Top stories of the week: Five children killed in crash, Trigger Wholesale fraud, and fatal North Dumfries crash

42-year-old Brampton man dies following Ontario crash that killed 5 children

A sixth person has died following a serious two-vehicle collision in Mapleton Township, Ont. on June 12, according to Ontario Provincial Police (OPP).

The update comes as families and community members were already gathering to mourn five children killed in the same crash.

On June 12, at approximately 7:30 p.m., the Ontario Provincial Police Wellington County Detachment responded to a collision at the intersection of 4th Line and Wellington Road 12 involving a passenger van and an SUV.

Police said four of the children inside the van were pronounced dead at the scene. A fifth child was pronounced dead in hospital.

Five other occupants of the van were injured, including an infant, with injuries ranging from serious to minor.

All 10 were from the Atwood area.

The driver of the SUV, a 42-year-old man from Brampton, was transported to hospital following the crash.

Police confirmed he had died in hospital on June 19 as a result of his injuries.

A funeral was scheduled for June 20 at 2 p.m. followed by interment in Milverton, Ont. for the five children who were killed in the crash.

They have all been identified as members of the Doersken family.

Peter was 12 years old, Helena was 10, Sara was 8, Maggie was 6 and Susy was 4.

Kara Carter, a pastor at Elmira Mennonite Church, is not associated with the family but said in the days following the crash, support has poured in from across the region, with online fundraisers raising hundreds of thousands of dollars to help the affected families.

“[We’re] near that kind of small community culture that everybody knows each other or is connected to somebody or knows somebody who’s related and so we feel it in those ways,” she told CTV News on Saturday. “As I have been about in the community this past week, I have heard just this strong yearning, this need to respond. Some will be offering food, some will be offering transportation to see family members in the hospital. Others, it is a spiritual resource of prayer.”

Carter said the focus remains on remembrance — and on supporting those left behind as they continue to navigate an overwhelming loss.

The investigation is being led by the Wellington County OPP Crime Unit under the direction of the OPP Criminal Investigation Branch, with support from the Office of the Chief Coroner and Ontario Forensic Pathology Service.

Executives at Waterloo, Ont., firearms company charged in $48M fraud

Four people have been charged in a $48 million fraud scheme.

The Waterloo Regional Police Service (WRPS) said the accused were executives at Waterloo, Ont.-based company Trigger Wholesale Inc., a firearms distributor that claimed to supply large Canadian retailers, government agencies and law enforcement services.

WRPS have not named the people charged, but have identified them as a 52-year-old man and a 48-year-old woman who used to live in Waterloo, but now live in London, Ont.

A 56-year-old man from South Frontenac and a 64-year-old man from Guelph were also charged.

During a media conference on June 16, WRPS Det.-Const. Mike Payne told reporters the accused include Trigger Wholesale’s president, an owner, the chief financial officer and the chief operating officer.

They are facing charges of fraud over $5,000, forgery, uttering forged documents, falsification of business documents, possession of property obtained by crime, laundering proceeds of crime and identity fraud.

Investigators claim the executives fabricated deals and sales to secure funding from their lender, Clearflow Commercial Finance Corp.

Police believe the money from the lender was then used for personal luxury purchases, including property.

The alleged fraudulent activity happened between 2016 and 2020.

Payne said the money was used in a Ponzi-style scheme, where the money was cycled back to Clearflow to simulate legitimate payments.

The police investigation did not begin until about four years after the allegations first surfaced in 2020. He said Clearflow wanted to exhaust all civil options before moving forward with a criminal investigation.

A formal complaint was filed in 2023, but due to the fraud unit’s work load, the case wasn’t assigned until 2024.

Trigger Wholesale was placed into receivership in 2020. Extensive civil court documents outline allegations of fraud involving Mark Gdak and Jaimee Lynn Gdak, the directors and officers of Trigger Wholesale.

The documents include invoices that appear to be from large Canadian companies but contain spelling errors and other irregularities.

A number of assets were seized and liquidated during the bankruptcy proceedings and some money was recovered.

Meanwhile, Clearflow is no longer operating.

Investigators believe Clearflow was the only company targeted in this case.

The four accused are scheduled to appear in court in August.

Investigators ask for footage of BMW involved in fatal Clyde crash

The Waterloo Regional Police Service is looking for video footage of a vehicle involved in a deadly crash.

On June 15, around 10:10 a.m., emergency responders were called to a fatal collision between a black BMW and a riding lawn mower in Clyde, a community east of Cambridge.

The 51-year-old man on the lawn mower was killed.

The driver of the BMW, a 16-year-old girl from Cambridge, was not hurt.

Police are still investigating the events leading up to the collision and issued a public appeal on June 16.

They also shared maps of two areas of interest, as well as a stock image of the model to jog people’s memory.

No charges have been laid for the crash.

Anyone with video that might be relevant to the case is asked to contact Waterloo Regional Police’s Traffic Services Unit at 519-570-9777, extension 8856.

Dedicated bowlers buy Frederick Lanes, saving Kitchener alley from closure

What appeared to be the final frame for a longtime Kitchener bowling alley ended up as an unlikely comeback story.

Frederick Lanes, formerly known as AMF Frederick Lanes, is set to reopen after two of its dedicated customers purchased the business, preventing a closure that many local bowlers feared might be permanent.

In late April, the alley’s U.S.-based parent company announced plans to shut down the business, with operations ending in May. The news sparked disappointment in the local bowling community, and a petition was launched to save the beloved venue.

“We were given so little notice. It just did not feel good,” said new co-owner Kassandra Ahlin. “A shared sentiment within the bowling community was that it was devastating.”

Ahlin and fellow co-owner Mason Tikl are regular bowlers who frequently visited the facility. As concern grew about the alley’s future, the pair decided to take action.

The pair negotiated a deal to purchase the business and are now working to bring the alley back to life.

“Frederick Lanes is coming back and we’re super excited,” Tikl said.

Many local bowlers had expressed concern about the future of the sport in Waterloo Region. Towne Bowl, another longtime bowling business in Kitchener, closed in 2023, reducing options for league bowlers and recreational players alike.

The new owners said they wanted Frederick Lanes to remain accessible and affordable for families and community groups.

While renovations and preparations are still underway, the owners are hoping to be back in business this summer.

For Ahlin and Tikl, saving Frederick Lanes was about more than preserving a building. They said it was about protecting a gathering place from ending up in the gutter.

Region of Waterloo and provincial government appealing Kitchener encampment ruling

The Region of Waterloo will be appealing a court decision that deemed an encampment bylaw was unconstitutional.

The province said it would also be appealing the May 22 ruling by the Ontario Superior Court.

Regional council passed the controversial bylaw in April 2025 to clear the encampment at 100 Victoria Street North in Kitchener, Ont., and allow crews to begin work on the Kitchener Central Transit Hub. Anyone who moved into the encampment after the bylaw was enacted would not be considered a “resident” by the region. Lawyers with Waterloo Region Community Legal Services, however, felt that infringed on the Charter rights of the unhoused and urged the region to find an “alternative protected encampment,” such as establishing a safe tenting protocol.

Both sides presented their arguments at a three-day hearing in April.

Justice Michael Gibson ultimately sided with Waterloo Region Community Legal Services.

“The encampment is currently the only place in the region where it is not illegal for homeless people to set up a tent or structure,” read the decision from Justice Michael Gibson. “The region has clearly stated that if the encampment is cleared, it is not prepared to allow homeless people to shelter outdoors anywhere on region property. The extremity of this position is what ultimately drives the findings that the infringements are not saved by [the Charter].”

Thus, he reasoned, the bylaw was unconstitutional.

On June 16, council voted 10-5 to appeal the court’s decision. The votes in favour were cast by Regional Chair Karen Redman, Jim Erb, Joe Gowing, Michael Harris, Cambridge Mayor Jan Liggett, Waterloo Mayor Dorothy McCabe, Joe Nowak, Wilmot Township Mayor Natasha Salonen, Woolwich Township Mayor Sandy Shantz, and Kitchener Mayor Berry Vrbanovic.

The five who voted against the proposal were North Dumfries Mayor Sue Foxton, Chantal Huinink, Colleen James, Matt Rodrigues and Pam Wolf.

When the final tally was revealed, some of the spectators in the gallery shouted “Shame!”

The region insists the court ruling has far-reaching consequences.

Redman noted their ongoing efforts to find alternate housing.

“Waterloo Region has significantly increased its investment in housing and homelessness supports over the past several years because we recognize that building strong communities requires both social supports and critical infrastructure,” she said. “This appeal is about ensuring municipalities have clarity on how to move forward with both of these important responsibilities.”

Premier Doug Ford expressed his dissatisfaction immediately following the court’s ruling.

“We’re letting 30 people trump millions and millions of transit riders?” he asked during an unrelated press conference on May 25. “And the judge is saying, they just have to stay there. You can’t move them. You’ve got to be kidding. You’ve got to be kidding.”

Ford declared his support for the appeal and also hinted that he would consider using the notwithstanding clause to resolve the matter.

“Let’s just go through the proper process,” he said on May 25. “I’m going to give the courts another shot here. We’re going to appeal it.”

Premier Doug Ford said he could use the notwithstanding clause after a judge made a ruling about a Waterloo Region encampment.

The premier has kept that promise.

CTV News spoke with the Minister for Municipal Affairs and Housing Rob Flack on June 16.

“We cannot let encampments delay major infrastructure investments like the Kitchener Centre Transit Hub,” Flack said. “It’s going to connect people, trains, buses, LRT and ultimately, it’s going to provide the opportunity to build housing around that for transit-oriented communities. It’s going to be an economic driver.”

He believes Waterloo will find a solution with the province’s support.

When asked if the province is still willing to invoke the notwithstanding clause, Flack did not give a definitive answer.

The Social Development Centre has backed the idea of a safe tenting protocol in Waterloo Region, while acknowledging the concerns expressed by council.

“We believe this hesitation is rooted in a misconception of safe tenting as a be-all solution, when we know it is not. As the option of last resort, safe tenting is one puzzle piece in the solution. It catches the people falling through the gaps into supportlessness,” they said following council’s vote. “When paired with other interventions, the number and size of safe tenting zones needed can be reduced to a far more manageable experience.”