Most-read stories of the week: woman found guilty of husband’s murder, WestJet diversion and Lotto Max changes

Playing null of undefined

What changes have been made to Lotto Max and do they improve your odds?

WestJet flight rerouted to Waterloo Region airport

Where will Kitchener encampment residents go if the site is cleared?

Elfgard Oughtred found guilty of second-degree murder

This week’s most read stories include an 81-year-old woman found guilty of second-degree murder, a WestJet flight’s unexpected diversion to the Region of Waterloo and how Lotto Max changes might affect your odds.

81-year-old found guilty of second-degree murder of her husband

The trial of Elfgard Oughtred came to an end this week.

Elfgard was found guilty of the second-degree murder of her husband, 82-year-old Gordon Oughtred.

Gordon was found in a pool of blood on the floor of the couple’s Brant County home on Nov. 24, 2022. An autopsy concluded blunt force trauma to the head was his cause of death.

Throughout the trial, the Crown alleged Elfgard, who is now 81-years-old, killed her husband amid tensions over her gambling habit.

Over the course of the three-week trial, jurors heard testimony from neighbours, first responders and various experts.

When Elfgard’s daughter Rita Huellemann took the stand, she testified about a conversation she had with her mother while Elfgard was at a women’s prison in Milton. Elfgard allegedly told her daughter she was “tired of Gordon’s drinking” and also that “he hit her.”

“She was fed up,” Huellemann recalled her mother saying. “She went to the garage and got a hammer… and came and hit him.”

On Friday, Elfgard was found guilty of second-degree murder. The verdict carries an automatic sentence of life in prison, but Justice Aubrey Hilliard still needs to decide how long Elfgard will be ineligible for parole for.

Elfgard’s lawyer Nimrata Sandhu declined an interview but told CTV off camera she feels great sympathy for her client.

“I do think there’s two sides to every story,” Sandhu said.

Efforts to clear Victoria Street encampment return to court

The fate of the encampment at 100 Victoria Street in Kitchener is once again up for debate.

The Region of Waterloo is looking for judicial approval to clear the encampment to make way for construction of a new transit hub.

On Thursday, lawyers for the Region of waterloo said Metrolinx plans to start construction in October 2026. They said the region wants to have the land cleared by June so it can be used as the construction staging ground.

In January, the region approved a bylaw to remove the encampment, but that bylaw is now before the courts as a legal challenge questions if it violates the Charter rights of encampment residents.

Three days have been set aside the hear the case.

The lawyer for the Region of Waterloo began their submissions arguing they have done everything they can to assist encampment residents.

“No one needs to tell the region about the challenges and needs of the homeless population,” said Andrew Lokan, a lawyer representing the Region of Waterloo. “No municipality in Ontario has done more to meet the challenge.”

Lokan said of the 40 encampment residents who were on the property prior to April of last year, all 40 have either transitioned to other housing or have left on their own.

“The region has met its obligations, if you disagree, please give us practical road map to address whatever concerns you have been left with,” Lokan said.

Lawyers for encampment residents argued that the bylaw is discriminatory against several specific groups of people, including women and Indigenous people.

Lawyers from the Ontario Attorney General’s Office (AGO) office said although those groups may be overrepresented in the homeless population, it doesn’t mean the bylaw itself is discriminatory.

They believe the bylaw is focused on the property, rather than the people currently living there.

“It’s not about removing certain people ... it’s about excluding all members of the community from the property,” said a lawyer from the AGO.

They said the bylaw is reasonable and in the best interest of the public.

“The region has made the difficult choice, the use that will provide the greatest public good is the transit hub,” said a lawyer from the AGO.

Shannon Down, a lawyer with Waterloo Community Legal Services, disagreed with the region’s assertion that they have done enough to help the people living at the encampment. Down said, by the region’s own admission, they have no plan for the people currently living there if the encampment were to close.

“Until they come up with the plan - closing this encampment would be a violation of Charter rights,” Down said.

According to Down, the region failed to consider an alternative encampment site or safe camping protocol that could help encampment residents transition if the site closed.

WestJet flight diverted to Waterloo Region airport, passengers stuck onboard for hours

Passengers faced an unexpected and frustrating delay early Thursday morning after a WestJet flight from Cancun was diverted to the Region of Waterloo International Airport (YKF) due to fog at Toronto’s Pearson Airport.

The flight landed shortly after 1:15 a.m., but travellers were stuck at YKF for roughly eight-and-a-half hours while officials arranged for customs clearance at the airport, which was not staffed overnight. For the majority of that time, travellers were forced to stay onboard.

Chants of “let us off” and the sound of crying children filled the cabin as frustration grew among passengers waiting for answers.

They soon realized something unusual was happening.

“Then literally the pilot just says, ‘I’m really sorry to have to do this. We can’t really comment why. We’re going to have to take a detour and land in Kitchener,’” Trevor Lester, a passenger from Orillia, recalled.

In a statement to CTV News, WestJet confirmed the diversion was caused by reduced visibility due to fog at Toronto Pearson.

“As the flight arrived from an international destination, customs clearance was required. All guests and crew were required to remain on board while arrangements were made,” the airline said.

Travellers said they were not provided food during the wait, but were eventually given water as the hours passed.

Once customs officers arrived, passengers disembarked, cleared Canadian customs, retrieved their luggage and then boarded the aircraft again for the short flight to Toronto.

Fraud attempt in Guelph stopped by store staff

The Guelph Police Service is investigating a fraud attempt that was stopped by alert store staff.

Police said the victim was contacted by someone who was posing as a bank representative on Tuesday morning. They claimed there had been unauthorized activity on their account and instructed the victim to get a temporary password for online banking.

The victim was then told to purchase two $500 Apple gift cards and to say they were gifts if questioned. While attempting to buy the cards, store staff recognized the scam and advised the victim to call police.

Investigators said a fraudulent $500 withdrawal was later discovered on the victim’s account.

How will Lotto Max changes impact your odds of winning a jackpot?

Regular Lotto Max players will notice are new rules and a new price for the popular lottery.

The cost of a ticket increased from $5 to $6 on April 10, and each ticket now has four lines instead of three. When it comes to picking your lucky numbers, player will now get to choose from among 52 numbers, rather than the former 50.

A University of Waterloo professor said the odds of winning the jackpot haven’t really changed much, but the chance of winning a smaller prize has slightly improved.

“The main thing you’re probably going to notice is that you do have a slightly higher chance of winning prizes,” Michael Wallace, associate professor of Biostatistics, Statistics and Actuarial Science, said. “Mainly, that’s going to be those smaller prizes, like a free play or a $20 win. But your odds of winning any prize are going to increase slightly from about one-in-seven to, under the new rules, a little better than one-in-six.”

Wallace said if people compare the lottery to Tim Hortons’ Roll Up the Rim campaign, the odds of winning a free play with Lotto Max are about the same as winning a free coffee from Tim Hortons.

One of the very few strategic things Wallace said lottery players can do, is to avoid choosing common numbers.

“If two players pick the same set of numbers and they both win the jackpot, they’re going to be sharing that prize. So, the one thing you can do, and it’s not got a great chance of helping, but every little bit helps, is try and pick numbers that you think other people won’t pick,” Wallace said.