Toronto Monitor

A security guard was seriously injured in a shooting during an attempted jewelry store robbery at Fairview Mall in North York Tuesday morning.

Police say the suspect arrived before opening, carried out the robbery, and shot the guard while fleeing. The victim was hit in the midsection, taken to hospital in life-threatening condition, and is now stable.

The suspect, described as a white male in a grey hoodie, mask, and blue cap, fled in a white van heading south on Don Mills Road with stolen jewelry. Investigators believe he acted alone and that the robbery was planned.

Canadians waiting on vaccine injury claims may see faster progress soon. Starting April 1, 2026, the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) has taken over the newly renamed Vaccine Impact Assistance Program (VIAP), replacing the previous third-party system.

The program supports people seriously and permanently injured by a Health Canada-approved vaccine since Dec. 8, 2020. Existing claims will transfer automatically.

Upcoming updates include a secure online portal where applicants can track status, view documents, update info, and upload files.

Canada administered over 105 million COVID-19 vaccine doses from 2020–2023. Adverse events were rare (0.056%), with serious cases at 0.011%.

https://www.canada.ca/en/public-health/services/immunization-vaccines/vaccine-impact-assistance-program.html

Toronto council has voted to end the long-standing policy of ceremonially raising flags at government buildings, with a majority of councillors seemingly accepting the argument that the practice is divisive in the current geopolitical climate.

In a 19-to-seven vote Thursday, council decided to “eliminate flying flags of foreign nations, or any flags which include the depiction of a foreign nation’s flag” — effective Dec. 1. The only flag raisings that will take place until then are those currently booked.