Over the course of human history, certain years have proven to be more important than others. Over the course of 12 months, things happen that change everything. Nothing is ever the same again.

For example, the Norman Conquest of England in 1066. We can look at the fall of Constantinople in 1453, giving rise to the Ottoman Empire and forever altering the power dynamics and trade within Europe.

There was 1492, and Columbus’s landing in the Americas has to be on this list. Then there’s 1760, or thereabouts, and the beginning of the Industrial Revolution.

The year 1848 was significant because of all the democratic revolutions that spread across Europe. At the same time, Karl Marx was laying the foundations for the communist revolutions to come by writing his Communist Manifesto.

1914 marked the start of World War I. Then came 1945 and the beginning of the post-World War II era, with the United Nations, America’s emergence as a superpower, the Cold War, and so on.

When it comes to music, we can look at 1955, the year rock ’n’ roll really began to break through. The Beatles came to America in 1964. Then there was Woodstock in ’69.

And then we have 1976. This has been declared—rightly so, in my opinion—the year that what we now call “alternative rock” was born, thanks to the punk rock explosion that happened on both sides of the Atlantic during those 12 months. So much happened so fast that rock was never the same again.

Here, let me prove it. This is 1976: The Birth Year of Alt-Rock, Part 2.

Songs heard on this show:

• Ramones, Beat on the Brat
• Sex Pistols, Pretty Vacant (Live)
• Ramones, Loudmouth (Live)
• Ramones, Judy is a Punk
• The Clash, White Riot
• Ramones, Now I Want to Sniff Some Glue
• The Clash, Guns of Brixton
• The Damned, New Rose
• Sex Pistols, Anarchy in the UK

The Ongoing History of New Music can be heard on these stations:

• 102.1 The Edge/Toronto – Sunday night at 7pm
• Q107/Toronto – Sunday night at 9pm
• Live 88-5/Ottawa – Saturdays at 9am and Sundays at 6pm
• 107.5 Dave-FM/Kitchener – Sunday nights at 11pm
• FM96/London – Sunday nights at 8pm
• Power 97/Winnipeg – Sunday nights at 10am and 10pm
• 107-3 The Edge/Calgary – Sundays at 10am and 10pm
• Sonic 102.9/Edmonton – Sunday at 8am and 8pm
• The Zone/Victoria – Sunday at 9am and 9pm
• The Fox/Vancouver – Sundays at 10am and 10pm
• The Goat Network/Interior BC
• WAPS/WKTL The Summit/Arkon, Canton, Cleveland, Youngstown – Mon-Fri at 9pm

© 2026 Corus Radio, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.

When System of a Down was working on the Toxicity album, there was a lot of tension within the group, tension that led to actual fistfights. One night in the studio, drummer John Dolmayan punched guitarist Daron Malakian. He responded by slamming Dolmayan with a mic stand. Both of them ended up in the same emergency ward that night, getting stitched up next to each other.

When the album came out in September 2004, the band had a free concert planned for a parking lot in Hollywood. They figured about a thousand people would show up. Instead, the gig attracted 10,000 people. When fire marshals cancelled the gig, there was a riot. The crowd rushed the stage and destroyed about $30,000 worth of gear. Cops had to fire on the crowd with rubber bullets. Six people were arrested.

And while the gig was a disaster, it made System of a Down more famous than ever.

© 2026 Corus Radio, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.

Queens of the Stone Age have a pretty distinctive sound. How did Josh Homme’s writing style develop? Polka music.

Josh grew up in Palm Desert, California, a place he said didn’t offer a lot in terms of guitar teachers. The best he could do was a guy named Tom Polonsky whose specialty was polka music. Young Josh learned the guitar through playing those kinds of tunes over the course of two years’ worth of lessons.

Now that you know that, go back and listen to some Queens of the Stone Age Music, especially the song “No One Knows.” If you deconstruct that track down to its very essence, you can hear the distinctive bounce of a polka. This isn’t the only Queens song that feels this way.

Josh says that polka music is so ingrained in him that the polka feel keeps showing up in his songwriting as a default, whether he wants it to or not.

© 2026 Corus Radio, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.

When it comes to releasing albums, some artists get very, very clever and a little crazy with the packaging.

In 2012, the weirdo San Francisco Band The Residents issued a box set that contained original pressings of all their material going back to the 70s. It also included an official replica of the group’s famous eyeball mask. The entire thing was housed in a 28-cubic-foot refrigerator. Only 10 were made and each one retailed for $100,000. And yes, they sold at least one “copy.”

And if you like that, the Japanese extreme noise artist Merzbow released a single copy of a record called MerzCar. It consisted of a copy of his album, Noise Embryo, jammed into the CD player of a Mercedes-Benz 230. The CD could not be ejected. You could not change inputs. Every time you turned on the car, the CD would play. It came out through a label entitled Releasing Eskimo.

Unfortunately, no one bought it; the car broke down, they took out the CD and sold the car.

© 2026 Corus Radio, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.

TORONTO – Allen Graves stopped and shook every reporter’s hand before he stepped into his post-practice media scrum on Monday.

When he had answered all their questions, he shook everyone’s hand again, thanking them for their time.

It’s rare for any professional athlete to be so formal, but Graves is dedicated to doing all the little things right, including anything that the Toronto Raptors ask of him.

“Whatever the plan is for me, I’m ready and willing,” the 20-year-old said. “Just hopefully whatever it may be, I’m just going to take every opportunity I get and just run with it.”

The Raptors drafted Graves 19th overall out of Santa Clara University this past summer.

Graves redshirted his first season with Santa Clara, but averaged 11.8 points, 6.5 rebounds and 1.8 assists per game for the Broncos last season. He also had 1.9 steals and 0.9 blocks per game in his only NCAA season, earning him the West Coast Conference Freshman of the Year and Sixth Man of the Year awards.

Graves won’t be a starter in his rookie NBA season as Kawhi Leonard, Scottie Barnes, RJ Barrett, Immanuel Quickley and Jakob Poeltl are a lock to be on the floor when Toronto tips off against the Chicago Bulls in Wednesday’s home opener.

It will be hard to crack the rotation, too, as Collin Murray-Boyles, Jamal Shead and Ja’Kobe Walter will all come off the bench ahead of him.

But come what may, even if it’s time with Raptors 905 of the G-League, Graves will embrace it.

“Whatever they see as the best plan for me this year (is fine). Redshirt years have always benefited me, at Santa Clara, I took a redshirt year,” Graves said courtside at OVO Athletic Centre, Toronto’s training facility. “Obviously, I want to be out there on the court with those guys. I want to be playing with Scottie and playing with those guys.

“But if they say the best fit is 905 or whatever it may be, and come bring me in later, then that’s what it is.”

Raptors head coach Darko Rajakovic wasn’t surprised that Graves had taken the time to shake all the reporters’ hands. In their short time together, he’s come to appreciate the forward’s attention to detail.

“He’s been talking to his teammates a lot, trying to pick up on everything, every time,” said Rajakovic. “When we went to the game on the road he was the first on the bus.

“All the small things that you teach a young player on how to be a professional, he’s doing and he’s doing a great job so far.”

Graves played 23 minutes in Friday’s 129-125 pre-season loss to the Detroit Pistons, scoring nine points and grabbing eight rebounds as Toronto’s centre. The Raptors didn’t play their top eight players in the exhibition even though Detroit put out some of its star players like Cade Cunningham, Jalen Duren and Duncan Robinson.

“Just the experience of being out there, especially being able to play against those guys,” Graves said. “They played their starting core for the majority of the game, really the whole game, so being able to play against that competition, get used to it, get adjusted, was helpful.

“Still, obviously an adjustment period, just learning defensively, offensively, just trying to figure out where I fit in my role and just continuing to attack.”

Graves made only four of his 13 field-goal attempts, missing all five of his three-point shots, in the close loss to the Pistons. He said that teammates and coaching staff were encouraging after the poor shooting performance.

“My shot wasn’t falling, but they (tell me to) keep shooting. ‘We know you can shoot. We see you do it every day. We see you work so hard on it, so just keep shooting,'” said Graves. “I feel like leaning on my teammates has been big, and my support system with my family and everybody has been amazing.”

Rajakovic agreed that Graves — and Raptors fans — just have to trust the process.

“When players come, the first thing that they need to adjust is the speed of the game,” he said. “For them at the beginning, the game is happening at such a high speed, and they need to slow down in order to understand what’s going on around them.

“I think the most important thing is for players, for media, for everybody to understand that it’s a process. It’s not something that we’re going to throw him out there and he’s going to have all the answers. It’s going to take time.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 19, 2026.

© 2026 The Canadian Press

At least four members of the Canadian Armed Forces have died and dozens are injured after a scheduled training exercise on Saturday at a base near Wainwright, Alberta.

Officials say a grass fire quickly overwhelmed soldiers in the area as a sudden change in wind direction and strength expanded the fire over a large area. Investigators say it could be weeks before details of how the fire started can be determined.

On Monday in the House of Commons, the victims were remembered during a moment of silence before party leaders expressed their condolences for those who died and were injured.

Prime Minister Mark Carney began the remarks, saying the House was meeting “united in grief.”

“This loss touches every corner of our nation,” he said.

This is what has been confirmed so far about what happened at CFB Wainwright over the weekend, with all times Alberta local (Mountain) time.

A unit of military personnel at CFB Wainwright, which is about 200 kilometres from Edmonton, were conducting a planned training exercise near a grassy area on the afternoon of Oct. 17 when the fire ignited and spread rapidly, according to officials.

Maj.-Gen. Wade Rutland, commander of the 1st Canadian Division, gave details of what transpired at a press conference on Oct. 18, and said 84 members of 3rd Battalion of Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry were training with live munitions in the area.

Rutland said most of the soldiers were throwing hand grenades on a range, while 10 soldiers were doing simulations of an attack on enemies, which was in preparation for potential deployment overseas, including in Latvia and other regions.

A fire ignited within the training area of CFB Wainwright at approximately 4:00 p.m. (local time) on Oct. 17, 2026, Rutland said.

Training leaders were aware of a nearby grass fire that had ignited about a kilometre from where soldiers were positioned, but the fire was not immediately determined to be a threat.

A preliminary investigation suggests a munition from the live training exercise may have sparked a fast-moving grass fire, which caused an explosion, according to multiple separate military sources verified by Global News on Oct. 17.

Rutland said the fire did not start within the training area, and the cause of the fire was still being investigated. He added that despite reports of explosions in the area, officials do not believe the fire was the result of any oil and gas infrastructure “nor any outside interference.”

As of publication, no further details on how the fire started have been revealed.

Rutland said the fire was about a kilometre away from personnel before the wind suddenly shifted.

“The weather for the majority of the day was well within standard procedures, well below 50 kilometres . This was uncommon, rapid, and I certainly hadn’t seen anything like it. Certainly we train in all types of conditions because you don’t know where you’re going to operate,” he said.

Earlier on Saturday, Environment Canada had issued a high-wind warning for Alberta. Gusts of up to 100 km/h in some parts of the province tipped over semi-trailer trucks and toppled trees.

“Uncommonly strong winds caused the fire to spread rapidly and shift direction towards the range administrative area,” said Rutland.

“The fire was a kilometre away when the wind shifted. It is not normal for a fire to move a kilometre in 30 to 60 seconds,” he later added.

Rutland said his commander on the ground confirmed in the span of 30 seconds to a minute “they saw no fire, and then there was a fire right on top of them.”

Dozens of emergency crews, including those from the Canadian Armed Forces and the town of Wainwright, were immediately called to help bring the fire under control.

Health officials and Alberta Premier Danielle Smith would later confirm at a press conference on Oct. 18 that 30 emergency units, including 22 ground ambulances and eight aircraft, were deployed directly into Wainwright on Oct. 17. Saskatchewan also provided air ambulance support, Smith added.

Acute Care Alberta issued a statement as responders arrived on the scene at CFB Wainwright.

“Emergency Health Services – Alberta (EHS – Alberta) is on scene, and supporting care and transport related to an incident at CFB Wainwright. We appreciate the dedication and expertise of all first responders. All further questions can be redirected to the Government of Canada, at this time.”

Shortly after emergency crews were called to the scene, health agencies and local medical teams across Alberta were notified to prepare resources, personnel and capacity for an influx of patients.

By 6:00 p.m. on Oct. 17, health agencies were on a coordinating call and stood up a command centre, according to Dr. Sayeh Zielke, CEO of Acute Care Alberta, speaking at a press conference on Oct. 18.

Hospitals declared a Code Orange, which is in the event of a mass casualty incident, Zielke said, and helps prepare for a rapid influx of patients by clearing the decks, finding staff and freeing up beds as necessary. It also puts on hold some elective surgeries and other procedures to free up specialists like anesthesiologists, she added.

Acute Care Alberta issued an updated statement once the Code Orange was declared, and advised Albertans to “use emergency care resources wisely.”

“Significant care resources are required to support this response, both from EHS-Alberta and in Edmonton-area emergency departments. To meet these immediate care needs, while addressing routine demand for emergency care, Code Orange has been activated at several acute care facilities across Alberta,” the statement said.

“Albertans with non-emergency care needs are asked to consider other care options, including primary care providers, urgent care or calling Health Link at 811. At this time, extremely few EHS-Alberta response are available in the Edmonton-area, and acute capacity is finite in several communities across Alberta.”

 

At around 7:30 p.m. Mountain time on Saturday, Defence Minister David McGuinty announced from Ottawa that there were multiple fatalities and many more were injured.

“I want to begin by addressing the very tragic events that have occurred today at Canadian Forces Base Wainwright in Alberta. I’m saddened to share that there have been both fatalities and injuries as a result of an incident on the base,” said McGuinty.

“The Canadian Armed Forces, the Department of National Defence, partners across the federal Government, including public safety, are working with the government of Alberta and municipal governments to mobilize all necessary support and working through the details of what actually occurred.”

McGuinty stressed at the time that because it was an active situation, few other details could be shared.

“This is a very, very active and delicate situation. It’s underway on the ground. We have of course Canadian Forces members. The RCMP is involved in investigating the matter,” said McGuinty.

“Our public safety officials are coordinating. At this time the first responders and local authorities are doing their important work so we will keep Canadians informed as details are made available.”

 

Prime Minister Mark Carney said in a social media post on Sunday at 9:45 a.m. that Canadian flags will be flown at half-mast at federal buildings across the country.

He said Canada stands with the service members at CFB Wainwright and their families.

Carney then confirmed in a brief televised address from Ottawa at 10:30 a.m. that four soldiers died in the “violent, fast-moving fire,” and dozens more have been “seriously wounded,” calling it “one of the worst tragedies for the on Canadian soil in peacetime.”

He added that the next of kin of those who lost their lives have been notified.

“The nation is in mourning for those brave members of our armed forces whom we have lost,” Carney said.

“Our hearts go with and we are praying for the wounded, and we stand in solidarity and compassion for the families, the friends, and the colleagues of all those affected by this tragedy.”

Later on Sunday, at about 1:35 p.m., Acute Care Alberta said in a statement that hospitals had lifted the Code Orange declared on Saturday night.

Acute Care Alberta said that patients were transferred from healthcare centre in Wainwright to the University of Alberta and Royal Alexandra hospitals in Edmonton, Foothills Medical Centre in Calgary and Red Deer Regional Hospital Centre.

“It is anticipated that care for patients impacted by this incident will be intensive and will add to existing high demand on acute care in Alberta,” the statement said.

Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre, speaking to reporters in Wainwright, said he was hearing about incredible acts of bravery as a devastating fire ripped through the nearby military base.

He said some soldiers ran toward the danger to help and are now paying the price, fighting for their lives in hospital.

He asked everyone to pray for Wainwright.

Poilievre represents the area as part of the Battle River—Crowfoot riding.

Late Sunday, at about 5:00 p.m. local time, the Department of National Defence gave a press conference, where Rutland, Smith and McGuinty provided further details on what transpired.

Smith said that 39 patients were being cared for in hospital, including 19 in critical condition. She added that all patients have been accounted for, and no other patients were awaiting transport.

“We know that the road ahead, especially for those who are suffering from severe burn injuries, will be long requiring weeks and months of intensive and specialized care,” said Smith.

The victims of the deadly fire at CFB Wainwright in Alberta were remembered during a moment of silence in the House of Commons before party leaders expressed their condolences for those who died and were injured.

Carney began the remarks, saying the House was meeting “united in grief.”

“This loss touches every corner of our nation,” he said.

The four victims were Sgt. Morgan Wong of Edmonton, Pte. Shaun Farrell of Prince Albert, Sask., Pte. Aidan Goulding of North Vancouver, B.C., and Pte. Hayden Lykkemark of Langley, B.C.

Poilievre said he remembered meeting Goulding when celebrating Canada Day at the base.

“I remembered meeting him. Strong, handsome, polite, a real gentleman,” Poilievre said. “His mother described him as: ‘an exceptional athlete, a natural leader, and a passionate young man who always accomplished his goals. He was the light of my life.’“

He went on to pay tribute to Farrell, Wong and Lykkemark, quoting words made by their family members in social media posts.

Poilievre also commended those who responded, including other soldiers and firefighters.

– with files from Global News’ Sean Prevail, Karen Bartko, Jeff Semple and The Canadian Press

© 2026 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.

As millions of voters prepare to cast ballots for their school board trustees, the Ford government is implementing a last-minute change that would continue to sideline elected officials in boards that have been operating under provincial supervision and potentially prevent them from being sworn in.

Eight school boards, representing nearly 40 per cent of Ontario’s elementary and high school population, are currently under the province’s control, with critical decision-making handed over to a single supervisor appointed by the Ford government.

Trustees, meanwhile, have been effectively stripped of all responsibilities, including access to their board emails, the ability to call and attend board meetings, or officially engage with parents.

Ahead of municipal and trustee elections on Oct. 26, the Ministry of Education introduced a new regulation asserting the Ford government’s control over supervised school boards: that only Education Minister Paul Calandra or the school board supervisor can call the first meeting of the newly elected board.

The first school board meeting after an election, according to the Ontario Public School Boards Association, is traditionally used to swear in trustees and is legally scheduled to take place “no later than seven days after November 15, 2026.”

A government source confirmed to Global News that trustees “will not be sworn in” until a board meeting officials takes place and will only take their oath of office once the province relinquishes control of the board.

“In boards under supervision, the trustees no longer play a role in the board because their roles have been delegated by the minister to the supervisor,” the source said.

“When they are needed they will be brought in and their first meeting back they will be sworn in.”

The government source said that would apply to five public school boards including: the Toronto District School Board, Peel District School Board, Ottawa-Carleton District School Board, Near North District School Board and Thames Valley District School Board.

The only exception, the source said, would be for the three Catholic school boards: Dufferin-Peel Catholic District School Board, Toronto Catholic District School Board and York Catholic District School Board. Trustees there would still have the power to weigh in on denominational issues.

Catholic board trustees would only take their oath once the minister or supervisor schedules the first meeting, with no guarantees on timeline.

Ontario NDP Leader Marit Stiles, a former TDSB trustee, suggested the province’s position is undemocratic.

“What it says to the people of Ontario is we don’t care how you vote, we don’t care what you think, we’re just going to do whatever we want to do anyways as the government of Ontario,” Stiles said.

“People in those communities, parents, educators expect those trustees to be able to speak for them and and run those school boards. The government is showing no respect for that.”

Calandra has not offered a timeline for when the school board take over will end – leaving trustees in elected board in limbo.

© 2026 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.

Following multiple pedestrian-involved collisions, including one that resulted in the death of a woman in her 80s, Winnipeg police are reminding people of the importance of road safety.

Winnipeg Police Service (WPS) officers have responded to “numerous” pedestrian-related collisions in recent weeks, according to Const. Stephen Spencer, a public information officer with the service, who spoke at a news conference Monday.

He said that people have been struck in parking lots, marked crosswalks and controlled intersections. Spencer pointed to several recent incidents that involved non-drivers being struck by vehicles – the earliest of which occurred on Sept. 11, when a child was hit while walking in the pedestrian corridor of a parking lot in the 1600 block of Kenaston Boulevard.

The child was taken to hospital in serious condition and was later upgraded to stable, he said. A driver was charged in connection with that collision.

Later that month, a woman in her 80s was struck by a vehicle. That incident occurred around 3:30 p.m. on Sept. 29, Spencer said.

The woman was walking westbound on Roblin Boulevard, as she crossed at its intersection with Hunterspoint Road. A vehicle turning right onto Roblin Boulevard failed to heed the stop sign and struck her, sending her to hospital in stable condition.

The woman died of her injuries Thursday, he continued.

The WPS is investigating the collision and considering charges.

Those incidents, in addition to several which have occurred thus far in October, prompted the road safety reminder from Winnipeg police, Spencer said.

“Before crossing, ensure a driver has acknowledged your presence as a pedestrian by making eye contact with the driver and a nod or a wave confirming they see you and intend to stop,” he added.

The right of way does not ensure pedestrians or drivers can proceed without regard for other factors, Winnipeg police Insp. Helen Peters said at the news conference.

“Having the right of way means you may cross if it’s safe to do so,” she said.

With winter approaching, Peters also reminded drivers to be aware of icy roads and anticipate stopping sooner. She also recommended pedestrians consider how slippery their path will be before rushing to cross the street.

During the dark, winter mornings that are expected following the elimination of the time change, she said high-visibility equipment, or even something as simple as a bright toque, can help to prevent a collision.

“This isn’t just about who’s at fault. This is about keeping each other safe,” Peters continued.

© 2026 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.

Elias Mouawad, one of the Toronto police officers arrested in connection with Project South – a sweeping police corruption and organized crime probe – has been handed a conditional discharge.

Mouawad, 25, pleaded guilty to one count of unauthorized use of a computer last month. A charge of breach of trust was withdrawn.

A conditional discharge means that Mouawad will not have a criminal conviction if the conditions of his probation are met.

Superior Justice Catherine Rhinelander sentenced Mouawad to one-year probation and 100 hours of community service Monday. She said Mouawad must have no contact with Daljit Singh and Brian Da Costa, who were also arrested in the Project South probe.

“This offence represents a serious lapse of judgement rather than an entrenched behavior,” said Rhinelander.

Although the breach-of-trust charge was withdrawn, Rhinelander said Mouawad’s unauthorized database search nevertheless represented a breach of the trust placed in police officers.

“There was a time where conduct of this nature may have been just addressed primarily through internal disciplinary proceedings or employment consequences but that is no longer sufficient in every case. … Now, criminal sanctions may be required to adequately denounce such conduct and disrespect for the law and to deter others who may be tempted to commit similar conduct,” said Rhinelander.

Mouawad, who had been working for Toronto police for a year and a half when he was arrested in February, remains suspended without pay. He must now face a hearing before the Toronto police’s professional standards tribunal, which will decide what a fit penalty will be.

According to an agreed statement of facts, Mouawad conducted an unauthorized licence-plate query for Singh on Jan. 19, 2026. Mouawad was working at 11 Division at the time.

Singh is charged with unauthorized use of a computer in the Project South probe.

The facts state that beginning in June 2025, investigators with York Regional Police began the Project South investigation, targeting allegations of police corruption including the alleged leaking of information from Const. Timothy Barnhardt to criminal networks.

It is alleged that Da Costa, an alleged large scale drug trafficker, regularly bribed Barnhardt to obtain confidential information.

Several of the people who were the target of the queries were later the victims of the alleged violent offences including targeted shootings and attempted murder. The victim of the attempted murder was a corrections officer at the Toronto South Detention Centre.

Police got a search warrant to do an audio intercept on Da Costa, Barnhardt and Singh. Singh reportedly had ties to Da Costa, Crown prosecutor Samuel Walker told court at the guilty plea last month.

Walker said that Singh, who had been Mouawad’s boss at a security company where he worked before joining police, was overheard on the audio intercept asking Mouawad to run a license plate for “his boy.”

It was later revealed that Singh was referring to Da Costa.

The facts state Mouawad believed when Singh was referring to “his boy,” he thought he was referring to an associate from the security company and did not believe it was related to any criminality.

The facts state that after Mouawad told Singh that the license plate was for a Chevrolet from a rental company, Singh handed the information over to Da Costa.

Da Costa later met with a male in a black Chevy Tahoe and boarded the passenger seat for approximately 45 minutes. That person, who was unidentified, has been listed in historical RCMP drug investigations.

The specific reason for the license plate query remains unknown.

Rhinelander said in handing down her reasons for sentence that Mouawad, when interviewed by police after his arrest on Feb. 4, said he believed he was running the plate for benign purposes and thought the person that Singh referred to as “his boy” was someone other than Da Costa.

When shown a photo of Da Costa by police, Mouawad said he recognized him because he had a physical altercation with him when he worked as a security guard but had not seen him since.

Rhinelander noted that Mouawad has taken responsibility for his actions by pleading guilty, cooperated with investigators, expressed remorse and did not financially benefit from the database query.

She also noted that he has also suffered substantial collateral consequences through the media coverage of case, saying he was suspended without pay and his future with the TPS remains uncertain.

After the sentence was delivered, Mouawad’s parents were emotional as they hugged their son, clearly relieved.

After court, Mouawad’s lawyers Peter Brauti and Alexa Banister-Thompson spoke about the sentence.

“He got a discharge, the Crown was asking for house arrest. There’s a big difference between those two sentences. Certainly, there’s a big difference for him employment wise. He’s just relieved the criminal part is over,” Brauti said.

“He was somebody who really shouldn’t have been included in Project South. He wasn’t engaged in any of that serious misconduct they’ve alleged in that bigger file. But he got caught up in it. He was a small fish in what’s clearly a big case,” added Brauti.

A date for Mouawad’s police tribunal hearing has yet to be set.

© 2026 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.

Ontario NDP Leader Marit Stiles says that despite her support for Olivia Chow’s re-election campaign, she’s unavailable for last-minute campaign activities that could boost Chow’s profile in the pivotal final week before election day.

During an unrelated news conference at Queen’s Park on Monday, Stiles said while other NDP MPPs are supporting other municipal races around the province, her schedule doesn’t have room for her to do the same in her own political backyard.

“I’m actually on the road, I think, quite a bit between now and then. Me personally, I’m going to be, I think, on the road between now and then quite a lot,” Stiles said.

Stiles’s unavailability to support Chow on the ground comes at a moment when the incumbent Toronto mayor is locked in a tight race with opponent Brad Bradford. While Chow has consistently led polling, her lead has been squeezed by some gains in momentum by Bradford.

The latest Liaison Strategies polling from Oct. 13 puts Chow at 51 per cent support and Bradford at 46 per cent. The polling reflects the views of a random sample of 1,000 Toronto residents the firm contacted between Oct.8 to Oct. 9.

“The polls don’t always tell the whole story,” Stiles said, before adding that she’s spoken with Toronto residents who are excited about the possibility of Chow staying on as mayor.

“They are proud of her accomplishments. I expect she’ll be the victor,” she said.

NDP sources insisted Stiles is planning to officially endorse Chow in the final days of the campaign and her team has yet to determine the final election day schedule.

Meanwhile, Chow’s campaign staff, they said, is also filled with former provincial NDP members. The NDP caucus is also available for voter engagement, they added.

Sources also pointed out that others who endorsed Chow – former Premier’s Kathleen Wynne and Bob Rae – are also unlikely to join the campaign trail.

Stiles emphasized that residents need to get out there and vote, as she said “there’s a lot of powerful forces out there” that do not want to see representatives elected, including those who support tenants.

She said “absolutely 100 per cent supports Mayor Olivia Chow in her re-election.”

Toronto will head to the polls on Monday, Oct. 26.

© 2026 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.