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

The World Cup was billed as a major economic opportunity for Toronto and Canada.

Now, with the tournament underway, businesses are getting their first real look at whether those promises are translating into customers.

Thousands of fans from around the world descended on Toronto this week for the city’s first men’s World Cup matches, filling fan zones, patios and sports bars as excitement around the tournament spread across downtown.

“It’s amazing energy in the city,” Sara Anghel, president and CEO of the Greater Toronto Hotel Association, in an interview with Global News.

While crowds have been visible throughout the city’s core, Toronto-area hotels are not yet seeing the surge some may have expected.

“We have seen an uneven June. There are days where it’s a little better and days where it’s not as great.”

Anghel said June occupancy is currently tracking below last year’s levels, estimating that occupancy could finish the month at around 65 per cent.

“June is already a really busy month in Toronto,” she said.

“A lot of them stayed away, so it’s not the June we usually get when FIFA isn’t here.”

She noted that when FIFA released additional tickets closer to the tournament, some hotel rooms that had been reserved were put back on the market.

The CEO of Destination Toronto, Andrew Weir, previously told Global News that “even if June ends up a little bit lower than initial expectations — or even lower than a typical June would be — the rest of the summer likely will balance out.”

Between June 12 and July 2, Toronto is hosting five group stage matches and one knockout game for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

Still, Anghel remains optimistic about the months ahead.

“May did well and we expect July and August will do very, very well,” she said.

Some businesses say they are already benefiting from the influx of visitors.

“We had a lineup this morning and the game wasn’t until 3,” restaurant manager Callam Hald told Global News.

Anghel added that fans have brought a noticeable boost to restaurants, patios and hotel gathering spaces.

“Yesterday afternoon, everything from the convention centre all the way to Front Street was full of people at patios and lobbies like the Royal York,” Anghel said.

Mayor Olivia Chow said the tournament is putting Toronto on the global stage.

“The entire world, they have their eyes on Toronto,” she said.

Whether the World Cup ultimately delivers the economic boost promised by organizers and governments remains to be seen.

For now, the tournament has clearly brought energy, crowds and international attention, but the full financial impact may not be known until the final game whistle blows.

– With files from Global News’ Sean O’Shea and Isaac Callan

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

Fans swarm downtown Vancouver for the first of seven FIFA World Cup matches in the city. We’re seeing the full deployment of police officers to keep things under control. And despite being in stage three water restrictions, one Metro Vancouver municipality is doing things its own way.

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

Ramazan Kilic says he will get goosebumps when Turkey’s national anthem rings through BC Place Stadium as the World Cup spotlight falls on Vancouver today.

After years of buildup, Turkey will play Australia in the first-ever World Cup game played in Vancouver and Kilic says tonight’s game will be a once-in-a-life-time opportunity to watch the Turkish national team.

Kilic says he watched Turkey play Canada in a friendly match in Toronto in June 1995, but tonight’s game will be special because of the World Cup.

He says he will share this occasion with his wife, his two children, his brother, his sister and his brother-in-law, along with thousands of other Turkish fans, who have come to Vancouver from across Canada and around the world.

Kilic says his family has been getting ready for tonight’s game since the morning, listening to music and dancing, before heading off to the game.

The soccer fan says he and his family will be travelling from Richmond, B.C., by SkyTrain to Vancouver, where they will be meeting up with an expected 2,000 fans in a local park before heading to the game.

Kilic says he has heard that some 35,000 Turkish fans could show up for the game, and they, like he, expect Turkey to beat the Socceroos, as the Australian team is known, with Kilic tipping on a 4-1.

Tonight’s game happens against the backdrop of dropping ticket prices, and Kilic says he got too excited when he bought his four tickets for a total of $5,000.

But he does not appear to have any regrets.

“I said, ‘You know what? It’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. We will just go to game.’ My kids love soccer. So, I said, ‘why not?’ So, we just bought it. Now, the same tickets, they are like $500, $600 each.”

Kilic’s anticipation won’t be the only thing being tested today.

The city’s preparations for what’s billed as the world’s biggest sporting event will finally be put to the test in the match that has a 9 p.m. kickoff.

Doors open three hours before then, with fans being directed to get to the stadium via walking routes from Main Street Science World SkyTrain Station and downtown along Keefer Street.

There are major road closures around the stadium, and organizers are telling fans to leave their cars at home and take public transit.

The city has seen an influx of Australian fans in green and gold, while Turkey’s enthusiastic supporters greeted their team’s arrival on Thursday by setting off red smoke canisters outside the players’ hotel.

Fans without tickets can head to the official FIFA Fan Festival at Hastings Park in East Vancouver, or the newly pedestrianized Granville Street fan zone in the downtown core.

© 2026 The Canadian Press

Prime Minister Mark Carney says the “strands” of a new world order could be woven at the G7 summit next week.

Carney made the remarks during a discussion at Trinity College Dublin while on a six-day trip to Europe.

In January, the prime minister delivered a speech in Davos calling on middle powers to band together in the face of great powers, which has received global reception.

He says this year’s G7, being held in Évian-les-Bains, will include more than just key members, as other countries from the Gulf states, Kenya, Brazil, Egypt and India will be at the summit.

Carney says other partners will bring a “broader perspective and a broader element of the solution.”

“It’s a recognition that the G7, if it ever did run the world, no longer runs the world or pretends to,” he said.

Carney said there are a few issues that are moving “quite rapidly.” He noted that AI is effectively unregulated, which can cause a host of issues, including child safety and systemic risk to cyber attacks or hacking.

“The importance of sharing the defences, having common standards, not releasing models that have that power before others are ready, that is an imperative. That is something I’m certain we will be discussing at the G7,” he said.

The government of France, who is leading the summit, says priorities at the G7 will include settling major geopolitical crises, including through G7 support to Ukraine, crime and online protection for children.

Earlier this year, French lawmakers approved a bill banning social media for children under 15, as the idea of setting a minimum age for use of the platforms gains momentum across Europe.

The Liberal government introduced its own online safety legislation this week, which would force social media to block access for kids under 16, though platforms will be able to obtain an exemption if they put sufficient safeguards in place.

Bill C-34, introduced Wednesday in the House of Commons, would also regulate the companies behind AI chatbots by imposing on them a duty to act responsibly. That includes measures to lower the risk of chatbots communicating harmful content and putting in place crisis intervention protocols for cases involving self-harm, suicide or violence.

A Canadian government official said this week there will likely not be a comprehensive final communiqué from leaders at the end of the summit, but that people can expect to see issue-specific statements issued by leaders throughout the event instead.

Recent reports by the International Monetary Fund and France’s G7 presidency say global macroeconomic imbalances keep getting worse, and can’t be solved without China. The official said leaders are expected to talk about the future of the global economy and their discussions are likely also to cover China’s industrial overcapacity.

Carney is expected to hold meetings with world leaders at the summit, though it’s still not known if he will meet with U.S. President Donald Trump.

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

—With files from Anja Karadeglija in Ottawa

© 2026 The Canadian Press

Ontario Provincial Police say five children have died and several other people were seriously injured following a two-vehicle collision in Wellington County on Friday evening.

The crash happened at about 7:30 p.m. at the intersection of Wellington Road 12 and Fourth Line in Mapleton Township, northwest of Guelph.

Investigators say a passenger van carrying ten people and a sport utility vehicle carrying one person collided at the intersection.

“Tragically, five children lost their lives. I can confirm that the victims are all related,” said Superintendant Dwight Thib, in a news conference Saturday afternoon.

Four girls and one boy ranging in age from four to 12 were killed, Thib said.

“This is an unimaginable loss. On behalf of the Ontario Provincial Police, I extend our deepest condolences to the families, loved ones, and the community during this incredibly difficult time,” he added.

Four adults and one infant sustained serious injuries and remain in hospital.

The driver of the SUV was also transported with serious injuries and remains in hospital.

Thib thanked emergency responders who attended the scene and provided immediate care.

“I would also like to thank the Good Samaritans that stopped and provided assistance to our first responders during this tragedy,” he said.

In a post to X, Doug Ford offered his condolences.

“My thoughts are with the families and loved ones of the children who were killed in the tragic collision that took place yesterday in Mapleton Township, and with those currently being cared for in hospital.”

“Let’s all stand together with those who are grieving during this terrible time,” his post further read.

In a video update posted overnight, Wellington County OPP Const. Matt Burton described the incident as a “serious collision resulting in multiple injuries and fatalities.”

Burton said three patients were airlifted to trauma centres, while several others were taken to local hospitals.

The OPP traffic incident management and enforcement team is now assisting with the investigation.

Police said they are not releasing further details as they work to notify victims’ next of kin.

The intersection was closed for hours as investigators examined the scene but has since reopened.

Anyone who witnessed the collision or has dashcam footage is asked to contact Wellington County OPP.

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

Ghana’s government says it’s planning legal action over Canada’s decision to deny the visa application of a member of its national soccer team awaiting a rape trial in London.

Midfielder Thomas Partey has pleaded not guilty to the allegations, which date back to when he played for the English club Arsenal in 2025.

In a statement released on social media Saturday, Ghana says the decision by Canadian immigration authorities is “extremely unfair,” and Partey should be presumed innocent ahead of his trial.

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada says it makes its decisions on a case-by-case basis and that hosting major events does not change its laws.

Partey was scheduled to travel with his team to Toronto from its base camp in Smithfield, Rhode Island, for its opening match against Panama on June 17.

Ghana says it is looking at all diplomatic, legal and administrative avenues.

Partey is scheduled to stand trial in November or later.

— With files from the Associated Press

© 2026 The Canadian Press

Earlier this week, Prime Minister Mark Carney and MPs from other political parties came together to raise the Pride flag on Parliament Hill.

But an advocacy group that helps LGBTQ refugees come to Canada and the U.S says the federal government’s new border law is putting people at risk of being sent back to countries where they face persecution.

Devon Matthews, Rainbow Railroad’s chief program officer, said her organization is concerned about its working relationship with Ottawa as the federal government reduces the number of refugees it admits and cuts the organization’s funding.

She said it’s also alarmed by a new law requiring that refugee claims be made within a year of the claimant’s first arrival in Canada.

“It has nothing to do with the reasons why someone may have waited or why someone doesn’t meet the one-year bar,” Matthews told The Canadian Press.

“It actually is purely just a technical eligibility requirement that doesn’t serve to actually give the opportunity for the person to speak to the intricacies of why they may have had to wait.”

A former Middle Eastern international student who lived as an openly gay man in Canada is among those left in limbo by the new law.

The former student told The Canadian Press he filed a refugee claim after photos of his time here in Canada were discovered once he returned home, putting his safety at risk.

But he said that because he studied in Canada for two-and-a-half years starting in 2022, he has been told his refugee claim is ineligible under the new border law, C-12.

The Canadian Press has agreed not to name him or his home country due to risks facing his family members still there.

“I was supporting the LGBTQ community and I was in a lot of events and some stories from social media that leaked out in my society back there,” he said.

“So some incidents and … some pictures had fallen into bad people’s hands and they threatened to inform the police and to beat me up. So it happened more than once, and when the last time happened I felt that I can’t live like that and I will be living in fear.”

Several Middle Eastern countries have morality laws that punish LGBTQ people with prison terms. The refugee claimant said his family would also face social and economic repercussions because of his orientation.

“When you get discovered as a LGBTQ person, that’s it, that’s the end of your life. You can’t work, you can be arrested in your home,” he said. “And of course, the scandal for the family, because it’s not something that’s accepted.

“So I ran because if that happened, I would spend my life in jail. Or even if they didn’t put me in jail for a long time, that’s it for my career, that’s it for my life.”

He said his refugee claim was proceeding smoothly and had been approved for file review — a less intensive examination for low-risk refugee claims.

But when C-12 passed earlier this year, he became one of roughly 30,000 people who received letters saying their refugee claim may no longer be eligible because they first entered Canada more than a year before making their claim.

The one-year rule applies to refugee claims made on or after June 3, 2025 and retroactively to first arrivals on or after June 24, 2020.

While refugee claims filed by people in this situation will not be sent to the Immigration and Refugee Board for review, they are still eligible for a pre-removal risk assessment, or PRRA. The PRRA has a historically low approval rate because it tends to be the primary appeal avenue for rejected claims at the IRB.

The PRRA process is primarily paper-based but interviews can be requested if an officer needs more information.

Immigration Minister Lena Diab told a Senate committee hearing in February that when it’s clear people should be able to stay in Canada based on documented evidence, “they get a ‘yes’ right away.”

The government has said it introduced the one-year rule in part because some people were making asylum claims in order to stay in Canada after their temporary visas expired.

Diab told the Senate committee that 37 per cent of refugee claims made between June 3, 2025 and Oct. 31, 2025 — roughly 19,000 documents — would be deemed ineligible under the one-year rule.

Suzy Newing, the Middle Eastern former student’s lawyer, said her client’s ineligibility is being challenged in court on constitutional grounds arguing that he has a right to an oral hearing — which is not guaranteed in the PRRA process — and anti-discrimination provisions.

She said there are a variety of reasons why an LGBTQ+ person might not make a refugee claim within a year of first arriving in Canada.

“For example, perhaps they came to Canada before recognizing or expressing or coming to terms with their sexual orientation, and then they start to express that here. That might not necessarily happen within one year of coming to Canada,” Newing said.

“They might have known (their orientation) all along, but managed to hide it in their country of origin. And then the one-year bar essentially forces the timing for when they would come out to their family members, because that’s often when the risk materializes … when individuals would come out to their family members when they’re here in Canada.”

Many Federal Court challenges of refugee claims being deemed ineligible under the new law have been referred to file review, so a judge is expected to rule broadly on the constitutionality of the one-year rule.

The Middle Eastern refugee claimant will now have to wait for either a PRRA or a court decision to learn whether he will be allowed to remain in Canada.

He said that even if he is allowed to stay, his trust in Canada has been shaken.

“Now I feel like I’ve been attacked by everyone, by the government, by the Canadian people and they just want people to leave,” he said.

“Kicking those people out, you are killing them because they are not returning back to live happily and fine and everything. You are pushing them back to their deaths.”

Matthews said Rainbow Railroad saw its largest-ever number of requests for help in 2025 — more than 20,000, a 51 per cent increase over 2024. She said the organization is on track to receive even more pleas for help this year.

Matthews said Rainbow Railroad is considering increasing its political activism in response.

© 2026 The Canadian Press

Ahead of next week’s G7 summit, U.S. President Donald Trump announced Saturday that a deal to end the war with Iran is expected to be signed Sunday, claiming Tehran has agreed not to pursue a nuclear weapon and that the Strait of Hormuz will reopen to global shipping.

In a lengthy post on Truth Social, Trump described the agreement as “a wall to no nuclear weapon” and said it would be the opposite of the 2015 nuclear deal negotiated under former president Barack Obama.

“The Deal is scheduled to get signed tomorrow, and immediately after it is signed, the Hormuz Strait is OPEN TO ALL,” Trump wrote.

Trump also claimed Iran “no longer want(s) a Nuclear Weapon, nor will they have one, either through purchase, development, or any other form of procurement.”

He said no money would exchange hands under the agreement, unlike what he characterized as billions of dollars provided to Iran under the Obama administration.

Trump further claimed that highly enriched uranium buried deep underground would eventually be recovered and destroyed “whether in Iran, or the United States,” referencing U.S. B-2 bomber strikes carried out earlier in the conflict.

“We look forward to working with Iran, and the entire Middle East, long into the future,” Trump wrote, while also warning that if diplomacy fails, “we have the ultimate alternative, hopefully never to be used again.”

The announcement comes as world leaders prepare to gather in Évian-les-Bains, France, where the conflict in the Middle East and global energy security are expected to be among the major topics of discussion.

A senior U.S. official, who briefed journalists on condition of anonymity under rules set by the White House, said Trump planned to meet on the sidelines of the G7 summit that starts Monday with the leaders of Egypt, Qatar and United Arab Emirates to discuss efforts to wind down the war.

Britain and France, both G7 members, have expressed interest in assisting with demining the waterway once the conflict is paused. The official said both have military vessels at sea that could participate.

It was not immediately clear how many mines are in the strait that Iran has effectively controlled since shortly after the war began, virtually shutting down oil and natural gas shipments from the Persian Gulf. The U.S. has blockaded Iranian ports in response. A tenuous ceasefire has been in place since April 7.

Pakistan says a deal to end the war is imminent

Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said a deal aimed at ending the war was expected to be finalized within 24 hours. Pakistan was preparing for the electronic signing of the agreement, to be followed by technical-level talks next week.

Sharif also told his Qatari counterpart “a peace deal was ready for signatures by the relevant parties very shortly,” a separate statement said.

The senior U.S. official noted Sharif’s upbeat comments. The U.S. believes what’s on the table for Iran is a “very strong deal,” the official said, but declined to speculate on when it could be signed.

Iran signaled optimism but indicated more time was needed.

“Although it will not happen tomorrow, the possibility that it could take place in the coming days cannot be ruled out,” foreign ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei said in a statement carried by state TV. He later said “the likelihood of finalizing the memorandum of understanding in the coming days is high.”

Iran’s nuclear program and highly enriched uranium have long been at the center of tensions with the U.S. and Israel and an international source of concern.

Three regional officials said Friday, on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the negotiations, they expected a signing ceremony in the coming days after officials in Washington and Tehran approve the agreement.

The apparent breakthrough came after Iran exchanged fire with the U.S. and Israel earlier in the week, threatening to rupture the ceasefire and push the Middle East back into full-scale war.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi posted on X on Friday that an agreement “has never been closer.” Trump, who has asserted multiple times in recent weeks the countries were on the cusp of a deal, shared Araghchi’s post on social media.

Trump on Thursday claimed significant progress in negotiations, hours after he threatened to seize Iran’s oil industry.

– With files from the Canadian Press

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

As the selections started to unfold at the first in-person OHL Priority Selection since 2000, the Beaulieu family began to wonder if Ryan Beaulieu might land with the team that his dad won the Memorial Cup with in 2005.

At pick number 14, they found out.

Knights general manager Mark Hunter stepped to the podium in Kingston, Ont., and made defenceman Ryan Beaulieu London’s first selection in 2026.

“By the eighth or ninth pick I started to wonder if it might happen,” Ryan admitted. ” I started to think about how great it would be to be able to stay at home and play for Mark and Dale Hunter and follow in my dad’s footsteps.”

Josh Beaulieu was the Knights second round pick in 2003 and later a fifth round selection of the Philadelphia Flyers.

“I’m a big believer in everything happening for a reason,” said Josh. “We’re very grateful and now a new journey begins for him and for our family and we’re very excited.”

Josh Beaulieu is also one of a handful of London Knights players to have scored five goals in a single game.

“That’s his favourite story,” Ryan said, laughing. “Me and my dad have a great relationship. He has the experience and he knows what it takes to play for the Knights.”

Ryan spent this past season playing for one of Josh’s Team of the Century teammates in Danny Syvret with the U16 AAA London Jr. Knights. He was one of the top defenders in the Alliance and was named to the All OHL Cup team after helping the Jr. Knights to the final four of the top U16 tournament.

Ryan was incredibly complimentary of what Syret was able to pass on to him.

“He knows the game, he knows what I need to do and he passed that along to all of us.”

A back-to-back Alliance champion who says he models his game after Drew Doughty of the L.A. Kings, Ryan is taking the next step in his career with the help and support of people in his life who know what it means to wear the London Knights uniform.

The last time Mark Hunter made a first round pick in the same way he was calling the name Rick Nash.

 

 

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