Maple Express | September 21, 2026 — Officer shot near Belleville synagogue; SIU investigating

1. Shooting outside Belleville synagogue; officer wounded, SIU investigating

Source: CP24

Ontario's Special Investigations Unit (SIU) is investigating a shooting near a synagogue in Belleville late Sunday (Sept. 20). Around 7:10 p.m., an incident occurred in the area of Bleecker and Victoria avenues, in which a Belleville police officer and another person were injured and taken to hospital. The SIU said it invoked its mandate after an exchange of gunfire that evening; early information indicated a man was in life-threatening condition and an officer was injured by gunfire, with investigators en route.

Belleville Police said an officer "encountered" an individual in the area and that the service had notified the SIU as required. Police asked the public to avoid the area and follow direction from emergency personnel, stressing there is no threat to public safety.

Ontario Premier Doug Ford said on X that he was "disgusted" by the shooting, which took place as Jewish community members gathered to mark Yom Kippur. He said his thoughts were with the Jewish community in Belleville and across Ontario, who have every right to gather and worship safely and without fear, and that he expects those responsible to be arrested and prosecuted. He also voiced support for the wounded officer and their loved ones. Toronto police said there was no known threat or connection to Toronto, but that out of caution they had increased patrols and visibility at synagogues and other places of worship.

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2. Multi-vehicle crash in Vaughan leaves one dead

Source: CP24

York Regional Paramedic Services say one person died after a serious crash in Vaughan late Sunday (Sept. 20). The collision happened near Jane Street and Brandon Gate Drive, south of Teston Road. Paramedics said they were called to the area just before 7:45 p.m. for a multi-vehicle collision.

Five people were assessed on scene: two were taken to a local hospital, two others to a trauma centre, and a fifth person was pronounced dead on scene.

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3. Two taken to hospital after collision near Yorkdale Mall

Source: CP24

Two people were rushed to hospital after a collision near Yorkdale Mall late Sunday (Sept. 20), paramedics say. The crash happened in North York, near Dufferin Street and Yorkdale Road, south of Highway 401.

Toronto police said they were called just before 8:45 p.m. for reports of a two-vehicle collision in the middle of the intersection. Paramedics assessed three patients and took two of them to a local hospital with serious but non-life-threatening injuries. Drivers are advised to expect delays in the area and to consider alternate routes.

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4. 23-year-old from Stouffville charged with second-degree murder

Source: CP24

Police say a 23-year-old man from Stouffville turned himself in after a deadly shooting on Sept. 13 and has now been charged with second-degree murder.

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5. More monarch butterflies in Toronto this year? Experts say yes, with a catch

Source: CP24

If you have looked up recently, you may have noticed a familiar insect filling the air. Monarch butterflies are out in force as summer winds down, preparing to migrate south to the highlands of central Mexico for the winter. On social media, including a recent Reddit post, some are wondering whether there are more monarchs around Toronto than in previous years.

Experts confirm numbers are currently up, but that does not mean it will last. Ryan Norris, an associate professor in the Department of Integrative Biology at the University of Guelph, said people are seeing a lot of monarchs because this year produced a high number, though the reason is not yet clear. He suggested very good spring conditions produced a large crop of first-generation monarchs that propagated through spring and summer, ending in a massive final generation.

Whether those numbers hold depends on how many make it to Mexico, where researchers count them in February. Research from WWF Mexico in March found a spike between 2024-2025 and 2025-2026: monarchs occupied 7.24 acres of forest in 2025-2026 versus 4.42 acres the previous winter, a 64 per cent increase. Norris noted that monarchs have been listed as endangered in Canada since 2023 and that 40 years of research show the overall population is still declining, calling this year's boom a "recency bias." Community scientist Don Davis attributes this year's "great migration" to excellent conditions in the northern breeding range, with no droughts, ample moisture and abundant milkweed and nectar. The population also rose in southern Saskatchewan, Manitoba and Quebec. Davis said Torontonians can expect large numbers for at least a few more weeks, tapering toward the end of September and, in good years, lasting into October.

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6. How 'Buy Canadian' scanner apps performed on identifying food origins

Source: CP24

Smartphone apps promising to help shoppers identify Canadian groceries have appeared since trade tensions with the United States began last year. After reviewing more than a dozen options, The Canadian Press chose three apps — Buy Beaver, O SCANada and Maple Scan — and tested them on a range of common grocery items.

Buy Beaver rates items from zero to 100 based on manufacturing location, ingredient sources and the location of the parent company. In testing, a Quebec-made jam scored a full 100, but the app gave no information about the parent company or ingredient sources; a peanut butter scored zero because its parent, Kraft Heinz, is headquartered in the U.S. O SCANada labelled a jam as "Canadian-owned" without specifying ingredient origins, while Maple Scan identified it as a Quebec company and labelled it both made and packaged in Canada. On sugar, Buy Beaver gave 70, noting Redpath has been a subsidiary of a U.S. company since 2007 but is made in Canada; Maple Scan called it a product of Canada. For ketchup, Buy Beaver gave 70, noting U.S.-based parent McCormick while stating ingredients were "100 per cent Canadian"; O SCANada correctly identified its plant in London, Ont. and Canadian tomatoes sourced from Ontario growers.

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7. Carney heads to UNGA in New York to push UN reform; Trump meeting unclear

Source: CP24

Prime Minister Mark Carney travels this week to New York, President Donald Trump's hometown, to attend the 81st Session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), continuing his push to bring Canada closer to Europe and strengthen ties worldwide. Senior government officials briefing reporters ahead of the trip said Carney will meet world leaders and business leaders, but it is unclear whether he and Trump will meet on the sidelines.

As some leaders, such as Trump, move away from multilateralism, Carney will focus on UN reform and the selection of the next secretary-general. Incumbent António Guterres is in his second and final five-year term, which ends this year. In a statement ahead of the trip, Carney said that at a moment when the international order is being remade, Canada intends to help shape it. Officials said Carney will call for concrete progress on UN reform so the organization remains relevant.

In 2025, Trump railed against the UN in a nearly hour-long address during which the teleprompter failed, questioning its effectiveness. The Trump administration has also withdrawn the U.S. from multiple UN agencies, including the World Health Organization and UNESCO. On Tuesday, Carney is expected to co-host an event with France and the United Kingdom on the two-state solution, a year after the three countries recognized an independent Palestinian state at the General Assembly. It will be the first time Carney and Trump are face to face since Canada-U.S. trade talks fell apart. Last month, Carney recalled his trade negotiating team from Washington after what he called unacceptable last-minute U.S. demands.

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8. Ottawa neighbourhood alarmed by teens smashing doors, damaging homes

Source: CP24

Residents of a neighbourhood in Ottawa's southwest end are raising serious concerns after incidents involving teenagers smashing doors and damaging homes, one of which was caught on camera last week. Doorbell footage shared with CTV News by Knoxdale-Merivale Coun. Sean Devine shows a swarm of youths running and shouting down Argue Drive, with one person walking up and kicking a front door before running off. Residents say the incident happened around 7:30 p.m. last Thursday.

In a Facebook post, Devine called it "beyond unacceptable" and asked what the children's parents intend to do. Several neighbours who spoke to CTV News on Sunday, afraid of retaliation, said this was not the first time. One resident said her sense of security has been threatened and that she has considered moving because of similar incidents, including vehicle theft and vandalism; another said his family's front door was smashed while no one was home, the second time they had to replace a door dented the same way. Devine said he has reported the incidents to Ottawa police and to staff at a nearby high school to see if any students can be identified. Ottawa police did not respond to a request for comment before deadline.

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9. Calgary hosts free 'Concert for Unity' urging Canada stay united

Source: CP24

The Confluence in Calgary hosted a free concert celebrating Canadian unity on Sunday. Jann Arden headlined a day of Alberta performers, including Caleigh Cardinal, Ruben Bullock and the Bullhorn Singers, Caity Gyorgy, John Wort Hannam, Lindi Ortega, Montuno West, and Kue Varoe and The Only Hopes. Forever Canadian founder Thomas Lukaszuk and Calgary Mayor Jeromy Farkas were also set to speak.

Lukaszuk anticipated around 12,000 people and thanked all the artists, including Arden, for playing for free. He recalled that Forever Canadian began as a petition by one person and has grown to more than 18,000 registered volunteers and nearly half a million signatures. In an interview, he said Canada cannot be broken up and cannot be fractured. Attendee Joyanne Wood, who described herself as an eighth-generation Canadian, said she wants Canada to stay together and hopes people do not forget that.

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10. 'La Bola Negra' wins People's Choice Award at TIFF

Source: CP24

"La Bola Negra" has won the People's Choice Award at the Toronto International Film Festival. Directed by Javier Calvo and Javier Ambrossi, the film follows the interconnected lives of three gay men in Spain; the prize has long been seen as an Oscar bellwether.

Other big winners include "Angh," which took the Platform Award, a jury prize carrying a $20,000 purse, from director Theja Rio and about the last surviving chief of a Nagaland village on the Indo-Burma border. This year, for the first time, the Platform Award offers a direct route to the Academy Awards. Best Canadian Discovery went to Cody Lightning for his second feature, "Smudge the Blades," who accepted the award in tears and said his mother, also a filmmaker, had died weeks earlier. Best Canadian feature went to Serville Poblete's "Sunburn," a coming-of-age film about a group of kids from Toronto's Bleecker Street.

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