Senators Add Johansson, Islamic Schools on Alert & PowerCo Delay — Ottawa Friday

🏈 Sports

1. Senators acquire Jonas Johansson from Tampa Bay for future considerations. The 31-year-old goaltender posted an 11-10-2 record with a 3.29 GAA and .884 save percentage in 25 games for the 2025-26 season, and has played 105 NHL games since debuting with Buffalo in 2019-20. Johansson was a third-round pick (61st overall) in the 2014 NHL Draft.

2. Vancouver claims Ottawa goalie Leevi Meriläinen off waivers. The 24-year-old Finn appeared in 20 games for Ottawa last season, going 8-10-1 with a 3.51 GAA and .860 save percentage; he has 34 NHL games and three career shutouts and was drafted 71st overall in 2020.

3. Brendan Shanahan issues 11 recommendations to reform Ontario junior men’s hockey. The report — commissioned by Hockey Canada in January — calls for a standardized billeting policy, province-wide registration for 16- and 17-year-olds, separation of men’s junior governance from minor hockey, and new advisory and executive roles; Hockey Eastern Ontario, Hockey Northwestern Ontario, the Ontario Hockey Federation and Hockey Canada approved the report.

🚨 Crime & Public Safety

1. Nine Islamic schools put on high alert after emailed threat warning of 'slaughter' of Muslims. The Muslim Association of Canada says the same anonymous email targeted MAC schools in Ontario, B.C. and Quebec over 24 hours; Peel police have opened a hate-motivated threats probe and increased overnight patrols near mosques and schools.

2. Veteran OPP sergeant Chris Weise, 54, charged in child sexual-exploitation probe. Weise of Alliston was arrested Sept. 8 and charged with accessing and possessing child sexual-abuse material; police executed a June search warrant and seized electronics, and Weise is due in Bradford court on Oct. 8, 2026.

3. Lorena Sanchez, 42, charged with second-degree murder after Sept. 6 stabbing in Mississauga. Peel Regional Police say officers found a man with a serious neck wound on Sept. 6 near Dixie Road and Dundas Street East; the victim died Sept. 10 and Sanchez’s charge was upgraded from attempted murder.

🏛️ Government & Politics

1. EQAO: Ontario student test results tick up a point across key grades. Results for 2025-26 show 65% of Grade 3, 52% of Grade 6 and 59% of Grade 9 students met provincial standards — each up one percentage point from the previous year — Education Minister Paul Calandra commented on persistent gaps.

2. PowerCo Canada delays $7-billion St. Thomas EV battery plant construction by two years. Ontario’s Economic Development Minister Vic Fedeli said contracts have been awarded and full construction is expected to begin in a month with an opening targeted for 2029; critics note past auto investments moved or stalled.

3. Province and municipalities clash over AI data-centre locations and rules. Premier Doug Ford wants rapid AI data-centre growth with strict siting parameters, while Oakville, Mississauga and Sault Ste. Marie have imposed moratoria; the Association of Municipalities of Ontario asked the Ministry of Energy and Mines for community-benefit preferences and clearer municipal protections.

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