Most-read stories of the week: Hwy. 401 fire, retired teacher's court arguments, miniature village explaination

Wildfire smoke from Quebec, northern Ontario lingers in K-W

Haze from wildfires in northeastern Ontario and Quebec can be seen in Waterloo on June 6, 2023. (Alison Sandstrom/CTV News)

A haze is lingering in the air and there’s a faint smell of smoke in areas across southwestern Ontario as wildfires continue to burn in Quebec and northeastern Ontario.

An air quality advisory issued Monday by Environment Canada remains in effect on Tuesday. It covers a large swath of Ontario, including Waterloo region and Guelph, as “high levels of air pollution are possible due to smoke from forest fires.”

The weather agency said in its alert that smoke plumes from forest fires in Quebec and northeastern Ontario may result in deteriorated air quality through most of this week.

According to the Air Quality Health Index (AQHI), the risk to those in the region was classified as high-risk at 4 p.m. on Tuesday.

Miniature villiage hidden in Ingersoll, Ont. sparks community curiosity

Each little cabin is just a few feet wide by a few feet high. (CTV News/Spencer Turcotte)

A hidden village of miniature homes and buildings, nestled along a creek in Ingersoll, has piqued the interest of residents for decades.

The small structures have sparked questions over the years like who put them there and why?

The answer lies with Linda Huntley. Her parents lived on the property and together began building the village in the 1980s.

“They built a church, and they built a school, and then every year they just continued to build different buildings,” Huntley told CTV News.

Each little cabin is just a few feet wide by a few feet high. The village grew year after year. In 1992, Huntley’s father built a railroad that ran through the backyard, and it didn’t stop there.

As the number of little buildings grew, so did the community interest.

Hwy. 401 westbound reopens outside Cambridge, Ont. Following crash

Traffic is seen backed up for miles on Highway 401 westbound approaching the detour onto Cedar Creek Road around 4 p.m. on June 9, 2023. (Terry Kelly/CTV Kitchener)

Police have reopened a section of Highway 401 westbound between Woodstock and Cambridge after a crash involving a transport truck and an Ontario Ministry of Transportation (MTO) vehicle resulted in a closure.

Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) told CTV that the crash happened at around 8 a.m., and that one person has been taken to hospital with life-threatening injuries.

According to OPP, the person who has life-threatening injuries is the driver of the MTO vehicle. There was another MTO worker in that vehicle and they suffered minor injuries.

The transport driver also suffered minor injuries.

Teacher argues school board violated her freedom of speech when her presentation on library books

Carolyn Burjoski appears in a video posted to Twitter. (@carolynburjoski/Twitter)

A panel of three judges heard arguments from lawyers representing a retired teacher and the Waterloo Regional District School Board (WRDSB) on Monday, a year and a half after the teacher’s presentation was halted during a trustee meeting.

Carolyn Burjoski, who was a teacher with the school board for more than 20 years, argues the school board violated her right to freedom of expression in 2022, when she was cut off and prevented from completing a presentation at a board meeting.

Burjoski is asking the court to review the board’s decision to stop her presentation. She also wants the opportunity to continue her presentation to WRDSB trustees.

At a school board meeting on Jan. 17, 2022, Burjoski raised concerns about books available in elementary school libraries that she felt discussed sexuality in a way that was not age appropriate. She cited two books, one which discussed asexuality and another about a transgender teenager.

Fire near Hwy. 401 caught on camera in Kitchener

Video from a CTV News viewer of trees on fire near Hwy. 401 in Kitchener. (June 7, 2023)

A fire near Hwy. 401 in Kitchener caught the eyes of many passing by Wednesday night.

The flames were caught on camera by a CTV News viewer near Homer Watson Boulevard and the highway around 9:30 p.m. Two trees appear to be igniting in the video.

Kitchener Fire says two trucks were called out to the scene and put it out quickly.

They add that there is no known cause and the fire is not under investigation.

No injuries were reported.

This comes as Waterloo region and surrounding Ontario communities continue to experience smoky conditions from wildfires.