Latest news with #DavePettitt
CTV News
16 hours ago
- Business
- CTV News
Village Biergarten in St. Jacobs up for sale
A 'For Sale' sign stood outside Village Biergarten in St. Jacobs on June 4, 2025. (Dave Pettitt/CTV News) A restaurant that laid claim to one of the largest outdoor patios in Waterloo Region has closed. The Village Biergarten in St. Jacobs made headlines in 2020 with their creative solution to indoor dining amid pandemic limitations. The restaurant set up 'dining domes' allowing customers to stay outside while eating. According to a social media post on March 18, 2024, the establishment changed owners. The doors are now closed to all customers and a large 'for sale' sign has been propped up in the front yard. A note on the property accused the restaurant's operator of 'continued non-payment of rent.' Village Biergarten in St. Jacobs A notice claims the operator of Village Biergarten in St. Jacobs has been locked out of the establishment for failing to pay rent. (Dave Pettitt/CTV News) The location has been listed on with a list price of $999,900. The listing description states, 'This offering includes the land, building, and business, giving you multiple pathways: operate the Biergarten yourself, lease it out as an income-generating investment, or reimagine the space to suit your own vision.' A post was briefly available on the restaurant's Instagram account, reading, in part, 'It's true that, unfortunately, the current ownership of the Village Biergarten has been evicted from the property effective immediately, due to tardiness of paying rent. It's not true that I, Denis Fontana, don't pay the bills. Unfortunately, we had an extremely hard time since January, and unfortunately the expenses have been paid later, including asking some of the staff to wait [sic] few more days for their pay, yet prioritizing who [sic] in need.'
CTV News
7 days ago
- General
- CTV News
Maintenance workers blocked from accessing garbage bins and portable toilets at Kitchener encampment
Tents and temporary structures were seen at the Victoria Street encampment in Kitchener, Ont. on May 29, 2025. (Dave Pettitt/CTV News) Maintenance workers and bylaw officers experienced some unexpected complications Thursday morning while they were trying to remove garbage from an encampment in Kitchener. According to a statement from the Region of Waterloo, contracted service providers were attempting to complete regular maintenance at the 100 Victoria Street North site. However, when they arrived, access to the garbage bins and portable toilets was limited by tents and temporary structures. 'Advance notice was provided to those at the site in preparation for this cleanup,' the statement from the region said. The region said the structures will need to be moved so the work can be completed. 'Regular maintenance of the site is essential for the health and safety of the residents of the site,' the statement concluded. Encampment concerns The garbage bins and a trailer were brought onto the site last month. Some residents of the encampment raised concerns, telling CTV News they were unsure what was going on. However, the region said they had warned residents, and the trailer was put there to 'facilitate meetings with residents.' The changes come as the region announced they were moving forward with plans to build a new transit hub. That plan will require all the people living at the Victoria Street encampment to find somewhere else to live. According to the region, the encampment must be cleared by Dec. 1, 2025. To achieve this, the region is proposing a site-specific bylaw covering Victoria Street between King Street and Weber Street. If approved by council, anyone living at 100 Victoria Street North must leave by the end of November. If new tents or shelters go up after that, they will be removed by the region. 'The bylaw does account for the current residents there as of today and provides time to facilitate their transition to new accommodation,' said Fiona McCrea, the region's acting regional solicitor. 'But the bylaw does not permit new people to come and reside at 100 Victoria Street.' The region said in the lead up to the deadline, outreach staff will be ramping up efforts to place encampment residents in alternative housing. 'We have many options available to us that we will utilize. Specifically, we will be looking at rental supports and transitional supportive housing. It'll be important that we add social supports for individuals,' said Peter Sweeney, the region's commissioner of community services." However, advocates have raised concerns with the move. 'We know that this isn't a solution,' Ashley Schuitema, executive director of Waterloo Region Community Legal Services, said in an interview with CTV News last month. 'The amount of people experiencing homelessness in our community compared to the spaces that we have available for people, there's a huge gap. All this will mean is people will be tenting and moving around, tenting and moving around. Which is harmful.' Schuitema also raised legal concerns with the region's choice. In 2023, the region lost a bid for a court injunction to evict residents. Justice M. Valente declined to declare that the people living there were in breach of a regional bylaw. The ruling read, in part: 'The region does not have adequate, accessible shelter spaces for its homeless population of some 1,100 individuals'. The judge went on to say that the bylaw the region had used to enforce encampment orders 'deprives the homeless residents of the encampment of life, liberty and security of the person in a manner not in accordance with the principles of fundamental justice and is not saved by section 1 of the charter.' Schuitema said a similar legal battle could be looming. 'I think the region will have to go back to court to get permission to move forward with their plan as set out in their bylaw, which they've indicated that they understand they need to do,' Schuitema said. 'There are some previsions in this bylaw which would violate the existing court order.'
CTV News
27-05-2025
- General
- CTV News
Suspect arrested while breaking into vehicles near Waterloo school
Edna Staebler Public School in Waterloo, Ont. on May 27, 2025. (Dave Pettitt/CTV News) Two people were seen breaking into vehicles Tuesday morning in Waterloo. Waterloo Regional Police said the suspects, who both had bicycles, were in the area of Erb Street West and Ira Needles Boulevard around 7:40 a.m. Ten minutes later, one of them had been taken into custody. 'The subject was assaultive during the arrest and required additional restraint by officers,' WRPS said in an email to CTV News. Since the arrest happened so close to Edna Staebler Public School, parents were also alerted to the increased police presence in the area. 'Some of the students might have witnessed what happened, so we wanted to let the community know that, if needed, there is support,' a representative for the Waterloo Region District School Board explained CTV News. No word yet on any charges laid or the second suspect reported by witnesses.
CTV News
14-05-2025
- General
- CTV News
Victoria Park's feathered friends return from their winter getaway
A swan was spotted in Kitchener's Victoria Park on May 14, 2025. (Dave Pettitt/CTV News) Two familiar faces have returned to Kitchener's Victoria Park after a winter away. Otis and Ophelia, the city's beloved swans, came home on Tuesday afternoon. The couple spends their winters at a wildlife facility in Elora, where they can stay safe and warm through the cooler months. Swan Otis Ophelia Victoria Park, Kitchener, Ont. A swan was spotted in Kitchener's Victoria Park on May 14, 2025. (Dave Pettitt/CTV News) City officials say park-goers may have a hard time spotting the pair, as its not uncommon for them to tuck away in the area's dense vegetation. 'This is not cause for concern and is normal behaviour that we expect,' an email explained. Now that the swans are back, the city is reminding residents not to feed to birds or approach them at any time.
