First West Nile Case, Afrofest Cancelled & York Med School Funding — Toronto Thursday

🚨 Crime & Public Safety

1. Arrest in 2006 Scarborough homicide after genetic genealogy lead. Police arrested 43-year-old Pierre O’Connor of Hamilton on Wednesday and charged him with first-degree murder in the Sept. 17, 2006, killing of 21-year-old Patrick Santos; investigators used DNA and genealogy leads to link evidence from the scene to O’Connor.
2. Man who killed Toronto officer in 1994 denied parole for fourth time. Clinton Gayle was denied parole after a nearly six-hour hearing at Mission Institution; board members said despite a low re-offence risk he still “lacks insight” into the June 16, 1994, killing of Const. Todd Baylis.
3. Convicted killer Craig Munro’s parole revoked after arrest in Victoria. Munro, convicted in the 1980 murder of Const. Michael Sweet, was arrested while on parole in Victoria and remains in custody pending revocation proceedings, Victoria police confirmed.
4. OPP probe nets fentanyl, cocaine and 19,450 opioid tablets across Toronto and Curve Lake. Investigators seized about 610 g suspected fentanyl, 415 g suspected cocaine, 19,450 suspected opioid tablets, roughly $67,000 cash and a shotgun after arrests and search warrants tied to May drug-trafficking probes.

🏛️ Government & Politics

1. City offers free island-ferry tickets for kids and seniors this August. Mayor Olivia Chow tabled the surprise motion Thursday to thank Torontonians after Ottawa rejected the province’s Billy Bishop Airport expansion, and the free tickets target children and seniors for the month of August.
2. Ontario pledges $55.8M to York University’s new medical school. The investment funds planning and operations for a school focused on family medicine, which will open in 2028 with initial seats of 80 undergrad and 102 postgrad positions and plans to grow to 240 undergrad and 293 postgrad seats.
3. Toronto confirms first human West Nile case of 2026. Toronto Public Health reported an adult resident tested positive Thursday after mosquito pools tested positive in Toronto and nearby regions; health officials reiterated symptoms typically appear two to 14 days after a bite.
4. Afrofest 2026 cancelled after Woodbine Park capacity cut to 5,000. Organizers said the City reduced park capacity from 17,000 to 5,000 and slow permit responses left insufficient time to re-site or safely manage thousands of expected attendees.

🚑 Breaking & Incidents

1. SIU probes death after man fell from Mississauga condo while officers on scene. Peel Regional Police attended a Kingsbridge Garden Circle unit about 10 a.m. Wednesday; the 35-year-old was taken to hospital and later died, and the Special Investigations Unit assigned three investigators and one forensic investigator.
2. Three taken to hospital after pre-dawn multi-vehicle crash near Hwy. 400 ramp. OPP were called just before 3 a.m. Thursday to a three-vehicle collision; paramedics transported one person with serious non-life-threatening injuries and two with minor injuries, and ramps briefly closed until just before 9 a.m.

📰 Also Today

• Todd Warriner named interim head coach at University of Windsor women’s hockey.
• King City man won $10M Lotto Max in May, initially thought it was $10,000.
• Two children struck by vehicle in North York after 4 p.m.; one had serious injuries.
• Ontario says 80 wildfires extinguished in past two weeks; 159 still burning.
• Premier Ford met Rogers CEO Tony Staffieri at his Etobicoke home on March 29.
• WestJet flight attendants’ union served a 72-hour strike notice.
• Rogers Stadium to emphasize sustainability amid pressure on Canada’s live music industry.
• One dead after collision between e-scooter and vehicle near Tommy Thompson Park.
• Residents push for moratorium on city data centres over environmental concerns.
• Toronto council demands Ford government return land taken for Billy Bishop expansion.
• Woman missing from Shambhala festival tried calling sister before disappearance, family says.