This year, Toronto has seen many major events that happened in the city that became headlines on Globalnews.ca/Toronto and thousands of people came online to learn about those stories.

The Toronto van attack, the Danforth shooting and the Ontario provincial election are among some of the top stories on Global News Toronto.

10. Ice storm ravages southern Ontario, over 40,000 left without power

An unseasonal ice storm that hit southern Ontario in April left tens of thousands of people without electricity. Over the course of the weekend there were over 1,400 highway crashes, provincial police said, and people were urged to stay off the roads.

9. Mom chases down teen son after he steals her BMW, spanks him with belt

The ninth most popular video on Global News.ca/Toronto was a story that happened in Texas.

Thirteen-year-old Aaron Martinez was publicly reprimanded after he stole his mother’s brand new BMW.

After taking the car, Martinez was quickly chased and pulled over by his mother who then spanked him at the side of the road.

VIDEO: A mom in El Paso, Texas, has gone viral since she chased down her 13-year-old son with a belt after he took her BMW to drive to his girlfriend’s house.

“Pull over now!” she yells while honking the horn.

“Give me the belt,” she said.

The mom approaches the car, swings open the driver’s side door and begins to spank the teen with the belt; the daughter is heard laughing while she records the punishment.

8. Toronto gunman had ‘severe mental health challenges,’ according to family

After the devastating shooting along Danforth Avenue that left two people dead and 13 others injured, the parents of the shooter, 29-year-old Faisal Hussain, came forward saying their son had suffered from “severe mental health challenges.”

“We are at a terrible loss for words but we must speak out to express our deepest condolences to the families who are now suffering on account of our son’s horrific actions,” Hussain’s family said in a statement.

“We are utterly devastated by the incomprehensible news that our son was responsible for the senseless violence and loss of life that took place on the Danforth.”

Following an exchange of gunfire with two police officers, Hussain’s body was found nearby.

The Special Investigations Unit is investigating the death of the alleged killer.

7. Man charged with attempted murder after a five-year-old boy in Brampton found near train tracks

In July, after a five-year-old boy was found with life-threatening injuries near train tracks in Brampton, Peel Regional Police laid attempted murder charges against a 28-year-old man.

Twenty-eight-year-old Dyon Smart, whom neighbours identified to Global News as the boyfriend of the child’s mother, was arrested and charged with attempted murder, aggravated assault, failure to comply with recognizance and breach of a probation order.

6. Ontario’s startling election in eight before-and-after maps

The 2018 provincial election had made headlines all over the country after several scandals happened prior to election day.

Ontario’s provincial election was also the first where detailed poll-level data was made available on election night, as opposed to a week or two afterward and National Online Journalist, Patrick Cain, created a series of maps that helped tell the stories of the Ontario election.

5. Dad invites child’s bullies to her funeral: ‘Witness the complete devastation you have created’

A heart-breaking story out of Australia garnered international attention.

Following the suicide of 14-year-old child model Amy (Dolly) Everett, her father, Tick Everett, invited those who bullied his daughter to her funeral.

The father did not provide details on the bullying his daughter faced but added that recent events have shown him exactly how social media shouldn’t be used.

4.‘Potentially historic’ ice storm arrives in southern Ontario; closures, crashes reported

The fourth most popular story on Globalnews.ca/Toronto goes back to the spring storm that caused havoc on Ontario roads.

Prior to the storm, Environment Canada issued warnings for the GTA and across southern Ontario.

3. Woman, 18, girl, 10, killed in mass shooting in Toronto’s Danforth

The deaths of 18-year-old Reese Fallon and 10-year-old Julianna Kozis gripped residents of Toronto. The two were killed in a brazen shooting along Danforth Avenue in the summer.

Thirteen others were injured in the shooting.

2. Alek Minassian is suspected driver in Toronto van attack that killed 10, injured 14

One of the most horrific tragedies to hit Toronto in 2018 was the Yonge Street van attack that killed 10 people and injured 16 others.

The incident happened at approximately 2:30 p.m. on April 23.

A white rental van hit a number of pedestrians while driving south on Yonge Street.

1. Ontario election results 2018: Poll-by-poll riding vote map

The 2018 Ontario provincial election was the top story for Globalnews.ca/Toronto in 2018.

The campaign leading up to election day was plagued with drama. From the stunning unravelling of former PC leader Patrick Brown to Doug Ford’s being named the new leader of the PC party, people from all over Canada were engaged with the developments.

Ontario voters elected a Doug Ford-led PC majority government. Andrea Horwath’s New Democrats formed the official opposition, while Kathleen Wynne’s Liberals lost official party status.

— With files from Stewart Bell, Adam Frisk, Jessica Patton, David Shum, Nick Westoll, Patrick Cain, Maham Abedi, Rahul Kalvapalle

Source: Read Full Article