Top stories of the week: Snow clearing concerns, smartphones with keyboards, and a high-risk rearrest

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Should phones have a physical keyboard?

Released and rearrested

Tiny home torn down

Homeowner on the hook for snow clearing costs despite attempts to clear sidewalk

A Kitchener, Ont. homeowner is upset because he must pay up after the city sent a snow removal crew to clear his sidewalk on Thursday.

He said that’s despite the fact that he uses his snowblower regularly and his neighbours’ sidewalks were in the same condition.

“I was kind of at a loss. I was like, ‘Well if you look around, why are you at my house specifically when my sidewalks actually look better than the road itself, which the city is responsible for?’” said Brian Sandau.

He claims that plows don’t come by to clear his street after multiple days of snowfall.

Sandau said after returning home from out of town earlier this month, the City of Kitchener gave him a warning.

“Everything seemed to be pretty good except for where the sidewalk connects to the road. There was a little four-inch bump there. So I got my chipper out and cleaned it up and thought that was good,” said Sandau.

Turns out it was not good, at least by the city’s standards. Sandau said it’s frustrating because he takes pride in keeping things clear.

“I come out here every day after work with a snowblower. I have nice clean edges,” said Sandau.

When CTV News contacted the City of Kitchener about sidewalk clearing standards, they provided information from their website indicating sidewalks around properties must be cleared of snow and ice within 24 hours of snowfall and they must be maintained to bare pavement.

Trouble is, it’s been one of the coldest and snowiest winters in recent memory, so removing snow completely is tricky.

“I put salt down but salt is only effective down to -9 Celsius, -10 Celsius. After that, it’s just a waste,” said Sandau. “Nothing has been down to the concrete or the pavement, including the city streets or their sidewalks,”

He wonders why the city is only going after certain properties.

“As you can see, this is the property line. This is what my sidewalk looked like, and that wasn’t sufficient,” said Sandau, showing the sidewalk beside his property, which is packed down with snow.

He does live on a corner lot and said he is mindful about ensuring there is pedestrian access to the road.

Despite being diligent, he fears what the bill for this work will be.

“This could easily be over $1,000 for something that I’ve been dealing with all winter,” said Sandau.

Former BlackBerry employees bring back physical keyboard with new smartphone

Do you ever miss sending texts on your BlackBerry?

It’s been quite some time since people were walking around with them, but some former BlackBerry employees are bringing back the idea of a physical smartphone keyboard, and they’ve dubbed the new phone the Communicator.

It’s created by a company called Clicks and it’s not the first time they’ve tested out the keyboard. In fact, they’re known for smartphone keyboard attachments.

“We started in 2024 with the Clicks keyboard case,” explained Clicks co-founder Jeff Gadway, who is also the former head of marketing at BlackBerry.

He says there is a current gap in the smartphone market.

“Smartphones have become really good at a lot of things,” said Gadway. “But when you’re good at everything, you’re not great at anything in particular.”

Gadway has insisted on being great at one thing and that’s physical phone keyboards.

One version that was recently unveiled is called the Power Keyboard. It is a slide-out keyboard that attaches to your existing phone and includes wireless charging.

“It has a power bank that goes on the back of your phone,” Gadway said as he showed how the keyboard works. “Whether it’s the auditory feedback or the actual feeling of the buttons underneath your thumbs, you can type with more confidence, more precision and just do more on your phone on the go and not have to wait to get back to your desk.”

Gadway’s team has taken it a step further, though, with the Communicator. It’s their new standalone phone that has a built-in physical keyboard. They hope to simultaneously take everyone back in time while pushing their ideas forward.

It has an emphasis on messaging and productivity.

“The keys are ergonomically contoured,” said Gadway. “What we found is that there’s a group of people today that really want to be better at communicating, taking action, avoiding distraction, doing, versus doomscrolling.”

Aside from the keyboard it has a rear camera, 3.5 mm audio jack, operates on Android 16 and is equipped with the Google Play Store.

But its messaging and productivity apps are what’s in focus. The Communicator is meant to be a second phone, or work phone, with typical smartphones geared towards content and in turn, more distractions.

“What we’ve done is built a signal light into the prompt key here on the side so when somebody like a VIP, or maybe an app that’s important to you is looking to get your attention, this will light up,” said Gadway.

That signal light can be customized with different colours, making it easier to categorize who you do or don’t want to respond to in the moment.

Don’t think it’s just an older demographic that’s interested in the physical keyboard.

“I think the option of having it there is always great,” one person told CTV News on Tuesday.

“It was just fun to play with as a kid, I think it’s pretty nostalgic as well,” said another person.

Other people spoke about how touchscreen keyboards sometimes don’t pop up when they’re supposed to or they can lag.

Gadway believes younger people may be looking to reshape their relationship with technology.

“Forty-five per cent of our customers have never typed on buttons before,” he explained.

As for when people can get their hands on the Communicator, it can be pre-ordered for $399 USD and will be shipped to customers later this year.

Gadway is optimistic that the smartphone keyboard resurgence sticks, or rather “clicks” with consumers.

High-risk sex offender rearrested within two hours of latest release

A high-risk offender is back in police custody just hours after he was released into the community.

Medhani Yohans, a 36-year-old man, was released from custody in Guelph Provincial Court on Monday after he pleaded guilty to breaching a probation order.

“He had served a significant amount of pre-trial custody, so he was released by the court after entering that plea,” Scott Tracey, media relations coordinator with the Guelph Police Service, told CTV News.

Upon his release, some community members immediately began to raise concerns online.

“If we consider him a danger to the public, why is he being released? That’s a decision that’s made by the court, not by the police. In this case, he’s obviously served what the court deemed to be sufficient time in custody up until this date. The court deemed it was appropriate to release him,” Tracey explained.

A short time later, officers with the Guelph Police Service rearrested Yohans at 2:35 p.m., less than two hours after his release. The police said he was seen breaching his probation order by visiting a particular address.

He now faces another count of breaching probation due to Monday’s arrest. He is due in bail court on Tuesday.

Yohans is well known to local police officers. Prior to his release on Monday, he had been behind bars since an arrest last July.

Yohans has a history of violence, including at least two sexual assaults involving strangers.

“The Guelph Police Service believes that Yohans poses a risk to the community, particularly to women, and is concerned that he may commit similar offences in the future,” a news release said, following his release on Monday.

The Toronto Police Service announced Yohans had been released on July 29, 2024. In response, the Guelph Police Service warned he may pose a risk to the community, especially women. They also expressed concern he may commit “similar offences” in the future.

Yohans was required to check-in with Guelph Police within seven days of his release in Toronto. When he failed to do that, a warrant was issued for his arrest.

He was taken into custody by Guelph Police Service officers on Aug. 23, 2024, and released on March 1, 2025.

A week later, on March 8, 2025, Yohans was rearrested for once again breaching the conditions set out for him. He was released the next day.

Less than 24 hours later, Guelph police said he was taken into custody again after he was found sleeping on a bench at the University of Guelph.

Yohans completed his sentence on July 24, 2025, and, as before, he was rearrested the following day.

Up until Monday, he had been behind bars ever since that arrest. At one point, he refused to appear in court for his bail hearing.

Police have said he has a history in Guelph dating back to 2017.

Workers tear down tiny home built illegally inside Guelph, Ont. park

A tiny home in a Guelph, Ont., park, built for a man who said he had nowhere else to go, has been demolished.

Machinery was used to take down the structure Wednesday morning.

The tiny home was built earlier this winter by Jess Damery as a place where his father-in-law, Rob, could live.

Rob, who told CTV News he has a brain injury and mental health struggles, was unable to stay in shelters or live with family.

Damery was aware the structure was illegal but called it a last resort.

“I wasn’t trying to be sneaky, I wasn’t trying to hide anything,” Damery told CTV News on Wednesday. “The fact of the matter is that Robert’s health and his safety were in question, and I wasn’t going to sit by when I would possibly do something to ensure he was going to be safe this winter.”

The demolition of the tiny home has thrust Rob, once again, into a precarious situation.

“Robert, right now, is definitely more lost than he was before this all started,” Damery said.

Damery was shocked by the development.

“There was just no compassion or caring in what they were doing and now [Rob] feels like the world is against him again. He’s back with even less than he had before.”

CTV News reached out the City of Guelph for their response.

A statement from Doug Godfrey, general manager of operations for the City of Guelph, in part, “… the involvement of city bylaw comes from a community safety standpoint.”

Damery said he was also upset with the path that was made by the crew who went in to dismantle the structure. When he was building the tiny home, he said he made a concerted effort not to damage the natural features of the area.

“The contractors have confirmed that no trees were removed during the course of their work. Some branches were trimmed or damaged as necessary to complete the work safely and to ensure the safety of the crew,” the City of Guelph said when asked about any potential damage to the area’s plant life.

Damery said they are still trying to learn where Rob’s belongings are and how he can get them back.

“A man that doesn’t have a home, first and foremost, probably doesn’t have a car,” he said.

Damery said Rob has been given hotel accommodations for the next few days, but it’s unclear what will happen when that runs out.

“After the ninth of February, we’re back to square one, where he’s supposed to fend for himself in stairwells or wherever he can stay warm through the cold nights,” he said.

The family has set up an online fundraiser to help Rob as he navigates what comes next.

Damery noted Rob’s story is just one example of the challenges many people are facing.

“Obviously there are funds within the city that they can allocate time and manpower and resources to tear down a man’s mini-home, so why can’t we take the same funding or the same attention to help some of these people instead of just keep pushing them into the corner where nobody sees them and ignoring the fact that people are struggling out there.”

Vehicle ‘intentionally tampered with’ to reduce sale price, OPP say

Ontario Provincial Police say some buyers are going to extreme lengths to get a good deal on a used vehicle.

A Rockwood resident recently listed their vehicle for sale online and were contacted by someone interested in buying it.

“When the suspect requested to come that evening for a test drive, the victim advised they were unavailable as they would be out for dinner,” a press release said. “Arrangements were made for the suspect to attend the following day, at which time the victim provided their address.”

OPP said the buyer turned up at the meeting with three others.

“Shortly into their test drive, the vehicle began billowing black smoke. This seemed strange to the victim, as the vehicle was working properly the day prior,” the release continued. “The suspect subsequently offered to purchase the vehicle for significantly less than the original asking price, which the victim declined.”

The seller then brought the vehicle to a mechanic.

“It was apparent that the vehicle had been intentionally tampered with,” OPP said. “The victim believes the suspect attended their residence while they were out for dinner the night before, entered their unlocked garage and tampered with the vehicle.”

The seller reported the incident to police on Jan. 13. OPP said they have since installed security cameras and additional fencing on the property.

Anyone who has experienced a similar situation is encouraged to contact Wellington County OPP at 1-888-310-1122.