Peel Regional Police and the U.S. Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms Bureau say they plan to announce arrests on Wednesday in the theft of roughly $20 million in gold and nearly $2 million US in cash from Toronto’s Pearson International Airport.

The announcement, to be made at 8:30 a.m. ET in Brampton, will come exactly one year after the incident.

CBC News will carry the announcement live.

In a news advisory, the law enforcement services said they would reveal “details and arrests made concerning the theft of gold and cash from Pearson International Airport” as part of Project 24K, a joint-task investigation into the high-value theft.

Peel Police Chief Nishan Duraiappah, Det-Sgt. Mike Mavity and Eric DeGree, special agent in charge of the Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms Bureau, are scheduled to speak.

Police have said little about the case in the last 12 months.

In response to recent questions from CBC News, police have said investigators are “working around the clock in order to locate, arrest and charge those responsible for this crime.”

Brink’s suing Air Canada over theft

Brink’s, a Miami-based security company, meanwhile, is suing Air Canada for allegedly letting a thief walk into an Air Canada facility at the airport and walk out with the gold bars and cash.

In an email on Tuesday, Brink’s spokesperson Kaye Faris said: “We were alerted of the news of the announcement today, as well, and look forward to learning more from the Peel Police Department at their news conference tomorrow.”

According to court documents obtained by CBC News, on April 14, 2023, Brink’s was commissioned by two Swiss banks — Raiffeisen and Valcambi — to move more than 400 kilograms of gold, and $1,945,843 in US bills, from Zurich to Toronto.

At the time, the value of the gold was just over 13.2 million Swiss francs, or almost $20 million Canadian at current exchange rates.

The cargo was loaded on to flight AC881, which departed Zurich at 1:25 p.m. local time on April 17 and arrived safely at Pearson at 3:56 p.m., without incident.

The two cargo shipments — emblazoned with the words BANKNOTES and GOLDBARS — were offloaded from the plane about 20 minutes later and deposited at an Air Canada storage facility about an hour and a half after that.

That’s when things went awry, the lawsuit alleges.

“At approximately 18:32,” Brink’s alleges in the documents, “an unidentified individual gained access to AC’s cargo storage facilities. No security protocols or features were in place to monitor, restrict or otherwise regulate the unidentified individual’s access to the facilities.”

The unnamed individual handed over a waybill to Air Canada personnel. A waybill is a document that has all the details of the cargo including instructions as to what it contains and where it should go.

Brink’s says the waybill was a copy of one tied to an unrelated shipment. Brink’s says the airline took the waybill “without verifying its authenticity in any way.”

“Upon receipt of the fraudulent waybill, AC personnel released the shipments to the unidentified individual, following which the unidentified individual absconded with the cargo.”

Brink’s says Air Canada handled the cargo “negligently and carelessly” and was “reckless” for failing to follow through on appropriate security measures, despite charging higher shipping rates for its “secure service.” It says the airline failed to provide “storing facilities equipped with effective vaults and cages, constant CCTV surveillance and active human surveillance patrols.”

Brink’s says it reached out to Air Canada on April 27, 2023 to let the airline know it was demanding a full reimbursement of the costs it has sustained. Brink’s is pursuing the matter in Federal Court.

Air Canada has rejected allegations

In a Nov. 8, 2023 statement of defence, Air Canada rejected “each and every allegation” in the Brink’s suit, saying it fulfilled its carriage contracts and denying any improper or “careless” conduct.

The country’s largest airline says that Brink’s failed to note the value of the haul on the waybill — a document typically issued by a carrier with details of the shipment — and that if Brink’s did suffer losses, a multilateral treaty known as the Montreal Convention would cap Air Canada’s liability.

“Brink’s Switzerland Ltd. elected for its own reasons not to declare a value for carriage and to pay the standard rate for the AC Secure services product and, to Air Canada’s knowledge, elected not to insure these shipments,” the Air Canada filing reads, adding that Brink’s was “fully aware of the consequences.”

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The city of Ottawa will be hosting the Ironman Canada Triathlon in 2025.

It will be the first full-distance Ironman event to be held in Ottawa. The event is scheduled to take place Aug. 3, 2025.

“We are thrilled to announce this new partnership with Ottawa and bring Ironman Canada-Ottawa, one of our most historic race franchises, to the Canadian capital,” said Ironman VP of North American operations Keats McGonigal in a news release. “Ottawa offers the quintessential Canadian race environment with a plethora of outdoor activities, great weather and a mosaic of culture all nestled at the very seat of government. Ironman Canada has played a prominent role in the history of Ironman and will continue with the expansion to Ottawa. We are enthusiastic and excited to see what futures hold here in Ottawa, Ontario.”

The triathlon will begin at Britannia Beach, with a 3.8-kilometre two-loop swim in the Ottawa River.

Ironman Ottawa Swim Course (Ironman Canada/supplied)

From there, the 180-km bike portion will run along NCC and city roads, including the Kichi Zibi Mikan, the Queen Elizabeth Driveway, Laurier Avenue, Nicholas Street, Sussex Drive, and the Sir George-Étienne Cartier Parkway. Roads will be closed to traffic for the event.

Finally, the marathon run will begin at Parliament Hill, run along Wellington Street before looping to head south on Colonel By Drive alongside the Rideau Canal to Hog’s Back and then back up the Queen Elizabeth Driveway to Parliament Hill.

“I am thrilled to welcome the Ironman Canada competition to Ottawa,” said Ottawa Mayor Mark Sutcliffe. “I love this city and so will you. There are so many triathletes in Ottawa. And it’s an absolutely stunning and beautiful place to swim, bike and run. It’s also the perfect location for outdoor adventures and world class events, especially an event as prestigious as Ironman Canada. Ottawa is a great place for this amazing competition. Everyone from athletes to families, friends and fans will have an amazing race experience here. I look forward to seeing everyone here in August 2025.”

General registration opens April 22 on the Ironman website. The Ironman Canada-Ottawa triathlon, part of the VinFast Ironman North America Series, will offer qualifying slots to the 2026 VinFast Ironman World Championship.

“This event showcases the resilience and determination of athletes from far and wide, leaving a legacy of excellence in our city,” said Ottawa Tourism president and CEO Michael Crockatt. “We’re confident about this partnership and believe this will significantly contribute to our local economy, grow our sports tourism market, inspire our community, and further showcase our ability to host world-class events. Ottawa’s scenic landscapes and vibrant communities are ready to welcome participants and spectators alike for an unforgettable experience.”

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Turn by turn directions

Bike course

• Head southeast on Greenview Ave
• Turn left onto Carling Ave
• Take the ramp onto Kichi Zibi Mikan East
• Stay on parkway until it turns into Wellington St
• Turn Right onto Lyon St
• Turn Left onto Laurier Ave W
• Take Ramp onto Queen Elizabeth Driveway and head south
• Turn Right onto Queen Elizabeth Pl towards Wilton Crescent and Bank St
• Turn Right onto Wilton Crescent
• Turn Right onto Bank St
• Turn Right onto Echo Dr
• Turn Right onto Colonel By Dr and head north
• Colonel By Dr ends and becomes Sussex Dr – Continue North on Sussex Dr
• Sussex Dr continues along the Ottawa River and turns into Princess Ave
• Princess Ave becomes Sir-George-Étienne-Cartier Pkwy
• Stay on Sir-George-Étienne-Cartier Pkwy until it ends at Regional Rd 48/St Joseph Blvd where you will U-Turn prior to the intersection.
• Stay on Sir-George-Étienne-Cartier Pkwy west until its Princess Ave, and then Sussex Dr again into Ottawa
• Right onto Wellington St
• Continue on Wellington St until it turns back into Kichi Zibi Mikan West
• Stay on Kichi Zibi Mikan until the yet to be determined exact turn around point approx. near Deschênes Rapids Lookout and begin your second or final loop.
• Repeat these steps above until you return to our transition area for the final time and dismount.

Exact transition area is still being determined and right now it shows on Wellington St. This remains to be determined but it will be in and around this general area within 800 meters.

Ironman Ottawa bike course (Ironman Canada/supplied)

Run course

• Head west on Wellington St
• Use the Wellington St Underpass to access Commissioner St
• Turn left onto Commissioner St
• Right onto Wellington St
• Right on Colonel By Dr- Stay on Colonel By Dr all the way down to Hogs Back Rd
• Turn around just before Hogs Back Rd and head North
• Turn Right onto the ramp up to Bronson Ave
• Turn Left onto Bronson Ave
• Turn Left onto Lakeview Terrace
• Turn Right onto Queen Elizabeth Driveway
• Queen Elizabeth Driveway turns into Prince of Wales Dr
• Turn around at Prince of Wales Dr and NCC Scenic Driveway (exact turn around will be adjusted here to make the exact distance and may be before or after the roundabout)
• Head North on Prince of Wales Dr
• Prince of Wales Dr turns into Queen Elizabeth Driveway
• Stay on Queen Elizabeth Driveway until Hawthorne Ave
• Turn right onto Hawthorne Ave
• Turn left onto Colonel By Dr
• Turn left onto Wellington St
• Continue on Wellington until turn around to start second loop
• Follow steps above to complete second loop
• Finish line is currently planned on the beautiful and historic Wellington St.

Athletes will notice the bike, run and finish are all planned for Wellington St. Ironman has different versions of the plan still being vetted out and will have updates as it completes those discussions.

Ironman Ottawa Run Course (Ironman Canada/supplied)

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The former mayor of a township just outside Cornwall, Ont. — who resigned six months after he was charged with sexual assault and child luring in 2021 — died last month.

According to an online obituary, Frank Prevost died of cancer on March 9. He was 56.

In the summer of 2021, Ontario Provincial Police accused Prevost, then 53 and the mayor of South Glengarry, of sexually assaulting a man over several years, as well as three counts of child luring stemming from an undercover police operation.

He was convicted of the sexual assault charge in 2023 and had been in the process of appealing.

The child luring charges were still winding their way through court at the time of his death.

Prevost was also charged in February 2022 with violating a condition of his release order. He had been ordered not to use the internet or similar communication services to access unlawful content, social media, dating sites, chat rooms or forums.

Trials had been scheduled for both outstanding matters, according to court records, but Prevost’s health had been deteriorating.

They “could not proceed because he was unable to attend court or participate in a trial,” his lawyer Mark Ertel said in an email.

All outstanding charges against Prevost were withdrawn at the request of the Crown on April 4.

Prevost’s death was first reported by Cornwall Newswatch.

Notice to abandon appeal

In July 2023, Ontario Court Justice Diane Lahaie found Prevost guilty of sexual assaulting someone between 2018 and 2021 in Stormont, Dundas and Glengarry, according to court records.

In November, Prevost was sentenced to four years in prison, his name was added to the sexual offender registry, and he was ordered to submit his DNA, among other orders.

He and his lawyer launched an appeal that same month. On Nov. 8, the court granted Prevost bail pending a hearing on the matter.

Prevost died before the hearing could take place, the court confirmed.

A notice to abandon the appeal has been submitted and is being processed, a spokesperson for the court wrote in an email Monday.

After the first charges were announced, Prevost took an unpaid six-month leave of absence as mayor of South Glengarry and was removed as warden of the United Counties of Stormont, Dundas and Glengarry.

He announced his resignation after those six months passed.

Lyle Warden was promoted from deputy mayor to interim mayor. Current South Glengarry Mayor Lachlan McDonald was elected in 2022.

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