Evening Wrap for Saturday, September 26, 2026 — tap play above to listen with slides and subtitles, or read the day's stories below. Here's what happened.
A helicopter went down in a field on Montreal's South Shore Saturday, killing all four people on board. Emergency crews responded to the crash site this afternoon as investigators moved in to determine what brought the aircraft down. Authorities have not yet released the identities of the victims. The Transportation Safety Board's findings on the cause will be the focus in the days ahead, and we'll bring you updates as more details are confirmed.
With three and a half weeks to go before Alberta's October 19 referendum, a new Ipsos poll finds 70 percent of Albertans want the province to remain in Canada. The ballot question asks voters whether the province should hold a formal vote on staying in — or leaving — Canada. A separate poll suggests support for separatism is actually slipping as the date approaches. Together, the numbers point to a province whose constitutional future is far from the foregone conclusion separatists hoped for.
Ottawa is sending its sweeping major-projects legislation to committee for line-by-line study. The 243-page omnibus bill would fast-track development projects and give the government new tools to avert labour disruptions — machinery last used in the Harper era. Labour groups are pushing back: the Federation of Labour warns the Building Canada Strong Act could undermine workers' rights, and unions say the anti-strike provisions would reach as far as Nunavut's hamlet, housing and municipal workers. The committee review will shape how much of the bill survives contact with Parliament.
A public fundraiser has topped $750,000 for Jeff Smith, the Belleville police officer shot while confronting a gunman outside a synagogue last weekend. Smith sustained gunshot wounds to his head and torso after the shooter opened fire, shouting antisemitic threats. Police say the suspect had the means to carry out a mass-casualty event — and that Officer Smith's actions prevented one. The synagogue congregation returned to prayer this week, declaring that one shooter isn't going to stop them.
Washington has rejected Tehran's proposal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz. Iran submitted a seven-day roadmap, relayed through Qatar, offering to reopen the strait and resume nuclear talks within a week if the U.S. agreed. President Trump turned it down — and according to the Wall Street Journal, expects renewed bombing after the U.S. midterms. The strait carries a huge share of the world's oil, which is why every escalation there ripples into energy prices Canadians pay at the pump.
Bombardier is in advanced talks with Sweden's Saab to build GlobalEye surveillance aircraft in Canada, the company's CEO says. It follows Ottawa's preliminary agreement to buy six of the radar-equipped jets for the Royal Canadian Air Force. A Canadian production line would anchor high-value aerospace work at home and deepen the country's defence industrial base. Negotiations between Ottawa and Saab are already advancing in parallel.
Maple Leaf Beat Audio · 2026-09-26 · evening · Narrated edition, compiled from CTV News, Global News, CBC News, National Post, Al Jazeera and The Globe and Mail.
