Toronto Canada Life

09/04/2026

Canada is spending $4.7 billion to build 313 new VIA Rail passenger cars, marking the largest investment in the railway’s history 🚆

The cars will be built at Alstom’s Thunder Bay facility, replacing aging equipment that has been in service for decades.

The project is expected to create around 700 jobs, with the new fleet serving long-distance and remote routes across Canada. The first passenger cars are expected to be delivered in 2031.

The announcement comes after Canada also committed $1.6 billion to replace 45 aging VIA Rail locomotives earlier this year. What do you think of the investment? 🤔

09/04/2026

Carney dismisses Trump officials' claims on why trade talks failed

Prime Minister Mark Carney is dismissing the U.S. President Donald Trump administration's claims on why trade talks between both countries collapsed. Mackenzie Gray looks at how Carney is trying to navigate tensions with the White House, as he unveils a plan to build new Via Rail passenger rail cars in Canada, something that hasn't been done in decades.

09/04/2026

09/04/2026

Bank of Canada unveils new $20 bill featuring King Charles III

The Bank of Canada has unveiled the new vertical $20 bill featuring King Charles III. Charles replaces his mother, the late Queen Elizabeth II – who died in 2022 – on the bank note.

Canada’s 13 provinces and territories are represented on the note with their respective “floral emblems,” along with several culturally significant flowers among the country’s Indigenous population, including wild strawberries, western red cedar, braided sweetgrass and arctic cotton.

This marks the first Canadian paper currency to feature King Charles — whose profile has already been on Canadian coins since 2023.

09/04/2026

Toronto begins recovery after “100-year” storm leaves behind massive flooding

Toronto officials say clean up efforts are well underway, and many services are returning to normal after a “100-year” storm battered the city Wednesday.

At its peak, the city said tens of thousands of people lost power, while the Don River burst its banks, closing portions of the Don Valley Parkway. Homes flooded, trees and power lines came down and both subway and Toronto island ferry services were suspended.

Several residents were left stranded on city streets amid heavy flooding at the height of the storm.

Victoria Femia reports on the storm and the clean-up efforts now underway.

09/03/2026

Ontario’s minimum wage is set to rise to $17.95 per hour on Oct. 1, 2026, as part of the province’s annual inflation-linked adjustment. The increase comes as several Canadian provinces prepare to boost minimum wages this fall.⁠
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Nova Scotia will increase its minimum wage to $17, Prince Edward Island to $17.30 and Manitoba to $16.40 per hour, with Saskatchewan also scheduled for an increase. The changes are intended to help lower-wage workers keep pace with inflation and rising living costs.⁠
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09/03/2026

Toronto Blue Jays fan favourite Ernie Clement is officially engaged to his longtime girlfriend, Stefanie Brejcha. Brejcha shared photos from their engagement celebration in Cleveland, Ohio, marking the occasion with friends and family.⁠
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Rumours that the couple had gotten engaged first surfaced in May, but those reports turned out to be premature. Clement and Brejcha are believed to have met while he was playing for Cleveland, where he spent several seasons before eventually joining the Blue Jays and becoming a popular figure with Toronto fans. photo credit:⁠


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