Ottawa Daily Digest — March 21, 2026

Big night in the Battle of Ontario: the Ottawa Senators beat the Toronto Maple Leafs 5-2 (published March 21, 2026), moving Ottawa to 36-24-9 while Toronto fell to 29-29-13. Anthony Stolarz was injured in warm-ups so Joseph Woll started and faced a heavy attack (Woll stopped 39 shots); John Tavares scored his 519th career goal. This means Ottawa’s strong net-front play and forecheck did the damage (Toronto had only five shots in the second), and both clubs head out on the road next: Senators to New York (Monday), Leafs to Boston (Tuesday).

A sister still searching two years later: Taron Stepanyan, 40, vanished from near Chichester Place on Dec. 23, 2023, and Toronto police upgraded the case to a homicide in January. His sister Tatev traveled from Armenia to press for answers, saying Taron was a devoted father who wouldn’t cut contact; there have been no arrests and the family is desperate for closure. In other words, it’s a painful, ongoing investigation with no clear leads yet.

Arrest in north-end Toronto homicide: police say 60-year-old Sheng Long Wang was charged with second-degree murder after Xian Wei Shao, 60, was found dead inside a home near Threadneedle Crescent and Cresthaven Drive on March 11, 2026 (call came in at about 1:32 p.m.). Wang is due at the Toronto Regional Bail Centre on Finch Avenue West on Saturday at 10 a.m., and this is the city’s fourth homicide of the year. Police continue to ask anyone with information to come forward.

Watchdog warns on Ontario transparency changes: the province plans to rewrite access-to-information rules to retroactively exclude records from the premier, cabinet ministers and their staff — a move Information and Privacy Commissioner Patricia Kosseim says will make Ontario "more secret and less secure." The government (Minister Stephen Crawford and Premier Doug Ford) calls it an update to decades-old law, but Kosseim warns excluding — not exempting — political records removes oversight and privacy protections for calls, texts and personal devices. That means sensitive records could be harder to track and protect when officials leave office, not better.

Woll aiming to finish strong for the Leafs: Toronto goalie Joseph Woll has been steady as the club falters, making 32 saves in a 4-3 OT loss to Carolina and sitting at 14-13-5 on the season while the Leafs are 29-28-13. Woll has gone 1-3-1 in his last five starts with a .914 save percentage, and teammates like John Tavares and coach Craig Berube praise his preparation as he tries to build momentum. Young call-up Benoit-Olivier Groulx (3 goals, 2 assists in the NHL this season) is also making the most of his chance.