Most-read stories of the week: Hot housing market, fatal shooting, life-saving cellphone feature

Ont. mayor can’t afford to buy house in township she leads

Waterloo Region’s red-hot housing market hits close to home for Wilmot Township Mayor Natasha Salonen.

Despite earning around $90,000 a year between her work as mayor, regional councillor and with the local electric utility, she says she can’t afford to buy a home in the municipality she leads.

“I do live at home with my parents,” Salonen says. “Living in this region is really not attainable for a young professional who has university debt and I know I'm certainly not alone in that.”

Located just outside Kitchener-Waterloo, Wilmot Township has a population of around 22,000. According to the Waterloo Region Association of Realtors, the average home in Wilmot sold for $916,167 last month.

While it’s worth noting Salonen is just 28 years old, her situation is still unique among her political peers.

WIlmot Township Mayor Natasha Salonen says she can't afford to buy a home in the municipality. (Spencer Turcotte/CTV Kitchener)

18-year-old killed in downtown Kitchener shooting identified by family

A Kitchener family is mourning the loss of their son as police continue to search for his suspected killer.

Family members have identified Joshua Tarnue, 18, as the victim of a fatal shooting in downtown Kitchener Sunday night.

Police say officers responded to the area of Queen Street South and Charles Street around 10:20 p.m. on Sunday for reports of shots fired outside a business.

When they arrived, police found an 18-year-old Kitchener man with gunshot wounds. He was taken to hospital where he was pronounced dead. Investigators believe the shooting was targeted.

Joshua Tarnue, 18, has been identified by family members as the victim of a fatal shooting in downtown Kitchener on Sunday Aug. 13, 2023. (Submitted)

New cellphone feature credited with saving Ont. driver's life

Hannah Ralph is recovering in the ICU following a crash that sent her to hospital with life-threatening injuries, and her family is crediting a new feature on her cellphone for a quick emergency response.

The 21-year-old Hamilton, Ont. native was driving in a rural area near Flesherton, a small community between Owen Sound and Shelburne, when she was involved in a serious collision on Aug. 5.

Her family says they were alerted to the incident by the crash detection system on Ralph’s iPhone.

Fatal head-on crash on Highway 6 between Guelph and Hamilton under investigation

A section of Highway 6 between Guelph and Hamilton was closed for several hours on Wednesday after a fatal head-on crash.

It’s a scene people who live nearby say has become all too common.

The collision happened between Concession roads 11 and 12 around 8:20 a.m. near the community of Freelton.

Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) say a white car was travelling northbound when it veered into the southbound lanes and collided head-on with a delivery van.

Police say the driver of a passenger vehicle crossed the centre line and collided head-on with a delivery truck. (Jeff Pickel/CTV Kitchener)

Driver dead after collision near Elmira, another driver charged

Waterloo regional police say a driver is dead after a fatal collision in Woolwich Township just south of Elmira.

Emergency crews were called to a crash between a transport truck and pickup truck on Listowel Road at Floradale Road around 5:20 p.m. Monday.

Police say the transport truck was heading east and collided with the pickup truck that was stopped for traffic.

The driver of the pickup, a 46-year-old from Woolwich Township, was pronounced dead at the scene.