Maple Express | August 21, 2026 Toronto family rebuilds after losing everything in fire

1. Toronto St. James Town fire family: 'Our house is 100 per cent gone,' rebuilding slowly

Source: CP24

A family of five from downtown Toronto's St. James Town neighbourhood is slowly rebuilding their lives after the fire. Father Nahom Asrat suffered serious burns in the Aug. 4 apartment blaze and spent four days in intensive care in a medically-induced coma before being released; he is still recovering. His pregnant wife, Ubah Adan, is due to give birth on September 28. The family has been staying at a hotel room in North York since the fire.

The blaze broke out at around 3 a.m. on Aug. 4 in a two-bedroom unit on the eighth floor of 666 Ontario St. Asrat, who was sleeping on a sofa on the balcony, heard a crackling noise coming from the living room and the fire spread quickly. After he and his wife ran out, they realized their 13-year-old daughter was still inside. Asrat rushed back, found her in the living room and carried her downstairs to safety. The daughter suffered burns to her forehead and ear and is now recovering.

Asrat sustained second-degree burns on his face, chest, neck, shoulder, back, head, arms and hands, and also suffered a collapsed lung. The couple returned to their apartment for the first time earlier this week and found all their possessions destroyed. "Our house is 100 per cent gone," Adan said, adding: "I'm just thankful to God I didn't have to deal with something else. This situation we can go through. We'll be OK."

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2. SickKids confirms cybersecurity incident: personal information of current and former staff exposed

Source: CP24

The Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto has confirmed a cybersecurity "incident" that resulted in unauthorized access to the personal information of some of its current and former employees. The hospital said its clinical systems and patient information were not affected; its external careers website was temporarily affected and has since been restored.

The hospital said the incident is believed to be linked to a "vulnerability" in a third-party software application used by SickKids and other unnamed organizations. The investigation also found that personal information of workers at the SickKids Foundation and Boomerang Health, a pediatric clinic in Vaughan launched by the hospital, was compromised as well.

A letter to employees shows the breach was first identified on July 9 and involved a system supporting the careers website and "certain Human Resources functions, including payroll." The hospital believes individuals who were part of its workforce between Dec. 12, 2016 and Aug. 31, 2018 "may have had sensitive personal information on the impacted system." All potentially affected individuals have been alerted and offered 24 months of complimentary credit monitoring and identity protection services. SickKids was also the victim of a ransomware attack in 2022.

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3. The 147th CNE opens today: how far can $50 take you?

Source: CP24

The 147th Canadian National Exhibition (CNE) officially opens today, Aug. 21. Admission varies: a single pass costs between $22.12 and $26.55 depending on age and whether tickets are bought in advance or at the park, while admission with unlimited ride access ranges from $51.66 to $75.22. Opening day costs $15 for all ages, and there are $13 nights from Aug. 24 to 27 and Aug. 31 to Sept. 3.

Rides require coupons: $30 buys 58 coupons, enough for at most about seven rides, with a 14-coupon option for $10. For food, the $1.99 Primo Spaghetti inside the food building is one of the most budget-friendly options. This year's novelty eats include KD Smoothies, cotton candy jerk chicken waffle dogs and pickle-infused coffee.

Adventurous eaters can try an $8 sushi pop, a bucket of six Pegrolls (pierogi meets spring roll with a pickle twist) for $11, or Jamaican beef patty mini pierogis for $16. The popcorn falafel poutine ($22), Lobster on a Stick ($23.90) and Strawberry Toast Crunch Funnel Cake ($31) might push solo visitors over the $50 mark.

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4. Whitby father who fired at intruders who shot his son keeps house arrest sentence

Source: CP24

The Court of Appeal for Ontario has dismissed the Crown's appeal of a Whitby father's sentence. The man received a two-year conditional sentence of house arrest and three years of probation for firing at armed home intruders; the Crown argued the sentence was "demonstrably unfit," but a three-judge appeal panel said it saw no error and the sentence was upheld.

The incident took place in Jason Munroe's home in Whitby. After entering the home, the intruders forced Munroe and his family into the basement, where an altercation resulted in his son being shot. Munroe wrestled a handgun from one intruder and shot one of them. As the intruders fled in their car, he stood on his porch and fired at them three times; no one was hit.

At trial in 2025, Justice Nathan N. Baker found Munroe not guilty of the charges related to what happened inside the house, ruling he was acting in self-defence, but convicted him of reckless discharge of a restricted or prohibited firearm for shooting from the porch, plus obstruction of a peace officer for lying in his initial police statement. Baker found the five-year mandatory minimum sentence unconstitutional in this case. The appeal court called the circumstances "exceptional": Munroe fired in the heat of the moment after seeing his family threatened and his son shot, using a gun wrested from the intruders, and his remorse and extensive rehabilitative efforts were significant mitigating factors.

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5. Toronto unveils 'BTS Boulevard' signs on a stretch of Yonge Street today

Source: CP24

The City of Toronto will unveil the "BTS Boulevard" street signs at a press conference this morning, Friday, Aug. 21, at 10:30 a.m. The section of Yonge Street, from North York Boulevard to Finch Avenue, will be temporarily renamed, with the signs remaining in place until Sept. 23.

South Korean boy band BTS returns to Toronto this Saturday and Sunday with shows starting at 8 p.m. at Rogers Stadium, part of its ARIRANG tour and the group's first tour in four years, following a hiatus while all seven members completed their mandatory South Korean military service. The motion, led by Coun. Lily Cheng and seconded by Coun. James Pasternak, was passed by city council in July.

The motion described the move as a way of "welcoming BTS and ARMY to Korea Town North with open arms" and called for the street signs to be lit purple while the band is in town. In 2024, Toronto granted a similar honour to Taylor Swift, temporarily renaming a section of Queen Street West and John Street Taylor Swift Way during her Eras Tour.

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6. Multiple road closures across Toronto this weekend, including Gardiner lanes

Source: CP24

With a busy weekend ahead — the CNE opening, BTS concerts and other events — the city has announced closures of several streets and lanes, including parts of the Gardiner Expressway. From Thursday 11:59 p.m. to Friday 5 a.m., two left lanes on Lake Shore Boulevard West between Bay and York Streets will be closed, and two right lanes between Bremner Boulevard and Bay Street from Sunday 11:59 p.m. to Monday 5 a.m.

During the CNE, which runs until September 7, Dufferin Street will be closed south of the Dufferin Street Bridge on all Saturdays and Sundays from 5 a.m. to 11:59 p.m. For the Yorkville Murals street festival, Yorkville Avenue between Hazelton Avenue and Bellair Street will be closed to all vehicle traffic from Friday, Aug. 21 at 7 a.m. until Sunday, Aug. 23 at 9 p.m.

The Westway will be closed Friday, Aug. 21 at 9 p.m. until Saturday, Aug. 22 at 9 a.m. for a crane hoist operation between Islington Avenue and Hartsdale Drive, with one westbound curb lane remaining open. Ongoing rehabilitation work on the Eastern and Adelaide bridges also brings nightly restrictions. The TTC has released plans for one of the busiest weekends of the summer, including closing parts of Line 2.

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7. One of Quebec's most wanted fugitives may be in the GTA: police

Source: CP24

Quebec's provincial police said Thursday they have reason to believe 52-year-old Gianpietro Tiberio is in the Greater Toronto Area. Tiberio is wanted for murder and attempted murder in connection with a 2012 shooting at the former Domenica-In café on Provencher Boulevard that killed Domenico Facchini and wounded Vito D'Orazio.

Police describe Tiberio as standing five-foot-11 and weighing 243 pounds, with grey hair and brown eyes, and say he may have a beard. Anyone who sees him is asked to call 911 immediately; those with information about his whereabouts can call the Sûreté du Québec's Criminal Information Centre at 1-800-659-4264.

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8. Ontario fall municipal elections: nominations close today at 2 p.m.

Source: CP24

Nominations for Ontario's fall municipal elections close today, Aug. 21, at 2 p.m., with voters heading to the polls on Oct. 26. The last few days have seen a flurry of high-profile entries, including former Liberal MP Nate Erskine-Smith, who is running to represent the east-end Toronto ward of Beaches—East York.

Zachary Spicer, an associate professor of public policy at York University, says a competitive mayoral race can boost voter turnout in municipal elections, while a race with a strong incumbent and no significant challengers seems to have a "reverberating effect" on council campaigns, drawing fewer voters. He's watching Mississauga, which has seen more competition for mayor after decades as a stronghold for the late Hazel McCallion, and Hamilton, where incumbent mayor and former provincial NDP leader Andrea Horwath faces "considerable challenges."

In Toronto, former federal Conservative minister Chris Alexander and current council member Brad Bradford are seeking to unseat Mayor Olivia Chow. An Ipsos online survey of about 800 adult Torontonians for the Toronto Region Board of Trade, conducted between July 20 and Aug. 4, found 59 per cent said the city lacks speed in making decisions, 57 per cent said it lacks willingness to try new solutions, and 55 per cent said the city isn't investing enough in infrastructure.

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9. Canada, U.S. 'very close' to trade deal; premiers agree to restock U.S. alcohol

Source: CP24

Trade representatives from both countries met in Washington for hours Thursday, and Canada's trade minister Dominic LeBlanc told reporters they are "very close" to reaching a new deal: "We continue to make progress." LeBlanc will stay in Washington overnight ahead of Friday's negotiations. The two countries have until Saturday at midnight to reach a deal before U.S. President Donald Trump imposes 50 per cent tariffs on Canadian goods.

Newfoundland and Labrador Premier Tony Wakeham says Prime Minister Mark Carney asked all provinces, as a sign of good faith, to put U.S. liquor back on their shelves, "and we all agreed." U.S. alcohol products currently remain off the shelves in every province except Alberta and Saskatchewan.

Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew took a different stance: "If we put the booze back on the shelves, don't buy it. Let it sit on the shelf... and buy the Canadian stuff instead." He said U.S. alcohol could return to Manitoba shelves "within a few days" if the deal goes ahead, while full catalogues could take "a few weeks" due to labelling standards. According to a Canadian Press report, U.S. Vice-President JD Vance told a fundraiser crowd that Carney tried to "out-tough" Trump during the trade negotiations.

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10. StatCan: cross-border travel rebounded in both directions in June, still below last year

Source: CP24

New data from Statistics Canada shows cross-border travel between Canada and the United States increased in both directions in June. Canadians returned from 2.3 million trips to the U.S., up five per cent from a year earlier, extending a three-month turnaround after 15 consecutive months of declines. U.S. residents made three million trips to Canada, a 6.1 per cent year-over-year gain, stretching a five-month growth streak.

Road travel accounted for much of the change: Canadian return trips by automobile were up 7.6 per cent from a year ago, while U.S. automobile arrivals rose 8.1 per cent, and air travel fell slightly on each side. At the Cavendish Boardwalk in P.E.I., the Battaglia family from Boston said that while they don't necessarily agree with the political climate between the two countries, "we'd like to support our friends up in Canada."

Longer-term data still shows a sizeable gap: Canadian return trips from the United States remained 24.6 per cent below their June 2024 level, before tensions escalated. Some Canadian visitors remain firmly opposed to travelling south. "I wouldn't do it in a million years," said Kim Bell, visiting from Niagara Falls. "There's no real reason to go south at the moment," said Caroline Humphrey, visiting from Calgary.

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