Most-read stories of the week: search ends for missing women, region secures property in Wilmot, and a blind dog up for adoption

Search ends for two missing women last seen on the Grand River

The search for two missing women has ended after a second body was found on the banks of the Grand River in Paris, Ont.

Waterloo Regional Police said it was discovered Tuesday, at around 4:30 p.m., near Willow Street.

Her identity, along with that of a second woman found in the Grand River on Monday, has not yet been confirmed.

Rescue efforts began at 9:30 p.m. on Saturday after someone reported two people in distress on the Grand River, near King Street East, in Kitchener, Ont.

“A witness described two individuals going over the dam and calling out for help,” Insp. Matt Halliday with the Waterloo Regional Police Service said Tuesday. “The witness did not see the two boaters resurface.”

Guelph girl dies after long battle with terminal cancer

A six-year-old Guelph girl has lost her long battle with cancer.

Autumn’s stepfather said she died on July 16 at the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto, surrounded by her loving family in hospital.

“She didn't suffer. She was in no pain. And she took her last breaths,” Karl Dovick told CTV News.

Autumn was diagnosed with a stage four metastatic neuroblastoma in February 2022 when she was just four-years-old.

Dovick said she remained strong, resilient, and courageous through it all.

“Autumn had a special gift: to bring people together and find a unique connection with everyone she met, even when cancer struck hard. Even in the toughest of days, she knew how to make people smile and laugh,” he said.

Sarah Rogers, Autumn and Karl Dovick wearing their Team Autumn gear. (Submitted/Karl Dovick)

Waterloo Region secures one third of Wilmot property marked for future investment

The Region of Waterloo is making good progress on its plan to assemble shovel-ready land in Wilmot Township.

On Thursday, the region announced they’ve purchased one-third of the 770 acres previously identified as prime property for future projects.

They said securing shovel-ready land for large-scale employers is the key to the region’s future growth. Those opportunities, they insist, will bring in well-paying jobs and billions of dollars for the local economy.

“We calculate we’ve missed about $4.1 billion of investment, which has gone somewhere else because we did not have a shovel-ready large piece of land,” explained Regional Chair Karen Redman.

She pointed to two specific instances where Waterloo Region fell short.

“One was the Ontario Jobs Challenge, when we learned that we weren't in the running if we didn't have a mega-site. And the second was being on the land bank, which is a list that the provincial government takes around when it's marketing Ontario [globally]. We're not on that list, and we should be because we're missing international investment and talent."

The region said they don’t have an investor waiting in the wings for the Wilmot property.

Farm land in Wilmot Township on April 4, 2024. (Chris Thomson/CTV Kitchener)

Suspicious man approaches youth at Waterloo store: WRPS

Waterloo Regional Police have released images of a person who allegedly approach a youth at a Waterloo store last month and asked them to get into his car.

On June 23, at 6 p.m., police received the report of a suspicious man at a store near Albert Street and Hazel Street.

“The unknown male approached the youth, asked them to be friends with him, and requested they accompany the male to his vehicle,” police said in a media release.

The youth declined the offer and, when they asked employees for help, the man left the store.

The man is described as South Asian, between 30 and 40-years-old and 6’0 tall. He had an average build, short dark hair and a black beard. The man was also seen driving a four-door grey SUV.

WRPS included photos of a person they'd like to speak with. (Submitted/WRPS)

Blind dog up for adoption at K-W Humane Society

The Humane Society of Kitchener Waterloo and Stratford Perth is hoping to find a forever home for a blind dog named Honey.

Honey is around three-years-old and was found wandering around aimlessly, caked in mud according to the humane society.

“She was brought to our centre by some wonderful community members and our medical team quickly got to work making sure she was ok,” said a post on social media.

She was completely blind due to glaucoma and needed surgery to remove both eyes. She also needed to be spayed and required dental surgery. The humane society believes she was chewing at the bars of a cage due to the condition of her teeth.

Honey at the KWSP Humane Society on July 19, 2024. (CTV News/Stefanie Davis)