Toronto Star

HOT PROPERTY

Shane Hollander and Ilya Rozanov weren't inside the “Heated Rivalry” cottage when the fans arrived one late afternoon in May — but the characters' presence lingered anyway. Driving through the Muskoka woods, down a muddied gravel driveway and toward...

Man found guilty in random murder of total stranger

Raheem Mclaughlin was either on a sinister mission to murder anyone associated with a Toronto public housing complex, or he was an innocent party suddenly caught up in someone else's deadly actions. Those were the two competing narratives that a jury...

LEAFS AXE BERUBE

So what has Maple Leafs general manager John Chayka been doing since the rough ride of last week's introductory news conference? It sounds like his life — and that of senior executive adviser Mats Sundin — has amounted to one long meeting. “Mats and I...

Lawyers say verdict was based on racism, hearsay

The jury at Chris Sheriffe's trial was never supposed to know about the “hearsay” gang evidence a pair of confidential informants allegedly told a junior Toronto police officer. The judge had already excluded that information from Sheriffe's trial —...

THE SAFER WAY?

Dariusz Nowotny says that in the 23 years he's been patrolling the TTC, he's never seen so many people using drugs on the transit system. “We do have more homeless people and more people who use drugs on the system — 100 per cent,” the transit special...

LONG JOURNEY HOME

Four Canadians who disembarked the cruise ship at the centre of a deadly hantavirus outbreak arrived in Canada on Sunday and will continue their quarantine. The Canadians, who were set to arrive in British Columbia later Sunday after landing in...

SPATSAND DOGS

Self-professed “dog mom” Sarah Gabura would bring her five-year-old cavapoo, Rosie, with her everywhere if she could. A health-care worker who lives in a King West condo, Gabura feels guilty for the hours the pair spend apart while she's at the...

Setting the Tempo

Mother's Day came early for Sasha Rennic-purcell, who was given tickets to the Toronto Tempo's first WNBA regular-season game. She sat in section 102 Friday night alongside her partner and two little girls holding signs that read “She Shoots She...

RECORD DEMAND

Kyle Pugh and his Canadian colleagues from coast to coast are suddenly in high demand from Americans. The Americans are searching for Canadian citizenship, and Pugh and his fellow archivists just might hold the keys to finding the ancestry that would...

EVACUATION AT SEA

The cruise ship MV Hondius is on the move again in the Atlantic Ocean after some passengers and crew fell ill with what has been confirmed as Andes hantavirus — the only kind of the virus that can be transferred from person to person. On Sunday, the...

Beacon of `moral clarity'

Louise Arbour, the pioneering war crimes prosecutor, human rights commissioner and former Supreme Court justice, was named Canada's 31st governor general on Tuesday, when Prime Minister Mark Carney proclaimed the need for someone of “judgment” and...

`They never had a chance'

A young man who killed three children last year in a drunk-driving crash was handed an eight-year prison term Monday — a sentence the victims' mother said falls far short of recognizing the devastation caused by his actions. In sentencing Ethan...

END OF THE ROAD

The head coach laid out his vision on the eve of Raptors training camp. “Everything starts on the defensive end,” Darko Rajakovic said more than seven months ago. “We want to dominate on the defensive end.” It was a noble goal. And at the time those...

Maya's defiant choice

Maya Auchincloss makes her living plunging through the air, twisting in silks. An aerial circus performer and coach, her movements through the hoop are graceful, effortless. You'd never know that for the last eight years of her life she has been in...

DEEP CONCERNS

The air deep in an underground mine hangs thick with heat and exhaust. Diesel from machines sits heavy in the air while dust from exploded rock covers every surface long after the drilling stops and the blast settles. The deeper you go, the worse it...

Two men sentenced in sexual assault of unconscious woman

Two men have been sentenced to nine years in prison for repeatedly sexually assaulting an unconscious woman who has never come forward and whose identity remains unknown. The 2024 incident in the stairwell of a downtown Toronto public housing complex...

RUNWAY INFLATION

Windfall helps trim deficit

New lower deficit. Same budget fight. Heralding the anniversary of his Liberal government's election win with a new spring economic update on Tuesday, Prime Minister Mark Carney found himself in the familiar position of fielding allegations of...

Abuse allegations spark calls for reckoning at conservatory

During her piano lessons at the Royal Conservatory of Music, Margaret Halliwell's teacher would sometimes turn off the lights in the studio and chase her around the piano. Halliwell, then in her early 20s, would turn the lights on and firmly say to...

Raptors claw their way back

Do you know how hard it is to shoot 32 per cent from the field and win an NBA playoff game? Until Sunday afternoon at Scotiabank Arena it hadn't been done since the 1960s, before the introduction of the three-point line and shooter-friendly breakaway...

‘Horrific conditions’

It’s the province’s only high-secure forensic psychiatric hospital, whose patients have some of the most complex mental health needs in Ontario. And it’s behind the historic walls of this Penetanguishene, Ont., facility overlooking Georgian Bay that...

‘My son is going to die in this place’

Audrey Watson-pinnock wasn’t going to let her voice go unheard. It was May 2025, and her son, Camelott Hamblett, was in his 20th year of being detained at Waypoint Centre for Mental Health Care. He had spent that time almost entirely in isolation, or...

RIGHT BACK IN IT

When the book closes on this era of the Raptors, it may be seen as the Scottie Barnes problem. In Game 3 of this first-round playoff series against the Cleveland Cavaliers, Barnes was a balletic battering ram. He smashed his way through Evan Mobley,...

Top homicide cop says antisemitism, racism helped spur his exit

Longtime homicide investigator and former unit commander Hank Idsinga says internal antisemitism, racism and a lack of leadership led to his decision to leave Toronto police after a storied career. He’s no whistleblower, Idsinga insists, as he sits...

The ‘Iceman’ cometh

What began as a mysterious Drake album teaser in a downtown Toronto parking lot turned into a chaotic public spectacle Tuesday, as fans climbed a 25-foot ice sculpture and attacked it with sledgehammers and blowtorches, forcing police and private...

‘At the mercy of Mother Nature’

Homes flooded. Docks underwater. Roads turned to lakes. The start of spring has brought a deluge of water to communities across Ontario, with high rainfall and melting snow stranding residents in their homes and placing towns under states of...

‘I just want our kids not to die. That’s it’

Watching her younger brother cycle in and out of the hospital, Samantha Viarruel had to ask him one question that felt unavoidable. Did he want to live? He told her yes. But only a few months later, Viarruel’s father came to her door to tell her that...

AFTER THE FALL

Carol Murray had never gone skydiving before, but she knew an omen when she saw it — and she saw plenty that week in September 1997. Her first attempt was postponed by rain that didn’t quit until just before dark. Her second attempt, the next day, was...

BEGINNING OF THE END

Canada Post is moving ahead with plans to end home delivery and will begin converting 136,000 homes across the country to community mailboxes this year, including 18,000 addresses in Etobicoke. The announcement Thursday was met with anger from the...

Cup boom ... or bust?

With Toronto set to host six World Cup games this summer, it’s still unclear just how much the city’s and country’s economies will benefit from FIFA’S flagship tournament, say economists and critics. That concern has grown even more since FIFA...

‘Significant’ track failures bedevil UP Express

Flaws in the construction of the UP Express near Pearson airport have led to repeated track failures since the service opened more than a decade ago — baffling a series of consultants hired to fix the problem, according to a confidential report...

Age of majority

OTTAWA Mark Carney’s minority government transformed into a slim but workable majority in Parliament courtesy of two Monday night byelection victories in Toronto, meaning the prime minister can now more easily advance his high-spending economic and...

Back-to-back Masterpieces

AUGUSTA, GA. Rory Mcilroy has never been a bulletproof intimidator in the mould of prime-era Tiger Woods. And you can make the case the Northern Irishman has achieved considerably less in his career than the enormity of his raw gifts once...

Carney calls for unity

On the verge of a likely majority, which will sideline opposition parties in Parliament, Prime Minister Mark Carney spoke to Liberal party faithful Saturday with a pitch for unity that didn’t even mention his opponent’s name. The 4,500 Liberal...

The ugly side of Botox

When Magdalena Chytros woke up with droopy eyelids, she didn't get too worried, thinking it was just a fleeting side effect of the Botox. But over the next few days she started struggling to swallow, and her breaths drew shorter. She slurred her...

SHIFTING GROUND

DUBAI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES In a potential boost to Middle East ceasefire efforts, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Thursday that he authorized direct negotiations with Lebanon “as soon as possible” aimed at disarming Iranian-backed...

MAJOR SURPRISE

The majority government Liberals hoped for in the last federal election is finally within their grasp. The party technically crossed that threshold Wednesday with the defection of a former Conservative leadership candidate to the government benches —...

Back from the brink

U.S. President Donald Trump pulled back on his threats to launch devastating strikes on Iran late Tuesday, swerving to de-escalate the war less than two hours before the deadline he set for Tehran to capitulate to a deal. Trump said he was holding off...

Catholic school cuts mean a triple blow for some families

For Liliana Cruz's family, the Toronto Catholic school board's latest decisions — cutting international language classes, eliminating an intensive reading support program and shifting bell times — amount to a triple blow. “They're all terrible,” said...

DIRT CHEAP — if you can get it

Nicaragua. Tanzania. Italy. Australia. On a sailboat in Antigua. For almost 18 years, Chiara Falorni, from different countries around the world, has set an alarm come March to wake up early to try to get a spot. It's not for a concert ticket queue but...

A brush with death

She didn't realize what had happened, not right away. It was the calm ocean water turning bright red that told her something was deeply wrong. A bull shark had clamped its jaw around her left leg, the bite causing her muscles to flake away from the...

Standing up for students

Children in Parkdale are missing meals, struggling to focus and being displaced from their community due to high housing costs, say teachers who have joined a fight against rent increases in the area. “Parkdale kids gossip and spread rumours as much...

`We are go, for all of humanity'

With a splash of light and a violent rumble rolling over the Florida marshes, NASA's Artemis II mission to send humans back to the moon for the first time in more than five decades lifted off Wednesday evening with Canadian Jeremy Hansen on...

Veni, vidi, very defeated

The Cafe Dip derby is cancelled then. The treasured tavernas and trattorie of Toronto's Little Italy must rip up summer plans. Big Italy is not coming. The most monumental day in the history of Canadian soccer will see not Gli Azzurri but Bosnia and...

LEAFS FIRE GENERAL MANAGER

The Maple Leafs have relieved general manager Brad Treliving of his duties late in a disappointing season. No replacement was named, and no other firings or hirings were announced. Coach Craig Berube and special assistant Shane Doan, both Treliving...

Juno love letter to Joni

Joni Mitchell took the stage for her first performance since 2024 after accepting a lifetime achievement award from Prime Minister Mark Carney at Sunday's Juno Awards. The Canadian folk icon was welcomed by Carney, who gave a glowing speech, saying...

How to raise an astronaut

Jeremy Hansen sat his parents down not long ago and explained he might not be coming back from his mission. As early as Wednesday, Hansen, 50, will climb aboard a 98metretall rocket at NASA's Cape Canaveral launch pad for Artemis II, the mission...

GO Expansion project hits major speed bumps

Metrolinx's promise of twoway, allday GO service has been delayed, internal documents from the provincial transit agency show. Meanwhile, under the reframed vision for what's known as GO Expansion, some riders on the province's train system could...

Inside the Pearson heist

After pulling off the largest gold heist in Canadian history — a $24million haul stolen from Pearson airport — Arsalan Chaudhary took a portion of the spoils for himself and then distributed the profits to names on his handwritten “debt list.” Reading...

`An absolute tragedy'

Canadian families are mourning the loss of two young pilots killed in a devastating runway collision at LaGuardia Airport in New York as passengers on Monday praised the pair's last act as potentially lifesaving. Just before midnight, an Air Canada...

What in dog's name?

By some estimates, there are 300,000 dogs in Toronto and many thousands more in the GTA. In all likelihood, there is only one Diefenbarker. He is an incredibly friendly eightor nineyearold boxer mix with a greying muzzle and lowhanging jowls, and...

False promises

Though his tours in Afghanistan and Ukraine left their mark on his body and brain, Tristan Barkwell hoped to live a normal life beyond the base. After his medical release last year, the 37yearold sergeant enrolled in the military's rehabilitation...

THE NEW FACE OF CANCER

When he started out in medicine, Dr. Shady Ashamalla knew what to expect when he glanced into his hospital clinic's waiting room. The cancer patients sitting in the grey vinyl chairs were almost always in their retirement years — couples in their 70s...

Fastbreaking times at Ridgeway mall

There's a controlled chaos when dining at Ridgeway Plaza during the last days of Ramadan. The sprawling Mississauga complex, with more than 100 restaurants and cafés, most with halalfriendly menus, has become a food destination for diners from across...

A surprise guilty plea

Jennifer Pan stood in a mostly empty courtroom on Wednesday and apologized through tears to her family after taking ownership of her role in her mother's death. “I'm ashamed of what I did,” she said. The now39yearold woman pleaded guilty to...

Ford touts HOV lanes for all in offpeak hours

Solo drivers could soon be allowed to cruise down Ontario's highoccupancy vehicle lanes, outside of peak hours, though experts say it will do little to address gridlock. The provincial government touted the move as the key to reducing congestion,...

Joining the big leagues

Reigning MVP Shai GilgeousAlexander has earned a lot of praise over his stellar NBA career, including just last week when he broke Wilt Chamberlain's record for consecutive regularseason games with at least 20 points. But he's also received criticism...

BATTLE ROYALE

“One Battle After Another,” a black comedy thriller about a single father trying to protect his daughter from his past as a revolutionary, won big at the 98th Academy Awards on Sunday night, claiming six statuettes, including for best picture. Paul...

UP IN THE AIR

On a summer morning in Toronto, the waterfront is buzzing. A gaggle of children paddle kayaks on a day camp trip to the Toronto Islands. Waterfront condo dwellers sip coffee by their windows. Sailboats dot the sparkling water. Cyclists, pedestrians,...

NO WAY OUT

The traffic light at Cherry Street and Lake Shore Boulevard East turned green and Uber driver Sudhanshu Sudhanshu watched as a Tesla Model Y in the next lane accelerated rapidly away into the night. Seconds later, he saw the Tesla hit uneven pavement....

New Iranian leader vows to keep fighting

U.A.E. Iran's secretive new leader issued his first public statements Thursday, resolving to keep fighting, promising more pain for Gulf Arab states and threatening to open “other fronts” in a war that has already disrupted world energy supplies, the...

On the edge of 172 seats

OTTAWA With a thin Liberal majority now all but secured, opposition parties lashed out at the government on Wednesday, claiming Prime Minister Mark Carney was wrongfully inching toward that threshold by poaching MPs without facing voters. The outrage...

Ontario to claim airport, allow jets

In a dramatic move to bring jets and more flights into Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport, Premier Doug Ford says the province will expropriate the land and pay compensation to the city despite Mayor Olivia Chow's opposition to the expansion. Ford said...

`One way or another'

Premier Doug Ford said Monday the federal government is on board and jets are coming to Billy Bishop airport “one way or another.” “We're going to move forward with the Island airport with cooperation with the federal government,” Ford said during a...

Age of uncertainty

When Ryan first set foot in an Etobicoke youth shelter last fall at the age of 17, he felt a surge of relief. He'd been staying at a homeless shelter in Orangeville for months, but every day its occupants had to clear out for several hours, and he was...

SO LONG

Congratulations, Toronto. We may be wan, vitamin D deficient and spiritually withered, but we made it. After months of what felt like relentless cold and snow, the residents of this city finally had a doubledigit degree day. Saturday's weather saw a...

Shock of war reverberates in Toronto

Gamal Mansour's life has been shaped by Iran, though he's never lived there. Mansour grew up in Syria, under a dictatorship propped up by Tehran. Human rights were trampled on, and ordinary people weren't free to speak their minds. Things got so bad...

Application denied

Developer Romit Malhotra says he had every confidence his building proposal in Scarborough would be approved. The apartment plan had endorsements from three divisions of city staff. It was supported by a new policy encouraging gentle densification on...

A common cause

Prime Minister Mark Carney would not rule out military involvement in the spiralling Middle East war, stressing the possible need to defend Canadians and allies as the deadly conflict threatens to widen. Carney also appeared Thursday to harden his...

`I will not be running'

John Tory shook up the Toronto mayoral race on Tuesday, but not in the way many had expected. After months of speculation that the politician who resigned abruptly from the city's highest office three years ago was planning a comeback bid this fall —...

Assault on Iran likely to last weeks, Trump says

Israeli and U.S. airstrikes pounded Iran in an escalating campaign that U.S. President Donald Trump said Monday would likely take several weeks. Tehran and its allies retaliated across the region, striking Israel and a variety of targets inside Gulf...

Strikes on Iran intensify amid fears of wider war

The U.S. and Israel pounded targets across Iran on Sunday, dropping massive bombs on the country's ballistic missile sites and wiping out warships as part of an intensifying military campaign following the killing of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali...

Supreme leader killed as U.S., Israel strike Iran

Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was killed in a major attack by Israel and the United States, Iranian state media confirmed early Sunday, throwing the future of the Islamic Republic into doubt and raising the risk of regional instability....