105.9 The Region

TORONTO — The Toronto Maple Leafs have signed defenceman Marshall Rifai to a two-year contract extension, the club announced Thursday. The deal begins in 2025-26 and carries an average annual value of US$775,000. The six-foot-two, 205-pound Rifai had 19 points (two goals, 17 assists) in 57 games with the Leafs’ American Hockey League affiliate Toronto […]

TORONTO — Ontario’s ombudsman is launching an investigation into the practice of child welfare agencies placing children and teens in hotels, motels, offices and trailers. Paul Dubé announced the investigation Thursday, saying there have been several reports of children being inappropriately housed in those settings and they raise serious concerns about privacy, safety and comfort. […]

LONDON, Ont. — A London, Ont., court is hearing legal arguments in the sexual assault case of five former members of Canada’s world junior hockey team. Dillon Dube, Carter Hart, Michael McLeod, Cal Foote and Alex Formenton were charged earlier this year in connection with an alleged sexual assault at a hotel in 2018. They […]

THUNDER BAY, Ont. — Victims of what has been described as one of the art world’s biggest-ever fraud investigations are sharing its far-reaching impact in court today. David Voss, who Crown prosecutors call the “principal architect” of a scheme that produced thousands of fake Norval Morrisseau paintings from the mid-’90s to mid-2010s, is awaiting sentencing […]

OTTAWA — Jagmeet Singh is delivering a message of hope today in his first speech following the NDP’s exit from its supply and confidence deal with the minority Liberals. But the NDP leader acknowledges one of the party’s biggest challenges will be persuading Canadians it can actually form government. Singh says all his life he’s […]

TORONTO — Canada’s main stock index edged lower in late-morning trading, weighed down by losses in the industrial and technology sectors, while U.S. stock markets also fell. The S&P/TSX composite index was down 8.01 points at 23,032.75. In New York, the Dow Jones industrial average was down 333.24 points at 40,641.73. The S&P 500 index […]

TORONTO — Drugstore chain Rexall Pharmacy Group and online retailer Well.ca are due to land under Canadian ownership after a Toronto-based private equity firm announced Thursday that it would purchase both brands from McKesson Corp. Birch Hill Equity Partners did not immediately reveal financial terms of the agreement it struck with McKesson, a Texas-based healthcare […]

TORONTO — DesRosiers Automotive Consultants says August auto sales were up 5.6 per cent compared with the same time last year but predicts sales gains will be tougher to come by in the coming months. The consultancy estimates 165,000 units were sold in August, calling it healthy year-over-year growth. It adds, though, that the sales […]

TORONTO — Convenience stores across Ontario have started selling booze as the province significantly loosens its grip on the alcohol marketplace. Corner stores are excited about the change and expect foot traffic to increase significantly, said Kenny Shim, the president of the Ontario Convenience Store Association, which represents about 7,000 of 10,000 such stores across […]

OTTAWA — The decision by the Bank of Canada to cut its key interest rate target this week was good news for borrowers with variable-rate mortgages, bringing back some of the shine for the once popular loans. The rate cut prompted big commercial banks to lower their prime rates, which are used to set the […]