The most-read local news stories of 2017

A burned out transport truck is shown following a crash on Hwy. 400 on Tuesday night. (Kerry Schmidt/OPP)

It has been a year of ups and down in local news. There was a massive search for a missing senior, a dramatic car chase and shooting on Highway 400, and devastating collisions that captivated the region.

These were the most-read stories on Barrie.ctvnews.ca in the year that was 2017.

January

Film crews take over Beaver Valley for ' Molly's Game'

There was a Hollywood buzz in the region. Film crews took over the Beaver Valley Ski Club for the film “Molly’s Game.”

The movie focused in on the true story of Molly Bloom, “an Olympic-class skier who ran the world's most exclusive high-stakes poker game and became an FBI target.”

The skiing scenes were all shot at Beaver Valley.

About 300 local residents took part in the movie as extras.

The film was released on Christmas Day.

February

Father, son killed in double homicide in Barrie's Allandale district

On Feb. 9, the killing of a father and son shocked a quiet Barrie neighbourhood.

Nick Pasowisty, 19, and 51-year-old James Pasowisty were found with “obvious signs of trauma” inside a William Street home.

Dyrrin Daley, a man who police say was known to the victims, was arrested at a home on Marcus Street a few days later.

The 24-year-old was charged with two counts of first-degree murder.

The case remains before the courts.

Police call off search for missing senior Mandy Thompson

On a frigid Feb. 3, a desperate search was launched to find a missing Barrie senior.

Mandy Thompson was known to wander, but never like this. She was reported missing from her home on Laidlaw Drive.

Barrie police, the OPP and Georgian Bay Volunteer Search and Rescue scoured the city, and even parts of neighboring townships for Thompson. They even asked residents to check their backyards and sheds.

Surveillance cameras recorded Thompson walking along Penetanguishene Road on the outskirts of the city.

After a week of searching, officers called off their efforts.

In the months that followed, investigators asked the public for help, but no new leads manifested.

Thompson was never found.

March

'She did not deserve this': Barrie police search for suspect in Kozlov Street homicide

Who killed Dana Camber? That’s what police were trying to figure out through the month of March. The 50-year-old Barrie woman was shot in the abdomen in her Kozlov Street apartment on March 14.

For most of the month a mystery lingered over who was behind the deadly shooting. It wasn’t until early April that police announced the arrests of three people.

Greg Keays of Innisfil, James Garthwaite of Toronto and David Glover of Barrie were all charged with first-degree murder.

The case remains before the courts.

Traces of marijuana found in Grade 2 student's sandwich: police

A Grade 2 student refused to eat lunch at school, saying it had “weed from dad's smokes.”

As it turned out, the child’s father had a card for legal medical marijuana. Barrie police investigated and determined there was marijuana residue on the countertop the sandwich was made on.

They also said the marijuana was stored in a secure area.

On March 1, investigators announced they wouldn’t be pressing charges.

April

Lamborghini among 12 vehicles impounded for stunt driving on Hwy. 400

A dozen luxury cars, which included Lamborghinis and Aston Martins, were impounded on April 2 after the OPP corralled 20 vehicles at the northbound ONroute in Barrie.

Officers received reports of several vehicles travelling at 150 km/h on sections of Highway 400 and 407.

Fifteen people were later charged with stunt driving and dangerous driving. The drivers were part of an extreme car enthusiast club called “North Face Rally.”

Charges were later dropped against three of the 15 drivers because the Crown couldn’t prove the stunt driving charges.

The case against the other 12 drivers remains before the courts.

Employee allegedly punches manager in the face on first day of new job

A 20-year-old Barrie man was arrested after he allegedly punched his manager in the face during his first day at work.

Barrie police say the man had started a job at a fast food restaurant when he got into an altercation with the manager

The man is accused of punching the manager in the face after correcting the new employee during his training.

He later turned himself over to police. He was charged with assault.

 

May

Innisfil family awarded $5.2M in lawsuit against RVH

An Innisfil family was awarded $5.2 million in a lawsuit against Royal Victoria Regional Health Centre because of complications during child birth.

In 2007, Jaye and Robert Butler were at RVH for the birth of twins, Luke and Sarah.

Two nurses decided to break the membrane before a doctor arrived. An emergency C-section was later required.

Sarah started having seizures and had trouble breathing. Now 10, Sarah suffers from a wide range of medical problems.

The insurance company representing Royal Victoria Regional Health Centre later filed an appeal.

State of emergency declared in Minden due to flooding

High water levels and flooding forced the Township of Minden Hills to declare a state of emergency.

Parts of Minden were under water, as the Gull and Burnt Rivers toppled over their banks. Several homes and businesses were damaged.

The state of emergency lasted for 20 days.

 

June

Two dead in small plane crash along Hwy. 11 in Gravenhurst

A plane crash in early June claimed the lives of a 66-year-old Bracebridge man and a 48-year-old Stratford man.

The plane crashed in a grassy area on June 2. It was near the Muskoka Airport and just metres away from Highway 11.

According to the Transportation Safety Board, the plane had crashed while returning to the airport.

The plane was destroyed on impact.

'It was like a movie': Man arrested after dramatic chase on Hwy. 400, Hwy. 11

A man took police on a dramatic high-speed chase and shooting along Highway 400 and Highway 11.

According to Toronto Police, the suspect shot a woman in her 50s, while also assaulting a man in his 60s in a Black Creek Drive parking lot.

The suspect then allegedly fired at two officers before taking off down Highway 400.

As the suspect approached Highway 88 and 89 in the Bradford area, he pulled to the side of the road. The suspect and an officer then exchanged gun fire, before he took off again.

The OPP then tried to use a spike belt to stop the suspect on Highway 11, near Memorial Avenue in Orillia.

The suspect swerved out of the way, prompting a collision between a police cruiser and another vehicle.

Police say the suspect then tried to hop a guardrail to try to evade officers, but was arrested a short time later.

Kristian Jarvis was charged with 34 offences, including attempted murder and robbery with a firearm.

The case remains before the courts.

 

July

Two dead, two others airlifted to hospital after serious crash on Hwy. 48

A horrific multi-vehicle crash along Highway 48 near Sutton claimed the lives of two people on July 27.

Three gravel haulers, a commercial cube van and a SUV collided in a chain-reaction crash. The OPP said several vehicles had stopped because of a nearby construction zone.

The driver of the SUV, 44-year-old Steve Peticca of Vaughan, and 34-year-old Oleksander Shutov of North York, a passenger in the cube van, were pronounced dead at the scene.

The OPP believed one of the vehicles approached slowing or stopped traffic at a high speed and didn’t stop.

'Shocked and deeply saddened': Orillia doctor dies in paddle boarding accident

An anesthetist at Orillia’s Soldiers’ Memorial hospital died in a paddle boarding accident in Sauble Beach earlier in the month.

Dr. Dennis Bowman was paddle boarding in Lake Huron near the Saugeen First Nation, when police say he fell into the water. Witnesses tried to search for him, but he disappeared.

Despite efforts to save his life, Bowman was pronounced dead on his way to hospital.

Bowman was highly respected by his colleagues at Soldiers’ Memorial and is said to have had an “integral role” as an anesthetist in the surgical program.

 

August

Police investigating after body of baby found in Innisfil

An Innisfil woman was charged after the body of an infant boy was found next to a home.

South Simcoe Police made the grim discovery after a doctor’s office received a call from a woman claiming to have given birth out of hospital without medical assistance.

Crystal Jones, 42, was later charged with neglecting to obtain assistance in childbirth and concealing the body of a child.

Her case remains before the courts.

22 overdoses reported in Barrie last week

The ongoing opioid crisis hit home after nearly two dozen overdoses were reported in Barrie in just five days.

Between Aug. 9 and 13, 22 people were sent to Royal Victoria Regional Health Centre for overdoses.

According to the Simcoe Muskoka District Health Unit, that was an increase of 50 per cent when compared to other five day studies in the last two years.

The health units say some of these overdoses involved heroin and OxyContin.

An increase of overdoses continued to be an issue for the rest of 2017.

 

September

'It turned my stomach': Collingwood student beaten in high school hallway

A Collingwood boy was beaten and left bleeding in the hallway of a Collingwood high school.

Video shows a teenage boy laying on the ground, while being kicked and punched by another teen at Collingwood Collegiate Institute.

The mother of the 14-year-old boy says he had to go to the hospital and suffered a concussion. She says the incident started online when her son was challenged to a fight.

A 13-year-old boy and a 14-year-old boy were later charged with assault causing bodily harm.

The case remains before the courts.

 

October

Snow and lots of it: Winter forecast released for Barrie, central Ontario

It was a prediction that caught the attention of thousands of people in mid-fall. It’s also one that has seemingly come true.

AccuWeather, a U.S.-based weather forecasting service, issued its winter forecast for Barrie and central Ontario.

In it, the forecaster stated Barrie would receive significant lake effect snow through the season. January and February were highlighted as specific months where snow squalls would be particularly bad.

If December’s snowfall is any indication of what’s to come, then central Ontario is in for a snowy ride.

Parking boats, RVs in your driveway may soon be illegal in Barrie

A proposed change to a city bylaw ended up becoming the most controversial issue of the year in Barrie.

The bylaw change would have prohibited parking boats and other recreational vehicles in residential driveways for more than three days a month.

The proposal was the result of complaints about driver visibility and visual aesthetic.

News of the change was met with significant backlash on social media and ultimately in city council chambers.

A hot and angry crowd opposing the change spurred quite the debate among city councillors.

In the end, the proposed change was rejected.

 

November

'Massive fireball, massive explosions': At least three dead in multi-vehicle pileup on Hwy. 400

Three people were killed in a fiery chain-reaction crash along a stretch of Highway 400 late Halloween night.

Fourteen vehicles, including two tanker trucks collided on the highway, just north of Highway 88. The devastating crash sparked a massive explosion, and sent a wall of fire roaring up the highway.

People fled their vehicles to escape the flames. One officer called it “the most unbelievable scene” they had ever witnessed.

Three people lost their lives in the crash. John Landry, Benjamin Dunn and Bill Ford were later identified as the deceased.

An OPP investigation is still ongoing, but police previously stated that traffic had stopped on the highway that night because of a three vehicle-crash involving a drunk driver.

They believe one of the tanker trucks failed to stop for traffic and collided into the vehicles. However, the official cause of the crash still isn’t known.

The OPP became under fire by commercial drivers for outright blaming them for dangerous driving.

The crash also sparked a social debate between transport truck and other drivers.

 

December

Ontario Conservatives want Hoggarth to apologize for minimum wage comments

The final month of the year was a rather quiet one, for most people anyway.

Barrie MPP Ann Hoggarth, who isn’t necessarily known for speaking out, had some tough words for business owners.

During a Liberal meeting in Barrie, Hoggarth spoke about complaints made against Ontario’s plan to increase minimum wage to $14 on Jan. 1.

“If you’re going out of business on the backs of your employees because you can’t afford to pay them this, then perhaps you should reassess your business plan and reassess whether you should be an employer at all.”

Her comments landed her in hot water on social media. Many people, including the Progressive Conservatives called on Hoggarth to apologize, something she did not do.

Hoggarth later insisted she understands the plight of business owners, and said the province offers a variety of programs to help them shoulder the burden of the transition.