Toronto Morning: What you need to know today

TORONTO – Cell service for Rogers Communications consumers was restored late Wednesday evening after five hours of being down across Canada.

Both voice and text were not working for many customers, as reports of outages poured in from across the country around 6:30 pm ET. The problems also plagued Rogers’ alternative brands Fido and Chatr.

Service was restored shortly before midnight. The telecom company says the cause of the outage is under investigation.

Here’s what else you need to know.

WEATHER

Mainly sunny. High 20. UV index 4 or moderate.

A few clouds tonight with a low of 9.

More on current weather conditions and a 7-day forecast. 

TRAFFIC AND TRANSIT

Roads: All westbound lanes of Highway 403 at Aberdeen Avenue in Hamilton are closed following a crash. OPP say delays are expected to last most of the morning.

Click for the latest Toronto traffic.

Mass Transit: Click for TTC and GO Transit Updates.

SPORTS

Raptors:

The Toronto Raptors dropped a 101-89 pre-season decision to the Minnesota Timberwolves in Wednesday night’s pre-season game at the Air Canada Centre.

Major League Baseball Playoffs:

The St. Louis Cardinals have advanced to the National League Championship Series for the third straight year. Adam Wainwright went the distance on the mound, David Freese and Matt Adams hit two-run homers and the Cardinals beat the Pittsburgh Pirates 6-1. St. Louis will face the Los Angeles Dodgers in the N-L title series.

Upcoming games today:

Tigers vs. Athletics at 8:07 PM (ET) (Series tied 2-2)

Maple Leafs:

The Toronto Maple Leafs look to bounce back from their first loss of the season as they face-off against the Predators in Nashville tonight.

Joffery Lupul’s status for the game is unclear. The winger suffered an injury to his leg against the Avalanche on Tuesday.

The puck drops at 8:00 p.m. ET.

IN THE NEWS…

Decorated Canadian author Alice Munro has won the Nobel Prize for literature. The 82-year-old becomes the 110th Nobel laureate in literature and the first Canadian-based writer to secure the honour.

Halton Regional Police are asking for the public’s help identifying a suspect wanted in connection to two sexual assaults near Sheridan College in Oakville.

Libya’s state news agency says kidnapped Prime Minister Ali Zidan has been freed. Zidan was snatched by gunmen before dawn Thursday from a Tripoli hotel where he resides.

A number of patients needed to be removed from the Etobicoke General Hospital after a fire broke out overnight. Fire officials described it as a minor fire and said that the sprinklers took care of most of it.

Canadians eagerly collect credit-card rewards but it seems don’t put much thought into the program they’re actually earning points with. At least, that’s according to new survey results that show most of us stick with our bank’s program rather than shop around.

Documents show the Toronto Police Services Board has in possession a Cessna 206H used for intelligence-gathering.

ALSO COMING UP TODAY…

Deb Matthews, Minister of Health and Long-Term Care, will make an important announcement about steps the government will be taking to enhance patient care and pharmacy safety. (9:30 a.m., Queen’s Park)

Ontario Environmental Commissioner Gord Miller holds a news conference to discuss his 2013/14 annual report. (10 a.m., Queen’s Park)

Councillors will vote to appoint a new representative for Ward 3 Etobicoke Centre at Toronto City Hall Thursday.

Public Service Alliance of Canada unionized Canada Border Services Agency workers hold a demonstration, having been without a contract for two years. (12 p.m. at Toronto’s Pearson International, Terminal One)

Green Party Leader Elizabeth May holds a town hall meeting as part of her Save Democracy from Politics Tour. (7 p.m. at The Debates Room, Hart House, University of Toronto, 7 Hart House Circle)

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