Torontonians seeking relief from the heat this weekend have a wide choice of city beaches at which to swim. Eight beaches are flying the blue flag this summer.

The temperature is forecast to reach a high of 26 degrees Celsius Saturday and a sticky 31C Sunday. See the full forecast here.

This summer will mark the first year Bluffer’s Beach ranks among the city’s blue flag beaches — a designation handed out by Environmental Defence indicating a beach is safe to swim at.

The other blue flag local beaches include: Kew-Balmy Beach, Woodbine Beach, Cherry Beach, Ward’s Island Beach, Centre Island Beach, Gibraltar Point Beach and Hanlan’s Point Beach.

Marie Curtis Park Beach, Rouge Beach and Sunnyside Beach have not received the blue flag designation.

City officials take daily water samples at beaches every day between June and the end of August. The samples are tested for E. coli and if the levels exceed the provincial standard, Toronto Public Health posts warning signs.

View Toronto’s blue flag beaches in a larger map

Police said a mother and her three children, who were reported missing last week, have turned up safe.

Jacqeline Davis and her three kids hadn’t been seen since Aug. 27, after leaving on a road trip for Calgary. Police issued an appeal Sunday for tips on the family’s whereabouts.

Police said Monday that the family had been located in good health.

Authorities are respecting the family’s request for privacy and aren’t saying where the mother and three kids were found.

The Ontario Provincial Police are investigating a fatal crash in the Hunstville area.

Officers say the vehicle rolled on Highway 11 in Port Sydney around 6:30 p.m. on Sunday, killing one man and leaving three people injured.

James Colyer, 62, was killed in crash. Colyer, the driver of the SUV, allegedly rolled off the ramp just north of Highway 141 and came to rest in the centre median.

Two of the injured people are in critical condition and the third is in serious condition at Toronto’s Sunnybrook hospital.

The man accused in the fatal Eaton Centre shooting is now facing new charges, Toronto Police said Wednesday.

Christopher Husbands, 23, has been charged with two counts of first-degree murder after a second victim, 22-year-old Nixon Nirmalendran, died in hospital on Monday.

Husbands, wearing a hooded sweatshirt that covered his face, appeared in court on Wednesday afternoon to set a date for a bail hearing. His hearing was set for Aug. 25 and Husbands agreed to remain in custody until then. The judge agreed to a publication ban for the bail hearing.

Husbands surrendered June 4 and was charged with first-degree murder in the death of Ahmed Hassan, 24.  He was also charged with six counts of attempted murder. One of those charges has now been upgraded to first-degree murder following Nirmalendran’s death. Husbands has also been charged with criminal negligence causing bodily harm.

Police believe both Hassan and Nirmalendran were the intended targets and were together at the time.

Husbands, and both victims, have been tied to a gang out of Regent Park called the Sic Thugs.

Despite their gang connections, police say the shooting stemmed from a personal dispute and wasn’t gang-motivated.  

Husbands was under house arrest for sexual assault when he allegedly opened fire. He will appear in court on those charges on June 25.

Six other people were injured during the shooting, including a 13-year-old boy who was shot in the head and a pregnant woman who was trampled in the chaos. The boy, who underwent neurosurgery June 4 at Toronto’s Hospital for Sick Children, was released Monday and is expected to recover.  

The man charged with first-degree murder in the fatal Eaton Centre shooting was scheduled to appear in court on a previous sexual assault charge on Monday.

Christopher Husbands, 23, was under house arrest for the alleged sexual assault when he allegedly opened fire in the mall’s food court on June 2.  

Ahmed Hassan, 24, and Nixon Nirmalendran, 22, were killed and five others were wounded.

“At the time of the shooting he was charged and on house arrest conditions not to be outside of his residence,” Det.-Sgt. Brian Borg, the lead investigator in the Eaton Centre case, said earlier this month.

He was charged with the sex assault in November 2010. The sex assault and the shooting are not connected. 

Husbands will appear in court on the Eaton Centre shooting charges on Aug. 25.

He is facing two counts of first-degree murder, five counts of attempted murder and criminal negligence causing bodily harm.

Husbands agreed to remain in custody until then. The judge agreed to a publication ban for the bail hearing.

A missing nine-year-old boy has been found safe, Toronto police confirm.

Iymen Omer was found around 12:30 a.m. on Saturday at the Scarborough Town Centre, hours after he went missing.

He was last seen Friday around 5 p.m. in the Milner Avenue and McCowan Road area of Scarborough.

It’s not yet known how he went missing.

The head of the International Monetary Fund says measures taken to protect Canada’s economy should be a model for countries trying to fix their financial systems.

Christine Lagarde said Thursday that Canada has been a leader in creating policies intended to rein in the build-up of household debt.

“Abroad, Canada is identified by its values of co-ordination and consensus building, which have given your country influence beyond its years,” she said.

“Building a safe and stable financial system is in the best interests of the global community, but it also serves the self-interest of nations,” she added.

Lagarde made the comments at a dinner held in Toronto by the Canada International Council — an organization created to promote Canada’s position on the world market.

She pointed to the decision by Finance Minister Jim Flaherty to boost down payments on new mortgages for homebuyers as an example of restraint that others should follow.

“All of these new reforms comprise the tools so far that will help us shape the future financial system,” she said.

“We must shape the system so it cannot again hold us ransom to the consequences of its failings.”

Lagarde’s speech focused on global financial reforms that while “heading in the right direction,” still haven’t delivered the safer financial system they were designed to create.

“Some financial systems are still under distress and crisis-fighting efforts are inadvertently impeding reforms,” Legarde said.

She singled out Basel III requirements as one of the financial reforms that had “generous implementation timetables,” that have been in development since 2010.

Under the proposed Basel III rules, a bank’s required capital levels must meet certain requirements, amongst other standards. The intention of the rules is to set a standard on key measures of a bank’s health and its ability to endure future economic downturns.

“There are many vested interests working against change and pushback is intensifying,” Legarde said.

“It is interesting how some banks say the new regulations will be too burdensome, but then spend hundreds of millions of dollars lobbying to kill them.”

Canadian banks have been proactive in reinforcing their balance sheets to meet the Basel III requirements ahead of schedule, and are widely considered a model for international banks because they weathered the global recession better than others.

“Most countries have committed to adopt some or all of the new regulations, and some have moved further ahead with their own national policies,” Lagarde said.

“The challenge now is to proceed to the end of the reform path all together.”

Toronto Public Health has released a report suggesting the city should create supervised safe injection sites for drug users.

The report says research from Vancouver, Australia and Europe shows that safe injection sites are effective in addressing public health issues associated with drug addiction.

About 75,000 drug users in Toronto currently have access to needle exchange services.

The public health agency said Tuesday a new pilot project would integrate safe injection services into existing health services.

Safe injection sites encourage drug users to inject with sterile needles, reducing the risk of disease transmission.

The city’s Board of Health will consider the report on July 10.

Dr. Douglas Sinclair, executive vice president and chief medical officer of St. Michael’s Hospital, said in a letter the hospital supports the report, noting that injection sites are safer for drug users and others.

“St. Michael’s Hospital would like to support the recommendations contained in the Board of Health report regarding Supervised Injection Services,” he wrote Tuesday.

“St. Michael’s has experienced success in adopting harm reduction principles as one aspect of our programs. Research completed locally and internationally has indicated that SIS contributes to a safer environment for all residents, reduces transmission of blood-borne illness, increases usage of other addiction services and is an efficient use of financial and human resources, an important consideration during this time of fiscal constraint.”

What do you think? Weigh in below.

Torontonians seeking relief from the heat this weekend have a wide choice of city beaches at which to swim. Eight beaches are flying the blue flag this summer.

The temperature is forecast to reach a high of 26 degrees Celsius Saturday and a sticky 31C Sunday. See the full forecast here.

This summer will mark the first year Bluffer’s Beach ranks among the city’s blue flag beaches — a designation handed out by Environmental Defence indicating a beach is safe to swim at.

The other blue flag local beaches include: Kew-Balmy Beach, Woodbine Beach, Cherry Beach, Ward’s Island Beach, Centre Island Beach, Gibraltar Point Beach and Hanlan’s Point Beach.

Marie Curtis Park Beach, Rouge Beach and Sunnyside Beach have not received the blue flag designation.

City officials take daily water samples at beaches every day between June and the end of August. The samples are tested for E. coli and if the levels exceed the provincial standard, Toronto Public Health posts warning signs.

View Toronto’s blue flag beaches in a larger map

Police said a mother and her three children, who were reported missing last week, have turned up safe.

Jacqeline Davis and her three kids hadn’t been seen since Aug. 27, after leaving on a road trip for Calgary. Police issued an appeal Sunday for tips on the family’s whereabouts.

Police said Monday that the family had been located in good health.

Authorities are respecting the family’s request for privacy and aren’t saying where the mother and three kids were found.

The Ontario Provincial Police are investigating a fatal crash in the Hunstville area.

Officers say the vehicle rolled on Highway 11 in Port Sydney around 6:30 p.m. on Sunday, killing one man and leaving three people injured.

James Colyer, 62, was killed in crash. Colyer, the driver of the SUV, allegedly rolled off the ramp just north of Highway 141 and came to rest in the centre median.

Two of the injured people are in critical condition and the third is in serious condition at Toronto’s Sunnybrook hospital.

The man accused in the fatal Eaton Centre shooting is now facing new charges, Toronto Police said Wednesday.

Christopher Husbands, 23, has been charged with two counts of first-degree murder after a second victim, 22-year-old Nixon Nirmalendran, died in hospital on Monday.

Husbands, wearing a hooded sweatshirt that covered his face, appeared in court on Wednesday afternoon to set a date for a bail hearing. His hearing was set for Aug. 25 and Husbands agreed to remain in custody until then. The judge agreed to a publication ban for the bail hearing.

Husbands surrendered June 4 and was charged with first-degree murder in the death of Ahmed Hassan, 24.  He was also charged with six counts of attempted murder. One of those charges has now been upgraded to first-degree murder following Nirmalendran’s death. Husbands has also been charged with criminal negligence causing bodily harm.

Police believe both Hassan and Nirmalendran were the intended targets and were together at the time.

Husbands, and both victims, have been tied to a gang out of Regent Park called the Sic Thugs.

Despite their gang connections, police say the shooting stemmed from a personal dispute and wasn’t gang-motivated.  

Husbands was under house arrest for sexual assault when he allegedly opened fire. He will appear in court on those charges on June 25.

Six other people were injured during the shooting, including a 13-year-old boy who was shot in the head and a pregnant woman who was trampled in the chaos. The boy, who underwent neurosurgery June 4 at Toronto’s Hospital for Sick Children, was released Monday and is expected to recover.  

The man charged with first-degree murder in the fatal Eaton Centre shooting was scheduled to appear in court on a previous sexual assault charge on Monday.

Christopher Husbands, 23, was under house arrest for the alleged sexual assault when he allegedly opened fire in the mall’s food court on June 2.  

Ahmed Hassan, 24, and Nixon Nirmalendran, 22, were killed and five others were wounded.

“At the time of the shooting he was charged and on house arrest conditions not to be outside of his residence,” Det.-Sgt. Brian Borg, the lead investigator in the Eaton Centre case, said earlier this month.

He was charged with the sex assault in November 2010. The sex assault and the shooting are not connected. 

Husbands will appear in court on the Eaton Centre shooting charges on Aug. 25.

He is facing two counts of first-degree murder, five counts of attempted murder and criminal negligence causing bodily harm.

Husbands agreed to remain in custody until then. The judge agreed to a publication ban for the bail hearing.

A missing nine-year-old boy has been found safe, Toronto police confirm.

Iymen Omer was found around 12:30 a.m. on Saturday at the Scarborough Town Centre, hours after he went missing.

He was last seen Friday around 5 p.m. in the Milner Avenue and McCowan Road area of Scarborough.

It’s not yet known how he went missing.

The head of the International Monetary Fund says measures taken to protect Canada’s economy should be a model for countries trying to fix their financial systems.

Christine Lagarde said Thursday that Canada has been a leader in creating policies intended to rein in the build-up of household debt.

“Abroad, Canada is identified by its values of co-ordination and consensus building, which have given your country influence beyond its years,” she said.

“Building a safe and stable financial system is in the best interests of the global community, but it also serves the self-interest of nations,” she added.

Lagarde made the comments at a dinner held in Toronto by the Canada International Council — an organization created to promote Canada’s position on the world market.

She pointed to the decision by Finance Minister Jim Flaherty to boost down payments on new mortgages for homebuyers as an example of restraint that others should follow.

“All of these new reforms comprise the tools so far that will help us shape the future financial system,” she said.

“We must shape the system so it cannot again hold us ransom to the consequences of its failings.”

Lagarde’s speech focused on global financial reforms that while “heading in the right direction,” still haven’t delivered the safer financial system they were designed to create.

“Some financial systems are still under distress and crisis-fighting efforts are inadvertently impeding reforms,” Legarde said.

She singled out Basel III requirements as one of the financial reforms that had “generous implementation timetables,” that have been in development since 2010.

Under the proposed Basel III rules, a bank’s required capital levels must meet certain requirements, amongst other standards. The intention of the rules is to set a standard on key measures of a bank’s health and its ability to endure future economic downturns.

“There are many vested interests working against change and pushback is intensifying,” Legarde said.

“It is interesting how some banks say the new regulations will be too burdensome, but then spend hundreds of millions of dollars lobbying to kill them.”

Canadian banks have been proactive in reinforcing their balance sheets to meet the Basel III requirements ahead of schedule, and are widely considered a model for international banks because they weathered the global recession better than others.

“Most countries have committed to adopt some or all of the new regulations, and some have moved further ahead with their own national policies,” Lagarde said.

“The challenge now is to proceed to the end of the reform path all together.”

Toronto Public Health has released a report suggesting the city should create supervised safe injection sites for drug users.

The report says research from Vancouver, Australia and Europe shows that safe injection sites are effective in addressing public health issues associated with drug addiction.

About 75,000 drug users in Toronto currently have access to needle exchange services.

The public health agency said Tuesday a new pilot project would integrate safe injection services into existing health services.

Safe injection sites encourage drug users to inject with sterile needles, reducing the risk of disease transmission.

The city’s Board of Health will consider the report on July 10.

Dr. Douglas Sinclair, executive vice president and chief medical officer of St. Michael’s Hospital, said in a letter the hospital supports the report, noting that injection sites are safer for drug users and others.

“St. Michael’s Hospital would like to support the recommendations contained in the Board of Health report regarding Supervised Injection Services,” he wrote Tuesday.

“St. Michael’s has experienced success in adopting harm reduction principles as one aspect of our programs. Research completed locally and internationally has indicated that SIS contributes to a safer environment for all residents, reduces transmission of blood-borne illness, increases usage of other addiction services and is an efficient use of financial and human resources, an important consideration during this time of fiscal constraint.”

What do you think? Weigh in below.

Torontonians seeking relief from the heat this weekend have a wide choice of city beaches at which to swim. Eight beaches are flying the blue flag this summer.

The temperature is forecast to reach a high of 26 degrees Celsius Saturday and a sticky 31C Sunday. See the full forecast here.

This summer will mark the first year Bluffer’s Beach ranks among the city’s blue flag beaches — a designation handed out by Environmental Defence indicating a beach is safe to swim at.

The other blue flag local beaches include: Kew-Balmy Beach, Woodbine Beach, Cherry Beach, Ward’s Island Beach, Centre Island Beach, Gibraltar Point Beach and Hanlan’s Point Beach.

Marie Curtis Park Beach, Rouge Beach and Sunnyside Beach have not received the blue flag designation.

City officials take daily water samples at beaches every day between June and the end of August. The samples are tested for E. coli and if the levels exceed the provincial standard, Toronto Public Health posts warning signs.

View Toronto’s blue flag beaches in a larger map

Police said a mother and her three children, who were reported missing last week, have turned up safe.

Jacqeline Davis and her three kids hadn’t been seen since Aug. 27, after leaving on a road trip for Calgary. Police issued an appeal Sunday for tips on the family’s whereabouts.

Police said Monday that the family had been located in good health.

Authorities are respecting the family’s request for privacy and aren’t saying where the mother and three kids were found.

The Ontario Provincial Police are investigating a fatal crash in the Hunstville area.

Officers say the vehicle rolled on Highway 11 in Port Sydney around 6:30 p.m. on Sunday, killing one man and leaving three people injured.

James Colyer, 62, was killed in crash. Colyer, the driver of the SUV, allegedly rolled off the ramp just north of Highway 141 and came to rest in the centre median.

Two of the injured people are in critical condition and the third is in serious condition at Toronto’s Sunnybrook hospital.

The man accused in the fatal Eaton Centre shooting is now facing new charges, Toronto Police said Wednesday.

Christopher Husbands, 23, has been charged with two counts of first-degree murder after a second victim, 22-year-old Nixon Nirmalendran, died in hospital on Monday.

Husbands, wearing a hooded sweatshirt that covered his face, appeared in court on Wednesday afternoon to set a date for a bail hearing. His hearing was set for Aug. 25 and Husbands agreed to remain in custody until then. The judge agreed to a publication ban for the bail hearing.

Husbands surrendered June 4 and was charged with first-degree murder in the death of Ahmed Hassan, 24.  He was also charged with six counts of attempted murder. One of those charges has now been upgraded to first-degree murder following Nirmalendran’s death. Husbands has also been charged with criminal negligence causing bodily harm.

Police believe both Hassan and Nirmalendran were the intended targets and were together at the time.

Husbands, and both victims, have been tied to a gang out of Regent Park called the Sic Thugs.

Despite their gang connections, police say the shooting stemmed from a personal dispute and wasn’t gang-motivated.  

Husbands was under house arrest for sexual assault when he allegedly opened fire. He will appear in court on those charges on June 25.

Six other people were injured during the shooting, including a 13-year-old boy who was shot in the head and a pregnant woman who was trampled in the chaos. The boy, who underwent neurosurgery June 4 at Toronto’s Hospital for Sick Children, was released Monday and is expected to recover.