New chocolate factory opens in Brantford, Ont. Brantford has attracted another ‘sweet’ employer to the Telephone City. On Nov. 13, Barry Callebaut, a Swiss chocolate company known for their Van Houten line, officially opened their third manufacturing facility in Canada. The new Brantford location has been in the works since 2022, when a ground-breaking ceremony was held in the city’s Northwest Industrial Park. When the company first announced plans to open the factory, they said it would bring 200 new jobs to the area. They also planned to invest $104 million USD over the course of 10 years. They said the Brantford factory was designed to produce sugar-free chocolate, high protein offerings and other specialty products. It was originally scheduled to open in 2024. Barry Callebaut has two other Canadian locations: one in Chatham, Ont. and the other in St. Hyacinthe, Que. “We’re proud to open our doors here in Brantford and become part of this community,” Zeljko Andrasic, the plant manager for the Brantford location, said. “This facility is more than just a factory; it’s a place where local talent, innovation, and collaboration come together to create the exceptional chocolate our customers love. Beyond building a facility, we’re building a culture, one that values safety, quality, and, above all, the people who make it all possible. We’re excited to grow with Brantford, support local jobs and contribute to the region’s thriving food manufacturing landscape.” Brantford is also home to a Ferrero Canada factory and a Hershey Canada distribution centre. Kitchener collector says old pennies could be worth more than face value Anyone who still has some old Canadian pennies might want to hold onto them for a little bit longer. The last penny that will be minted in the United States was created on Nov. 12, marking the end of a 238-year history. In February, U.S. President Donald Trump announced he had instructed the Mint to stop making the coins due to the cost of production. Canadians bid goodbye to our version of the penny more than a decade ago. “It was kind of obsolete a long time ago,” Todd Sandham, owner of Colonial Acres Coins in Kitchener, Ont., said. “Canada stopped [producing pennies] in 2012, so it makes sense that [the U.S.] finally decided to stop.” Canadian pennies were withdrawn from circulation in 2013, one year after production ground to a halt. “I can’t believe that [the U.S.] was still making pennies in the last 20 years or so,” Sandham said. “Everybody seems to have to round up or they’re like, ‘Oh, I owe you $0.02. I don’t even want it. Just keep it.’” Rolls of Canadian pennies are still accepted at most banks, but Sanham said you might want to check the dates on them before handing them over. Pennies made before 1997 were mostly made of copper instead of the zinc and steel core that later became standard. “Copper keeps climbing in price. A penny actually melts for about $0.03 now. I buy them for $0.02 and sell them for $0.03 as just a commodity of copper value,” he explained. However, if you find a penny from 1858, the year that the coins were first made, it could be worth even more. “The collector value of an 1858 penny in average condition sells for about $75,” Sandham said. He urged people not to bring those coins to a bank. “You can get more from someone like me.” Could the nickel be next on the chopping block? “Since Canada’s currency system is the exclusive jurisdiction of the Government of Canada, the Mint is not in a position to comment on speculation concerning the future of any coin denomination,” a spokesperson for the Royal Canadian Mint said in a statement to CTV News. Cash is still king, and that includes coins, according to the Bank of Canada. A 2024 survey found Canadians kept an average of $156 on hand, $16 more than 2023. Almost 80 per cent of Canadians also said they have no plans to go cashless. Waterloo, Ont. senior off the hook for $6K skincare contract she claimed she was coerced into signing A senior who said she was coerced into signing a $6,000 skincare contract no longer has to pay up, but not because the store, Resveralife, was evicted from Conestoga Mall in Waterloo, Ont. Brenda Lampman, 73, is still taking it as a win. “I got a response from LendCare,” read an email from a litigation lawyer at the Advocacy Centre for the Elderly. The centre connected with Lampman’s daughter after shared her story with CTV News. “They have closed the loan for your mother, which means she does not owe them any money.” Lampman and her daughter, Kimmie Guelck, high-fived each other after re-reading that email to CTV News on Nov. 12. The news came just a couple of weeks ago, when Lampman was still getting her bi-weekly payment notices from Resveralife. “I saw the name come up and I saw the text underneath – a reminder of the $45 that I owed,” Lampman said. “Now, I can walk in the mall without them looking at me or feeling guilty.” It was also a relief knowing that Resveralife never got a penny from her after she claimed they used aggressive sales tactics to get her to unknowingly sign a contract in the first place. “[The employee] looked at my neck and said, ‘I can get rid of that turkey neck,’” Lampman told CTV News after the incident. Now, just weeks after she got out of the contract, Resveralife’s storefront in Conestoga Mall looks much different. The lights are off, the doors are locked, and an eviction notice has been posted on the doors. The notice confirmed Resveralife’s lease was terminated on Nov. 8, and all inventory had to be removed by Nov. 23 due to “nonpayment of rent.” But Guelck, who helped her mother get out of the contract and shared the situation on social media, received messages from other victims. “Ten days ago, a woman’s mother with dementia also signed a new agreement with them,” Guelck said, referring to one recent message. So, are other customers still required to pay up? Multiple attempts were made by CTV News to get answers from Resveralife and the store’s manager. All messages went unanswered. Brad Davis, a former associate professor of marketing at Wilfrid Laurier University in Waterloo, Ont., weighed in on the situation. “As long as the company continues to exist, I think the financial obligations that customers have via contracts are still in place,” he said. Resveralife still has several locations in southern Ontario. According to Davis, there is nothing stopping them from opening a shop nearby and signing up new customers. “These people are embarrassed, or they don’t want confrontation, so they will continue to pay,” Davis suggested. Lampman, however, won’t be one of them. She gets the last word – specifically for the employee who, she said, told her she had a turkey neck. “Get better glasses.” Stolen debit card used three times at Brantford convenience store The Brant County Ontario Provincial Police are looking for suspects who used a stolen debit card. Police learned of a theft from a vehicle that happened between Nov. 7 and Nov. 8. Police were told someone had broken into the vehicles of a man and his wife and stole a brown leather wallet. The man’s driver’s licence, health card, CIBC debit card, gift cards and a photo of the man’s daughter had been in the wallet at the time. Since the theft, the debit card had been used to make three $90 purchases at a Circle K convenience store on Erie Avenue in Brantford. Police have released images of three suspects captured on the store’s security cameras. Three Hanover high school students killed in Grey County crash Three teenagers from Hanover are dead and another is in hospital with life-threatening injuries after a crash on a rural road east of the community. West Grey Police said emergency crews were called around noon Nov. 11 to Concession 2 SDR near Allan Park Road, about 10 kilometres east of Hanover. The crash happened on a gravel road. Investigators said four teens, aged 15 to 17, were inside the vehicle when it left the roadway. According to West Grey Police Const. Alison Iles, the car flipped several times, ejecting three of the occupants. Three of the teens were pronounced dead at the scene, while the fourth was taken to hospital in Hanover and later airlifted to London with serious, life-threatening injuries. All four were students at John Diefenbaker Senior School in Hanover. Iles said technical collision investigators were called in to assist at the scene. In a statement to CTV News, the West Grey Police Service said it extends “its deepest condolences to the family, friends and loved ones affected by this devastating loss,” and asked for privacy for those involved as “families and the community come to terms with this tragedy.” Hanover’s police chief also offered condolences, calling it “a devastating loss for these families and our local communities.” The road was closed for about 10 hours during the investigation and reopened just before 10 p.m. on Nov. 11.
