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‘Pay attention’: Why Southern Ontario is the tornado hotspot of Canada

Summer in Ontario may bring with it warm weather, but last week’s Lucan tornado is a reminder that it’s also tornado season.
Since the start of the year, two tornadoes have touched down in Ontario, one in Lucan on June 30 and the second less than an hour away in Woodstock on May 16.
Dave Sills, director of the Northern Tornado Project at the University of Western Ontario, says Ontario is the leading province for tornadoes per year.
“It’s these summer months — June, July, August — that’s the peak for tornado activity right across Canada, but certainly in southern Ontario, this is the time where you really have to pay attention because tornadoes can happen with all of these storms that we get in this area,” Sills said.
The Northern Tornado Project has been operating since 2017, tracking and assessing tornadoes across Canada.
There were no injuries reported in the recent Lucan tornado, according to the NTP, which rated the twister as an EF0 tornado with wind speeds reaching as high as 110 kilometres per hour.
Lucan, Ont. tornado on June 30, 2025.
Photo by Dr. David Sills/Northern Tornadoes Project,
Lucan is a small village located about a 30-minute drive north of London and is part of the larger Lucan-Biddulph township.

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This is the second tornado of the year in Ontario, with the first occurring just down the road near Woodstock on May 16.
Both are located in what is considered a tornado hot spot, in the southern part of the province.
Tornadoes are rated using the Enhanced Fujita (EF) scale, which ranges from EF0 to EF5, with EF5 being the most intense.
In Canada, the aim is to give people at least a 10-minute warning before a tornado hits so they can seek shelter in time.
Every year, the NTP rates Canada’s warning preparedness with a report card. Its most recent report card for 2023 to 2024 gave an overall rating of 60.7 per cent.
While the goal for the organization is for Canada to be at 100 per cent, Sills said this is a noticeable increase from years past, with 2019 to 2021 scoring a failing grade of 37.5 per cent.
The most recent report card from the organization found that in 80 per cent of cases, it was able to issue tornado watches at least six hours before, and tornado warnings were issued 10 minutes before one struck 60 per cent of the time.
Tornado warnings are issued by Environment Canada through the Alert Ready system, which pushes notifications to all cellphones in the area and has the ability to take over radio and TV signals.
“There were still some people in the Lucan event that said they’d never got a warning on their phone. It still seems to be somewhat dependent on the network they’re on and the kind of phone they have and these kinds of things,” Sills said. “Obviously there’s still some kinks in the system that need to be ironed out, but this has come so far from 10 to 20 years ago.”
Sills says while radar is used to track when a tornado can occur, Environment Canada also needs people to report a tornado when they see it forming in order to alert the wider community.
Pointing to the Lucan tornado, Sills said it turned out a lot of people saw the storm, took pictures and video, but did not report to Environment Canada.
“Unless people contact Environment Canada about what they’re seeing, as they’re seeing it, they really have a hard time reacting quickly to a tornado kind of situation,” he said.
People can report a tornado by calling Environment Canada, emailing ONstorm@ec.gc.ca or using the #ONstorm on X.
Regardless, Sills warns people who see a tornado or receive an alert to act fast.
“If a tornado warning is issued, that means that a tornado was either occurring or Doppler radar is showing that it’s imminent, so that means you should get to shelter as soon as possible,” Sills said.
To stay safe from a tornado, it’s recommended people stay away from windows and doors to avoid debris flying through the air and when possible, seek shelter in a basement.
“A lot of times we get people sending us videos of them using their cellphone camera to record a tornado coming straight at them with debris in the air, so this is not recommended,” Sills warns.
“Take it seriously.”
— with files from Global News’ Kevin Nielsen
© 2025 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.
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Kirk plays hero, steals first base in Jays’ win

TORONTO – Alejandro Kirk’s late-game heroics resulted in three deafening ovations from the 42,260 inside the Rogers Centre on Friday.
The first roar arrived in the seventh inning when the Toronto Blue Jays catcher smacked an opposite-field two-run homer to right.
The next inning, the sellout crowd cheered as Kirk delivered a bases-loaded single to left field to score the game-tying and game-winning runs.
But the most thunderous praise from the faithful came when Kirk caught the Texas Rangers by surprise and stole his first career base.
“I didn’t know what was going on,” Kirk said through an interpreter after the 6-5 win. “Then I turned around and saw myself (standing at second base) on the scoreboard.”
The Blue Jays celebrated along with their low-key teammate’s first stolen base. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. pulled the base out of the ground and presented Kirk with the keepsake.
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Kirk stated the memento will soon be on display in his home. He also admitted he was surprised when first-base coach Mark Budzinski told him to steal second.

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“I looked around and said, ‘Are you serious?’” Kirk said.
Budzinski was serious. Kirk made history. He was holding on to the base during his post-game interview.
“The fact that he was holding it on the field post-game is even better,” Blue Jays manager John Schneider said. “I think they’re authenticating it.”
Although Toronto starter Chris Bassitt endured a difficult outing, lasting only five innings and giving up an early three-run homer, his night ended on a high note, watching his battery mate’s late-game wizardry.
“He’s catching (all-time base stealing leader) Rickey (Henderson) slowly,” Bassitt said with a smile.
Kirk hit his homer with an 0-1 count and his single with a 1-2 count.
“Kirk, the hitter, is pretty hard to face,” Bassitt said. “So I hate to say it, but I expect it from him. There are not many guys on our team that I’d rather have up than him because he can do damage with any kind of pitch.
“I’m always happy when he’s up late in big situations.”
This was the American League East-leading Blue Jays’ 39th comeback win of the season, and second in as many games after Guerrero belted a game-winning two-run homer in the seventh inning for a 2-1 win against the Chicago Cubs on Thursday.
“I think the more you do it, the more comfortable you are when you’re in that situation,” Schneider said. “It’s not luck. It’s hard to do, but like anything, the more you do it, the better you get at it.”
Springer, Bieber updates
George Springer homered in the second of three at-bats in his rehab start for triple-A Buffalo on Friday and could return to the Blue Jays lineup on Saturday.
Righty Shane Bieber pitched seven shutout innings in Buffalo, striking out four with six hits and no walks on 90 pitches.
Bieber could make his Blue Jays debut next week, likely on the road against the Miami Marlins next Friday.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 15, 2025.
© 2025 The Canadian Press
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Kirk’s heroics lift Blue Jays past Rangers 6-5

TORONTO – Alejandro Kirk followed a two-run homer in the seventh inning with a game-winning two-run single in the eighth to push the Toronto Blue Jays to a 6-5 comeback win in the series opener against the Texas Rangers on Friday.
Kirk’s single with the bases loaded allowed the Blue Jays (72-51) to overcome a three-run deficit. Before Kirk’s deciding at-bat, Texas reliever Phil Matton (2-5) walked Daulton Varsho with the bases loaded to pull the home team within two runs before 42,260 at Rogers Centre.
Kirk and Rangers infielder Marcus Semien traded two-run homers in the bottom of the seventh and top of the eighth.
Reliever Louis Varland (4-3) registered the win with Jeff Hoffman notching his 28th save.
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Jacob deGrom pitched five shutout innings, allowing only two hits with no walks and five strikeouts as the Rangers’ (61-62) losing streak was extended to three games.

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Kyle Higashioka hammered a three-run homer in the second inning.
The three-run blow was one of only four hits off Toronto starter Chris Bassitt, who lasted five innings on 100 pitches and matched a season-high four walks with four strikeouts.
Blue Jays right fielder Nathan Lukes made a pair of defensive gems early. With his back against the wall, he jumped to take an extra base hit away from Joc Pederson in the first inning.
In the second inning, Lukes fielded Evan Carter’s rocket off the wall and caught the Rangers outfielder at second.
Takeaways
Rangers: They began the day 3 1/2 games back of the final American League wild-card spot.
Blue Jays: George Springer homered in the second of his three at-bats in his rehab start for triple-A Buffalo on Friday. Shane Bieber pitched seven shutout innings in Buffalo, striking out four with six hits and no walks on 90 pitches. Springer is expected to rejoin Toronto on Saturday, and Bieber could make his Blue Jays debut next week.
Key Moment
Kirk’s bases-loaded single in the eighth inning scored the tying and go-ahead runs.
Key Stat
Bassitt still hasn’t suffered a loss at home in 2025, going 8-0 with six no decisions.
Up Next
Lefty Eric Lauer (7-2) will face Texas southpaw Patrick Corbin (6-8) in the middle outing of the three-game set on Saturday.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 15, 2025.
© 2025 The Canadian Press
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No grounds for charges against Toronto officers after teen fatally shot: SIU

The Special Investigations Unit has concluded that there “are no reasonable grounds to believe” either officer committed a criminal offence in the death of a 16-year-old boy following an exchange of gunfire with police.
In the 10 seconds from when the first shot was fired by the teen to when the gunfire ceased, more than two dozen total rounds were fired, according to the SIU report released Friday.
The April 20 incident drew widespread attention when it was learned the deceased was just 16 years old, and after video from the incident was released to the media, prompting the Toronto Police Service to launch a professional standards investigation.
The 16-year-old was shot during a traffic stop near Bathurst Street and Sheppard Avenue West at around 11 p.m. and died in hospital the following day.
According to the SIU report, a red Infiniti G35 two-door coupe was driving eastbound on Sheppard Avenue West when it was pulled over by a police officer east of Bathurst Street, next to the apartment complex at 569 Sheppard Ave. W. There were six people in the five-occupant car, including the victim, or Complainant, who was sitting in the back right of the vehicle with someone on his lap.
The SIU said the female driver told police the vehicle was not hers, but belonged to an acquaintance, and that the officer asked them to wait while he went to his cruiser to run checks on her licence. He returned and said he smelled cannabis in the vehicle and that he wanted them to step out so it could be searched. Two more officers had arrived at this time and were standing at the passenger side of the Infiniti. The driver and front passenger exited the vehicle and the female passenger on the victim’s lap exited as well, leaving three people in the back of the vehicle, the report states.

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“The Complainant subsequently moved as if he was about to exit the Infiniti when he suddenly reached to his left with his right hand before swinging his right hand to the right in the direction of the open door. He was in possession of a semi-automatic pistol, which he fired once or twice at (an officer),” the SIU said.
That officer then drew his firearm, as did the officer by the driver door. An autopsy found that the complainant died of gunshot wounds to the head.
SIU director Joseph Martino writes in his decision that when the 16-year-old began shooting at police, “the officers could only have concluded that their lives were in immediate peril and that action of some type was imperative if they were going to survive.”
However, he notes that the 14-16 rounds fired by one officer and 10 or 11 by the other “contributed to an incredibly dangerous situation,” especially considering there were two other passengers still in the vehicle, the officers were firing across from each other, and there were three others who exited the vehicle but were still nearby.
“The number of shots fired by the officers is worthy of scrutiny, but is understandable in the final analysis given the evidence that the Complainant discharged his firearm three or four more times after the officers first started to fire.”
Martino also noted that the police were not firing “indiscriminately” as the trajectory of bullets showed the gunfire was generally aimed at the complainant.
Both subject officers declined an interview with the SIU, nor did they provide notes, “as is the subject official’s legal right,” the SIU explained. Two civilian witnesses and five witness officials were interviewed as part of the investigation, which also took into account police body camera footage, in-car camera footage, surveillance video from the area and police radio communications.
Meanwhile, Toronto police said in April that five people had been charged in connection with the traffic stop: a 20-year-old man, an 18-year-old woman, two 17-year-old girls and a 16-year-old girl.
© 2025 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.
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