Most-read stories of the week: Mystery object, police raid spa, Ford on Wilmot land controversy

Metal object that crashed through roof identified The heavy piece of metal nearly missed a man brushing his teeth. We now know where it came from. Heather Senoran reports.

Solving the mystery of metal object that hit Kitchener, Ont., home

A Kitchener, Ont., man finally knows where a metal object, which crashed through the roof of his home Monday and nearly hit him, originated. The answer wasn’t what he expected.

Robert Caluian was brushing his teeth around 9:40 a.m. when an approximately 25-pound hunk of metal went through his roof, landing in the washroom where it narrowly missed his head.

He initially wondered if it was part of an asteroid or if it fell from a passing airplane. That wasn’t so farfetched, since his home, on Beaumont Crescent, isn’t far from the Region of Waterloo International Airport. The key clue was another – and even closer – location.

Caluian lives near Chicopee Ski & Summer Resort, which is currently undergoing an expansion. Part of that work includes clearing trees from parts of the property near Fairway Road North.

Police raid Cambridge, Ont. spa as part of human trafficking investigation

Waterloo regional police conducted a search warrant Thursday at a business and a home in Cambridge, Ont. as result of a human trafficking investigation.

Police say in March 2023, they got a tip from the public about sexual services being offered for money at Ambition Spa located in a business complex on McGovern Drive.

“As a result of that initial report, our human trafficking team initiated an investigation which took place over a number of months,” Det. Sgt. Jason Bonikowsky with the Waterloo Regional Police Service Human Trafficking team said.

The owners of the spa, a 58-year-old man and a 45-year-old woman – both from Cambridge – were arrested Thursday morning.

Man killed in Kitchener shooting

A 32-year-old man is dead after a shooting in Kitchener’s Country Hills East neighbourhood. Waterloo regional police say officers were called to Moor Street, near Block Line Road and Homer Watson Boulevard around 11:55 p.m. Thursday.

When they arrived, they found a man with a gunshot wound. He was taken to hospital where he was pronounced deceased.

Officers remain on scene Friday morning. Police tape stretches across the road in front of a townhouse on Moor Street. Bags and other items can be seen on the ground.

Ford addresses Wilmot land acquisition controversy

Premier Doug Ford says the Region of Waterloo’s plan to buy a large tract of farmland in Wilmot for an unidentified industrial project is part of a broader provincial strategy to ready sites for development, but one aspect of the proposed deal “doesn’t sit well” with him.

Ford was asked about the proposed land acquisition during an unrelated funding announcement in Kitchener Thursday.

The 770-acre block of farmland in Wilmot Township, just outside Kitchener, has become a source of contention in recent months. The region says it wants to purchase the land “to create shovel-ready sites to attract economic investments and create jobs.”

Farmers say they were told if they weren’t willing to sell, their lands would be expropriated. Environmental groups have also raised concerns.

Kitchener couple claims landlord is targeting them for organizing tenants union

2024 is off to a rocky start for Tessa D’Achille and Matt Lavrissa.

The Kitchener couple received their second eviction notice earlier this week from their landlord at 250 Frederick Street.

“It's been stressful, we really didn't expect it,” D’Achille said about the ongoing issues with the building’s management.

On Jan. 31, the couple, along with several other residents of the multi-story tower, received N13 eviction notices saying they have to be out by May 31.

“The notice says they want to do renovations to our unit and they need us out as it’s going to be unsafe,” D’Achille explained.

The couple, along with other tenants and the Acorn advocacy group believe these are renovictions, where a landlord uses a renovation as a reason to remove tenants.

Then, in late March, tenants of 250 Frederick Street received another notice that use of the building’s underground parking lot will cost $250 a month, or their vehicle risks being towed.