Toronto Daily Digest — Feb 12, 2026

Big nuclear plan: Ontario Power Generation (OPG) signed a deal with Port Hope to build a new large reactor that Energy Minister Stephen Lecce says would create about 1,700 local jobs and more than 10,000 across Ontario and could power up to 10 million homes. OPG filed an initial project description with the Impact Assessment Agency on Jan. 12, and the move follows a $12.8 billion Darlington refurbishment and plans for small modular reactors and other large projects.

Major contraband tobacco bust: Police say more than 25,000 kilograms of contraband tobacco and 1,360+ pounds of illicit cannabis were seized after Project Panda began in Feb. 2025 on Six Nations territory. Eight people were arrested between Jan. 20–26, 2026 and charged with a total of 48 offences (including trafficking and firearms counts); they’re due in Brantford court on March 5 and 6.

Automatic refunds after GO derailment: Metrolinx will automatically refund fares for passengers who rode GO trains Feb. 2–3 (and some trips on Feb. 4) after a derailment that knocked four Union Station platforms out of service. CEO Michael Lindsay blamed an incorrectly secured track (ties fastened with two screws instead of four per a 2016 update), acknowledged rails over 100 years old, and apologized for poor communications during the chaos.

Officer cleared but SIU flags delay in care: The Special Investigations Unit found a provincial officer’s use of force justified after a July 31, 2025 courtroom shooting at Wapekeka First Nation, saying the 23-year-old advanced with a knife. However, SIU director Joseph Martino says there’s evidence the officer “unnecessarily delayed” rendering first aid; the matter will be referred to the Law Enforcement Complaints Agency even though medical evidence suggests the delay didn’t cause the death.

Hilary Duff’s Lucky Me World Tour hits Canada: Duff announced a global tour with nine Canadian stops, opening June 22 in West Palm Beach and hitting Toronto on Aug. 12, 2026 (RBC Amphitheatre) and Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton, Winnipeg, Hamilton, Ottawa, Montreal and Halifax between Jan.–Feb. 2027. La Roux and Jade LeMac will open 2026 dates, Lauren Spencer Smith opens 2027, and Duff’s new album Luck… Or Something arrives Feb. 20.

Delta crash probe still active a year on: The Transportation Safety Board says the investigation into Delta/Endeavor Air flight 4819’s Feb. 17 crash-landing at Pearson (CRJ-900 with 80 people aboard) is in the examination and analysis phase after tests, recorder reviews and simulator work. The plane flipped and burned; 21 people went to hospital and the TSB hasn’t set a date for the final report.

Tuition freeze ends, funding boost announced: Ontario will allow tuition increases of 2% a year for three years starting Sept. and then inflation-informed increases or 2%, while adding $6.4 billion in core funding over four years to create 70,000 new seats and raise annual operating funding to about $7 billion. The government also plans to cut OSAP grant share (currently ~85% grants) to a maximum of 25% grants, a move that critics say shifts costs onto students.

Porter plane stuck in Halifax snow: Porter Flight 209 from Toronto landed at 8:21 p.m. and slid off Runway 14/32 into snow, leaving the Bombardier aircraft disabled with 59 passengers and five crew on board; no injuries were reported. Passengers were deplaned and bused to the terminal; the runway stayed closed while the plane awaited towing and inspection.

Clerk acquitted after bat-wielding robbery: A jury found 24-year-old Tejeshwar Kalia not guilty of aggravated assault for striking a masked robber with a bat on Jan. 5, 2024 in Peterborough, after surveillance showed the attacker brandishing a bat and knife. The robber, 37-year-old Jonathan Handel, later pleaded guilty to robbery with violence and got 18 months; Kalia says he acted in self-defence and suffered a concussion during the incident.

Troubling testimony at Frank Stronach trial: A woman testified she woke up terrified and says she was raped by Frank Stronach decades ago; Stronach, 93, faces a dozen charges involving seven complainants from the late 1970s to the 1990s and pleads not guilty. The judge-alone trial is underway amid defence concerns about disclosure and a planned post-trial application over possible coaching of witnesses.

Ontario’s auto strategy under strain but government says it’s steady: Many big EV projects (Honda, Umicore, Stellantis, GM) have been delayed, suspended or scaled back after weak EV demand and U.S. tariffs, yet Ontario insists its plan — which helped land roughly $46 billion since 2018 and supports 100,000 auto jobs — remains. The federal government has launched a new auto task force; critics say the province’s earlier subsidy-driven approach failed to build a consumer market.

Olympic double for Canadian hockey fans: Canada’s women and men both won 5–0 in back-to-back Olympic games, with Emily Clark scoring twice for the women and Macklin Celebrini, Sidney Crosby and others shining for the men. Fans in Toronto’s bars woke early to watch NHL players back in the Olympics, enjoying community spirit (and early alcohol service) as the tournament heats up.