in an effort to address gridlock, making the announcement on Wednesday morning.

Bradford says he would return 12 kilometres of Scarborough roads to general traffic by removing red priority bus lanes on Kingston Road, Morningside Avenue, Kennedy Road and Midland Road. He said he would maintain the bus lanes on Eglinton Avenue East, which he said are used by more buses than any other road in Scarborough. Bradford argued the lanes were initially intended as a temporary measure while the city waited for the 18.6-kilometre Eglinton East LRT, but said the project has not moved forward or secured funding under Olivia Chow's leadership; Ontario's transportation minister has said the $4.65-billion project is not currently on the province's list of priorities. Bradford previously said he would make the Eglinton East LRT his top transit priority if elected.

Under Bradford's plan, he says the red bus lanes on Kennedy Road and Midland Road would be removed immediately and turned over to general traffic, while the lanes on Kingston Road and Morningside Avenue would be converted to high-occupancy vehicle lanes. Chow's campaign pushed back, saying Bradford was announcing changes her administration had already planned for Kennedy Road and Midland Road following the opening of the Scarborough Busway, and pointing to Bradford's role in accelerating the rollout of priority bus lanes in 2020, when he introduced a motion at the TTC Board calling for fast-tracking bus-priority measures. Transit advocacy group TTCriders called on Bradford to "reverse his proposal to remove priority lanes," saying the lanes make transit faster and more reliable for thousands of daily Scarborough riders and should be expanded, not ripped up.

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7. Police release new details about deadly hit-and-run in Vaughan

Source: CP24

Police say a 60-year-old woman who was killed in a hit-and-run in Vaughan on Sunday night was a live-in caregiver who was walking to work when she was struck.

The victim was hit in the area of Pine Valley and Major Mackenzie drives at around 8:30 p.m. and was not found until nearly two days later, on Tuesday afternoon. During a news conference Wednesday morning, York Regional Police Const. Kevin Nebrija confirmed the woman had just stepped off a bus and was walking north when she was hit by a vehicle travelling in the same direction. It is unclear if she died instantly, but police said that based on the level of injuries she sustained at the time of impact, the driver would have been aware they had hit someone. The area where she was walking had a "very narrow shoulder" and no sidewalk.

Nebrija said next-of-kin have been notified, but police are not publicly identifying the woman, who was a resident of Richmond Hill. Asked why her body was not discovered until Tuesday, police said the area is somewhat "isolated" and "not well lit." "It does become a bit more dense in terms of foliage and grass… where the female was located a bit off of the roadway, so someone driving by would not see it right away unless you got really close," Nebrija said. She was discovered by a passerby who spotted her suitcase on the road at around 3 p.m. Tuesday. Police have not released any information on a possible suspect or vehicle, and are urging the driver to contact a lawyer and turn themselves in. "Fleeing the scene makes you criminally liable," Nebrija said. He also urged body shops to watch for vehicles with significant front-end damage and asked anyone with dash camera footage to contact investigators.

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8. Port Perry homicide victim identified as police charge 33-year-old man with murder

Source: CP24

Police have identified a man found dead in Port Perry earlier this week, as they announce murder charges against another man.

The victim has been identified as 32-year-old Taylor John Frey, of Port Perry. His death is Durham Region's fourth homicide of 2026. On Tuesday at around 8 a.m., police responded to a sudden death call near Water and Mary streets, where officers found a male with traumatic injuries; he was pronounced deceased at the scene.

The homicide unit launched an investigation and identified a suspect, who was arrested at around 2:30 p.m. that day without incident. Ryan Bullock, 33, of Port Perry, has been charged with second-degree murder and was held for a bail hearing. Investigators say this is an isolated incident and there is no concern for public safety. Durham police's Homicide Unit is asking anyone with information or surveillance footage to contact Det. Brian Stewart or Crime Stoppers anonymously.

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9. Man accused of threatening prime minister in YouTube video facing 'significant jail time'

Source: CP24

"Significant jail time" likely lies ahead for a man accused of threatening the life of Prime Minister Mark Carney — but it's not the charge related to that matter that could land Jamie Da Costa a lengthy stay behind bars.

The 31-year-old also faces other charges not related to the alleged incident involving Carney: extortion, criminal harassment, uttering threats to cause death, mischief (damage over $5,000) and being disguised with intent. Da Costa appeared in court again Wednesday via CCTV, while his lawyer, Adriano Iovinelli, was in the courtroom in person. Outside court, Iovinelli said the prosecution is "looking for significant jail time," and that what it wants for the alleged extortion "is more substantive than the uttering threats at Carney," because the alleged extortion was a prolonged thing. Da Costa has yet to plead guilty to any of the charges.

Iovinelli asked for and was granted an adjournment to Oct. 13 "to see whether or not we intend to schedule a sentencing date at that time," and said he will sit down with Da Costa this weekend. Da Costa remains in custody at the Calgary Remand Centre. He was arrested by the RCMP and charged with uttering a threat to cause death to Prime Minister Mark Carney. The alleged threats against Carney and members of the prime minister's family are said to have occurred in a YouTube video. Court documents say the alleged incident occurred between July 25 and 26, and Mounties have said they became involved on July 28. YouTube Canada said the channel was taken down for violating its community guidelines.

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10. Loblaw chatbot ads sprayed onto Ottawa sidewalks 'unauthorized', city says

Source: CP24

The City of Ottawa says crews will be removing unauthorized advertisements from some sidewalks downtown.

In recent days, residents have noticed messages on sidewalks for PC Health, an app by Loblaw that includes an AI chatbot that answers health-related questions. A spokesperson for Loblaw called the campaign "a creative and unexpected way" to highlight health questions Canadians have, saying sidewalk art is a fun and common marketing tactic made with an eco-friendly chalk that washes off with water. Loblaw said PC Health launched a made-in-Canada AI health chat based on Canadian clinical guidelines and overseen by a Canadian clinical advisory board.

In a statement to CTV News Ottawa, the city said it received at least two service requests regarding the ads. "Upon investigation, it was determined the markings were not authorized and we will be removing them in the coming days," said Ian Ferguson, program manager of Waste Collections, adding that the Graffiti Management Bylaw No. 2008-01 prohibits the placement of markings on public property without proper notice and approval. The move comes after Loblaw was criticized for a late-night drone show in Toronto in September advertising the app. On social media, Stittsville Coun. Glen Gower applauded the city's statement, saying Loblaw could instead buy ads in a local newspaper or on a bus or transit station — "both are 100% legal options that supports the local community too." It is not the first time such ads have caused controversy in Ottawa: in 2019, several advertisements for Disney's "The Lion King" appeared on city sidewalks and pathways, including National Capital Commission paths, and the city said at the time that proper protocols were not followed.

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