Conestoga College’s president faces criticism at federal committee Conestoga College’s president faced a barrage of questions at a federal committee examining the country’s international student policies. The Standing Committee on Citizenship and Immigration met on Parliament Hill on Oct. 9. Last month the committee agreed to study Canada’s immigration system with a specific focus on the international student program and study permits to identify systemic issues. During a previous meeting, Conservative MP Michelle Rempel Garner, who is the vice-chair of the committee, expressed shock that Conestoga College’s president John Tibbits was not there. The college and Tibbits have been facing scrutiny over the number of international students attending the school. Conestoga College’s international student enrolment grew by 1,579 per cent in seven years, from 763 students in 2014-15 to 12,808 in 2021-22, according to a 2024 report from Ontario’s Big City Mayors. Following the federal government’s cap on study visas earlier this year, Conestoga reported 8,584 international students enrolled for the 2025 spring semester — a 62 per cent drop from 22,633 students at the same time last year. Tibbits appeared via video at the meeting. “The committee’s study comes at a pivotal moment for Canada’s international student program,” he said. “Colleges, including Conestoga, have been subject to scrutiny about the role international [students] play in housing, affordability and community pressures. I welcome the opportunity to reaffirm that Conestoga’s approach has always been about service. Our mission has always been to ensure the communities we serve have access to the skilled labour force they need to survive.” He said the college’s growth has been in line with municipal, provincial and federal immigration policies. “Looking ahead, we believe this is the time to stabilize the system to build an international student program that is sustainable, fair, globally competitive and focused on Canada’s economic priorities,” he said. Two dead after collision in Woolwich Township The Waterloo Regional Police Service are investigating a fatal collision involving a motorcycle and a car in Woolwich Township. Emergency crews were called to the area of Northfield Drive East and Scotch Line Road around 3 p.m. on Oct. 5 after reports of a crash. Police said a maroon motorcycle and a silver sedan were involved. The driver of the sedan, a 61-year-old Waterloo woman, was taken to hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. The motorcyclist, a 59-year-old Kitchener man, and his passenger, and a 53-year-old Kitchener woman, were pronounced dead at the scene. The roadway was closed for several hours for the investigation but has since reopened. Several factors will be considered as part of the investigation. “Human behaviors, vehicle dynamics, environmental concerns, everything that we’re looking at in order to determine, to the best of our knowledge, what happened and why it happened,” WRPS Staff Sgt. Scott Griffiths said. As part of the investigation, police are trying to identify and speak with the driver of a white sedan who may have seen the collision. Mark Perry said he heard the crash. After working as a part-time paramedic in York Region for years, Perry said his training kicked in instantly. “I was able to determine the extent of injuries within a reasonable amount of time,” he explained. He performed CPR on the male patient while another passerby tried to help the woman. He believes the actions of the bystanders show how willing people living in Waterloo Region are to help others in need. Four puppies dead, seven more struggling to survive after exposure to Parvovirus: Guelph Humane Society The Guelph Humane Society is fighting to save the lives of seven dogs who have been exposed to a potentially deadly virus. Late Friday evening, someone came to the Humane Society and surrendered nine puppies who were visibly in distress. “Four of them were deceased upon arrival,” Jane Dawkins, communications director for the Guelph Humane Society, said on Tuesday. The puppies were rushed to a veterinarian who confirmed four dogs had died. The other five went into immediate intensive care. The Humane Society believes the dogs are about eight-weeks old and may be a Doodle-mix from the same litter. The next morning, the organization got another call. “The same individual brought in two more dogs that were ten-months-old,” Dawkins said. “Those went to a different clinic just to keep them isolated as we weren’t sure that they came from the same place.” Dawkins said it was not clear how the person got the animals, but that person knew the dogs were in distress and reached out to the Humane Society for help. The puppies surrendered to the Humane Society are receiving IV fluids, some puppies have been given a feeding tube and they are all being carefully monitored. The Guelph Humane Society said even if the puppies are considered clear of the life-threatening stage of the illness, they will still need weeks of care and isolation procedures. For now, the puppies remain with the Humane Society’s veterinary partner as they must remain isolated from other dogs. As of Tuesday afternoon, four of the puppies are showing signs of improvement and may be moved into foster care soon. The other three are still receiving critical care. Once the dogs are moved into foster care, they’ll remain isolated for a minimum of 10 to 14 days. The Humane Society hopes they will eventually be adopted by loving families. ‘The voices were telling me to protect myself’: Kitchener, Ont. man testifies in own murder trial Warning: Some of the details in this story may be disturbing to some readers. A man dressed in a baggy white shirt and grey trackpants walked slowly to the front of a Kitchener courtroom on the morning of Oct. 6. The man’s ankles were shackled as an officer escorted him to the witness stand. He introduced himself as 34-year-old Dylon Moreira. Moreira is accused of stabbing his mother, his girlfriend and his girlfriend’s daughter at a Kitchener home on Nov. 15, 2022. His girlfriend died from her stab wounds. CTV News is not naming the two adult victims as they might inadvertently reveal the child’s identity, which is protected by a publication ban. Moreira is charged with second-degree murder for his girlfriend’s death, as well as two counts of attempted murder and two counts of aggravated assault. Moreira told court about the long list of medications he takes in order to manage his mental health symptoms. He testified that he began hearing voices in his head around 2016 or 2017. “People that I know,” Moreira told court, referring to the voices he heard. “Mostly my brother, my dad.” Both Moreira’s brother and father died unexpectedly. Moreira said some days he could hear up to 30 different voices telling him: “That I shouldn’t trust anybody.” On the day of the stabbings in November 2022, Moreira testified that he and his girlfriend snorted crystal meth. He told court that same day he found a virus on his computer and believed his girlfriend’s son caused it. Moreira testified he was upset and when he brought it up to his girlfriend, she denied it was her son’s fault. Moreira said he heard his brother’s voice in his head chime in. Moreira testified the argument escalated when he walked away. At that point, Moreira said he did not know he had been stabbed and didn’t realize until he saw his injured dog. “I seen her stab my dog,” Moreira testified, referring to his girlfriend’s actions. The dog later died. Moreira told court that a struggle ensued as he tried to get a knife from his girlfriend. He said he was wounded several times in the process but was successful in getting the knife. That’s when things took another turn. “I stabbed [her]. The voices were telling me to protect myself,” Moreira testified. He said he doesn’t recall stabbing his mother or girlfriend’s daughter, but he did not deny that he did it. Moreira told court the next thing he remembered was police waking him up and telling them that his girlfriend stabbed him first. Crown prosecutor Thomas Mack suggested Moreira snapped and that his intention was to kill his girlfriend because he stabbed her 21 times. Moreira denied that was his intention. The court was then adjourned until the next day. Blue Jays superfan in Kitchener, Ont. hopeful for post-season success As the Toronto Blue Jays continue their post-season, a local self-proclaimed superfan is loving every moment of it. Jim Schonewille from Kitchener, Ont. has been cheering for the blue birds for as long as he can remember. He was also watching closely when the Jays won the American League Division Series in 2015, but he thinks this year is different. His passion for Canada’s only professional baseball team shines true inside his Kitchener home. From floor to ceiling, Blue Jays memorabilia dominates his living room, with a collection of logoed carpets, seat covers, curtains and couch covers. He even has Blue Jays banners in the backyard, a scrolling LED sign in his front window and decals on his vehicle so everyone knows where his loyalty lies. “It’s growing. I’m always collecting. I’ve added to my collection. I’ve made some of my own stuff,” Schonewille said. He’s got signed balls, signed bats, hats, jerseys and a book full of Toronto sports cards. It’s a collection that surrounds Schonewille every time he sits down to watch a game, and of course, he tries to watch all 162 games during the regular season. Now with his beloved team still playing in October, Schonewille plans to be planted in front of his big screen all post season long
