Ontario to ban use of cellphones in school classrooms starting in September
Ontario is introducing a suite of measures that will crack down on cellphone use and vaping in schools.
Toyota and General Motors are telling the owners of around 8,300 vehicles in Canada to stop driving them because their air bag inflators may explode.
The notice covers certain 2003 to 2004 models sold in Canada, including approximately 5,000 Toyota Corollas, 1,600 Toyota Corolla Matrixes, 700 Toyota RAV4s and 1,000 Pontiac Vibes from General Motors.
While the recall itself isn’t new, Toyota Canada spokesperson Philippe Crowe said the company is hoping to reach customers who may still be driving vehicles with the potentially dangerous issue.
"The 'stop driving' notice is being sent to owners of vehicles who have not, after many communication attempts, had the recall procedure done on their vehicle," Crowe said in an email.
In a statement to CTVNews.ca, General Motors spokesperson Bill Grotz said the automaker was voluntarily issuing the "do not drive" advisory to encourage owners to receive the urgent and free repairs.
"GM will notify owners of affected vehicles with advice to immediately visit a GM dealership for the recall repair," Grotz said by email. "The safety of our products is the highest priority for the entire GM team."
The affected vehicles are equipped with Takata airbag inflators, which use a propellant that “may degrade over time” or “after experiencing long-term exposure to fluctuating high temperatures and environmental moisture,” Toyota Canada states on its website.
“If the air bag deploys, a part inside is more likely to explode and shoot sharp metal fragments, which could cause serious injury or death to the driver or passengers,” Toyota said in a statement.
No Canadian deaths have been recorded in connection with this recall, possibly due to Canada’s lower absolute humidity.
At least 26 people have been killed in the U.S. by Takata inflators since May 2009, and at least 30 people have died worldwide. About 400 people have also been injured by the exploding inflators.
A warning was also issued Monday for the owners of around 61,000 Toyota and General Motors vehicles in the U.S., the latest in a series of notices connected to Takata airbags that stretch back a decade and involve about 100 million vehicles worldwide. A series of recalls began in 2014, when the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration ordered the company to initiate a nationwide airbag recall. Takata has since gone into bankruptcy.
Customers who believe they’re affected by the recall can check Toyota Canada and General Motors Canada's websites and enter their vehicle identification number.
If your vehicle is impacted, contact a Toyota or General Motors dealership to rectify the issue, which may include replacing the airbag inflator or the airbag assembly, free of charge. Pontiac Vibe owners can also schedule repairs at General Motors' Chevrolet, Buick, GMC or Cadillac dealerships.
Owners are being told not to drive to dealerships, which may offer options like mobile repair, towing or vehicle pickup and delivery.
With files from The Associated Press
Ontario is introducing a suite of measures that will crack down on cellphone use and vaping in schools.
Quebec will invest $603 million over five years to counter the decline of French in the province, French Language Minister Jean-Francois Roberge announced Sunday.
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency has issued a recall for a specific chocolate brand sold in Ontario and Quebec.
Raneem, 10, lives with a neurological condition and liver disease and needs Cholbam, a medication, for a longer and healthier life.
Ontario is now home to an invasive and toxic worm species that can grow up to three feet long and can be dangerous to small animals and pets.
One person has been charged with second-degree murder in connection with the death of a man who fell from a balcony following an altercation inside a Toronto apartment building.
Dozens of people raised their arms in the fascist salute and shouted a fascist chant during ceremonies Sunday to honor Italian dictator Benito Mussolini on the 79th anniversary of his execution.
Zendaya and castmates Mike Faist and Josh O’Connor have been on a globetrotting press tour to get the word out about Italian director Luca Guadagnino's original film, which opened in 3,477 locations in the U.S. and Canada.
Morgan Freeman spoke the words, but pretty much everyone who took the stage at the presentation of the AFI Life Achievement Award agreed: "Nicole Kidman. She makes movies better."
As if a 4-0 Edmonton Oilers lead in Game 1 of their playoff series with the Los Angeles Kings wasn't good enough, what was announced at Rogers Place during the next TV timeout nearly blew the roof off the downtown arena.
Mounties in Nanaimo, B.C., say two late-night revellers are lucky their allegedly drunken antics weren't reported to police after security cameras captured the men trying to steal a heavy sign from a downtown business.
A property tax bill is perplexing a small townhouse community in Fergus, Ont.
When identical twin sisters Kim and Michelle Krezonoski were invited to compete against some of the world’s most elite female runners at last week’s Boston Marathon, they were in disbelief.
The giant stone statues guarding the Lions Gate Bridge have been dressed in custom Vancouver Canucks jerseys as the NHL playoffs get underway.
A local Oilers fan is hoping to see his team cut through the postseason, so he can cut his hair.
A family from Laval, Que. is looking for answers... and their father's body. He died on vacation in Cuba and authorities sent someone else's body back to Canada.
A former educational assistant is calling attention to the rising violence in Alberta's classrooms.
The federal government says its plan to increase taxes on capital gains is aimed at wealthy Canadians to achieve “tax fairness.”