Toronto Daily Digest — March 3, 2026

Big game energy: The New York Knicks beat the Toronto Raptors 111-95 on March 3, 2026, powered by Jalen Brunson (26 points, 10 assists) and Karl-Anthony Towns (21 points, 13 rebounds). New York shot 46-for-82 (56.1%) and its bench outscored Toronto’s reserves 26-8, while the Raptors were outrebounded 44-28; RJ Barrett (Mississauga) had 20 and Brandon Ingram led all scorers with 31.

Sports worlds collide: Vince Carter and Tracy McGrady — who bought a 20% stake in the Buffalo Bills in December 2024 — hosted a “Bills Night” at the Raptors–Knicks game to cross-pollinate NFL and NBA fans. Bills players (DeWayne Carter, Landon Jackson, Michael Hoecht) were introduced and combo Raptors–Bills T-shirts were handed out as the cousins talked about growing fan appreciation and fun.

Election update: Former mayor John Tory says he will not run in Toronto’s October 2026 municipal election, clearing space for a likely contest between Olivia Chow and Coun. Brad Bradford. Tory cited protecting his family and avoiding renewed personal attacks as key reasons, though he said he may consider endorsing someone during the race.

Alarming attack on a place of worship: Police are investigating a targeted shooting at Temple Emanu-El in North York after shots were reported around 10:50 p.m. on Monday; the building was damaged but no one was injured. Toronto’s guns-and-gangs unit is working with hate-crimes investigators and Deputy Chief Robert Johnson called the incident “alarming,” with updates to follow as the probe continues.

Big-plan tease: Premier Doug Ford hinted a brand-new, “world-class” convention centre — about two million square feet and costing “a few billion dollars” — could be sited near Ontario Place/Exhibition Place. Ford slammed the Metro Toronto Convention Centre as past its life (MTCC has 442,000 sq. ft. and auditor notes it lost 20 international conventions), and promised no casino in the new plan.

Court drama continues: In Frank Stronach’s Toronto sexual-assault trial, defence lawyer Leora Shemesh suggested one complainant’s encounter was consensual, a claim the woman strongly denied while describing an alleged assault from around 1980–83. Stronach, 93 and founder of Magna International, faces multiple charges (originally 12) though prosecutors have dropped or are withdrawing some counts; the trial is ongoing.

Linked homicides: Toronto and York regional police say two targeted shootings — the Jan. 26 killing of 65-year-old Sergio Lopes in Vaughan and the Feb. 7 slaying of 37-year-old Chandan Kumar Raja Nandakumar at Woodbine Shopping Centre — share the same suspect. Authorities want two 19-year-olds, Isaiah Thomas Badger (Edmonton) and Jacob Wallace (Mississauga), on first-degree murder and arson charges and ask the public to call 911 if they see them.

$25 million to fight homelessness: The Slaight Family Foundation is donating $25 million to launch the Slaight Family Housing Lab with St. Michael’s Hospital’s MAP Centre and United Way Greater Toronto to use a housing-first, evidence-based approach. The project aims to house about 300 people over five years and provide long-term wraparound supports amid a social-housing waitlist of over 100,000 names in 2025.

FIFA countdown: Toronto’s first World Cup match is 100 days away — June 12 at 3 p.m. at Exhibition Place — with the opponent to be decided in late-March qualifiers (Wales, Bosnia & Herzegovina or Northern Ireland). Ontario pledged $97 million (federal ~$100M, city $170M+), the city expects at least a 10% bump in downtown traffic and plans major transit upgrades (Bathurst streetcar to run ~every five minutes) ahead of games through July 2.

Leafs fighting spirit: The Toronto Maple Leafs extended their winless run to four games with a 3-2 shootout loss to Philadelphia, earning one point but falling seven points out of a playoff spot with 21 regular-season games left. Dakota Joshua (29) scored after returning from a two-month layoff with a lacerated kidney, Auston Matthews has an eight-game goal drought, and coach Craig Berube shuffled lines as the team heads into games at New Jersey and New York this week.