Top stories of the week: new apple picking policies, condo condition concerns, and president of local college called out

Playing null of undefined

Conestoga College offering voluntary exits to staff

Condo owners say units are not move-in ready

Buyers on the hook for a Kitchener condo they no longer want

Alberta MP calls out Conestoga College president at Parliament Hill

Condo occupancy leaves Kitchener couple in financial bind

Owners of a Kitchener condo say they’re experiencing financial trouble after they were given the keys to a place they no longer want to live in following development delays and other issues.

Ana Stanivuk purchased a condo unit at Elevate Towers, at 1333 Weber Street East, in 2020.

Now, she’s facing a dilemma that could cost her upwards of $70,000.

Stanivuk said buying the condo was a positive experience – at least at first.

“It was a huge milestone, it was an exciting stage in my life,” she told CTV News, adding that she expected to move in by 2022.

It went downhill fast, however, when the project experienced serious delays. Then, in 2024, the developer ran out of money and a new development team stepped in to take over construction.

“In December (2024) I was asked to come to their office to discuss my options, like, am I interested in getting my deposit back,” Stanivuk said. “At the time I didn’t know what to say, so I said, ‘Let me think about it.’ But I did say to them, in the end, ‘I want my deposit back,’ very clearly… and what I believed is I was on the list to get my deposit back.”

She was surprised when the developer said her keys were ready.

“I was really confused by that because I was on the list to get my deposit back, and I called the representative back and. in my opinion, it seemed like he switched his tone a bit and said, ‘No, the developer actually has the right to decide,’” Stanivuk said.

ELM Developments said refunds were never offered.

“There is not, nor has there ever been, an option for buyers to have their deposit returned. Therefore, we have no knowledge of a list that exists. To date, we have provided extensions, issued mutual releases, and other flexible terms to buyers that have been either refused or accepted,” Ellion Steiner, president of ELM Developments, said in a statement to CTV News.

The City of Kitchener’s building department allowed occupancy in condo, meaning buyers were locked into their contracts.

Stanivuk and her partner, who are expecting a baby any day, still feel unsafe in the building.

“We have some concerns about where the buildings are. The hallways are filthy, there’s boarded up windows still. There’s leaks in the sprinkler system in the parking garage,” said Stanivuk’s partner Jordan Bezeau.

The couple’s options are limited, and potentially expensive.

Stanivuk could assume ownership of the condo, which is potentially worth far less that the $500,000 purchase price, or go into default.

Slonee Malhotra, a real estate lawyer with Sorbara Law in Waterloo, said the law does not look favorably on buyers who default.

“If you bought in 2022, for example, a sale price of $500,000 being used for a one bedroom condo, fast forward into today’s market that condo’s worth 400,000. So, using that example, the builder would be able to sue the buyer for the $100,000 difference, and the builder would also be able to retain the buyer’s deposit,” Malhotra explained.

She called Stanivuk’s situation very rare, but noted that buying a new build is not without risk.

Alberta MP calls out president of Conestoga College on Parliament Hill

An Alberta Member of Parliament called out Conestoga College president John Tibbits during a committee meeting on Parliament Hill this week.

It happened on Sept. 23 at a Standing Committee on Citizenship and Immigration meeting, where Conservative MP Michelle Rempel Garner serves as vice-chair. The committee examines laws, programs and policies related to citizenship and immigration.

Earlier this month, the committee agreed to study Canada’s immigration system, with a specific focus on the international student program and study permits. The goal is to identify systemic issues and explore long-term solutions.

Sept. 23 marked the first meeting for the study. According to the committee minutes, members were expected to submit their proposed witness lists.

Rempel Garner said she was “shocked” Tibbits was not present. While it remains unclear if Tibbits was formally asked to attend, Rempel Garner made it clear she wanted him there, tabling a notice of motion to summon him.

“So I am hoping I don’t have to move this motion. I think it is fairly embarrassing that he would choose not to come to this committee,” she said.

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.

At the Sept. 23 meeting, Rempel Garner levelled sharp criticism over how the college has managed its international student program.

“Conestoga College has had numerous stories about abuse of foreign students,” she said. “All of the media stories I’ve heard [are] that under his leadership, Conestoga College has expanded profit but forced students out into food banks [and] has created a massive housing crisis in the region, and the fact that he is ignoring this committee tells me only one thing — that I am right.”

This year, Conestoga College reported a $121-million surplus, down from $252 million the previous year. The school also reported spending $436 million on salaries and benefits, an increase of $37 million from the year before.

The motion to summon Tibbits was not moved on Sept. 23 or at the following meeting on Sept. 25. The next meeting is scheduled for Oct. 9, when the matter could resurface.

CTV News has reached out to Conestoga College for comment but has not received a response.

Ont. orchard tightens rules after approximately 500 lbs. of apples stolen

A Waterloo Region farm is changing its policies after saying persistent thefts stripped roughly 500 pounds of apples from its orchard.

Shuh Orchards said people have been picking fruit without paying.

“Myself, I’ve caught about 250 pounds of stolen goods on three occasions, of around 80 pounds each,” owner Tim Shuh told CTV News.

“We are erring on the side of conservatism. My staff let me know that they saw a customer group putting apples in the stroller [and a] blanket concealed about 40 Honeycrisp apples.”

When confronted, Shuh said they claimed they “didn’t know how [the apples] got in there.”

“The stealing is disappointing in itself, but that, paired with the lying, is inexcusable,” he added.

Shuh posted an update on Instagram last week explaining the new rules at the farm. The post received thousands of likes and nearly 550 comments, with many users expressing support for the business.

Commenters on Instagram and local public Facebook groups said they had also seen families filling wagons and strollers with apples. Others reported instances where individuals would hide fruit in the wagons and lie about payment when confronted.

Shuh Orchards has been forced to bring in more staff during busy times, put up caution tape near the main road and ban wagons, backpacks and strollers in the orchard rows. Anyone picking apples will have to use a bag provided by the farm.

“It takes a lot of labour, a lot of input costs, and that’s what’s the most disappointing for us is that we’ve seen these apples grow from a bud to an apple throughout their whole growing season,” said Shuh.

The Waterloo Regional Police Service reminds residents that stealing produce from orchards, roadside stands or pick-your-own operations is considered theft under the Criminal Code. Offenders could face charges of theft under $5,000.

Boarded up windows, leaky sprinkler systems and dirty hallways: owners concerned with condition of Kitchener condo

Some condo owners in Kitchener, Ont. finally received their keys this month, after years of delays, but say the building is far from finished.

The large four-tower condominium project at 1333 Weber Street was originally known as Elevate Condos. Construction started in 2020, but the builder ran into problems.

The original plan was to create 622 new homes by 2029. The website, which still available for the project, boasted the buildings would have electric car charging stations, a multi-sports court, a putting green, a juice bar and even yoga studios.

However, a release from Dorr Capital Corporation said the project experienced cost overruns and failed to service the loan.

Dorr also claimed construction and misspending were the main reasons behind the project’s downfall.

Work had already started on the first tower, Dorr said, when problems reached their peak and construction was halted for more than a year.

By 2024, the project was in need of a new owner to finish the job. Dorr Capital Corporation, Gentai Capital Corporation and ELM Developments teamed up to buy the project for $75 million.

It was a decision Dorr said took over 10 months to make.

For people who had put down money years earlier, the delays threw their lives into chaos.

“I bought it in 2020,” Ana Stanivuk said. “I was living with my parents at the time, and I was ready to buy my new home.”

During the summer, a final occupancy date of Sept. 19 was set for the first tower.

It meant the developer either had to meet a bare minimum standard of completion on the units or buyers would be able to terminate their contracts.

The City of Kitchener granted occupancy just in time for the deadline but, when condo owners walked into their new homes, they said they were shocked by the condition.

“We have some concerns about where the buildings are. The hallways are filthy, there’s boarded up windows still. There’s leaks in the sprinkler system in the parking garage,” said Stanivuk’s partner Jordan Bezeau.

The City of Kitchener said the term ‘occupancy’ is often misunderstood.

“There are technical requirements that surround basic life, fire and health safety systems,” Mike Seiling, director of building with the city, said. “Things like emergency lighting, exit signs, sprinkler systems, fire alarm systems. Does the elevator work? And is the smoke alarm working within the unit.”

Seiling said some of the issues raised by the condo owners don’t factor into the city’s decision.

“There are some things, such as dust, cleanliness, whether a kitchen cupboard has come off its hinge, baseboard trim in some condo units and the finished floor tiles in the corridors - those are important items, but the building code doesn’t prescribe those things, that they have to be complete in order for the city to issue occupancy.”

Some owners, meanwhile, are looking for other solutions.

“We had conversations with ELM Developments, to have a conversation about a mutual release [for the condo contract],” Stanivuk said. “Which has never happened. We are still waiting on questions about the mutual release.”

In response to questions about the building being ready for occupancy, ELM Developments sent CTV News the following statement.

“As an experienced builder, ELM Developments work with a variety of groups including city officials to reach milestones in construction, including issuing occupancy,” a statement from Elliot Steiner, president of ELM Developments, read. “For occupancy purposes, projects purposely leave certain finishes that are often susceptible to damage incomplete. For example, the corridor flooring is purposely not installed for a period of time to allow for moving of residents.”

Conestoga College offers hundreds of full-time faculty members voluntary exit package

In its latest effort to downsize, Conestoga College is offering exit tickets to more than half of its 700 full-time faculty members.

The voluntary exit incentive program targets staff in areas that are at risk of being discontinued due to the school’s declining enrolment.

On Sept. 19, 373 full-time employees, including librarians and counsellors, received a memo with details on the offer and the reasoning behind it.

“Due to the declining enrolment within our sector and specifically at the college that are the result, in part, of changes to Canada’s international work permit program, the college is in a period of significant restructuring, including intake suspensions, program suspensions, and ongoing staff reductions across all employee groups,” the memo said.

“There are programs that are on the list that don’t make any sense,” explained Leopold Koff, the president of OPSEU Local 237, which represents full-time faculty, librarians and counsellors at Conestoga College.

Koff said those programs include health and safety training, among others, while the trades have remained relatively untouched.

“They’re spreading a wide net, looking for attrition in order to cut costs,” he added.

To qualify for the offer, full-time employees must have worked at the college for at least two years.

“It’s not being offered to all faculty, only a certain group,” Koff said. “And that makes those people very nervous, thinking that they’re basically on the block.”

An exit package is different from a severance package, which is part of the collective bargaining agreement. The union said it was consulted in the process.

“They are the college’s creation. They are their rules, their game,” Koff said.

“Was it as good of a package as we would like, ideally? No,” he continued. “However, it’s better than nothing.”

Eligible employees have until Oct. 20 to decide if they want to accept the college’s offer. Applications will be approved by Oct. 27 and successful candidates will officially leave their roles on Dec. 19.

Conestoga College’s offer comes amid a province-wide strike by college support staff, which is well into its second week.

The union also stressed that the exit incentives were voluntary and not a layoff notice.

Koff said if all 373 eligible employees were approved, however, it would devastate the college and the community.

CTV News reached out to Conestoga College for comment. The school said, as they have on numerous other occasions, that no one was available for an interview.