Top stories of the week: Talking trash, fire in Ayr and changes to the Stratford swan parade

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Concerns raised about new recycling and waste carts

Building in downtown Ayr torn down after fire

OFM called in to investigate fire at historic building in downtown Ayr

Waterloo Region musician sentenced for sexual exploitation of teen girl

Controversial comedian’s shows cancelled in Kitchener

This week’s top stories include frustrations with Waterloo Region’s new cart-based waste collection system, a devastating fire in Ayr, Ont. and changes to an iconic spring event in Stratford, Ont.

Delays and missed collections reported as Waterloo Region rolls out new cart-based system

Waterloo Region’s new system for waste collection got off to a rocky start this week.

The cart-based collection method was officially launched on Tuesday. Now, garbage and organic waste are collected by trucks using mechanical arms that are operating by using a joystick inside the vehicle.

Olivia Kwok, the region’s director of waste management, warned the roll out would likely be a little slow, but speed will pick up with time.

“The operators who are driving the trucks, they were just recently doing a very different type of service, and they just got trained up on the new program with the automated arm. So, they’re making sure they’re doing it well, doing it right,” Kwok told CTV News.

Wellesley, Woolwich, North Dumfries and parts of Cambridge were the first communities to make the switch.

However, by the end of the day on Tuesday, some carts still hadn’t been collected.

Residents were encouraged to leave their carts out and they would be picked up the next day. But the problems persisted, and some people were asked to leave their carts out on Saturday as crews continued trying to catch up.

The work is being done by a third-party contractor who brought on additional support to its 80-truck fleet.

“Our contractor did bring in extra trucks,” said Kwok. “They brought in more just to help with the service in the region.”

Crews fight fire in downtown Ayr, Ont.

One person was hurt and a historic building in Ayr, Ont. was reduced to rubble after a fire on Monday.

Emergency services were called to the building at 22 Northumberland Street around 9:15 a.m. When they arrived, flames were already bursting out of the second-storey windows and thick black smoke plumed overhead.

The fire spread so quickly that one resident leapt from the building’s second floor. That person was taken to hospital with minor injuries.

Firefighters fought the blaze for hours.

“Crews did an exterior attack. When we had the fire under control we tried an interior attack, but because of the age and the construction of the building crews had to back out,” North Dumfries Fire Chief Jeffrey Smith said. “We’ve been putting the fire out from an offensive perspective.”

The building, known for the ‘Hardware’ sign perched high overhead, once housed the Ayr Ice House and Creamery and was a designated heritage building. In recent years, it hosted Ayr Village Pizza, Hitched Coffee and three apartments.

By Tuesday afternoon, the building had been demolished due to extensive structural damage.

For the last 17 years, the Vidakovic family has ran Ayr Village Pizza from the ground floor of 22 Northumberland Street.

Iva, Lola and Vesna Vidakovic stood on the street on Tuesday as crews continued to dismantle what was left of the business they worked tirelessly to build.

“We’re just asking for support and trying to give support where we can, especially to the people that were upstairs and lost everything. That’s our main focus right now. But the community in Ayr is incredible. Coming from a small family, we’ve gained a ginormous family here in Ayr and we couldn’t ask for better people around us,” Lola Vidakovic said.

Steven Lehmann sentenced for sexual exploitation of teen girl

On Wednesday a musician who had once been widely respected in Waterloo Region was sentenced to five years behind bars after pleading guilty to the sexual exploitation of a teenaged girl.

The court heard sexual contact between Steven Lehmann and his victim, whose name is protected by a publication ban, began when she was only 16-years-old. At the time, Lehmann was 20 years older than her.

In September 2008, he told the girl he really liked her. The teen said she was not interested in a romantic partnership. Lehmann then groomed the girl, picking her up from her work or school, touching her and eventually initiating sex.

Over a nine-month period, they had sexual intercourse approximately 40 times, the court heard.

At one point, the girl asked Lehmann what he would do if others found out about their relationship.

Lehmann reportedly said he would kill himself and “make it look like an accident.”

Court was also told the teen was the one who cut off contact with Lehmann. She asked him to leave her alone in June 2009.

The Crown felt Lehmann should spend five years behind bars. The defence pushed for two to three years, arguing their client was a first-time offender who, as a result of the charges against him, experienced serious professional consequences.

Justice Nicole Redgate ultimately decided on a five-year sentence for Lehmann.

“I consider the gravity of the offense to be high,” she said, explaining he had exploited a position of trust for criminal purposes. “I consider Mr. Lehmann’s degree of responsibility to be high.”

“The facts established that Mr. Lehmann’s conduct was calculated. He groomed, pushed boundaries and emotionally manipulated [the teen] over a matter of months,” Justice Redgate said.

The judge noted the relationship lasted several months, with Lehmann and the girl having sexual intercourse at least every other week.

“This was not an isolated or brief lapse in judgment,” Redgate stated in her decision.

Lehman was the co-founder of KW Glee and the Renaissance School of the Arts in Waterloo. He also helped develop a professional recording studio before his arrest. Court heard he is no longer affiliated with those organizations or projects.

Controversial comedian’s Kitchener show ‘cancelled by the venue’

After weeks of contentious debate, a controversial comedian’s sold-out shows in Kitchener, Ont. were cancelled.

Ben Bankas was supposed to perform at Elements Nightclub over the weekend.

However, a representative for Bankas told CTV News the venue had cancelled the event.

They said the comedian “has thousands of fans in Kitchener and is disappointed not to be able to perform for them this weekend.”

According to Bankas’ team, ticket holders would be refunded by the venue, and emails were sent out on Friday.

Originally, Bankas had been scheduled to perform at the Conrad Centre for the Performing Arts on March 7. That location is owned by the City of Kitchener. After public protest and backlash, a decision was made to relocate the shows to Elements Nightclub in downtown Kitchener.

CTV News reached out to the club multiple times. The venue has not responded to requests for comment.

Bankas’ routines are polarizing, particularly his takes on immigrants, diversity, the 2SLGBTQIA+ community and residential schools.

He faced significant pushback to comments he made about the death of Renee Good, who was fatally shot by ICE agents in Minnesota.

Some fans, like Jesse Eckstein, found the cancellation concerning.

“I think it’s kind of a slippery slope when you say something doesn’t belong in your town. This was an agreed upon event that had a ticket price where adults who bought these tickets,” Eckstein said.

But other residents welcomed the news as they had been planning a protest outside the venue.

“We had a great celebration [Thursday] night,” Sarah Walker told CTV News. “The excitement was palpable with what ended up being several groups of people who really got together and pushed for this to become what it became, which was the cancellation. Which was our ultimate goal.”

Changes coming to Stratford, Ont.’s popular swan parade

A staple of spring will look a little different in Stratford, Ont. this year.

Typically, the city’s famous swans waddle their way down to the Avon River on the first Sunday of April after spending months in their winter home. In past years, large crowds have gathered to watch the spectacle as the Stratford Police Pipe and Drums Band led the bevy to the riverbank.

However, starting in 2026, it will be a much more muted affair.

The city has said the parade will not have a set date. Instead, the swans will be moved when the time is right to make their migration.

“At the direction of the Board of Park Management, the birds will now be returned to Lake Victoria from their winter quarters as soon as it’s appropriate,” they wrote in a social media post. “The determination will be made each year based on factors like water levels, weather and mating patterns.”

The city said the goal was to reduce stress on the mute swans.

While the event is changing, the community can still take part.

“We recognize that some may still want to watch the annual release, and we will provide updates as soon as they’re available,” the city’s post promised.