West Island photographer aims to build back after devastating fire
Taylor Halperin is just 22 years old, yet for more than four years, she's been a professional photographer.
"I actually studied nursing, and I started this kind of on the side for fun," Halperin told CTV News. "It turned into a passion that turned into a full-time job."
In 2021, she moved BEEhind The Lens Photography into a new home: a studio on St-Charles Boulevard in Pierrefonds-Roxboro.
Early Wednesday morning, her studio and several businesses next door caught fire.
"I didn't believe it at first. I made sure it was my address," Halperin said. "Now I'm here and I see that my door is blocked off by debris. It's burned down, lights on the ground. It's starting to sink in a bit."
She lost everything, including her camera, props and backdrops for photo shoots.
West Island photographer Taylor Halperin. (Courtesy image)
The most important items were a photo of her grandfather and the camera he gave her.
"In my studio in the back corner, I had a big picture of him framed, a picture of him with his first camera when he was 18 years old," Halperin said. "That picture was burned in the fire. Not only that, but the camera he gave me. It's kind of like losing him all over again. It's something I'll never get back."
Montreal police are investigating the cause of the fire.
A police spokesperson told CTV News firefighters they suspect it was arson because the flames spread very fast.
Despite a major setback, Halperin still has big plans for BEEhind The Lens.
"The goal is to still be a photographer," Halperin said. "The goal is to still be a studio photographer and have my own studio."
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
How many COVID-19 vaccine doses should you have by now?
Here is a summary of the current COVID-19 vaccination guidelines from NACI, for both children and adults who are at increased risk of serious illness and those who are not.
Victims identified as police reveal Nashville school shooter had drawn maps, done surveillance
The suspect in a Nashville school shooting on Monday had drawn a detailed map of the school, including potential entry points, and conducted surveillance before killing three students and three adults in the latest in a series of mass shootings in a country growing increasingly unnerved by bloodshed in schools.
From silicon to brain cells: How biology may hold the future of computers
As artificial intelligence software and advanced computers revolutionize modern technology, some researchers see a future where computer programmers leap from silicon to organic molecules.
Freeland's budget to include grocery rebate for lower income Canadians, here's what else to expect Tuesday
The 2023 federal budget will include a one-time 'grocery rebate' for Canadians with lower incomes who may be struggling with the rising cost of food, CTV News has confirmed.
Gender-affirming care bans expanding, access being cut: U.S. laws now targeting transgender adults
In some U.S. states, proponents of gender-affirming care bans have argued for the last few years that minors are too young to make these medical decisions — but in 2023, legislative attempts to limit the health-care options for transgender youth have expanded to a new age group: adults.
Getting an extra consultation before surgery might not give you a better outcome: Canadian study
A new study that looked at more than 300,000 patients found that a medical consultation prior to a routine surgery wasn’t connected to a better surgical outcome, suggesting these consultations might not be necessary.
Quebec girl, 9, dies after snow fort collapses behind residence
A nine-year-old girl has died after a snow fort collapsed in a forest behind a rural Quebec home.
Gwyneth Paltrow accuser calls Utah ski crash 'serious smack'
The man suing Gwyneth Paltrow over a 2016 skiing collision at one of the most upscale resorts in North America took the stand Monday, saying he was rammed into from behind and sent 'absolutely flying.' The trial in Utah hinges on who crashed into who.
'It's horrific': Calgary house explosion injures 10 people
The Calgary Fire Department says at least 10 people were injured in a 'sudden and devastating' explosion in the city's northeast on Monday that completely destroyed one home.
Toronto
-
Do you know who this is? Police looking to ID 'unknown' woman found in Toronto area
Police are looking for the public’s assistance in identifying an 'unknown,' non-verbal woman after she was found Monday by a concerned citizen in the Greater Toronto Area.
-
CTV News Toronto veteran Austin Delaney to retire after 34 years
After 34 years of telling Toronto's stories, CTV News Toronto veteran Austin Delaney is retiring.
-
'Terrible tragedy': Politicians speak out following fatal stabbing of teen at Toronto subway station
Politicians and advocacy groups are speaking out following the fatal stabbing of a 16-year-old boy a Toronto subway station on Saturday.
Atlantic
-
'All I want to know is where he is': Moncton-area woman pleads for help in finding missing brother
After nine days with no answers, a Moncton-area woman is asking for the public’s help in finding her missing brother, Brian Lewis.
-
Freeland's budget to include grocery rebate for lower income Canadians, here's what else to expect Tuesday
The 2023 federal budget will include a one-time 'grocery rebate' for Canadians with lower incomes who may be struggling with the rising cost of food, CTV News has confirmed.
-
'People are going to be shocked': NSLC hikes prices on beer, wine and spirits
Regular shoppers at Nova Scotia liquor stores faced significant price hikes Monday on beer, wine and spirits.
London
-
Homicide investigation in London
The victim of a suspicious death in London over the weekend has been identified and police have now deemed the incident a homicide.
-
Driver returns to scene of hit and run
A man is recovering in hospital after being hit by a vehicle in London early Monday morning.
-
Bail granted for Woodstock, Ont. daycare operator facing sexual offences
Trevor Hendershott, 37, of Woodstock has been in custody since his arrest on March 9, but on Monday after a bail hearing, he was granted bail with a number of strict conditions.
Northern Ontario
-
Evidence against Sudbury murder suspect ‘overwhelming,’ Crown tells jury
The Crown prosecutor in Sudbury made his pitch to the jury Monday afternoon in the Robert Steven Wright murder trial, arguing evidence against him is “overwhelming.”
-
Here is why the defence says Wright should be found not guilty of 1998 Sudbury murder
Closing arguments are being heard at the Sudbury courthouse Monday in the trial for the man accused of killing Renee Sweeney in 1998 with the defence saying there is plenty of reasonable doubt to support an acquittal.
-
Victims identified as police reveal Nashville school shooter had drawn maps, done surveillance
The suspect in a Nashville school shooting on Monday had drawn a detailed map of the school, including potential entry points, and conducted surveillance before killing three students and three adults in the latest in a series of mass shootings in a country growing increasingly unnerved by bloodshed in schools.
Calgary
-
'It's horrific': Calgary house explosion injures 10 people
The Calgary Fire Department says at least 10 people were injured in a 'sudden and devastating' explosion in the city's northeast on Monday that completely destroyed one home.
-
Chestermere mayor calls inspection report 'distortion of facts'
The findings of a provincial probe into the City of Chestermere's governance are being described as "fictional" by Mayor Jeff Colvin.
-
Slain Edmonton officers Jordan and Ryan remembered at procession, regimental funeral
Family and friends of two police officers who were shot and killed while responding to a family dispute gathered in downtown Edmonton Monday to say goodbye to their loved ones.
Kitchener
-
Tax return delays possible if CRA workers strike
Thousands of Canada Revenue Agency workers are threatening strike action and it could cause a delay for Canadians trying to file their 2022 taxes.
-
Threatening graffiti found in Cambridge high school washroom: Police
Waterloo regional police are investigating after they say threats were found written inside a washroom at a Cambridge high school.
-
Guelph, Ont. researchers links nitrate to heart health
Preventing heart failure and managing diabetes are the potential benefits of a new discovery by University of Guelph researchers.
Vancouver
-
Who gets the pet when a couple separates? B.C. looking at amendments to Family Law Act
New guidance is being proposed to help judges in B.C. decide what happens to a family pet when a couple separates.
-
Man arrested after crashing stolen pick-up truck in Delta, police say
A man found passed out behind the wheel of a stolen pickup truck in Delta attempted to flee after being awoken Monday, according to authorities.
-
Some chickens 'perished' after crash involving truck carrying cages on Highway 1: contractor
A stretch of the Trans-Canada Highway in Langley, B.C. was closed for hours Monday after a transport truck carrying chickens went into a ditch.
Edmonton
-
Slain Edmonton officers Jordan and Ryan remembered at procession, regimental funeral
Family and friends of two police officers who were shot and killed while responding to a family dispute gathered in downtown Edmonton Monday to say goodbye to their loved ones.
-
Edmontonians, Canadian police officers line streets to say farewell to fallen EPS officers
Community members and police services from across the country gathered on Monday to mourn two Edmonton Police Service officers killed in the line of duty earlier this month.
-
In Pictures: Remembering Constables Travis Jordan and Brett Ryan
On March 27, a regimental funeral was held for Edmonton Police Service Constables Travis Jordan and Brett Ryan who were killed in the line of duty on March 16, 2023.
Windsor
-
Windsor shoppers welcome word of ‘grocery rebate’
Word Tuesday’s federal budget will include a one-time “grocery rebate” for low-income Canadians is welcome news for shoppers outside Windsor grocery stores.
-
Investigators take stand as Windsor, Ont. first-degree murder trial continues
WARNING: Graphic content The first-degree murder trial of three Toronto-area men, Keermaro Rolle, Tameko Vilneus and Kyle Hanna continued in Windsor Superior Court on Monday.
-
Kingsville resident facing charges in opioid overdose death
Essex County OPP has charged a 54-year-old from Kingsville with manslaughter in connection to a drug overdose death last year.
Regina
-
Sask. judge grants bail for Quewezance sisters who say they were wrongfully imprisoned nearly 30 years ago
A pair of Saskatchewan sisters have been granted bail after spending almost 30 years in prison for what they describe as a wrongful conviction.
-
Fatal crash near Langenburg claims Regina man's life
A four-vehicle crash near Langenburg claimed the life of a Regina man on Friday.
-
'The love of archery': Sask. bow hunter wins provincial award following cancer diagnosis
A bow hunter from Yorkton battling a cancer diagnosis was recently awarded a provincial title from the Saskatchewan Bow Hunters Association.
Ottawa
-
‘Nobody is looking for a handout’ for new Senators arena: Bettman
NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman says it will be up to the new owners of the Senators to decide whether to build a new arena at LeBreton Flats or at another location in Ottawa.
-
Freeland's budget to include grocery rebate for lower income Canadians, here's what else to expect Tuesday
The 2023 federal budget will include a one-time 'grocery rebate' for Canadians with lower incomes who may be struggling with the rising cost of food, CTV News has confirmed.
-
Bettman: NHL to evaluate Pride nights in offseason after some players refuse to wear jerseys
NHL commissioner Gary Bettman says the league will evaluate its Pride nights in the offseason after several players have refused to wear Pride-themed jerseys this season.
Saskatoon
-
Saskatoon-based Cameco wins back $300M in court battle with Canada's tax collector
Following a series of court decisions, Cameco says it will be getting a refund worth roughly $300 million from the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA).
-
Sask. woman gets thousands in credit card charges after hackers lock her out of Facebook page
An Outlook woman has been locked out of her online business’ Facebook page for months and she says she’s starting to lose hope.
-
RCMP say stolen cows were seized from a property near Saskatoon
Officers seized more than $25,000 worth of stolen cattle from a property near Saskatoon, according to RCMP.