5 Things You Need To Know For October 8, 2026

October 8, 2026 5:55 am Published by Chris McLeod

_{October 8th is the 281st day of the year. There are 84 days remaining until the end of the year.}

Online voting opens this morning for Chatham-Kent’s municipal election.

Starting at 10 a.m., residents can cast their ballot online through CKElection.ca. Online voting runs until 4 p.m. October 16th. You’ll need the Elector ID from your voter card, along with an email address. If you don’t have internet or a computer, municipal libraries will also offer access during the voting period.

There are also advance in-person voting opportunities beginning next week.

Election Day is October 26, from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. With ward boundaries changing, officials are also reminding voters to double-check their voting location.

Chatham-Kent Hospice is getting a boost from a longtime health-care worker who knows firsthand the importance of end-of-life care.

Willi Kirenko spent more than 45 years as a registered nurse and nurse practitioner, including nine years providing hospice care. Now, as a hospice resident battling cancer, Kirenko and her husband Nestor are matching donations to the hospice foundation, dollar-for-dollar, up to $100,000. That means every donation made during the campaign will have double the impact, helping provide comfort and support to local patients and their families.

People can donate to Willi’s cause by visiting the Chatham-Kent Hospice Foundation’s website. On the first day of the campaign, approximately $25,000 was donated.

Backstreet’s back — and they’re really back, adding even more shows to their Toronto stay next year.

The Backstreet Boys have added three more dates to their “Into the Millennium – Homecoming” residency at Rogers Centre, thanks to strong ticket demand.

The group will take over the Rogers Centre on February 12, 13, 14 as well as 19, 20, and 21 – with the two Sunday dates added earlier this week due to soaring demand. Another three shows were added yesterday for the following weekend on February 26, 27 and 28.

The “Into the Millennium – Homecoming” residency is the Backstreet Boys’ only North American stadium shows in 2027, with tickets for the new dates going on sale Friday.

This would be a great way to start the long Thanksgiving Weekend: Lotto Max is $80 million for Friday’s draw.

Friday night’s draw also has 14 Maxmillions prizes worth a million dollars each. There are also 80 Maxplus prizes of 100-thousand dollars. That puts more than 100 million dollars in top prizes up for grabs after there was no winning ticket for Tuesday night’s top prize.

Draws are held Tuesdays and Fridays.

The Weather Network has released their early Winter Sneak Peak and Southwestern Ontario could be in for a winter that feels more like a long fall — at least to start.

The 2026-27 winter is driven by a strong El Niño that’s expected to peak around the start of the season. For Chatham-Kent and much of Southwestern Ontario, that could mean fewer prolonged cold spells and more rain or messy precipitation around the freezing mark. But it won’t mean a snow-free winter. Forecasters say sharp Arctic blasts and significant storms can still happen, particularly later in January and February.