Most-read stories of the week: one year anniversary of disappearance, minister talks international enrolment, and a new kind of sidewalk

Family and friends mark on year anniversary of Nathan Wise's disappearance

It’s been a year since Nathan Wise went missing and his family is no closer to finding out what happened to him.

"We just want answers for Nathan," his cousin Jason Babcock said on May 11. "We need to put ourselves to rest, basically, and feel good knowing that we could have him home and have that proper service if he happens to be gone."

Wise, a 38-year-old man with Down syndrome, was last seen on May 12, 2023 in the area of Jane Street and Sheppard Avenue West in Toronto.

"We're just trying to cope with it day-to-day," Babcock told CTV News. "If it wasn't for the church community and everybody on the Facebook group and their support… Nathan's name would not be still out there."

While Wise was living in Toronto at the time of disappearance, he grew up in Waterloo Region and made many friends during his time there.

Immigration Minister Marc Miller weighs in on local international student enrolment

Canada’s Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship made a stop in Kitchener on Wednesday as part of Citizenship Week.

In a sit-down interview with CTV News, Marc Miller also addressed international student enrollment in post secondary schools.

"It's sort of gotten out of control in the last couple of years," Miller said.

Conestoga College's international student enrollment grew 1,579 per cent in the past seven years. Miller said a lack of funding for post-secondary schools has been a reason for these increases.

Miller said there is a responsibility to provide the experience the students expect.

"The other side of things is that often these kids are left without the job that they got a diploma for. The feeling and sense that sometimes is that they've been tricked into coming to Canada, which is not what we want as part of an international student program that aims the best and the brightest," Miller said.

Minister Marc Miller sits down with CTV's Colton Wiens on May 25, 2024. (CTV News)

Woman arrested at part of southwestern Ontario fraud investigation involving over 50 charges

Waterloo Regional Police have arrested a woman in connection to a fraud investigation that has seen authorities lay more than 50 charges, and recover nine stolen vehicles.

Investigators say 28-year-old Alexandra Krafchek Alfaro, who was previously wanted on 25 charges, was charged with several additional offences on Monday including:

• Possession of Property Obtained by Crime over $5,000

• Possession of Property Obtained by Crime under $5,000 (two counts)

• Possession of an identity document

• Theft under $5,000

• Failure to Comply with Undertaking

Waterloo Regional Police Services released a photo of a suspect wanted as part of an ongoing vehicle theft investigation. (Courtesy: Waterloo Regional Police Services)

Impaired driver sentenced to 7 years after double-fatal Cambridge crash

A man who killed two people in a drunk driving crash was sentenced Friday to seven years behind bars.

The collision happened in Cambridge on May 12, 2022

Justin Maurice, who was then 21-years-old, was driving north on Hespeler Road when his Hyundai collided with the side of a Toyota going southbound.

The Toyota rolled over, killing 51-year-old Randy Turenne of Cambridge.

Maurice’s co-worker, 30-year-old Alexander Brown of Pickering, was also killed. He had been sitting beside Maurice in the Hyundai’s passenger seat.

Maurice was taken to the hospital with serious injuries. Months later, he was charged with two counts of dangerous driving causing death and two counts of impaired operation causing death.

He pleaded guilty to those charges.

Victim impact statements read after deadly crash

Kitchener introduces new 'continuous sidewalk'

The City of Kitchener is taking a step forward with a new approach to sidewalks.

The city unveiled its new 'continuous sidewalk' at the intersection of Highland Road East and Winslow Drive on Wednesday afternoon.

“This continuous sidewalk design is the first in Kitchener and one of the first that we’ve seen in Ontario. It’s described as an emerging practice. It hasn’t become something that’s widespread here in Ontario yet, but the benefits for pedestrian safety are so promising that we wanted to try it here,” Active Transportation and Development Manager Darren Kropf explained.

A continuous sidewalk differs from a typical sidewalk in that it does not dip down to meet the driveable road surface. Instead, the sidewalk continues on at one, uninterrupted height. Drivers turning onto the street will need to drive up a slight gradient.

“When people are driving they go up and over the pedestrian space and that provides a traffic calming element that slows speeds and increases safety for everyone,” Kropf said.

The city of Kitchener unveiled a new 'continuous sidewalk' along Highland Road East on May 15, 2024. (Dave Pettitt/CTV News)