Toronto Weekly Digest — Feb 9–15, 2026

Toronto Zoo confirms Kiko the Masai giraffe died from cardiac failure tied to exertional myopathy after getting his head trapped in a door gap; zoo is reviewing training, hydraulic doors and monitoring a pregnant giraffe carrying Kiko’s calf.

Family Day weekend will be milder than usual with daytime highs near 2–5°C from Feb. 14–16, giving Torontonians a welcome break after a long January cold snap.

Heart and Stroke Foundation warns many Canadians don’t know heart-disease risk factors — over 8.2 million adults have high blood pressure (130/80 mm Hg threshold) and doctors urge checks after several life-saving surgeries at St. Michael’s Hospital.

Metrolinx CEO Michael Lindsay vows fewer courtroom fights with builders after the Eglinton Crosstown saga and says more collaborative contracting will be used on major Ontario transit projects.

Metrolinx will automatically refund GO passengers affected by the Feb. 2–4 derailment at Union Station after platform closures disrupted service for days due to an incorrectly secured track.

Finch West LRT has run at 94% availability on average since opening, but one week dipped to 88% amid winter switch and weather issues; Metrolinx says operator experience is improving reliability.

The TTC is racing to upgrade Bathurst streetcar power and switches so frequent streetcar service (target ~every 5 minutes) can carry FIFA World Cup crowds to Exhibition Place this summer.

Peel police laid nearly 200 charges in a Mississauga break-and-enter probe, arrested two youths and seized over $50,000 in stolen goods after 35+ incidents from Nov. 2025–Jan. 2026.

Peel police are searching for 24‑year‑old church youth director Christopher Brito De Araujo, wanted on multiple sexual-assault-related charges who fled to Brazil on Feb. 2.

A Toronto man was arrested Feb. 9 and charged with first-degree murder in a May 11, 2024 Brampton shooting that left a victim dead; the case had a Canada-wide warrant.

Halton police say a 24‑year‑old man, Omer Niaz Muhammad, died after a targeted shooting in Burlington Centre Mall parking lot on Feb. 9; investigators seek witnesses and dashcam footage.

Police warn a pro‑Iran rally planned for Feb. 14 along Yonge St. from Steeles to North York Blvd may exceed 200,000 people — expect major road closures, TTC detours and severe traffic between 11 a.m.–6 p.m.

Mayor Olivia Chow says Toronto’s police chief must "earn trust back" after arrests of seven serving officers in an organized‑crime probe; the city ordered a provincewide policing review.

Ontario will end its tuition freeze this September, allowing 2% annual fee increases for three years and boosting post‑secondary funding by $6.4 billion over four years to create 70,000 new places.

The Financial Accountability Officer warns Ontario is not currently on a path to balance, projecting deficits in the billions through 2029–30 as revenue growth slows.

Premier Doug Ford dropped his threat to ban Crown Royal after a $23‑million agreement with Diageo that promises new investments across Ontario but doesn’t save about 200 Amherstburg jobs.

PM Mark Carney says he had a "positive" call with U.S. President Trump after Trump threatened to block opening of the Gordie Howe bridge; Canada says the bridge is jointly owned and on track to open.

Ontario Power Generation signed an agreement with Port Hope to explore building a new large reactor that could power up to 10 million homes and create about 1,700 local jobs.

OPP and Six Nations police investigation led to seizure of 25,000+ kg of contraband tobacco and 1,360+ lb of illicit cannabis; eight people face 48 charges linked to an alleged non‑Indigenous manufacturing network.

A year after the Delta Air Lines runway crash at Pearson (Feb. 17, 2025), the TSB is in the examination/analysis phase — checking wreckage, recorders and weather before drafting a final report.

Raptors update: Jakob Poeltl returned from a 24‑game absence but Toronto lost 113–95 to Detroit on Feb. 11; Brandon Ingram was later named an NBA all‑star replacement for Steph Curry.

Hilary Duff announced The Lucky Me World Tour with a Toronto stop at RBC Amphitheatre on Aug. 12, 2026 — nine Canadian cities are on her schedule.

Frank Stronach’s Toronto sexual‑assault trial continues as a complainant testified she felt "terrified" by alleged incidents from the early 1980s; Stronach pleads not guilty to multiple charges.

Parents are urging Ontario to create a mandatory standard of care for students with Type 1 diabetes after field‑trip and staffing gaps left children at risk; the Ministry of Education is reviewing policy.

New report: auto thefts fell 18% in Canada in 2025 to about 47,000, but roughly 41% of stolen vehicles weren’t recovered in Ontario/Quebec — insurers paid an estimated $900 million.

Guelph police remind families that old phones can still call 911 after one unregistered device dialed emergency services 129 times in one evening; advice: remove batteries or disable phones before giving to kids.

Toys “R” Us Canada won creditor‑protection relief until May to pursue store liquidations and a sale process; 22 stores remain while the company owes at least $120 million to vendors.

A 13‑year‑old was seriously injured when clothing got caught in a chairlift at a Wakefield, Que. ski hill on Feb. 11; she was taken to CHEO and the incident is under investigation.

Truck driver Sukhwinder Sidhu pleaded guilty to dangerous‑driving charges in the 2023 crash that killed Olympian Alexandra Paul and injured her child; the collision occurred in Aug. 2023.

Recipe pick: a simple Valentine’s Pavlova with lemon curd, berries and chocolate — quick to make and perfect for Feb. 14 dessert plans.