Kitchener couple call insurance process unfair after tree falls on garage Doug and Alicja Arnold say the Sept. 2 storm didn’t just damage their home, it also sparked a battle with their insurance company. “Nobody ever expects that you’re going to be the next victim,” said Doug. “Unfortunately, this time we were. I don’t know why the rest of the neighbourhood doesn’t have what we have.” They immediately reached out to their insurance company. The response wasn’t what Arnold’s were expecting. Their insurer told them they would only cover some of the cost to remove the tree and repair the roof. The Arnolds said they checked their policy but couldn’t find that part. “Generally, I’m very, very upset,” said Alicja. “I’m thinking, if I’m paying regular insurance for 25 years, how long I am living in this house, they’re supposed to be covering everything.” Their insurer is willing to pay for the half that fell onto the roof. But the Arnolds said they were told the tree was dangerous and both parts needed to be removed, which their policy doesn’t cover. That means the couple will have to pay out of pocket. “If half the tree is standing and half the tree is on the house, what good is the half tree standing?” Doug asked. “They’re parcel and package, still belong together. And one should be compensated for the other one.” According to the Insurance Bureau of Canada (IBC), most policies only cover damage to the home. “The first detail to take a look at, what type of home insurance policy are we talking about? Because some individuals within our communities have what we refer to as a ‘no-frills insurance policy.’ Those are typically in cases where upgrades are needed, but it’s a form of coverage that people can get,” explained Amanda Dean, the association’s vice-president for Ontario and Atlantic. “Now, if we’re looking at typical home insurance policies, so the home is up-to-date, everything is to today’s standards to building codes, whether it’s the roof, heating system, you name it. In those situations, is it part of the tree that broke off to damage the roof? Certainly, that part of the tree that damaged the roof would be removed.” There are also other factors to consider. “When it comes to trees and shrubs, there’s also limits within policies,” Dean explained. “Primarily, home insurance policies cover the structure, the building, and buildings are what is insured. And certainly, the contents.” The Arnolds said the tree only appears to have punctured the roof over the garage and not the main part of the home. Two days after the storm, the tree was still where it fell. But they worry that the damage will only get worse as time goes on. The couple said their insurance company advised them to pay for its removal and any needed repairs now, then invoice them after. Doug, however, wants his insurance company to arrange the work. Dean said, for large-scale and severe weather events, insurance companies will sometimes work with contractors retained by the homeowners. But, given the specificity of the situation, she encouraged the Arnolds and anyone else in a similar situation to contact IBC’s Consumer Information Centre. She said they will help them through the process. “The challenge is, in an event like this, adjusters are looking at so many claimants and trying to get to each one quickly to at least get that process started. At the end of the day, an insurance policy is a legal contract between the policyholder and the insurer. The insurer can’t go outside of that policy,” Dean explained. “It’s a daunting process. And adjusters have an awful lot of individuals that they’re looking after at this point in time. You may not remember all of those questions when you get your adjuster on the phone or in person.” The Arnolds called it a stressful situation that, they feel, is unfair. “I think the insurance [company] is completely wrong,” Alicja said. “They’re taking money regularly from us for that many years. And when something happens, they do not want to cover.” University of Waterloo student arrested in FBI airport investigation A University of Waterloo undergraduate student has been arrested and is wrapped up in an FBI counter-intelligence investigation after allegedly photographing airport facilities in Toronto and Chicago at the request of someone he believed was a Chinese government official. Weiheng Zeng, a Chinese citizen, was arrested last month. Court documents filed in a U.S. District Court in Michigan were obtained by CTV News. They include a sworn affidavit from an FBI special agent. According to the court documents, Zeng was issued a U.S. visa nearly four years ago and has entered the United States roughly 24 times since. He was first flagged by law enforcement following an April incident at Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport. Security footage captured a man taking photos, climbing a forklift and allegedly attempting to open locked trailers at a FedEx facility. Investigators later linked Zeng to a dark blue Chrysler minivan with Ontario licence plates seen at the facility during the incident. When Zeng attempted to drive back into the U.S. in the same minivan on August 23, border agents pulled him aside at the Ambassador Bridge for a series of interviews with U.S. Customs officers and the FBI. Court documents state Zeng’s story was constantly evolving during questioning. When agents searched his phone, they found photos of aircraft and military planes, along with images of Zeng and others in tactical clothing holding rifle-style firearms. Zeng claimed the weapons were airsoft guns. Zeng admitted to trespassing at the O’Hare FedEx facility and confessed to previously trespassing at a FedEx facility at Toronto Pearson International Airport in 2025. He eventually told agents a contact he suspected was connected to the Chinese Communist Party assigned him specific planes and airport locations to photograph for “research.” Zeng initially claimed he had only made $100 from the setup, but later admitted to earning $500, paid in $20 to $30 installments per photo transferred to a Bank of China account. The affidavit states the contact mailed SIM cards to Zeng for communication, instructing him to destroy the cards and delete conversations and photos afterward. Zeng admitted his contact provided a cover story, telling him to say he was photographing rare planes, when the contact was actually seeking transportation logistics information and specific airport locations. Zeng noted he was asked to target additional locations in Orlando and Las Vegas, but only accepted the O’Hare and Pearson assignments. When FBI agents investigated the website where Zeng claimed to have met the contact, they found it did not exist. Zeng was formally arrested on August 26, days after his initial border questioning, and charged with making false statements to federal agents. The University of Waterloo stated it does not comment on ongoing criminal investigations. None of the allegations have been proven in court. With files from The Canadian Press Potential tornado reported in Wellesley area Officials said a tornado may have touched down in the Wellesley area on Sept. 2 as a powerful storm swept through southern Ontario. Environment Canada issued red tornado warnings from Stratford to Waterloo Region between 5 p.m. and 6 p.m. on Sept. 2 as the system moved through the area. At one point, Environment Canada said a “radar confirmed tornado” had been reported around Weimer Line and Hackbart Road. “It was quite noticeable and from what I could see in interpreting the radar imagery, I see and fully support why such a warning was issued, because something happened there from radar that was suggesting debris was in the air,” Environment Canada meteorologist Rob Kuhn told CTV News. “A tornado could be one reason for it, another reason for something like that could be extremely strong wind gusts of 120 to 130 km/h all of a sudden.” While the experts continued trying to figure out what happened, homeowners were left cleaning up the damage. Fallen tree branches were reported throughout Waterloo Region and the surrounding areas and several local streets flooded during the storm. Thousands of homes that had been in the storm’s path also lost power. In Kitchener, forestry crews had received more than 60 calls about downed trees and debris by 9:30 p.m. In an update on Sept. 3, the Northern Tornadoes Project said there was evidence suggesting a twister hit the area. They did not share details about what they found. The Northern Tornadoes Project said there was also evidence of a tornado in the Tavistock area. Eleven newborn puppies looking for new homes after being abandoned in Brantford A Southwestern Ontario rescue organization leaped into action after eleven puppies were found in a box along Beach Rd. in Brantford. The discovery was made in late August by someone passing through the area, who called the SPCA. At the time they were found, the dogs were estimated to be just one day old. “A lot of them had their umbilical cords attached, so quite young,” said Cassia Bryden, founder of Sato Saved End of the Line Dog Rescue, one of the organizations that is caring for the puppies. Bryden said the dogs were hungry and in need of immediate care. “A few of them were a little bit dehydrated, so they were needing to be fed pretty quickly,” Bryden recalled. “Got them warmed up, weighed them all and made sure that they were doing well, that none of them had any injuries or anything like that.” All the dogs were deemed healthy, though one has a cleft palate and needs to be fed with a tube instead of a bottle. Other foster homes working with Travelling Tails K9 Rescue from the Niagara Region stepped up to help Bryden care for the puppies, given the challenges of caring for so many dogs at one time, including around the clock feeds. “Not only do you have to feed them, but you have to stimulate them to go to the bathroom,” said Bryden. “You have to burp each individual puppy after every feed, and they need to be fed every two to three hours when they’re this age.” It’s hoped the puppies will be ready for adoption around eight weeks old. “We’re super hopeful that they’re all going to thrive,” Bryden said. Their exact breed is unknown, but likely a mix. They’re expected to grow to become relatively large. Bryden said that while many people are struggling to afford pets right now, there are places to go for help, instead of leaving animals outside and at risk. “They need us. They depend on us. And we have to be their voices.” While all the puppies are in foster care now, the rescues are welcoming donations of food, supplies and funds. 32 full-time faculty members laid off at Conestoga College Conestoga College is eliminating another 32 full-time faculty positions. In an email sent out to employees on Aug. 31, Interim President Norma McDonald Ewing called the job cuts “difficult” but “necessary.” “At Conestoga, international enrolment has declined significantly over the past two years, resulting in substantially lower overall student enrolment and reduced demand in a number of programs,” the email said. “While we have taken several steps to manage these challenges and delay workforce reductions where possible, changes to our staffing complement have been confirmed necessary following a comprehensive review of the college’s operational and financial requirements.” The school is currently dealing with a $32.8 million deficit. According to Conestoga’s Consolidated Statement of Revenue and Expenditures, revenue dropped to nearly $444 million for the 2025-2026 fiscal year which ended March 31. Total operating expenses came in at $477 million. That’s a significant shortfall, especially considering the school reported a $121 million surplus in 2024-2025 and a $252 million surplus in 2023-2025. When the federal government put a cap on international student enrolment in 2024, tuition revenue plummeted at Conestoga College. Documents showed it dropped from $564 million in 2025 to $241 million in 2026. Another factor that played into the shortfall was the departure of the school’s former president, who suddenly stepped down in January 2026. The last few years of John Tibbits’ tenure was marred by controversy, including his hefty salary. In 2024, Ontario’s Sunshine List showed Tibbits earned $636,107 and was the region’s highest-paid public sector worker. He was also given termination payments that added up to 83 times his monthly salary. “Shuffled off with gold-plated shoes,” according to Leopold Koff, president of OPSEU Local 237. The payout triggered an audit by the provincial government which found “numerous egregious financial decisions which lacked appropriate oversight by members of the college’s board.” The board was relieved of their duties in May and Linda Franklin was brought in to get the school back on track. Conestoga College laid off 181 full-time faculty members and 197 support staff in December 2025. “This was not a decision made lightly, and I fully appreciate its significance,” McDonald Ewing’s email said. “I recognize the valuable contributions to our students, programs and college community these employees have made and want to express my sincere gratitude for their dedication and service. I also recognize that this news will be difficult for many members of our community, particularly those who work closely with the colleagues affected.” McDonald Ewing also called it a necessary decision to support the long-term sustainability of the school. Koff was skeptical of that claim. “They’re focused only on one option – which is reduction of operating costs,” he told CTV News. OPSEU Local 237 represents full-time faculty, librarians, counsellors and partial-load instructors at Conestoga College. “We question if this is the only option open and available to the college,” said Koff. “We feel that there are financial resources that are available to the college, monies that are still retained and haven’t been assigned. There are other actions that they could take to reduce costs in other areas.” Conestoga College’s new president is expected to start by the end of the year, but a formal announcement about who will take the helm has not been made. Koff wants to have a better relationship with Tibbits’ successor. “Hopefully [they will be] more transparent and collaborative in working to change the culture and the environment at Conestoga College.” CTV News reached out to the school for comment on the announcement. They sent a statement on behalf of McDonald Ewing, which read: “In response to decreasing enrolment in the international student program, Conestoga has had to make changes to support the continued success of our institution for years to come.” It continued: “Alongside a multi-year sustainability plan and the provincial government’s new funding model, we will continue to deliver a world-class education that prepares students for good-paying, in-demand jobs and careers while strengthening southwestern Ontario’s highly skilled workforce for decades to come.”
