Waymo Robotaxi Pilot, Vaughan Van ID & Scarborough Council Race — Toronto Friday

🏈 Sports

1. Trayce Jackson‑Davis scored 23 but Raptors lost 129-125 in Detroit. Jackson‑Davis made 15 free throws and led all scorers as Toronto, which did not play its top rotation, fell to the Pistons in the final pre-season game on Oct. 16, 2026; the Raptors are 2-3 in pre-season and host the Chicago Bulls in their regular-season home opener next Wednesday.

2. Raptors sign Canadian guard Jalen Celestine from Ajax. The club announced the signing on Oct. 16, 2026; the 6-foot-7 guard averaged 8.6 points and 23.8 minutes in 32 games at Cincinnati last season and shot .405 from three-point range, and he appeared in two 2026 Summer League games for Toronto.

3. Kirill Marchenko scored a hat trick but Maple Leafs lost 5-4 in overtime to Buffalo. Marchenko recorded three goals in his 300th NHL game and conceded he was at fault on Owen Power’s overtime winner scored 3:14 into extra time; Marchenko agreed to a six-year, US$75 million contract that begins in 2027 as part of the Sept. 28 trade that sent Matthew Knies to Columbus.

🚨 Crime & Public Safety

1. York police identify a white Mercedes‑Benz Sprinter van in Vaughan fatal hit‑and‑run. Investigators say the woman, a 60-year-old Richmond Hill caregiver, was struck around 8:30 p.m. on Oct. 4 on Pine Valley Drive and her body lay on the roadside for two days before being found; police released security video showing a 2020–2022 white Sprinter turning into a nearby subdivision and recovered vehicle debris at the scene.

2. Toronto 18 ringleader Zakaria Amara granted full parole after deradicalization. The Parole Board of Canada’s two-member panel found the 41-year-old no longer shows extremist beliefs and upgraded him from day parole after four years; Amara must live in his own home, work full time, continue counselling and remain barred from contacting anyone involved in the 2006 raids.

🏛️ Government & Politics

1. Scarborough North council race pits incumbent Jamaal Myers against former MPs Han Dong and Shaun Chen. Eight candidates are on the ballot in Ward 23 as construction of a new Scarborough Line subway stop and proposed LRT projects makes the ward competitive; Myers won in 2022 after Cynthia Lai’s death and is campaigning on securing more resources for the borough.

2. Waymo to begin Toronto pilot with drivered tests, aims for passenger service in 2028. The company says Ontario approved its participation in the provincial autonomous-vehicle pilot and that the first phase will include high-definition mapping and driver-present test runs this fall, with passenger service targeted for 2028 and Element Fleet Management of Toronto providing support services.

3. Environment Canada issues a yellow frost advisory for Toronto overnight into Saturday. The agency says freezing temperatures are expected tonight into Saturday morning, with areas north of Highway 401 most at risk and damage to trees, plants and crops possible.

📰 Also Today

• Stelco layoffs: about 90 workers received notices and first layoffs began Sunday, Industry Minister Melanie Joly says resolution is "a question of days."
• Guelph homecoming drew up to 15,000 people and cost roughly $91,000 in policing, according to a police report.