While you were out: local news
Arrests made in Campus Court fire
In April 2010, nearly half of the Campus Court plaza on University Avenue, including businesses such as Mel’s Diner and Tabu nightclub, was destroyed by a fire later ruled to be arson. Over the summer four arrests were made in connection with the case. Kitchener natives Daniel Campbell and William Schneider and Lyntje Zinger of Hawkesville were arrested on April 28th, while Brent Campbell the owner of Titanium Nightclub in Uptown Waterloo was charged on June 22. Daniel Campbell, Schneider and Zinger all face arson charges while Brent Campbell faces charges of arson and conspiracy to commit arson.
-Reported by Justin Fauteux
Conservatives sweep region
In May’s federal election, all three incumbent Conservative members of parliament (MP) had repeat victories in the local ridings of Kitchener-Waterloo, Kitchener Centre and Kitchener Conestoga. After Conservative Peter Braid edged Liberal Andrew Telegdi by just 17 votes in Kitchener-Waterloo in 2008 – one of the closest margins in the country – the margin of victory was wider in 2011, with Braid taking the riding by about 2,500 votes. Conservatives Harold Albrecht and Steven Woodsworth reclaimed their posts as MPs for Kitchener Conestoga and Kitchener Centre, respectively.
In the Kitchener-Waterloo riding, which houses both Wilfrid Laurier University and the University of Waterloo, Liberal candidate Telegdi didn’t see the same drop in popularity his party did nationally, finishing second, beating NDP candidate and third-place finisher Bill Brown by nearly 14,000 votes. The Green Party’s Cathy MacLellan came fourth, while Steven Bradley Scott of the Pirate Party, Independent Richard Walsh-Bowers and Julian Ichim of the Marxist-Leninist Party came in 5th, 6th and 7th respectively.
-Election coverage by Cord News staff
Changes coming to rental housing
On May 9, Waterloo City Council passed a new rental housing bylaw that will limit the legal number of occupants in most rented houses to four. This means that in order for a landlord to rent out a house to more than four tenants, he or she will have to apply to have the dwelling classified as a boarding house. The bylaw will come into effect in April of 2012.
-Reported by Amanda Steiner
Student neighbourhood goes up for sale
In one of the more continuous stories of the summer, 39 homes, or two full blocks, of homes in the primarily student populated Northdale neighbourhood were involved an attempted group sale. For sale signs appeared in front of 31 houses, spaning Hickory, Hemlock, Balsam, and Larch Streets, just behind WLU’s St. Michael’s Campus, on June 17, with eight houses on Hazel being added five days later. Despite interest from developers, zoning issues have since borught the sale to a halt (see page (with Linda’s story)).
-Reported by Justin Fauteux
LRT coming to Waterloo Region
After eight years of research and discussion, Waterloo Regional Council finally brought an end to the debate over whether or not a Light Rail Transit (LRT) system will be implemented in the region. By a 9-2 margin, the councilors voted yes on the $818-million LRT project, with Waterloo mayor Brenda Halloran being one of those in opposition. The LRT line will stretch from Conestoga Mall in Waterloo to Fairway Road in Kitchener, with rapid busses extending to the Ainslie Street Mall in Cambridge. Consruction is expected to begin in 2014 and be completed by 2017.
-Reported by Lindsay Purchase
Local activists remember G20
Several members of the KW community gathered at Waterloo Public Square on June 26 to mark the one-year anniversary of the G20 summit. According to the event’s organizers, there are about six people from the KW area still facing charges, who weren’t allowed to gather for the one-year anniversary.
-Reported by Justin Fauteux
KW celebrates diversity
In late June, Kitchener’s Victoria Park played host to the annual Kitchener-Waterloo multicultural festival, bringing together booths and performances from an array of backgrounds. KW has hosted the event for the past 40 years and it has been nominated as one of the best festivals in Waterloo Region.
-Reported by Amanda Steiner*
New cell phone provider comes to K-W
On Aug. 16, Wind Mobile officially launched service in Kitchener and Waterloo. K-W joins Toronto, Ottawa, Calgary, Edmonton and Vancouver as one of six zones in Canada where Wind provides mobile coverage.
-Reported by Amanda Steiner
New landmark in Uptown
On Aug. 18, five bells were hoisted at the Center for International Governance Innovation (CIGI) campus in Uptown Waterloo. The bells, which have been designed to resemble the sound of the bells at London’s Westminster Abbey will ring every quarter of an hour, pending city approval.
-Compiled by Amanda Steiner