Most-read stories of the week: Ager Hasan testifies, The Hopper fire, GRT service resumes

Accused described traumatic childhood during Kitchener murder trial

A man charged with second-degree murder in the stabbing death of his ex-girlfriend in Kitchener six years ago took the stand to testify in his own defence Wednesday.

Melinda Vasilije was found dead in her Country Hill Drive apartment on April 28, 2017. The jury previously heard she was stabbed 47 times.

The accused, Ager Hasan, has admitted to killing Vasilije, but insisted she attacked him first.

Hasan has pleaded not guilty to second-degree murder in Vasilije’s death. He has pleaded guilty to manslaughter, although the Crown did not accept that plea.

On Wednesday, Hasan began his testimony by answering questions from his lawyer – with his defence team forgoing an opening statement and instead calling Hasan immediately to the stand.

Ager Hasan is charged with second-degree murder in the death of Melinda Vasilije.

 

The Hopper fire deemed suspicious: Cambridge Fire Department

The Cambridge Fire Department says the blaze that gutted a historic downtown Preston building Saturday night is believed to be suspicious.

Crews were called to the now-vacant venue – formerly home to The Hopper, a dance club and pub – around 8:30 p.m.

Eric Yates, chief fire prevention officer with Cambridge Fire, said people were seen leaving the burning structure and are believed to have been living inside.

“There were some occupants inside the building and one that was seen leaving the building, so we're treating it as suspicious at this time,” Yates said Sunday.

The building at the corner of King Street and Lowther Street was built in the 1800s and is considered a landmark in Preston.

Left: Aerial footage shows smoke and flames pouring off a building in downtown Preston on May 6, 2023. (Twitter/@darrenbondy) Right: The aftermath of the fire is seen on May 7, 2023. (Hannah Schmidt/CTV Kitchener)

 

GRT service resumes Thursday, new deal ratified

Buses were up and running again Thursday morning following a 10-day strike.

The union representing Grand River Transit (GRT) bus operators and support staff and the Region of Waterloo reached a new agreement on Tuesday.

For many in the region, commuting to and from work became much more expensive, with some forced to take a taxi or Uber.

“Every day it’s like $19 an Uber. It’s good buses are back and they gave us free rides for 10 days, its good news for us,” said one GRT rider today.

For some Kitchener residents like Tammy Markham, the strike even took a physical toll, adding a commute on foot to work.

“I couldn’t do it, it was a lot on my body to do that all at once. So I did as much as I could but I still had to take quite a few taxis,” said Markham.

GRT riders using the bus in Waterloo Public Square (Chris Thomson/ CTV News)

 

How a 3-legged dog found his way home after 18 days in rural Ontario

Andre the dog went on the adventure of a lifetime that spanned 18 days and 35 kilometres, and he did it all on three legs.

His foster mom dropped him off for one night at a kennel in Breslau, but Andre had other plans. He found his way out and hit the road.

“We got the phone call and it was probably the worst news ever and I was so scared,” his foster mom Hannah Spencer said. “The first thing I said was ‘he’s a baby, he’s not going to make it out there.”

To try to bring him home, Spencer worked closely with Ground Search and Rescue KW, a volunteer organization that helps people find their lost dogs.

His story spread quickly through social media, word of mouth and posters plastered around the area where he went missing.

A few people reported seeing him, but no one was able to catch him.

Andre the dog and his foster mom Hannah Spencer seen on May 12, 2023. (CTV News/Stefanie Davis)

 

TikToker compares Canadian real estate prices to private islands and castles

Not ready to shell out $1.8 million for a duplex in downtown Kitchener? Your money might be better spent on a cliff-top Swedish castle for nearly the same price, according to Canadian TikToker “Millennial Moron.”

The content creator, who declined to disclose his real name, has been gaining traction for his darkly comedic take on Canada’s sky-high housing prices – comparing Canadian real estate listings to private islands and castles for sale abroad.

“The thing I've always thought of as the absurdly luxurious type of real estate would be private islands,” Millenial Moron told CTV Kitchener. “And I was curious to see how many rundown Canadian homes you would need to trade to buy a private island, and to my surprise the answer was one.”

The series satirizing the housing market has attracted 70,000 followers in its first month and 1.3 million likes.

His videos include a comparison of a $4.9 million five-bedroom home in Vancouver and a $4.6 million luxury beach house on a private island off the coast of Brazil.

Another contrasts a fixer-upper in Markham listed at $4.9 million with a palatial chateau in France for around the same price.

While the videos might be humorous, they comment on very serious issues Canadians are facing in trying to buy a home.

These two homes, the left in Kitchener, Ont., the right in Angelsberg, Sweden are both listed for around $1.8 million. (Realtor.ca and Christie's International Real Estate)