Maple Express Evening | November 2, 2026 — SickKids launches $2.5-billion pediatric campaign

1. SickKids Foundation launches $2.5-billion pediatric health-care campaign

Source: CP24

SickKids Foundation on Monday unveiled "Heal the Future," a $2.5-billion fundraising campaign it describes as the largest pediatric health-care fundraising effort anywhere in the world. All of the money is earmarked for what the hospital calls Precision Child Health.

The foundation said Precision Child Health is not a clinic or a department, but the individualized approach SickKids takes to care for patients, tailoring treatment to each child's genetics and environment. The hospital argues the future of pediatric medicine can no longer rely on a one-size-fits-all model, and the campaign is meant to move precision medicine "from possibility towards reality."

The money is meant to do three things: cut the time it takes to reach a diagnosis so families get answers faster, reduce side effects by targeting underlying causes, and predict outcomes early enough to prevent or soften illness. "At SickKids, we believe that when we truly see each child as an individual, everything changes," said Dr. Ronald Cohn, president and CEO of SickKids Hospital. The foundation said more than $1.03 billion in donations and pledges had already been committed since the campaign quietly launched on April 1, 2023, including $351 million from TheNext150, a group of 133 donors who each committed $1 million or more. To mark the launch, SickKids is staging an immersive play, "I See You," with Outside the March, The Musical Stage Company and Crow's Theatre.

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2. Mayor calls for review after about 50,000 pack Church Street for Halloween

Source: CP24

Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow says she will work closely with community organizers to better structure crowd management after tens of thousands of people filled the city's Gay Village for the annual Halloween on Church event on Saturday night, raising concerns about overcrowding.

At a news conference on Monday, Chow estimated attendance reached upwards of 50,000 people. She said street festivals "need to be done in a way that is safe," and that future work will focus on "how it can be structured better, how it could be organized better, so that everyone can continue to have fun (on) Halloween nights, but do it in a way that is more structured and possibly more controlled."

Police Chief Myron Demkiw told the same news conference that Toronto police and the city manager's office are already in ongoing discussions, and that a broader piece of work is unfolding to make next year's street festival season as safe as possible. Police said extra officers were pulled from across the city as crowds grew, and that the most common calls for service on Saturday evening involved pickpocketing and cellphone theft. No arrests were reported. Travis Myers, co-founder of Friends of Hanlans, said residents have told him they no longer feel safe, citing reports of panic attacks and thefts, and voiced concern about a possible crowd crush.

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3. Police chief denies 'failure' over Bridle Path suspect not arrested at hospital

Source: CP24

Toronto Police Chief Myron Demkiw pushed back Monday at criticism of how investigators handled the Bridle Path home invasion, saying the decision not to arrest a suspect who walked into a hospital with a gunshot wound was not a "failure" but was shaped by the evidence officers had at the time.

The attack happened just before 4 a.m. on Thursday, Oct. 29, at a home on Hyde Park Circle near Bayview and Lawrence avenues. Three masked suspects armed with handguns and a hammer broke in and encountered a husband, wife and their two adult children; a struggle followed. David Morton, 75, and his daughters, 26 and 28, were shot, while Morton and his 64-year-old wife, Doriana Zohil-Morton, were also struck with a hammer. All four were rushed to hospital, some with life-altering injuries.

Demkiw said officers responded to the hospital as they would to any gunshot victim and advanced the investigation as fast as the available evidence allowed. "Suspicion alone isn't enough. Police need reasonable grounds, supported by evidence, to make an arrest," he said, adding investigators in the middle of the night did not know an assailant had been shot. Police have identified the hospital patient as 23-year-old Toronto resident Daijohn Richards, who was shot in the shoulder by one of his alleged accomplices and is now wanted on a Canada-wide warrant. Mayor Olivia Chow called the incident "brutal violence" and gave the chief her full support. The case is the 119th home invasion reported to Toronto police in 2026, more than 30 per cent higher than the same period last year.

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4. Unusually warm fall weather to continue in Toronto this week

Source: CP24

Toronto and surrounding areas are getting a few more days of unusually warm weather in the middle of fall. The temperature reached 18.3 C on Monday, and Environment Canada is forecasting highs of 20 C and 21 C for Tuesday and Wednesday.

The Weather Network says Toronto has not recorded a temperature at or below freezing since May 3 this year, while the first freezing reading of the season would normally be expected around Oct. 13. The network said a warm front pushed temperatures into the low 20s across southern Ontario last week, with the mercury climbing above 22 C at Toronto Pearson airport on Thursday, breaking the previous daily record of 21.7 C set in 1946.

The network had forecast that much of Canada can expect warmer-than-normal conditions this fall, with a potentially historic El Nino expected to prolong the season and delay winter's arrival. This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 2, 2026.

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5. Police watchdog investigating after teen injured during arrest at Finch West Station

Source: CP24

Ontario's police watchdog announced Monday it is investigating after a 14-year-old boy was seriously injured during his arrest at Finch West Station last month. The Special Investigations Unit said it has assigned three investigators to the case and designated one subject officer and one witness officer.

Toronto police said they were called to the Line 1 station on the afternoon of Oct. 7 to help TTC constables after a group of youths was allegedly manipulating the gates to get into the subway without paying. The SIU said two officers confronted the group and "there was an interaction with one of the boys."

Police have said one youth was arrested for assaulting an officer, and that officers were then "surrounded and assaulted by" several youths. Five teenagers have been charged — a 13-year-old, two 14-year-olds and two 15-year-olds — and cannot be identified under the Youth Criminal Justice Act. The SIU said the 14-year-old went to hospital after being released from custody and was diagnosed with a serious, non-life-threatening injury. Toronto police learned of the injury on Oct. 9 and notified the SIU the same day.

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6. Inside man or patsy? Closing arguments in Pearson gold heist trial

Source: CP24

Was a then-Air Canada employee an inside man who helped pull off one of the biggest gold heists in Canadian history, or a scapegoat exploited by a longtime friend and left to carry the blame alone? Those were the two competing narratives put to a Brampton court Monday as the Crown and defence made closing submissions in the trial of Parmpal Sidhu.

Sidhu has pleaded not guilty to theft over $5,000 and conspiracy to commit an indictable offence in connection with the April 2023 heist at Toronto Pearson airport. Court has heard his profile was used to print a doctored air waybill that let another man pick up more than $22 million in gold and currency, though employees commonly used each other's profiles on shared computers.

Crown attorney Jelena Vlacic alleged Sidhu printed the fraudulent waybill and made the call to release the shipment, pointing to his close ties to Simran Preet Panesar, who is still wanted, and to co-accused Archit Grover. Defence lawyer Shale Wagman argued Panesar, a colleague and friend of about two decades, hijacked Sidhu's user ID and password, then fled abroad with his family after the heist, leaving Sidhu "in the ditch with a ruined career." The Crown said there is no evidence Panesar used the credentials. The case is being heard by a judge alone, with a ruling expected in late January 2027.

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7. Puslinch crash victims: three linked to Peel District School Board

Source: CP24

The Peel District School Board says it is "deeply saddened" after four people between the ages of 15 and 19 were killed in a crash early Saturday morning in Puslinch, Ont. The board confirmed to CTV News that one of the dead was a current student and two were former students.

Provincial police said the single-vehicle collision happened at about 1:35 a.m. The vehicle was travelling along Watson Road South when it smashed through a guard rail and crashed into a ravine below. Six people were inside; four were pronounced dead at the scene. OPP said Sunday that the dead were a 19-year-old man from Mississauga, a 19-year-old man from Brampton, a 17-year-old girl from Mississauga and a 15-year-old girl from Milton.

A 17-year-old girl remains in hospital with life-altering injuries and a 16-year-old girl suffered non-life-threatening injuries; both are from Mississauga. Insp. Karen Medeiros of Wellington County OPP called it an "unimaginable loss," saying families have been forever changed and an entire community is searching for answers. The board said supports will be provided to students, families and staff for as long as needed. Investigators are still working to determine the cause and are asking anyone with information or dash-cam video to call 1-888-310-1122.

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8. Belleville synagogue shooting survivor says far heavier security now required

Source: CP24

The vice-president of the Belleville, Ont., synagogue attacked by a gunman in September says costly, enhanced security measures are needed to keep congregants safe. Shima Vigodda of Sons of Jacob Synagogue told a news conference Monday that before the attack the congregation's security priorities were modest — replacing windows broken in acts of vandalism and installing burglar alarms.

He said an existing federal program that helps places of worship make security improvements was adequate for those expenses, but it has now become clear that far more expensive measures are necessary, and the federal program would not fully cover them.

Vigodda, who survived the assault, listed bullet-resistant glass, replacing inner and outer doors, building a safe room, installing fencing to slow or stop a would-be attacker, and having security personnel or armed police on site. He said the measures are needed not only for physical safety but to deter potential attackers. This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 2, 2026.

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9. N.B. man who killed and dismembered wife sentenced to life, no parole for 24 years

Source: CP24

Roger Hilyard Crossman, who pleaded guilty to murdering and dismembering his wife in Sackville, N.B., was sentenced Monday for second-degree murder. The conviction carries an automatic life sentence, and a judge ruled he cannot apply for parole for 24 years. He also pleaded guilty to indignity to a human body or human remains.

Police found Marlene Crossman's remains after a wellness check at her Sackville home on Oct. 12, 2023. She was 59. Court documents show the couple had been married close to 37 years and had two sons. Crossman did not appear in Moncton's Court of King's Bench to hear Justice Maya Hamou's decision; his lawyer said he was in hospital with Stage 4 lymphoma that he has refused to treat, and that he has applied for Medical Assistance in Dying.

"I'm not prepared to adjourn this hearing because he wants to avail himself to MAID. You don't get to opt out of your sentencing hearing," Hamou said. Court heard that on the day of the murder, Marlene's supervisor grew concerned when she failed to show up for work and went to her home, then called RCMP around 4:04 p.m. Officers found deliberately staged body parts with handwritten notes. An autopsy found she died of three sharp-force injuries to the chest and abdomen. Crossman turned himself in that day and told police his relationship with his wife was terrible and he wanted more affection. Four people read victim impact statements at sentencing; 10 were filed in total.

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10. Former junior hockey broadcaster charged with sex crimes; RCMP believe more victims possible

Source: CP24

Alberta RCMP laid charges Monday against 39-year-old Tyler Robb King in connection with several sex offences involving minors, and say investigators believe there may be more victims. King was arrested in Ontario on Saturday after crossing the border from New York State, where he lives.

According to court documents, the charges include three counts of luring a child involving three separate alleged victims, all in or near Okotoks, Alta.: one between June 2021 and April 2023, one between January 2021 and October 2024, and one between September and October 2022. CTV News has learned all three alleged victims were male hockey players within the Okotoks Oilers Athletic Association. King is also charged with sexual exploitation and with making, printing, publishing or possessing child pornography, also in or near Okotoks. None of the allegations has been tested in court.

RCMP said the investigation spans more than two years. King has a long history in Junior A hockey in Alberta and B.C.: he was manager of communications with the AJHL's Fort McMurray Oil Barons in 2014, joined the Brooks Bandits in 2015 for more than four years as play-by-play broadcaster, communications manager and business manager, and moved to the Okotoks Oilers in 2021, spending three seasons as broadcaster and assistant general manager of business operations before parting ways with the club. He later worked for the BCHL's Nanaimo Clippers, joined the State University of New York in 2025 as the communications studies department's first professor of practice, advises campus station WTOP-10, and works as a video producer and public address announcer for the AHL's Belleville Senators.

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