Driver charged after crashing into utility pole in Wasaga Beach causing power outage
A single-vehicle collision into a utility pole in Wasaga Beach, Ont., on Wed., May 7, 2025. (Wasaga Distribution/FB)
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Taking Porsche's new Toronto-area driver's playground for a test-drive
Speed demons and Porsche fans rejoice: the company is opening a sprawling automotive playground just east of Toronto where drivers can go wild without fear of seeing cops in the rearview mirror. Porsche Experience Centre (PEC) Toronto, the brand's 10th such centre in the world and first in Canada, will open its doors on June 18. When it does, drivers who feel the need (the need for speed) will be able to sample the company's wares, putting pedal to metal, burning rubber and drifting around on a series of purpose-built tracks, for a fee. Prices range from $140 for demo laps riding shotgun with a professional driver behind the wheel – an experience not for the faint of stomach – to 90-minute test-drives in the latest Porsche models. Prices for the latter start at $850 for the Macan SUV and climb up to $1,700 for a turn behind the wheel of the Holy-Grail 911 GT3. Alternatively, if you purchase certain Porsche models – the 911 sports car range starts at an eye-watering $160,000 – the company is kind enough to throw in a 90-minute Experience Centre session for free. While it may seem ludicrous, Porsche is charging money for test-drives – which, yes are typically free at your local dealership – bear in mind your dealership doesn't have a two-kilometre handling track that mimics famous circuits including California's Laguna Seca and Germany's Nürburgring, nor does your dealership have a drag strip or (my personal favourite) a low-grip handling track that mimics the feel of driving on ice. There's also a cadre of professional instructors who offer driving tips and help you help Porsche by keeping its cars from becoming too cozy with the guardrails. Ahead of the official opening, Porsche invited a small group of reporters and social media influencers to experience the Porsche Experience. The main building is suitably posh, albeit situated in an industrial part of Pickering, Ont. The coffee is excellent, the cars are fast and the driving instructors are very, very brave to ride shotgun with everybody. The main circuit is a thrilling rollercoaster ride and so narrow it makes overtaking on Monaco's Formula One street circuit look easy. Porsche, however, rightly points out this is not technically a racetrack. There should be no non-consensual overtaking. Winning is bringing the car back in one piece with a silly grin on your face. The whole place is like Disneyland for drivers. And, like Disneyland, Porsche's playground is meant to instill a love of the brand and sell some merchandize; not Mickey Mouse hats – although Porsche does sell hats if you want them – but expensive sports cars and luxury SUVs. Trevor Arthur, chief executive officer of Porsche Cars Canada, said the company's investment in the Experience Centre isn't just about fostering existing customer relationships, but introducing new people to the brand and seeing their smiles as they come out of the cars. 'We want to spark that dream [of Porsche ownership] right now and foster it for years to come,' he told me on a visit to the Centre in late May. For dreamers not yet old enough to drive, there's a 'Sim Lab,' a room filled with high-end racing simulators. The Experience Centre is intended to be a family-friendly space, Arthur said. If you want to hold your wedding here, they can do that too, he added. Arthur wouldn't say how many additional sales PEC Toronto will drive; emphasizing that this is a long-term play. 'It's hard to monetize it specifically, but it does have a business case,' Arthur said. 'And, I think with our intentions and plans to fill this up with corporate bookings, with retail bookings, with special events, I think over all it's a win.' Clearly Porsche's executives in Germany think so too. Since the first Experience Centre opened in England in 2008, the company has opened nine more around the world. The 11th is set to open in Singapore in 2027. Ten years ago it might have been a little harder to justify one in Toronto, but the time is right, Arthur said. Canada now ranks as a major luxury car market and a top-10 market globally for Porsche. 'Yes, it's a significant investment into the market,' Arthur said of PEC. 'But I think you have to look back historically. If you take a look at our travel experiences, our ice experiences, our track experiences, I think that's really what justifies the need for this.' The Ice Experience pop-up every winter in Quebec is consistently sold out, he said. Personally, after spending 45 minutes flinging a $200,000 Porsche 911 GTS around the handling circuit and low-grip track in a manner that would've landed me in prison (and rightly so) had I done it on regular roads, my own need for speed has been satiated, for now. Spending $1,200 to drive a 911 like some Ken Block wannabe for 90 minutes at a time might actually be a better financial decision than selling an organ or two to own a $200,000 Porsche 911 and pay for gas, tires, insurance and maintenance. Besides, even if you own one, you can't have this much fun in a sports car on the road, not even close. The Porsche Experience Centre may have cured not only my need for speed, but also my need to own a sports car. Oops.
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Motorcyclist in hospital after collision in North York
Police are on the scene of a two-vehicle collision in North York on Wednesday, June 4, 2025. (Jacob Estrin/CTV News Toronto) A motorcyclist has been taken to the hospital following a collision in North York Wednesday night. Toronto police say a motorcycle and a car collided in the area of Eglinton Avenue East and Credit Union Drive, west of Victoria Park Avenue, just before 7:30 p.m. The motorcycle rider sustained serious but non-life-threatening injuries, Toronto paramedics said. Meanwhile, the driver of the other vehicle remained at the scene. The cause of the collision is unknown.
