From powerful conversations about mental health, to a Guelph couple on a mission to ensure their terminally-ill daughter can be part of their wedding day, here are the most read stories of the week on CTV News Kitchener:
'It's unfathomable': Jaqueline McDermott's mother says daughter died by suicide
Jaqueline McDermott and her mother Nathalie St-Maurice seen in 2021. (Submitted/Nathalie St-Maurice)
Warning: This story includes discussion of suicide
It’s been more than a week since Jaqueline McDermott’s body was found, but her mother Nathalie St-Maurice said it never really “settles in.”
The 22-year-old had been the subject of an extensive search after being reported missing near Merritt B.C. on Oct. 1.
“We’ll never know. That’s the hardest part,” St-Maurice told CTV News at a memorial for her late daughter at a Vancouver skate park. “Yes, we found her body. Yes, we have closure because she’s not out there still lost and trying to be found, but we’ll never be able to answer the questions of exactly why or what was going through her head.”
MISSING THEN FOUND
The 22-year-old from Kitchener was reported missing in B.C. on Oct. 1. She was last seen in the community of Merritt.
RCMP said her vehicle was found broken down but she was not in it or near it. Her family said she left her hometown with the dream to travel Canada in her van earlier this year.
The search was extensive. It was not just RCMP and search and rescue teams involved, but also her parents and volunteers who did not know McDermott.
On Oct. 9, her body was found. RCMP said criminal activity was not involved in her death.
MOTHER SPEAKS OUT
St-Maurice said following McDermott’s death, there was a lot of speculation about how it happened. St-Maurice said she wanted to tell the public, not only to end speculation, but in the hopes that it could spark an important conversation about mental health.
“She died by suicide,” St-Maurice said. “And when you found out that she chose to do this herself – it’s unfathomable. Nobody knew. None of her friends.”
It wasn’t until after her death, when they went through McDermott’s journal, that they found her deep and darkest thoughts. Her mother said it painted a picture of a person they barely recognized.
“She was great at giving out the kindness, but for some reason she couldn’t accept that kindness back. It’s hard to do that actually, if you’re hurting, if you’re struggling,” St-Maurice said.
Her goal is to help other families and individuals who may be going through similar tough times.
“If you need someone to talk to you, talk to someone. Anyone. You have people in your life who care and who will move mountains to help you. Just ask. Let people surprise you by how much they love you and let them come and help you and just accept that love,” she said.
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Fatal collision near New Hamburg leads to renewed calls for more safety measures
Oxford Road 5 and Punkeydoodles Avenue. (Colton Wiens/CTV News Kitchener)
A 22-year-old Wilmot Township woman was killed in a crash at the intersection of Oxford Road 5 and Punkeydoodles Avenue on Saturday, Oct. 22.
According to Waterloo Regional Police, around 7:35 p.m., a black Ford and a white Nissan crashed in the intersection.
The 22-year-old Wilmot Township woman driving the Nissan was pronounced dead at the scene. The passenger, a 16-year-old Wilmot Township girl, was taken to an out-of-region hospital with life-threatening injuries. Police confirmed the two are sisters.
The crash led to renewed calls for safety measures at the dangerous rural intersection.
On Friday, Oxford County announced oversized stop signs with flashing lights will be installed at Punkeydoodles Corners.
Kitchener man sentenced to house arrest for threats against Prime Minister Justin Trudeau
Crowds of protesters await Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau in Cambridge, Ont. (Glen McGregor/CTV News) (Aug. 29, 2021)
Thomas Dyer has been sentenced to 60 days of house arrest as part of a conditional sentence after pleading guilty to uttering a threat to cause death to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
On Thursday morning, Justice Craig A. Parry delivered the sentence in an Ontario Court of Justice, noting in his sentencing he had to take into consideration the potential these threats could have had in the democratic election process.
Parry sentenced Dyer to a 60-day conditional sentence with the duration spent under house arrest. He is only allowed to leave for specific reasons such as work, legal, medical and on Sundays, from 12:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m., to shop for vital necessities.
Dyer will also be on probation for 12 months and must complete 100 hours of community service.
“Our recourse is not through vigilantism. It’s through the ballot box,” Parry said in court. “This type of conduct aids and abets the rise of authoritarianism, it does not enhance democracy.”
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Dirt pile raise concerns in Cambridge
Cambridge residents concerned about dirt piles behind their homes due to construction project. (CTV News/Spencer Turcotte)
Cambridge residents who live in homes that back onto the former Saginaw Golf Course say contractors are creating massive piles of dirt that aren’t only an eyesore, but also a possible health concern.
“It exceeds or is at the height of my bedroom windows,” said Frances Bowler, referencing the large pile of dirt seen behind her home. “And that’s ridiculous.”
The Saginaw Golf Club was sold to a Toronto-area developer in 2015 with plans to build 368 residential units on the 65-acre site.
Residents who live nearby said they are not trying to stop construction of the project, but instead want to mitigate the mess they said it is leaving behind.
“I might as well be in a prison garden where you walk around the bricks. I mean, this is ridiculous,” Bowler said, referring to the dirt pile as a “black ski hill.”
“The headlines are going to read ‘81-year-old skis in Cambridge.’ No way,” she joked.
Bowler said it is impacting her property as well. She bought new garden furniture but couldn’t use it because of the flying dirt.
“It’s now blowing right in through our upstairs window,” said Gary Alford, another resident, who referred to the dirt piles as “Mt. Dustmore.”
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Guelph couple with terminally-ill daughter speeds up wedding plans
A Guelph couple moves up their wedding date so their terminally-ill daughter can attend. (Facebook/Karl Dovick)
A Guelph couple is speeding up their wedding plans so their terminally-ill daughter can be there for it.
The fast-tracked planning process began after they get word from doctors that 5-year-old Autumn is not responding to treatments for her stage four metastatic neuroblastoma.
"Our news we got last week was her cancer is aggressive, it's chemo-resistant and this is kind of it," explained her mother, Sarah Rogers, during a virtual interview from Ronald McDonald House in Toronto, where the couple is staying while their daughter gets treatment.
Doctors have now started doing MIBG treatment for Autumn, but if that doesn't work, they are out of options.
According the family, doctors have warned that the young girl only has a few months to live.
Having Autumn there for her wedding day is something Rogers has always wanted and Autumn has talked about wanting to be the flower girl.
"She already chose the colour of her dress, what's going to be on her dress. She knows how she's going to be throwing flowers," said Autumn's stepfather, Karl Dovick.
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