Top stories of the week: More repair company complaints, repeated 911 calls, and a diesel fuel theft investigation

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More homeowners share troubling tales of an appliance repair service

University of Guelph program highlights importance of in-lab dissection

More people in Waterloo Region share stories of questionable work from appliance repair service

The Better Business Bureau has received more than 700 complaints about an appliance repair service operating in Waterloo Region.

Last month, a homeowner from Waterloo, Ont. told CTV News he was misled and overcharged by a company after he called them to fix a broken stove. Bob Huegle said he thought he was calling a local business, Waterloo Appliance Service Ltd., but instead, a sponsored Google search result led to him calling a different company with a similar name.

On Wednesday another person from Waterloo, Esther Slevinsky, said something similar happened to her when her washing machine malfunctioned.

“I thought I would just do a quick Google search to make an appointment with them. [I] searched ‘Waterloo appliance.’ [The] first thing that came up, [I] thought it was [Waterloo Appliance Service Ltd.’s] website – I clicked on it,” Slevinsky said.

When the person who answered her call said someone could come to her home that same day, Slevinsky thought her luck was finally turning around.

“I happened to have a friend at home with me, and we [saw] a vehicle pull up into the driveway, but it was just a navy car,” she explained.

The unmarked vehicle set off warning bells for Slevinsky’s friend, Maria, who immediately asked who Slevinsky had booked.

“I said, ‘Waterloo Appliance,’” Slevinsky recalled. “And she said, ‘Oh my goodness, did you not see the CTV News report?’”

Thanks to Maria, Slevinsky called the real Waterloo Appliance Service Ltd. phone number to confirm she was dealing with the right company.

“Sure enough, the admin said, ‘No, we didn’t send anyone to you today,’” Slevinsky said.

Slevinsky sent the technician in the unmarked vehicle away before he could begin any work. She said that person was from a business called The Appliance Repair Team. But, she wasn’t completely off the hook.

“[The technician] did come back ten minutes later with a bill for$80 for the service call,” she explained. “In further looking into the news report, I feel very lucky that I didn’t have him come and look at my appliance.”

However, Slevinsky isn’t the only person who said a broken washing machine led to a case of mistaken identity.

Joy Huggins of Waterloo runs an animal rescue, which can add up to a lot of laundry. When her washing machine went down, she needed a quick fix.

“The same day service is what got me, because I have to keep doing the wash continually,” Huggins said.

When the technician she called arrived, they also came in an unmarked vehicle.

“I said, ‘Why are you in your car?’ I said I was expecting a truck or a van with [the company’s] name on it. He goes, ‘Oh, no. I think we need to cut back on gas,’” she said.

Huggins also paid $80 for the service call. She then coughed up another $290 to have the technician examine the broken appliance.

“I walked away for a few minutes and then came back like five minutes later and he was all done,” she said.

But, according to Huggins, the washing machine was not fixed. In fact, it was running worse than it had before the technician began working on it.

“I was frustrated because I knew something was up, but I didn’t think this.”

CTV News reached out to the Better Business Bureau (BBB) to ask about The Appliance Repair Team.

“For the three-year period, BBB has received 755 complaints against this business. They have an F rating with us,” Angela Dennis, CEO of the Better Business Bureau Central Ontario, said.

“Specifically, consumers are alleging that the company is unable to properly diagnose and repair the appliance effectively, and that there’s a lack of follow up and resolution to those issues. And the cost of the parts are grossly inflated,” Dennis confirmed.

The BBB’s advice is simple: before booking with a company, do some research about who is on the other end of the call.

“I can’t stress enough to consumers – research. First check. Come to us. See what our files are indicating,” Dennis said.

CTV News has reached out to The Appliance Repair Team on several occasions but did not hear back by the time this article was published.

Meanwhile, Waterloo Appliance Service Ltd., a reputable company with an A+ rating listed on the BBB, said they have been receiving calls nearly every day about from people who accidentally booked with The Appliance Repair Team.

“[Customers] Google our name, they’ll get the top five or six sponsored ads and they’ll see a name that’s close to ours, but isn’t ours,” Jason Vale, co-owner of Waterloo Appliance Service Ltd., previously told CTV News.

Vale offered some tips to homeowners to try to prevent a similar situation:

• Be wary of companies that don’t accept credit cards
• Be wary of companies that ask for payment prior to visiting your home
• Ask for the company’s physical location
• Be wary of a technician who shows up in an unmarked vehicle and not wearing a company logo on their clothes
• Look for the TSSA number on the vehicle - it is required to be visible by law
• Ask for the certificates or credentials

Child calls 911 over 120 times in Guelph

Police in Guelph, Ont., are asking residents to reconsider letting their children play with old cellphones, after 911 was called more than 120 times on Sunday.

Police say the same phone called the emergency number at least 129 times between 4:40 p.m. and 9:30 p.m.

When many of the calls were answered, police communicators could hear a child but were not able to get anyone’s attention.

Officers checked several addresses trying to locate the phone based on GPS data received, but the phone was not located and no emergency was found.

Guelph police are reminding the public that any functioning mobile device can call 911, even if it’s not connected to a service plan or its SIM card has been removed.

In those cases, the approximate location is typically less accurate than it would be from a phone connected to a cellular network.

Police say incoming calls can be confirmed they come from the same number but cannot be called back.

To avoid similar situations in the future, police are asking people to consider removing the battery or allowing the phone to drain completely before it is given to a child.

Anyone who accidentally calls 911 is encouraged to stay on the line and speak with a communicator to confirm you are not having an emergency.

Brantford Police, Crime Stoppers seek tips in $60K diesel fuel theft

Brantford Police and Crime Stoppers are asking for the public’s help as they investigate the theft of a “significant amount” of diesel fuel from card-lock fueling stations.

According to Dean McIntosh, coordinator of the Brantford, Brant and Six Nations Crime Stoppers program, the thefts occurred between September and October at two locations operated by Renway Energy.

Investigators believe two unknown suspects visited the fueling stations approximately 50 times, primarily weekdays between 7:30 p.m. and 8 p.m., and filled a large tank located in the bed of a newer-model white GMC Denali 2500 pickup truck.

McIntosh said about $1,000 worth of diesel fuel was taken each time, with total losses estimated at approximately $60,000.

To allegedly avoid identification, the suspects removed the vehicle’s front licence plate and lowered the tailgate to obscure identifying features.

The thefts were not discovered until a monthly invoice was issued to the owner of the card-lock account, prompting an investigation.

Police have released images of the vehicle and are asking anyone who recognizes the truck, the suspects, or has information related to the thefts, to contact Brantford Police or Crime Stoppers.

Canadian medical schools cutting basic anatomy training, but not University of Guelph

Canadian medical schools have cut back on basic anatomy training.

Some programs have removed in-lab dissection entirely and experts worry it could have serious effects across the health care field.

“Anatomy is being reduced, specifically in-lab anatomy time,” said Dr. Danielle Bentley, associate professor of human health sciences at the University of Guelph’s College of Biological Science.

Specifically dissections of human donors are being cut back significantly.

“It’s being replaced with models or with 3D programs,” explained Bentley.

Ian Scagnetti, the body donation coordinator and a human anatomy instructor at the university, explained the in-lab time dissections can be time consuming.

“It is a resource-costly way to teach,” he added. “But it is also an irreplaceable way to teach.”

Only about one in four medical programs in Canada have students leading their own cadaveric dissections. Bentley said the disadvantages of that are huge.

“We’re noticing that the students who don’t have really strong foundational knowledge are entering into their health care training programs, not being able to translate any kind of foundational content and apply it in a clinical scenario,” said Bentley.

Bentley said only working with 3D renderings or models offers a basic understanding of the body, but it doesn’t account for complexities and different diseases that may show anatomical variations.

“I think the big consequences are it’s going to impact patient care,” said Bentley.

It’s why the University of Guelph is launching a new Master of Medical Foundations program beginning in June. It will include 65 hours of lab time, working directly with human donors for students to do dissections on.

“The look on the students’ faces when they discover these things for themselves and they get to see what happens in real-life anatomy, not just textbook anatomy,” said Scagnetti, describing something he’s looking forward to with the program.

Fourth-year undergraduate biomedical science student Isabel Louwers jumped at the opportunity to apply to the new master’s program.

“Anatomy is my life and something that I really take pride and joy in,” said Louwers.

It’s why she chose U of G. She saw the value in doing human dissections, which wasn’t being offered at other schools.

“You’re actually able to touch these structures, reflect these structures, allow for yourself to see the depth of these structures,” said Louwers.

The deadline to apply to the first cohort of the new program is March 1.

To learn more about the university’s body donation program, and how to contribute to valuable research, click here.

Eight people facing more than 48 charges in illegal tobacco investigation

Eight people are facing a long list of charges after an investigation into a tobacco manufacturing facility on Six Nations of the Grand River Territory.

The Ontario Provincial Police and Six Nations Police began looking into the allegations in February of last year. They believed the facility was being run by members of a non-Indigenous criminal network and the profits from the tobacco sales were not being invested in the Six Nations community.

In May 2025, more than 25,000 kg of contraband tobacco and 1,360 kg of illicit cannabis was seized.

As part of the ongoing investigation, eight people were arrested between Jan. 20, 2026 and Jan. 26, 2026.

A 26-year-old from Ancaster, a 32-year-old from Ancaster, a 22-year-old from Hamilton, a 36-year-old from Hamilton and a 37-year-old from Hamilton were each charged with trafficking contraband tobacco, unlawful manufacturing of a tobacco product, unlawful packaging of a tobacco product, unlawful possession or sale of tobacco products, possession of tobacco manufacturing equipment, possession of illicit cannabis and possession for the purpose of distributing.

A 26-year-old from Markham was charged with trafficking contraband tobacco and unlawful possession or sale of tobacco products.

A 26-year-old from Ohsweken was charged with possession of a prohibited weapon, device or ammunition.

A 57-year-old also from Ohsweken was charged with contravention of firearm storage regulations and authorized possession of a firearm.