Ottawa Daily Digest — Feb. 11, 2026

Jakob Poeltl’s comeback had a rocky night — he returned after missing 24 games with back pain but the Toronto Raptors lost 113-95 to the Detroit Pistons on Feb. 11, 2026; Poeltl scored nine points and grabbed six rebounds in about 20 minutes as the Raptors fell to 32-23. This means Toronto remains 0-7 against the top three seeds in the East and coach Darko Rajakovic says the team is healthy enough to build after the All-Star break in Los Angeles.

Bitter All-Star break for the Raptors — Detroit beat Toronto 113-95 at Scotiabank Arena, improving to 40-13 while the Raptors stayed 32-23; Cade Cunningham led the Pistons with 28 points, nine assists and seven rebounds, and Paul Reed added 22 points. Scottie Barnes had 17 points and Brandon Ingram 13 for Toronto, and both teams head into the LA All-Star weekend with several players and coaches participating.

Big 911 headache in Guelph — an unregistered cellphone dialed 911 at least 129 times between 4:40 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. on Sunday, Feb. 8 (reported Feb. 11), with communicators hearing a child on many calls but no emergency found. Police remind residents that even phones without SIM cards can call 911 and urge people to remove batteries or let old phones die before giving them to kids.

Driver pleads guilty in deadly crash that killed Olympian Alexandra Paul — Sukhwinder Sidhu admitted to dangerous driving causing death and bodily harm in the Aug. 2023 Melancthon Township crash that involved seven vehicles and killed 31-year-old ice dancer Alexandra Paul. Paul was a two-time Olympian (2014 teammate with Mitchell Islam) and the crash also injured her baby; the guilty plea was entered in Orangeville court on Feb. 10–11, 2026.

Ontario not on track to balance its books, watchdog says — the Financial Accountability Officer projects a $11.1-billion deficit for 2025-26 and a $6.3-billion deficit still in 2029-30 as revenue growth slows from a recent 7.6% average to about 2.6%. Finance Minister Peter Bethlenfalvy projects a larger $13.4-billion shortfall and lawmakers warned unemployment and provincial debt remain serious concerns, with the FAO forecasting weaker revenue from interest, investment income and international student tuition.

Church youth director wanted after alleged sexual assaults, police say he fled to Brazil — Peel police identified 24-year-old Christopher Brito De Araujo as wanted on multiple charges including five counts of sexual assault and voyeurism after alleged incidents at a Brampton place of worship; investigators say he left Canada for Brazil on Feb. 2 and the investigation is ongoing. Anyone with information is asked to contact police.

Arrest in Canada-wide warrant two years after fatal Brampton shooting — 41-year-old Winardo Winteria Morris was arrested on Feb. 9 and charged with first-degree murder in the May 11, 2024 shooting at Kennedy Road and Stafford Drive that left a victim dead. Morris is being held for a bail hearing and police asked anyone with tips to contact Peel Crime Stoppers.

Blue Jays pitchers and catchers report to camp — Toronto’s pitchers and catchers reported on Wednesday (Feb. 11, 2026) as the club prepares for spring training and the World Baseball Classic, where seven Jays (including Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Andres Gimenez and Dylan Cease) will play. The team will be missing Antony Santander (labrum surgery, 5–6 months), Shane Bieber (forearm fatigue) and Bowden Francis (UCL reconstruction), so roster health will be a storyline into the season.