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Toronto 18 ringleader no longer shows signs of extremism, granted full parole: board
Toronto 18 ringleader granted full parole
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Spencer Colby
One of the ringleaders of the thwarted Toronto 18 terror plot has been granted full parole after the Parole Board of Canada found he no longer showed "any signs of holding onto extremist beliefs or radical ideologies."
Zakaria Amara, who helped recruit members for a group that aimed to storm Parliament Hill and bomb several locations around Toronto, has been on day parole with multiple conditions for four years, and the board upgraded his release after reviewing his case last week.
In a written decision issued Friday, the two-member panel says Amara, 41, undertook a process to deradicalize while incarcerated and has used his day parole "for its intended rehabilitative purpose," demonstrating "positive change, both in attitude and in behaviour."
It says he was closely supervised while on day parole and his internet use, friendships and relationships were monitored, with no reported safety concerns or breaches.
The decision, which includes several redactions, says Amara now plans to live in his own home and continue to structure his time around his full-time job, attending a mosque, seeing his family and "appropriate leisure activities."
He is barred from communicating with anyone involved in criminal activity, including any of the others arrested in the June 2006 anti-terrorist raids, or come into contact with anyone with extremist ideologies, except in his work as a consultant with a specialized program.
He must also continue to participate in counselling and be subject to financial monitoring as well as restrictions on his phone and internet use.
The board's decision comes two decades after the dismantling of the homegrown plot that shocked the country and shifted public discourse around terrorism.
Amara and an accomplice recruited people for a group based on jihadist ideologies, planning to carry out terrorist acts to demand the withdrawal of Canadian troops from Afghanistan.
The group eventually splintered in two, with Amara taking the helm of a plot focused on building truck bombs targeting the Canadian Security Intelligence Services headquarters, the Toronto Stock Exchange building, and a military base.
He was arrested on the day bomb-making materials were delivered to a warehouse.
Amara pleaded guilty to participating in a terror group with the intention of causing an explosion or explosions that were likely to cause serious bodily harm or death, and was sentenced to life in prison with no chance of parole for 10 years. He challenged the sentence but it was upheld on appeal.
The parole board document said his "problematic and extremist ideologies and attitudes" remained during his first few years behind bars, which also included several incidents of misconduct.
His ideology "began to shift" in 2014 and he was eventually transferred to a medium-security institution in 2019, where correctional officers reported he was "respectful, polite and quiet," the board said.
Amara was granted day parole for three months in 2022 and it was extended several times.
"During the latter part of your federal custody and for the past four years in the community, you have undertaken a process to distance yourself from extremist ideologies and others who share the same views," the board wrote.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 16, 2026.
By Paola Loriggio | Copyright 2026, The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.
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Fact File: Elections Alberta has measures to prevent voter fraud in referendum
Fact File: Alberta rules guard against voter fraud
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jeff McIntosh
An online user claimed on social media that Alberta residents who are not Canadian citizens can falsely declare their citizenship at polling stations and vote in the Oct. 19 referendum. The user questioned Elections Alberta's verification process and raised the spectre of a surge of ineligible voters changing the outcome of an election. Elections Alberta said it checks applicants' information against the province's voter list, adding that lying about citizenship is an offence. One expert noted the voter list contains citizenship status pulled from a national database.
THE CLAIM
In an Oct 6 post on X, which had received about 19,000 views as of Oct. 15, the user claims the province's election rules allow non-Canadian Alberta residents who have an accepted ID with their name and address to make a false citizenship declaration and vote.
"Officials do not require a passport, birth certificate, citizenship card, or other proof of citizenship at the polling station," the user said. "Yes, it's illegal for a non-citizen to vote. But, it's possible."
The user questioned how Elections Alberta checks an applicant's citizenship status, adding that the office simply takes their declarations at "face value" and puts them into the provincial voter registry system. The user questioned whether the province's current system could allow "a significant number" of ineligible voters to change the outcome of an election.
THE FACTS
Albertans will vote Oct. 19 in a referendum that asks a total of 10 questions covering immigration and Canada's Constitution. The central question facing voters is whether the province should remain in Canada or begin the process to hold a binding referendum on separation.
Eligible voters must be Canadian citizens, residents of Alberta and at least 18 years old. An Elections Alberta spokesperson said the office has a series of measures in place to protect against voter fraud.
She said by email that anybody who arrives at a polling station without first registering to vote needs to provide accepted ID, such as a driver's licence, and sign a declaration confirming their Canadian citizenship. The declaration is a legal document not an "honour system," she said, and lying on it is an offence under the provincial Election Act.
According to Elections Alberta website, anybody found trying to vote illegally face possible fines of up to $50,000 and possible jail terms of up to two years.
The spokesperson said that the office records the applicant's information to guard against the same person voting twice, and any potential breaches are provided to the province's election commissioner. She added that scrutineers are also presence to monitor voting.
Lori Williams, an associate professor of political science at Mount Royal University in Calgary, said Alberta's voter registry system tends to contain the voters' citizenship status, derived from their tax return forms filed to the federal government.
"The voters list emerges from things like our tax returns, and of course, Canada Revenue Agency knows that we're citizens, so some verification can be done within the Elections Alberta system," she said.
According to a Government of Canada website, Canadians can consent to the revenue agency sharing their personal information used on their filed tax return forms with Elections Canada to update their status in the government's National Register of Electors.
In the tax return form, applicants are asked if they are a Canadian citizen and if they consent to their personal information, including their citizenship status, being shared with Elections Canada to update its National Register of Electors. Provincial or territorial electoral offices can pull their residents' personal information from the national register to update their own voter registries.
Elections Alberta says there is no evidence that ineligible voters are a growing problem. It has issued a total seven letters of reprimand for voter fraud since 2015, four to people found to be ineligible and three to people found to have voted more than once.
Williams said it is theoretically possible that a non-citizen could try to vote, but Elections Alberta has an effective system and laws in place to deter anybody from trying to do so.
"If you do test it and disclose it that you've tested it, you're liable to fine and/or imprisonment," she said. "This is a significant deterrent to anybody tempted to test whether the system works."
One of the 10 questions being asked in the referendum is whether the province should require individuals "to provide proof of citizenship, such as a passport, birth certificate or citizenship card, to vote in an Alberta provincial election."
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 16, 2026.
By Timon Johnson | Copyright 2026, The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.
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Air Canada and United look to renew joint venture deal for Canada-U.S. flights
Air Canada and United look to renew joint venture
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck
Air Canada says it has signed a deal to renew and expand its joint venture agreement with United Airlines for flights between Canada and the United States.
The Montreal-based airline says the partnership continues to deliver meaningful results for its customers and communities.
The airline has submitted the amended and restated agreement to Transport Canada for approval.
Transport Canada says the two airlines have operated under the arrangement, which allows them to work together on certain routes, since 2022.
Air Canada made the announcement as it released several new routes for flights to the U.S. that will begin next summer.
The airline says it will launch new service between Toronto and Louisville, Montreal and Indianapolis, and Edmonton and Newark. It will also increase capacity between Edmonton and San Francisco.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 16, 2026.
Companies in this story: (TSX:AC)
Copyright 2026, The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.
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People Are Roasting The New Apple Mac Pro Made In Austin
So apparently Apple is listening to the fans by giving us what we want. They are releasing a newly, re-designed Mac Pro right out of Austin, and it's super exciting. Austin, Texas is a huge tech hub now, so to have bragging rights on an Apple product is even cooler. But while many would simply nod their heads to this news and move on, others want a say in this. Reddit users have taken to their platform to give their two cents on what they want Texans to contribute, and it's making for some hilarious reactions.
Texas is a pretty easy state to make fun of. Even people who live here find jokes about one of the most prideful states in the world hilarious. That, or they make them themselves. Reddit is probably one of the greatest platforms to roast anything going viral at the moment. So when news broke yesterday that the new Mac Pro would be manufactured in Austin, Reddit users wasted no time.
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BBQ and bullets are just two of the notable mentions in the comments on one particular thread. After the iPhone 11 underwent scrutiny for the way the cameras looked, you'd think the Mac Pro would be getting made fun of for it's appearance as well. But no, the fact that it's being made in Texas is funny all on its own.
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The company is making big moves with this decision, and we can't wait to see what they continue to come out with. For now, scrolling through Reddit and even other social media platforms where jokes about Texas can be found is the move. What's that Spongebob episode again?
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