Toronto News | Ontario COVID-19

Weekly wrap: What happened on the Ontario election campaign trail?

On this week's episode of Ballot Box, the team breakdowns down the highlights from the fourth week of the election campaign.

Ontario Liberal Party Leader Steven Del Duca, centre, speaks with resident and former MP Don Boudria as he visits Paroisse Saint-Hugues, which lost its steeple during a major storm with Liberal candidate for Glengarry–Prescott–Russell Amanda Simard, in Sarsfield, Ont., on Monday, May 23, 2022. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Justin Tang

Man fatally shot by police near Toronto elementary school after reportedly walking streets with rifle

One man is dead after being shot by police near a Toronto elementary school on Thursday afternoon. The incident sent hundreds of students into lockdown.

A man is dead after a shooting near a Toronto elementary school on Thursday. (CTV News Toronto)

Crown, defence expected to make closing arguments today in Hoggard sex assault trial

Prosecutors and defence lawyers are expected to make their final pitch today to jurors hearing the sex assault trial of Canadian musician Jacob Hoggard.

Defence counsel Megan Savard questions Jacob Hoggard at his sex assault trial in Toronto, Tuesday, May 24, 2022 as his wife Rebekah Asselstine (left) and Justice Gillian Roberts (top left) look on in this artist’s sketch. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Alexandra Newbould

Ontario Election

Ontario political leaders focus on Greater Toronto and Hamilton region

The leaders of Ontario's main political parties will be campaigning largely in the vote-rich Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area today as election day approaches.

Signs for candidates for the 2022 Ontario general election, adorn a fence in Toronto on Wednesday, May 25, 2022. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Chris Young

How will Highway 413 and the gas tax impact Ontario voters this election?

What do voters really think about the proposed Highway 413?

A map of proposed Highway 413 and the ridings it travels through. (Environics Analytics)

Doug Ford campaigns on handyman brand after tumultuous first term, pandemic 'growth'

"Doug Ford is a builder," a moderator read out to the audience of a recent Ontario election debate that asked leaders of the three main parties to submit biographies of themselves.

Ontario Premier Doug Ford poses with workers before making an announcement at the Alstom factory in Brampton, Ont., on Tuesday, May 24, 2022. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Chris Young

Downtown Toronto riding to see 75% cut in number of polling stations on election day

A downtown riding will see a 75 per cent cut in the number of polling stations open for voters on election day next week.

Ontario election 2022 platform guide: What are the parties promising?

CTVNewsToronto.ca has compiled a list of some of the major pledges made by the leaders of the province’s four major parties.

A determined Andrea Horwath takes on her fourth and maybe final fight as NDP leader

Horwath, 59, exudes determination in all aspects of her life, friends and colleagues say.

Ontario political leaders pledge changes to autism program

Three of Ontario's major political parties are proposing changes to the province's autism program, while criticizing a lack of help for families under the Progressive Conservative government.

Which Ontario voters are impacted by the licence plate renewal rebates?

Doug Ford’s The provincial government’s decision to scrap vehicle registration renewal fees in Ontario while premier greatly benefits drivers living in ridings that mostly voted for the Progressive Conservatives in 2018, data suggests.

Consumer Alert

Charities that depend on used cars getting fewer donations

Charities that accept cars as donations are reporting a decrease in interest in their programs since the onset of the pandemic.

One of the cars donated to charity can be seen above.

Was your home damaged by the Ontario storm? Insurance companies say payouts could take weeks to process

The insurance industry says it could take up to six weeks to get an idea of how many hundreds of millions of dollars in pay outs will be required from the weekend storm that brought death and destruction to Ontario and Quebec, but that early estimates are substantial.

Travel insurance sales go up as Canadians feel more confident vacationing overseas

After staying close to home and avoiding travel during the pandemic, many Canadians are anxious to take international trips again and travel insurance companies are seeing that trend reflected in their sales.

The Greek island of Crete is seen in this file photo. (Anna_Jedynak / Istock.com)

CTV News Investigates

INVESTIGATION

INVESTIGATION | Details vanish from Ontario MPP investment property disclosures as their value skyrockets

An unpublished decision by a provincial watchdog has removed many details from view of the real estate investments of dozens of candidates vying for re-election, even as those assets surge in value to more than $36 million, a CTV News investigation has found.

INVESTIGATION

INVESTIGATION | Dozens of MPP investment properties surge to more than $36 million as Ontario housing affordability worsens

Dozens of candidates running for re-election are sitting on investment properties that are surging millions in value as a housing crisis takes hold across Ontario, according to a review of disclosures by CTV News and a new home valuation tool.

INVESTIGATION

INVESTIGATION | Accused in Kensington Market shooting says it was 'not really' difficult to get a gun, court hears

Video obtained by CTV News Investigates of a 2018 Canada Day shooting in Kensington Market that left a 19-year-old man dead and three bystanders injured shows how it escalated from a conversation to deadly violence in seconds.

A jury heard in court the testimony of the man accused of fatally shooting a 19-year-old and injuring three bystanders.

Totally Toronto

Aerial spraying for moth outbreak begins in Toronto this week. Here's where it's happening

The City of Toronto will start aerial spraying this week to combat what they call "outbreak levels" of moths.

A caterpillar of the Gypsy moth is seen on a leaf in Tiny Township, Ont., on Fri., July 10, 2020. (Roger Klein/CTV News)

Visitors get trapped on Wonderland rides after power outage during Ontario storm

A power outage at Wonderland led to a scary situation after guests were trapped on rides for about 30 minutes during the severe Ontario storm this weekend.

Wonderland visitors got stuck on rides during Ontario's storm Saturday, the park says. (Tiktok: @chubbychicken84)

This is what to expect when Toronto's 'urban format' IKEA opens next week

Canada’s first “urban format” IKEA location is set to open in downtown Toronto next week. Here's what to expect.

The new downtown Toronto IKEA location. (IKEA)

Toronto Councillor Ana Bailão not seeking re-election in October

After 12 years in office, Toronto City Councillor Ana Bailão will not be seeking re-election in October.

Ontario retiree buys 'cheapest home in the GTA'. This is what she got

A retiree in Ontario has just purchased what is being called the 'cheapest home in the GTA'—a caboose located on a commercially zoned parking lot near Milton.

Renting in Toronto? Be prepared to pay extra: realtor

Renting a home in the Greater Toronto Area is now as competitive as owning and those looking to rent need to be prepared to offer more than what is being asked, according to one Toronto real estate agent.

When the ban on drinking in public parks could lift after council delay

Torontonians hoping to drink alcohol in public parks will have to wait another year.

This Toronto family struggled to buy a home for $2 million. Here's how they did it

Toronto homebuyers are being urged to put their best offer forward first in an effort to avoid disappointment during the bidding process.

Top 10 mispronounced places in Toronto revealed. Which one are you saying incorrectly?

A definitive list of the most mispronounced places in the city, and how to say them properly, has been released.

CRIME & COURTS

Man pistol-whipped in one of six carjackings overnight in the GTA

Police are investigating a string of carjackings that occurred overnight in the Greater Toronto Area, including one incident where a man was pistol-whipped.

Police tape is pictured in this file photo.

New Toronto investigative unit will probe organized crime, starting with carjackings

Toronto police say that a new investigative unit tapped with addressing organized crime will formally begin operations this week with an initial focus on a rash of violent carjackings which have taken place across the city.

A Toronto Police officer is pictured in this undated photo. (CP24)

Hedley frontman Jacob Hoggard denies rape allegations at sex assault trial

Canadian musician Jacob Hoggard has emphatically denied raping a teenager and a young woman nearly six years ago, testifying Tuesday that both encounters were consensual and "passionate."

Canadian musician Jacob Hoggard arrives alongside his wife Rebekah Asselstine, for his sex assault trial at the Toronto courthouse on Tuesday, May 10, 2022 in Toronto. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Cole Burston

CTVNEWS.CA TOP STORIES

Brokenhearted husband dies after wife slain in Texas rampage

Fourth-grade teacher Irma Garcia was killed in her Texas classroom on Tuesday, massacred along with her co-teacher and 19 students. Two days later, a family member says her brokenhearted husband died.

Messages are written on a cross honouring Irma Garcia, a teacher who was killed in this week's elementary school shooting, in Uvalde, Texas, Thursday, May 26, 2022. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

'Horrifying experience': 10-year-old boy recounts hiding during deadly Texas school shooting

A 10-year-old boy in a classroom just down the hallway from the room where a gunman killed 19 children and two teachers in Uvalde, Texas on Tuesday said the experience of hiding during the shooting was 'terrifying.'

Trudeau signals new gun-control changes coming; here's what the Liberals have promised

In the wake of a horrific mass shooting at an elementary school in Texas, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has signalled that the Canadian government will be moving ahead on new gun-control measures 'in the coming weeks.' In previous Parliaments, the Liberals have made changes to Canada's gun laws, but in the 2021 federal election, Trudeau promised to go further.

Gun owners hold signs criticizing Prime Minister Justin Trudeau as they participate in a rally organized by the Canadian Coalition for Firearm Rights against the government's new gun regulations, on Parliament Hill in Ottawa, on Saturday, Sept. 12, 2020. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Justin Tang

Hidden Toronto

HIDDEN TORONTO

HIDDEN TORONTO | Did you know about Sherlock Holmes’ hidden study in Toronto?

It takes some detective work to find Sherlock Holmes’ hidden study in downtown Toronto, but it’s a case certainly worth cracking.

The Arthur Conan Doyle Room at the Toronto Reference Library, which is home to some of the world’s rarest Sherlock Holmes artifacts, is open for public. (Miriam Katawazi/CTV News Toronto)

HIDDEN TORONTO

HIDDEN TORONTO | Did you know about this whimsical Toronto theatre with a hanging garden?

Toronto’s Winter Garden Theatre feels like a scene from the pages of Shakespeare’s A Midsummer's Night Dream – a whimsical fairy-like space with hanging gardens.

The Winter Garden Theatre, the last Edwardian double-decker theatre in the world built 1913, can been seen in this recent photo. (Elgin and Winter Garden Theatre Centre/Facebook)

HIDDEN TORONTO

HIDDEN TORONTO | Did you know about this rare and unusual bookshop in Toronto?

The Monkey's Paw, a rare bookshop in Toronto, is home to the unusual "Biblio-Mat,” believed to be the world’s first random book vending machine.

Books can seen lining the shelves of The Monkey's Paw bookstore in downtown Toronto on Tuesday, April 5, 2022. (Miriam Katawazi/CTV News Toronto)

Table Talk

TABLE TALK

TABLE TALK | Ice cream with a twist on tradition is returning to Toronto

Ice cream was a vehicle for confectioner Ed Wong to explore his identity as the son of Chinese immigrants. After a brief hiatus, his East and Southeast Asian flavours are returning to the city.

TABLE TALK

TABLE TALK | How one of Toronto's most famous chefs turns junk food gourmet with his son

Susur Lee, the Iron Chef and Toronto-based restaurateur, is better known on TikTok as Jet Bent-Lee’s father – the one who turns junk food into gourmet meals.

Chef Susur Lee sits with his son Jet Bent-Lee (Supplied).

TABLE TALK

TABLE TALK | This Armenian pizzeria in Toronto is the home of a nearly century-old recipe

For some, comfort food is a grilled cheese oozing with cheddar plunged into ketchup or a bottomless bowl of steaming hot ramen. For others, it’s lahmajoun.