Toronto Daily Digest — March 11, 2026

Tough talk on school boards: Education Minister Paul Calandra says eight Ontario school boards — covering some 750,000+ students and almost 40% of the province’s student population — will stay under provincial supervision “for years” if needed, and he won’t return control until he’s confident they’re well-run. This has unions and advocates nervous (David Maston, David Lepofsky) and Premier Doug Ford hasn’t yet signed off on sweeping changes to trusteeship.

Officer charged after special victims probe: Peel Regional Police say 39-year-old Toronto officer Farhan Ali was arrested and charged with three counts of assault, three counts of sexual assault and four counts of mischief; he was off duty when the alleged incidents occurred and is now suspended with pay. The case is before the courts and comes months after controversy over a Toronto Police podcast episode that featured a speaker with the same name.

Investigators felt limited in Stronach probe: Peel police told the trial of Frank Stronach they were constrained by time and missing evidence when looking into sexual-assault allegations dating from the 1970s–1990s; Stronach has pleaded not guilty to 12 charges, though five charges were later dropped. Officers acknowledged they didn’t pursue some records (employment, housing, border entries) that defence suggested could have helped verify or disprove complainants’ accounts.

Leafs slump after Olympics: Since the Milan–Cortina break the Toronto Maple Leafs are 0-6-2, including a 3-1 loss in Montreal, and bettors’ trends and parlay stories made headlines — plus the Raptors went 1-2 last week. The report (published March 11, 2026) also notes Canada split its first two World Baseball Classic games (8-2 win over Colombia, 4-3 loss to Panama) and some big Proline parlay wins were recorded.

Coaches: be real in pre-game speeches: NHL coaches like Mike Sullivan, Craig Berube and Sheldon Keefe stress authenticity — short, clear and matched to the room — rather than overblown motivational lines, and players notice when a speech is genuine. The story also flags how brutal the 2025–26 Eastern Conference has been, with Tampa Bay’s Jon Cooper calling it “as tough a conference as I’ve ever seen.”

$750 supply accounts for elementary teachers: Starting in September, Ontario will give elementary teachers a $750 annual spending account via a new Supply Ontario website to buy classroom supplies; the plan is estimated to cost about $66 million a year. Teacher unions welcomed the money but warned it doesn’t fix chronic underfunding and suggested the move could be politically timed ahead of contract talks.

More e-bikes and docks for Bike Share Toronto: After 7.8 million rides in 2025 and $17.1M revenue, Bike Share plans to add 200 e-bikes, 750 regular bikes, 350 electric docks and 1,250 solar docks as it targets 8.6 million rides in 2026 — though only 20% of the fleet is electric now. The Toronto Parking Authority says electrification is driving demand and is planning a $41.7M five-year push for e-bikes, charging points and station densification.

Four-year-old dies after suspected balcony fall: Peel Regional Police say a four-year-old was found outside an apartment near City Centre Drive and Duke of York Blvd in Mississauga after a possible balcony fall; responders arrived just after 4:30 p.m. Monday and the child later died in hospital. The investigation is sensitive and ongoing; police are asking anyone with information to come forward.

Freezing rain threat for eastern Ontario, Quebec: Environment Canada warned of 10–40 mm of freezing rain (orange warnings) for Ottawa, Gatineau, Montreal and Quebec City, with power outages, fallen limbs and travel impacts possible; Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean could see 30–40 cm of snow and ice pellets. Meteorologists urge caution as a clipper may also bring 2–5 cm of snow to parts of southern Ontario and saturated ground raises flood risk in some areas.

How a ransomware attack scrambled a home-care agency: A ransomware breach of vendor Ontario Medical Supply likely began in mid-March and activated April 13, 2025, compromising roughly 200,000 home-care patient records and leaving Ontario Health atHome scrambling for weeks to learn who was affected. The vendor reportedly paid a ransom, disclosure was delayed until late June 2025 by MPP Adil Shamji, and officials still lack a detailed breakdown or the ransom amount.

Leafs skid reaches eight games after loss in Montreal: Toronto fell 3-1 to the Canadiens, extending its winless streak to eight games and dropping the Leafs to 27-27-11 — 13 points out of a playoff spot — while Auston Matthews has now gone 12 games without a goal. Coach Craig Berube said the team has “snippets” of strong play but needs more consistent effort and depth to stop the slide.