BARRIE — Police in Barrie, Ont., say they found human skeletal remains close to the scene of a double homicide last summer, but detectives are treating the case as a separate incident at this time.

Police say they received a call about the remains on Aug. 13 near Anne Street South and Tiffin Street and later confirmed they are human.

They say it would be “inappropriate” to make assumptions about the remains in the early stages of the investigation and will share details if a connection between the cases emerges.

Last summer, police found human remains at an encampment in a large wooded area bordered by Victoria, John and Anne streets in Barrie.

Robert Ladouceur, 53, was later charged with murdering and dismembering two men he once knew and lived with at a homeless encampment after another set of remains was found at a property in Huntsville, Ont.

Police say the double homicides were believed to be targeted, and what began as a missing persons case grew into one of the biggest investigations Barrie police have ever undertaken.

Officials say provincial police are looking for more evidence about the recently discovered remains in nearby Lake Simcoe, and Barrie officers are holding the scene until the search is complete.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 14, 2026.

The Canadian Press

TORONTO — Ontario’s top court has cleared the way for the province to remove bike lanes in Toronto, overturning a lower-court ruling that found the plan created an unconstitutional risk to cyclist safety.

More coming.

The Canadian Press

TORONTO — Toronto police have released new security footage of a suspect in a 2022 murder who they believe was also involved in an attempted murder several months later.

Police say 31-year-old Ding Ping Wang was fatally shot inside a car in a plaza parking lot in the Midland Avenue and Passmore Avenue area on the night of Nov. 12, 2022.

Investigators now say they believe the suspect goes by the name “Jay.”

Police say newly released security footage shows the same suspect attempting to murder someone in the same parking lot on March 10, 2023, months after Wang’s death.

The footage shows a person exiting a black vehicle and shooting at another vehicle as it pulled out of an adjacent parking spot.

Police said last month that no suspect information was available at the time of Wang’s murder, but an eyewitness later came forward to help put together an image reconstruction.

They also released security footage last month showing the suspect walking through the same area the day before the murder.

Investigators are asking anyone who can identify “Jay” or who has information about either shooting to contact them.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 14, 2026.

The Canadian Press

TORONTO — Iga Swiatek had every reason to be confident entering Thursday’s title match at the National Bank Open.

Armed with a 25-5 career record in WTA Tour final appearances, the seventh seed from Poland plays best when the stakes are high.

She set the early tone against Elena Rybakina and didn’t look back in a clinical 6-2, 6-3 victory on a brilliant summer evening at Sobeys Stadium.

“I was really in the zone” Swiatek said. “I wanted to make the match physical.”

Swiatek broke Rybakina’s serve to open the first set when the Kazakh made back-to-back double-faults.

The six-time Grand Slam champion had Rybakina moving around the baseline while trying to keep the six-footer’s powerful forehand at bay.

Swiatek used her net skills when needed and her defensive game was on point. Rybakina was on her heels for most of the match and never really found a rhythm.

Swiatek earned another break at 2-2 in the second set before closing out the win in a tidy 75 minutes.

“She takes the opportunity during the rally and turns it around,” Rybakina said.

It was Swiatek’s first tournament crown since her victory in Seoul last September. She’s the only player to win a WTA 1000 title in each of the last six seasons.

Swiatek was projected to rise two spots to No. 6 in the latest world rankings. Rybakina, the second seed, will remain at No. 2.

“I’m speechless a little bit because the journey has been bumpy this season,” Swiatek said. “To be here and to hold the trophy and to win against the best players means a lot.”

Swiatek’s 26th career WTA Tour title gave her a US$1.09-million cut of the $7.43-million overall purse. Rybakina pocketed about $565,000.

With the near-capacity crowd regularly chanting her first name, Swiatek made only a handful of unforced errors. She also caught a few breaks along the way.

In her first service game, Swiatek stretched to return a shot and gifted Rybakina a floater that sat up after clearing the net. The Kazakh lined up a two-handed backhand, but sailed it long to give Swiatek the hold.

Rybakina has intimidating ground strokes that can be lethal when in form. She was slightly wide on a few shots at inopportune times and it prevented her from creating any real momentum.

Rybakina was long on a return to give up another break at 2-4 and Swiatek served out the set at love, punctuating the effort with an ace on set point.

It was more of the same in the second as Swiatek’s consistency won the day. She had a break-point opportunity at 2-2, clipped the tape with a forehand, and Rybakina’s return found the net.

Rybakina, who leads the WTA Tour in aces this season (338) and had a tournament-high (49) over the fortnight, managed just one in the final.

Her career head-to-head record dropped to 6-7 against Swiatek.

“I wasn’t playing aggressive enough and wasn’t playing with (enough) energy,” Rybakina said. “We all know she’s a fighter and she can run left and right much longer than me.”

The victory left Swiatek with some mixed emotions. She was thrilled to finally become a champion again, but during her on-court interview, sounded off on the “tennis experts” back home “judging and hating.”

“It’s good to focus on how to create space for you to just focus on yourself,” Swiatek said. “It’s not so easy to do that. But the best thing about this two weeks for me is I could just let it go.”

Swiatek is the first Polish winner of this tournament since Agnieszka Radwanska in 2014.

Earlier in the day, top-seeded Katerina Siniakova of Czechia and China’s Shuai Zhang defeated Italy’s Sara Errani and Nicole Melichar-Martinez of the United States 6-3, 6-4 in the women’s doubles final.

Siniakova and Zhang split $379,080 as champions. The third-seeded Errani and Melichar-Martinez claimed $200,690.

Organizers reported a record WTA Toronto overall attendance of 215,872. It was the first time the women’s tour has been in the city since it expanded to a 12-day, 96-player draw after the 2024 season.

Canada’s Victoria Mboko won the NBO women’s event last year in Montreal. She was unable to defend her title due to a knee injury.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 13, 2026.

Gregory Strong, The Canadian Press

TORONTO — Boston lefty Payton Tolle silenced the Blue Jays with a two-hit, eight-inning gem and Caleb Durbin hit an eighth-inning grand slam as the Red Sox blanked Toronto 7-0 Thursday.

Durbin’s 12th homer of the season came off Toronto reliever Chase Lee and helped the Red Sox (65-56) escape town with one win in the four-game set.

The Red Sox have won Tolle’s last seven starts.

In his 91-pitch effort before 43,442 at Rogers Centre, Tolle (8-6) issued a game-opening walk to Charles McAdoo. He advanced to third after a bloop single to centre from Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and George Springer ground out. But Kazuma Okamoto fouled out to end the inning.

Beginning with the Springer and Okamoto outs, the Red Sox southpaw faced the minimum of 23 Blue Jays (59-64) in his final 7 2/3 innings. Tolle surrendered only two hits with two walks and four strikeouts. He also got five outs on weak pop-ups in foul territory.

Max Scherzer (1-5) is still looking for his first win since his opening start on Mar. 31. He lasted only five innings because of a 26-pitch first inning and a 28-pitch fourth, yielding a run on three hits, two walks, and four strikeouts.

The Red Sox snatched an early lead in the first inning, when Wilyer Abreu walked with two out and scored on Willson Contreras’s double to the right-field gap, and added two more in the ninth.

Takeaways

Blue Jays: Andres Gimenez walked in his first at-bat, but finished 0 for 2 to snap his seven-game hit streak.

Red Sox: The visitors went 4-9 in the season series against Toronto for Boston’s most losses against any team in 2026.

Key moment

The Red Sox loaded the bases with two out, but Scherzer coaxed Andrew Monasterio into a right-field fly to end a threat in the fourth inning.

Key stat

Even though the Red Sox had lost five straight before their win on Thursday, they still have the best record in MLB since the trade deadline at 19-8, one victory better than the idle Tampa Bay Rays and Atlanta Braves, both at 18-8.

Up next

Toronto veteran Shane Bieber (3-2) will open the three-game weekend set at home on Friday against New York Yankees righty Gerrit Cole (6-5).

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 13, 2026.

Tim Wharnsby, The Canadian Press

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials in San Francisco say they’ve arrested a Hamilton man who has been on the run since 1991.

Charles Peter Billone has been wanted for more than 30 years on child sexual abuse charges in Canada.

Billone allegedly failed to re-attend court after being released on a recognizance and Hamilton police have been looking for him since.

In a post on X, ICE say he is also suspected in other crimes, including theft.

Hamilton police had said in 2014 that Billone may have assumed another identity and was living outside Ontario.

The 64-year-old is in U.S. custody as he awaits deportation proceedings.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 13, 2026.

The Canadian Press

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency says some Whole Foods Market salsas, guacamoles and prepared foods sold online in Ontario are being recalled due to possible salmonella contamination.

The agency says the recall is linked to salmonella-tainted jalapenos from Mexico that have been blamed on outbreaks in the United States.

The CFIA says there have been no reported illnesses associated with the consumption of the recalled products in Canada.

The recalled Whole Foods items include various types of salsas, guacamoles, pico de gallo and some prepared foods such as chicken quesadillas, with best-before dates up to Aug. 16.

The recall notice says food contaminated with salmonella may not look or smell spoiled but can still make people sick.

It says young children, pregnant women, the elderly and people with weakened immune systems may be at greater risk of serious illness.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 13, 2026.

The Canadian Press

TORONTO — A man has been charged with attempted murder and another suspect is wanted after an overnight arrest over a stolen electric bike ended with a Toronto police officer being shot in the leg, police said Thursday.

Officials said the shooting is the latest incident in a spate of violence against police this summer, including the high-profile shooting death of an officer during a raid in June.

Police said they responded to a robbery call around 3 a.m. in the area of Sherbourne Street and Bloor Street East, after two men on an e-bike approached another e-bike rider, allegedly pushed him off and assaulted him.

One suspect took off on the victim’s e-bike while the other suspect left in another direction, investigators said. One of the suspects allegedly had a knife.

When police found the suspect on the stolen e-bike, they allege he resisted arrest and pulled out a gun, shooting one of the officers.

Other officers rushed to put a tourniquet on his leg as they waited for paramedics to arrive, deputy police chief Lauren Pogue said at a news conference Thursday.

The officer, who has been with the force for about three years, was taken to hospital with injuries that were serious but not life-threatening.

A 27-year-old man from Peterborough, Ont., who police say was out on bail for “violent offences” and wanted in Peel and Waterloo regions, was arrested and police seized a firearm.

He faces multiple charges including attempted murder, robbery with an offensive weapon and two counts of failing to comply with a release order.

Another suspect is still wanted, and police said they do not have a description of him.

Pogue said the shooting is concerning for the force that is still grieving Const. Marc Pinizzotto, who was fatally shot during a police raid in June.

The deputy chief called the shooting “another troubling example” of why stronger deterrence for violent crime is necessary.

“Here we go again,” said Clayton Campbell, president of the Toronto Police Association, noting that 600 officers have been injured at work this year. That figure is unacceptable, he said.

“We have a police officer laying in there, shot,” Campbell added at the news conference outside St. Michael’s Hospital in downtown Toronto. “We had a police officer murdered only a few months ago.”

Campbell said the police union will support the officer and his family as he recovers.

Mayor Olivia Chow said in a statement on social media that the shooting is “another reminder of what front-line officers face each day as they serve our city and work to keep people safe.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 13, 2026.

–With files from Maan Alhmidi

Elissa Mendes, The Canadian Press

More casinos may be coming to the Niagara Region in the future, as the Ontario government has announced a deal to end existing exclusivity rights.

Premier Doug Ford announced a plan in December called Destination Niagara, which he hopes will double the number of visitors to the region, with multiple new casinos, a theme park, an expanded airport and more.

Ontario’s interim minister of tourism, culture and gaming announced today that the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corp. has reached an agreement with MGE Niagara Entertainment Inc. to allow additional casino operators.

MGE will remove its exclusivity rights and will continue to operate Fallsview Casino Resort and Casino Niagara.

OLG is set to launch a procurement process later this year to identify potential new casino operators.

The NDP member of provincial parliament for Niagara Falls, Wayne Gates, has said that he has heard a lot of local opposition to a plan under Ford’s Destination Niagara to add a second ferris wheel near the falls.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 13, 2026.

Allison Jones, The Canadian Press

Romain Grosjean has never visited Markham, Ont., but he’ll have driven its streets dozens of times before getting behind the wheel of his car at the Ontario Honda Dealers Indy.

Grosjean has been training for Canada’s only IndyCar race in the Driver-In-The-Loop Simulator, a Honda Racing Corporation USA tool to help drivers prepare for races. Logging hours in the cutting-edge trainer is a necessity to prepare for the street course around downtown Markham.

“They scan the radius of the corners, the bumps and the tarmac, and they put it in that simulator,” Grosjean said in a video call from his home in Miami. “It’s a big, big, big video game that’s actually very real.

“We go around and we do laps, and that’s how we initially learn the track.”

The Grand Prix of Toronto was one of the oldest races on the IndyCar schedule, with the first race held in 1986. Exhibition Place, Toronto’s fairgrounds, had hosted the event since its inaugural race.

IndyCar and the City of Markham announced on Sept. 3 that it was moving the race to the suburb on Toronto’s northeast border, with a 12-turn, 3.52-kilometre track that runs between Kennedy Road, Enterprise Boulevard, Unionville GO tracks and Highway 407.

Since the temporary course had never even been built until this week, learning its twists and turns — especially changes in surface texture — was essential for Grosjean and all the other drivers for safety and performance.

“I’m hoping that all the bumps were scanned properly because that is the biggest challenge coming to a road course,” said Grosjean, adding that the Exhibition Place track was notoriously tough. “The Princes’ Gate corner was slippery as hell, and then we have the manhole cover and the section in front of the pit.

“It was bumpy and crazy, but that’s the beauty of a street course, you know? You never know, and you get to adapt all the time.”

It’s the job of Davide Tarsitano, head of vehicle performance at Honda Racing Corporation USA, to help Grosjean and other drivers on Honda teams to have to adapt as little as possible.

Honda’s Driver-In-The-Loop Simulator has a physical IndyCar cockpit featuring 360-degree yaw rotation and a 270-degree visual field, with real aerodynamic tracks that combine data from Google Maps and the laser scan of the roads completed by a third-party company.

“Even by measuring this track, even by scanning it, you really don’t know until the event what you’re gonna find out,” said Tarsitano. “You’re going to have a model of it. You’re not going to have the exact reality of it.

“All models are wrong in some capacity. It’s just about who is going to get it the least wrong.”

Chevrolet has its own simulator for its teams.

Grosjean, who drives for Dale Coyne Racing, said that after practising in the simulator he will familiarize himself with the course in person.

“We’re going to come to Markham on Thursday, and we’re going to walk the track,” said Grosjean. “By walking the track, you see the manhole cover, you see the gradient, you see the bump, you see the corners, you see the angle of the walls.

“Then you jump in a car and you gradually go faster and faster around the track.”

Practice is on Friday, qualifying is Saturday and then the race is Sunday afternoon.

Last year, Pato O’Ward used a strong tire strategy to charge from 10th on the starting grid and earn his first career victory on the streets of Toronto.

Alex Palou will be the driver to watch this weekend. He finished four seconds ahead of Felix Rosenqvist at Portland for his sixth IndyCar victory of the season on Sunday. That extended his lead to 110 points over Kyle Kirkwood in the driver rankings as he closes is on his fifth Indy Car title.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 13, 2026.

John Chidley-Hill, The Canadian Press