Top stories of the week: Spring tire safety, Sloka trial, and new trains coming to Kitchener GO

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Police seeing more loose tires after seasonal switch

Former neurologist Jeffrey Sloka has been acquitted on all sexual assault allegations

MPP calls for audit of KidsAbility

Spring tire changes bring rise in loose, detached wheels, OPP warns

A routine seasonal tire change is prompting a safety warning from Ontario Provincial Police (OPP), who say they are already seeing a springtime increase in wheels coming loose or detaching from vehicles.

Police say the issue tends to surface twice a year — in the spring and fall — when drivers switch between winter and seasonal tires. This year, officers report the trend is already underway.

Const. Taylor Konkle said improperly installed or unsecured wheels can lead to serious hazards on the road.

“They might not be torqued properly,” Konkle said in an interview. “We experience a lot of wheel-offs on our 400 series highways and on our city roads.”

Police say the consequences can include collisions, vehicle damage and drivers being stranded in live traffic lanes. In some cases, a detached tire can become a fast-moving hazard for other motorists.

“If your wheel does come off your vehicle and it is skipping down the road, a motorist could be charged with an HTA offense or Highway Traffic Act offense of a detached part,” Konkle said. “Fines can range from $100 to $1,000 for those incidents.”

Konkle said officers have already responded to multiple incidents this season involving loose or detached wheels on both passenger and commercial vehicles, with the trend expected to continue into early summer.

Mechanics in the region say they are also seeing an increase in tire-related issues during the busy seasonal changeover period.

“It’s been go, go, go,” said Chris Tsegas, owner of Fowler Tire in Kitchener.

He notes a rise in problems linked to pothole damage and improper installations, including loose components, worn wheel bearings and tire defects.

Tsegas says many of these issues are preventable with proper installation and follow-up checks.

“Make sure that your tires are flat on the hub,” he said. “Make sure the back of the rim is clean. Make sure the face of the hub is clean, and then make sure you torque everything.”

The Canadian Automobile Association (CAA) recommends using a torque wrench to tighten lug nuts to manufacturer specifications and rechecking them after driving between 50 and 100 kilometres.

“Also, it’s important to use the proper techniques,” said CAA Community Relations Consultant, Michael Stewart. “So, that could be the star formation, for example. You kind of go top, bottom, across, etc. That helps to distribute that torquing evenly across the tire.”

Former neurologist Jeffrey Sloka has been acquitted on all sexual assault allegations

A former neurologist accused of sexually assaulting 48 of his female patients has been acquitted.

On Apr. 24, Justice Craig Parry ruled that he was satisfied there was a valid medical reason for examinations Jeffrey Sloka performed at his Kitchener clinic.

The verdict comes nine years after the first complaints were made about the doctor to Ontario’s regulatory body, and following a four-and-a-half year criminal trial.

The complainants in the case were all female patients who were seen at Sloka’s urgent neurology clinic between 2010 and 2017.

In court, they described receiving vaginal exams, breast exams or exams of other intimate areas during appointments for neurological concerns.

Sloka’s medical license was revoked in 2019 by the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario (CPSO) after a no contest plea to the allegations laid out in a disciplinary hearing.

In 2019, the Waterloo Regional Police Service laid the first series of charges of sexual assault.

The criminal trial began in September 2021. The Crown made the case that Sloka used medical examination as a ruse to gain access to the bodies of female patients for sexual purposes.

The defense said Sloka had a valid medical justification for his investigations, examinations and treatments.

After listening to more than 160 days of evidence, and going through thousands of pages of written submissions from the Crown and defense, as well as verbal arguments in court, Justice Craig Parry reached his verdict. The written decision was 1,002 pages long.

Parry said if he read it in its entirety in court, it would likely take weeks.

Instead, he delivered the summary to a packed courtroom on Friday morning, a process that took about twenty minutes.

“I have concluded that on each count the Crown has failed to prove that Dr. Sloka used medical examinations as a ruse to gain access to the bodies of his female patients,” Parry said.

Parry largely rejected the expert testimony of Dr. Vera Bril, who told court in her opinion, the exams Sloka did aren’t typically done by neurologists.

“Having considered Dr. Bril’s evidence in the context of the totality of the evidence, I have found it incapable of establishing that Dr. Sloka operated outside the permissible scope of his neurological practice,” Parry said.

As for the women who testified, Parry said he found their evidence unreliable.

“After considering the evidence of each complainant, I have concluded that, to varying degrees, each provided unreliable evidence. With many of them, their memory, perceptions, and testimony were tainted by what they saw in media or CPSO publications. Some also provided evidence that lacked credibility. Some were also deliberately dishonest with the court,” he said.

Parry concluded, “On each count, the totality of the evidence satisfies me that each patient consented to and participated in medical examinations.”

After the judge announced he had acquitted Sloka on all counts, some of the women in the courtroom began crying. A number got up and walked out. One called out “shameful, shameful” as she left.

Outside the courthouse, Sloka’s legal team told reporters that their client is relieved and happy with the decision.

“Dr. Sloka will not be speaking to the media. But he wants me to, on his behalf, let everyone know that all he ever wanted out of this was a fair trial. And he got a fair trial, and the community got a fair trial,” said lawyer David Humphrey.

Humphrey said throughout this process Sloka has had the support of his family and friends, and some of his other patients.

Sara Casselman, executive director of the Sexual Assault Support Centre of Waterloo Region, was in the courtroom as the verdict was read out.

“I saw women stand up en masse and walk out, overcome, and it was actually horrific to see,” she told CTV News outside the courthouse.

Casselman said the Sexual Assault Support Centre is there for those finding the decision difficult.

“The court doesn’t work on a balance of probabilities, it works beyond a reasonable doubt. So, it’s really important that our community knows that not guilty does not mean not guilty of causing harm, and it doesn’t mean innocent.”

Waterloo MPP calls for KidsAbility audit

A politician in Waterloo wants to know how money is being spent at a local organization dedicated to helping children with complex needs.

In March, 21 employees at KidsAbility in Kitchener, Ont. were laid off.

The cuts came after 37 positions were also eliminated last year when KidsAbility paused its applied behaviour analysis (ABA) therapy services.

Following the latest round of layoffs, the Ontario Public Service Employees Union (OPSEU) Local 258 warned the decision could have serious impacts for children and families.

Now, Waterloo MPP Catherine Fife is calling for an audit.

“These are fundamental questions of transparency. If you are an agency or an organization and are receiving public funding, then that transparency needs to be there,” Fife said.

KidsAbility is funded through the Ministry of Children, Community and Social Services, local donors, fundraising and purchased-service options. In 2024/2025, KidsAbility received $25 million from the ministry alone.

Fife said she has already done some digging to try to get to the bottom of what is happening, including speaking with some employees.

“That’s when I learned that the CEO had said that the ministry allocation was suitable for the needs of KidsAbility. And I just question – why are the layoffs needed?” she said.

She believes there is a disconnect between the funding the organization is receiving and the recent staffing decisions.

“There’s a contradiction in stories right now, and I’m just looking for clarity, which is why I requested an audit, because the audit will tell the story of what the needs are in the community, how well those needs are being met and how well the money is being invested.”

According to the Sunshine List, a database of people working in the public sector who make more than $100,000 per year, Jennifer Foster, KidsAbility’s CEO, brought in $232,040 in salary and taxable benefits in 2025. The year before, that number sat at $190,000. It’s a difference of 22.1 per cent.

During an interview with CTV News Kitchener on Apr. 28, Fife said KidsAbility has become critical for many families in Waterloo Region.

“KidsAbility is such a special place for us in this community. It gives a lot of hope to families who are struggling,” she said.

When the layoffs were announced, some parents began to worry about the future their children could be facing.

“Parents have been coming to us on a very regular basis expressing some of their concerns. I think the latest announcement of layoffs, where KidsAbility had said this won’t interrupt service, was a red flag,” Fife recalled. “I mean, 21 people are no longer going to be employed at that institution, and parents have already seen a decline in services.”

Since the layoffs were announced, KidsAbility has maintained the position that families will not suffer any consequences, despite the warning from OPSEU.

“Recent decisions around layoffs were not made lightly and are a result of our efforts to responsibly align our operations with resources and service needs,” a statement from KidsAbility claimed. “There has been no disruption to existing programs and services, and our focus remains on continuity of care.”

The organization said it partakes in annual audits. Those audited financial statements are available on their website.

“Furthermore, in 2025, KidsAbility conducted an independent, third-party review of executive compensation structures against external market data from similar organizations in the sector. This ensured competitiveness, equity and compliance while aligning with sector standards,” the statement said.

There is no clear indication if, or when, the audit will be conducted.

New express GO Train routes between Kitchener and Toronto

Commuters on the Kitchener GO Train line will now have more ways of getting to and from Toronto, thanks to the addition of two new express routes.

Starting Apr. 27, there will be a direct train to Kitchener leaving Union Station at 8:49 a.m., arriving at the Victoria Street station at 10:26 a.m.

Metrolinx has also added a direct route from Kitchener GO to Union in the afternoon, leaving at 3:43 p.m., and arriving at 5:17 p.m.

As part of the express routes, the trains won’t stop at Acton, Georgetown, Malton, Etobicoke North, Weston or Mount Dennis GO stations.

Metrolinx also noted that other trains may leave up to two minutes earlier or later to better reflect actual travel times.

Travellers are urged to check schedules and look for possible service disruptions online before heading out.

Arrest made four years after renovation job in Guelph

A Waterloo man has been charged almost four years after he was hired to replace a roof in Guelph.

The Guelph Police Service said a homeowner in Guelph hired a Waterloo company to replace his roof in June 2022. He paid a $4,500 downpayment to cover the cost of materials but said the contractor delayed the work several times.

Eventually, the homeowner demanded a refund and hired another company to do the job.

The man said he never got his money back and the contractor eventually stopped responding to messages.

He reported the issue to police in 2023.

On Thursday, a 31-year-old Waterloo man was arrested for fraud under $5,000.