Most-read stories of the week: Suspect found dead, Google layoffs, the penny's enduring legacy

Guelph man found not guilty of manslaughter A Guelph man is found not guilty after a deadly neighbour dispute. As CTV’s Heather Senoran’s reports, the judge said he acted in self-defence.

Here are CTV Kitchener's most-read stories of the week:

5. 'Loved what I did': Google layoffs impact Waterloo region employees

Some Waterloo region Google employees are now jobless after the tech company announced cuts.

An email to CTV News Kitchener attributed to Google Canada spokesperson Lauren Skelly said: “We can confirm that notifications were sent to impacted Canadian Googlers today as part of Google’s announcement made on January 20, to reduce our workforce.”

Skelly would not comment on specifics Monday, such as which offices would see layoffs and how many people at each location would be impacted.

Jessica Halma-Reed, who worked out of the Kitchener office, says she went to log into work, wasn't able to, and was told three hours later she was laid off.

"It was kind of devastating and a bit of a let down because I loved what I did with Google," said Halma-Reed. "I loved the company and making an impact, knowing that was just cut off without being able to say bye to my team, or really having any contact from them was a bit of a blow."

Sundar Pichai, the chief executive of Google and parent company Alphabet, told staff in mid-January that the company would be laying off 12,000 workers. Keep reading here.

4. Coin collector reflects on pennies, 10 years after they were discontinued

It's been a decade since the Royal Canadian Mint discontinued pennies, and one collector says their novelty value hasn't suddenly skyrocketed.

The Canadian penny was a part of the monetary system for more than 160 years before they stopped being made on Feb. 4, 2013.

"Canada started producing their own coinage starting in 1858," said Todd Sandham, owner of Colonial Acres Coins. "The first one was the penny because a penny went a long way.”

"They were still making about 500 million pennies per year [in 2013]. It was costing them three cents or two and a half cents to make a penny, so it was just uneconomical to continue forward like that."

Collectors like Sandham say that, while some might be rare, the coin is a dime a dozen. Keep reading here.

3. Rockwood, Ont. elementary school issues letter addressing safety concerns for students during washroom visits

A Rockwood, Ont. elementary school has sent a letter to parents asking them to reach out to family and children’s services if their child “experienced anything inappropriate” in relation to incidents alleged to have happened during visits to the washroom.

The letter, sent by the school’s principal to the Harris Mill Public School community, and obtained by CTV News Kitchener reads: “I am writing to inform you that the school has been made aware of conversations in the broader community related to safety concerns for students during visits to the washroom.”

The school is a part of the Upper Grand District School Board and serves around 300 students from junior kindergarten to Grade 5.

“We know and understand that these conversations raise significant concerns for parents and open the door to lots of questions and speculation. I can assure you that the staff at Harris Mill have taken these concerns very seriously and have followed all procedures, including reporting to family and children's services and working with parents of any students involved,” the letter reads.

It was not immediately clear what the safety concerns were, or how many families were contacted by the school. Keep reading here.

2. 'It was a really fluke, tragic situation': Guelph man found not guilty of manslaughter after neighbour dispute

A Guelph man has been found not guilty of manslaughter after an argument led to the death of his neighbour in July 2020.

Justice Gordon Lemon’s written decision found that Paul Hanlon acted in self-defence when a verbal dispute over a dog peeing on the lawn turned physical.

Judge Lemon’s written ruling stated that Hanlon, 43-years-old at the time, and 59-year-old Alex Campagnaro were neighbours for almost 20 years until a dispute led to the death of Campagnaro about two and a half years ago.

The not guilty verdict was handed down in a Guelph courtroom on Jan. 4.

Brennan Smart, Hanlon’s lawyer explained the sequence of events that occurred during Hanlon’s testimony. Keep reading here.

1. Suspect in Conestoga Mall robbery found dead in Toronto

Waterloo regional police say one of the suspects in an armed robbery at Conestoga Mall last week has been located dead.

Police said the person’s body was found by Toronto police. According to police, they died of “a medical event.”

The robbery at a jewelry store in the Waterloo mall on Thursday Feb. 2 led police to evacuate the building.

According to police, four male suspects entered the store with hammers and batons and allegedly smashed display cases and stole merchandise. Keep reading here.