A public school in Kitchener was evacuated and searched by police on Monday afternoon after authorities received a reported bomb threat, prompting a swift emergency response aimed at ensuring the safety of students, staff, and the surrounding community. While no immediate danger was ultimately found, the incident caused significant disruption and heightened concern among parents and residents, underscoring ongoing challenges faced by schools when responding to potential security threats. Waterloo Regional Police Service (WRPS) confirmed that officers were dispatched to Courtland Avenue Public School, a Grade 7 and 8 institution with just over 200 students, after receiving information about a…

The Region of Waterloo’s Budget and Strategic Planning Committee concluded a pivotal meeting Tuesday as councillors worked through the final stages of budget deliberations, grappling with competing priorities amid ongoing affordability concerns. One of the most debated issues of the day was a motion from Kitchener Mayor Berry Vrbanovic seeking to halt approval of a proposed $173 million capital expenditure for a new regional emergency services communications centre. After extensive discussion, the committee voted to defeat the motion, allowing the police capital budget to move forward unchanged. The outcome highlighted the ongoing tension between fiscal restraint and long-term infrastructure investment,…