Harrison Yoshy succumbs to cancer, legacy lives on in hockey community The hockey community is mourning the loss of a young boy who inspired a movement across southwestern Ontario. Harrison Yoshy from Kitchener, Ont. was known for his love of the game, fighting spirit and tenacity. Thousands of stickers featuring Harrison’s name, number and the Kitchener Rangers’ logo were printed off and displayed as far away as London, Windsor and Chatham in a show of solidarity with the young boy who was fighting a rare form of brain cancer. In March, the family announced Harrison had just wrapped up 30 days of radiation treatments and were waiting to see what his next steps would be. But on Oct. 7, the nine-year-old died. He was just one week shy of his 10th birthday. “Harrison was an extremely passionate boy. Everything he did, he did full speed,” Kody Yoshy, Harrison’s father, said. “Anything that he put his mind to, he did it. He had the characteristics of everything you could hope for as a parent.” Harrison’s symptoms started around Christmas 2025 when he suddenly fell during a hockey practice with the Kitchener Jr. Rangers U10 AAA team. Later, disorientation settled in. A series of MRI and CT scans confirmed the boy had two brain tumours. “It’s unimaginable. It’s every parent’s worst nightmare. But, for Harrison himself, it never got him down. He continued to be the light of our lives,” Kody said. “Harrison had cancer, but cancer never had him.” Harrison’s journey inspired people throughout the hockey community. Some wore his stickers on their helmets. Others sent hockey cards and small tokens through the mail. Last year, the Kitchener Rangers invited Harrison and his family to do a ceremonial puck drop before a game against the London Knights. “The whole OHL Rangers and KW community is behind you, Harrison,” read a social media post from the team following that special moment. “Your strength, courage and love for the game inspire us. You are the definition of #BattleBuilt.” The team is now mourning the loss. “Harrison showed us what true strength, courage and resilience look like,” a statement from the Kitchener Rangers said, in part. “His spirit and determination served as a powerful reminder to our team of what truly matters, both on and off the ice.” The hurt is also being felt by members of the Kitchener Minor Hockey Association. “During this incredibly difficult time, our hockey community stands together in support of all those who loved him,” the association said in a statement sent to CTV News. “Forever our #14.” Reflecting on the loss of his son, Kody said Harrison never lost his optimism. “Everything that he was faced with, all the appointments and treatments, he just – he just persevered through it all. Never said a word about it. Just continued being himself. Harrison had cancer, but cancer never had him.” Harrison’s legacy lives on Harrison’s battle will continue to help other kids. The stickers that become synonymous with the boy’s ‘can-do’ spirit were printed at McPhails Cycle Shop in Uptown Waterloo. The owner is a close friend of the family. Sweaters honouring Harrison’s life are still available at the store, as well as online. Net proceeds from those sales are going to Toronto’s Hospital for Sick Children, where researchers are trying to learn more about the cancer Harrison was diagnosed with: diffuse midline glioma “We’ll do everything in our power to raise funds and bring awareness to keep his name alive. I know his friends and family, teammates, coaches and community – they’ve done so much. I know they’ll continue to do everything.” In lieu of flowers, the family is asking for donations to the Labatt Brain Tumour Research Centre through the SickKids Foundation website. Donations in honour of Harrison can be made by selecting “other” on the drop-down menu and entering “Brain Tumour Research Centre - Dr. Cynthia Hawkins lab.” Shoppers say grocery rebate still ‘isn’t enough’ The federal government has handed out another grocery rebate, but shoppers aren’t convinced it will make a difference amid rising food costs. The Canada Groceries and Essentials Benefit, formerly called the GST/HST credit, rolled out on Oct. 5. The quarterly payments are meant to help lower-income households. Those eligible for the rebate include: Joan Fisk, the CEO at United Way Waterloo, wishes the threshold had been a little higher. “It’s better than nothing,” she admitted. “The people that are receiving the benefit are at the lowest income. But, if you’re making $80,000 a year with two incomes and two children, you’re still really scraping it.” Payments vary based on household: “You get $234 for each child you have under the age of 19, divided by four,” explained Fisk. “When you add all of this up, your payment that month for that whole family, probably around $300. So, it doesn’t go a long way for three months to pay for groceries.” She would also like to see bigger payments. “It isn’t enough to make the difference that we’d like to see it make, but it’s still a benefit,” Fisk said. Statistics Canada said about 12 million people will qualify for the rebate, or just under 30 per cent of the country’s population. The big picture in Waterloo Region CTV News spoke with several shoppers to get their reaction to the rebate. “$100 worth of groceries used to be three or four bags,” said Kim. “When you think about it now, you’re lucky if you get one bag.” She also said she sympathizes with parents trying to feed their whole family. According to the United Way Waterloo, the region’s living wage is $24.60 an hour. Minimum wage, by comparison, is now $17.95 an hour. “The fact is that we do need that rebate,” said Fisk. “We are looking at an affordability crisis across Canada and other places. We know that things cost more than they used to cost, and wages haven’t risen in in comparison.” Fisk also noted that one in nine families in the region are dealing with food insecurity. Some people have found ways to work around their budget. “It’s really tough,” said Thomas, another shopper in Kitchener. “To be honest, I almost always just look for the yellow stickers, the 50 per cent off. It’s a bit of a habit now.” During the interview, he held a carton of whipping cream and cheese, both labelled with bright yellow clearance tags. “It’s like gambling, where I’m looking for those stickers to make it work, because otherwise I can’t buy those products,” explained Thomas. For recipients of the grocery benefit, it will appear as a GST/HST rebate in your account at first, but further payments will be listed as CGEB, the shortened name for the Canada Groceries and Essentials Benefit. Stratford woman missing since March found A mother of two who has been missing since March 2026 has been found. Investigators have been trying to find 37-year-old Victoria Marland since she went missing earlier this year. She was briefly seen in the Kitchener-Waterloo area in May when she contacted healthcare providers at Grand River Hospital and Waterloo Regional Police Service officers. But the Stratford Police Service said they did not know why Marland left her Stratford home in early March. She left her vehicle and some personal belongings behind. Foul play was not suspected. “We do think that she had just left on her own accord and is hopefully out there healthy and well somewhere. And her boys are waiting for her to come home,” Stratford Police Service Constable Darren Fischer previously told CTV News as part of the ongoing Unsolved 519 series. “We don’t really have any idea as to what has drawn Victoria away from her home and her children.” On Oct. 5, police announced she had been found. “Victoria was located by officers with the Ontario Provincial Police during an interaction late last week,” a Stratford Police Service news release said. “She was found to be in good health resulting in no concerns regarding her well-being at the time she was located.” Police did not say where she was found. Guelph police post new photos as they try to identify Homecoming partygoers Police in Guelph, Ont., have identified 11 people who participated in a wild street party over Homecoming weekend. More than 1,000 people lined Chancellors Way on Sept. 26. The gathering took a turn when objects started to be thrown into the crowd and a student climbed up a nearby residence fell to the ground below. There were also reports of shoplifting and vandalism in the area. At least 60 people were hurt during HoCo and Guelph General Hospital said those visits “stretched” the emergency department “beyond capacity” and put “significant pressure on critical” resources. Police have been trying to track down some of the partygoers. They have posted nearly two dozen photos on their website, taken from videos posted to social media. Some of them showed people with objects in their hands, including cans, smoke bombs and even a plumbing pipe. Eleven people had been identified as of Oct. 8. “Investigators continue to review reports and video and have posted new photos,” police wrote on social media. “Recognize someone? Contact Detective Constable Keddie at ckeddie@guelphpolice.ca.” The website currently shows 12 people they are still trying to identify. New working group Guelph Police said a meeting was held on Oct. 6 with officials from the University of Guelph, the City of Guelph and Guelph General Hospital to discuss “how their collective approach must evolve.” “This year demonstrated that the environment surrounding unsanctioned gatherings has changed,” they wrote in a media release. “Social media’s speed and reach, along with individuals who encourage disorder or cause damage, can quickly increase an event’s scale, complexity and risk; disrupt nearby residents and businesses; and create safety concerns for participants, the community and first responders.” As a result, they agreed to create a Homecoming working group. “As these gatherings continue to evolve in size and complexity, we will build on our existing Homecoming planning and bring together appropriate expertise from each organization to examine ways to further strengthen prevention, operations, communications and response strategies; explore additional tools, authorities and resources to support community safety, as well as identify opportunities to hold offenders accountable,” police said. “Unsanctioned gatherings are complex and cannot be addressed by one organization or measure alone,” they added. The release said the group will meet regularly to discuss recommendations and monitor the progress of those efforts. Bald eagle, found at Brantford landfill covered in ‘goo,’ set free A bald eagle found covered in “goo” at a landfill in Brantford has finally been released back into the wild. The bird was released on Sept. 18 from the Hobbitstee Wildlife Refuge in Nanticoke. A supervisor at the landfill discovered the eagle on Aug. 31. “The location was deep within the landfill,” Ian Harrower, a bylaw officer who responded to the call for help, said the day after the rescue. “[It was] was very muddy. You couldn’t really access it by any normal vehicle.” The eagle was covered in a sticky unknown substance. “All the feathers were stuck together,” wildlife custodian Chantal Theijn told CTV News at the time. “Down to the skin, all the feathers were sticky and covered in whatever the mysterious substance is.” While the bird couldn’t fly, it was still very active and running around the landfill. Rescuers cornered the bird, wrapped it in a jacket and took it to experts to make sure the eagle wasn’t seriously hurt. It was then taken to the wildlife rehabilitation centre. The organization said it took four washes to get the “goo” off her feathers.
