Water decisions and racetrack figure dies | CTV News Kitchener at 11:30 for July 21, 2026

[00:00:08]Tonight, a racetrack tragedy. A flag man at Flamborough Speedway is being remembered after a collision over the weekend that took his life.

[00:00:18]Good evening. Doug Mlan was described as a fixture at Flamborough Speedway, a former racer who stayed in the racing community that he was so passionate about. He died while he was manning the starter stand on Saturday night after a vehicle went airborne. CTV's Alexandra Hollik hears from a devastated colleague today about a difficult loss.

[00:00:40]>> I see he's a fixture here. He was a fixture here. You know, uh he loved what he did.

[00:00:46]>> Driven by the need for speed, Doug Mlan dedicated decades of his life to Flamborough Speedway.

[00:00:53]>> He's been here. used to race here and then he when he quit racing he started working with us >> from the pit crew to the starter stand.

[00:01:02]He went around the track spending his Saturday nights with people he loved doing what he loved most.

[00:01:08]>> Actually he was off a week ago. He didn't know what to do with himself, you know, because he wants to be here.

[00:01:15]>> But it was here last Saturday night that MLAN's life took a tragic turn. While he was flagging the final lap of a race, two cars collided. One launched into the air and slammed into the platform.

[00:01:27]>> That shook Douggee quite a bit and uh unfortunately that took his life.

[00:01:35]>> The 70-year-old was rushed to a Hamilton hospital where he died. The drivers weren't injured.

[00:01:40]>> It's a tragedy. It's a big loss. He's a, you know, not only he's a worker here, he was a great friend.

[00:01:50]So >> John Casselli owns the track alongside his brother. He says the speedway has never seen a fatality.

[00:01:59]>> In in 54 that we've been here, you know, we've had people with broken fingers, broken arms, legs, but nothing this serious.

[00:02:10]>> But he also says racing can be unpredictable. I have no answer for it, you know. I really don't. Uh, it's something that happened. I mean, that starter stand has been there over 25 years. We never never had an incident like that.

[00:02:25]>> Ontario's Ministry of Labor is looking into what happened. In the meantime, the track is open and another night of racing is scheduled for this Saturday.

[00:02:33]MLAN's legacy weighing heavily on the entire community.

[00:02:37]>> I still believe that he's going to show up here Saturday. You know, that's how crazy it is.

[00:02:43]But we have to go on, you know. We Yeah, it's going to take a while to heal.

[00:02:50]>> Alexandra Hollik, CTV News, Milgrove.

[00:02:55]>> New from Cambridge tonight. City Council has approved its plan to get development moving again in the part of the city that's affected by the region's water capacity problem. moving us in a direction that is more transparent, more effective, and ultimately will help us adjust to a very challenging situation regarding our regions and our city's water supply. Thank you.

[00:03:15]>> Closing voting >> that carries unanimously.

[00:03:20]>> Council tonight unanimously approved a water allocation policy, a system to prioritize which developments go to the front of the line once the region releases newly approved water flow for the northwestern part of the city later this year. They will also let city staff decide which developments get the green light instead of running every project through council. Developers were urging council to go this route, arguing it will reduce the potential for political influence and prevent an estimated 6 to 8 weeks of additional building delays.

[00:03:52]>> Any delay or implementation of not giving staff authority will delay uh critical projects whether it be housing or otherwise from coming on stream.

[00:04:01]Those delays will have real consequences. They will postpone construction, delay the delivery of new homes, increase financing and carrying costs, and ultimately affect housing affordability for future home buyers.

[00:04:16]The allocation plan gives higher priority to affordable housing and job creating projects.

[00:04:23]Meanwhile, the city of Kitchener has already announced the projects that it will allow to go forward first with its additional water flow. City staff are expected to greenlight a variety of affordable and supportive housing projects beginning this week, including a 60-unit partnership with Habitat for Humanity on Holburn Court, a 34 unit transitional housing project for newcomers on Wellington Street North, and a combination fire station and rental unit development in the city's downtown.

[00:04:53]Two Kitchener men have been arrested and charged with break and enter in a case that saw sensitive student data compromised. CTV's Colton Wis hears from a tech expert who says it may be hard to track down how far the stolen information went. On July 5th, a Waterlue Region District School Board building on Ardelt Avenue was broken into and items were taken, including detailed records of 36 children enrolled in the extended day program. Files containing personal data, including children's names, photos, emergency contact information, medical conditions, medications, and health care providers.

[00:05:30]Waterlue Regional Police now say a few days later they arrested a 48-year-old Kitchener man and a 46-year-old Kitchener man in connection with the theft and also recovered a portion of the stolen property including the compromised records. But a tech expert tells CTV News the information taken could have been spread online before it was recovered.

[00:05:52]>> It's heartening that the police were able to recover the data, but what happened between the time of the break-in and the time of the recovery is unknown. So potentially that information could still be out there.

[00:06:02]>> Carmy Levy says once that information is breached, there is no going back and there's an indefinite risk to the child and their family.

[00:06:10]>> It's not as if their accounts are going to be broken into right now. What it means is that now more information is in the hands of criminals that can be used to craft even more sophisticated, even more personalized, even more customized messages, fishing messages that look very much like they're coming from legitimate sources. And so, uh, victims can expect to see a greater volume of these kinds of messages in their email inboxes, their text message inboxes, even their social media direct messages.

[00:06:40]The school board's chief executive officer was not available for an interview, but told CTV News in an email, the board recognizes the concern, saying the incident was reported to police and the WRDSB privacy department, and we continue to monitor the situation closely. The board is reviewing its practices and processes to prevent similar incidents in the future.

[00:07:02]>> Obviously, we've always worked hard to street proof our kids. I'm a parent as well. Um, but that becomes even more oppressing as information like this gets out. It means that a complete stranger can craft a story that makes them look like a very close friends of the friend of the family. That increases the risk of this kind of crime toward our kids.

[00:07:20]The school board says everyone whose personal information may have been affected has been notified. Meanwhile, the Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner of Ontario has told CTV News the board reported the breach on July 7th, but they can't share details right now since it's an active file with their office. Colton W, CTV News, Kitchener.

[00:07:42]>> Regional police are out with a picture of a suspect in a string of thefts from optical stores. Police sharing this image, saying they believe the suspect went to multiple retailers and swapped out new merchandise for older sunglasses. They'd like to hear from anyone who recognizes the person in this image.

[00:08:01]And this video from Hamilton Police tonight shows what they have rounded up from an organized theft ring targeting Home Depot stores. High-priced tools and construction equipment that police say were then being resold through online marketplaces. 32 people are facing a total of $285 charges in this case with more than $300,000 worth of stolen merchandise now seized.

[00:08:27]A Kitchener justice of the peace who was cleared of criminal charges in a case involving another justice inside the courthouse could still face professional consequences. CTV's Jeff Pickle tells us about a hearing set for August 28th.

[00:08:42]The incident happened in April of 2024.

[00:08:45]Justice of the peace James Ziggler was accused of forcible confinement and criminal harassment of another justice of the peace inside the Kitchener courthouse. The accusations included Ziegler entering the woman's office professing his love and desire for her.

[00:09:00]The complainant testified at trial about feeling scared and unable to leave her office. In a judge alone trial, the judge called Ziggler's actions unprofessionable, but ultimately acquitted Ziggler, saying in part, "With the only evidence of her worship state of mind indicating emotional distress, I cannot conclude that his worship knew or was even capable of perceiving that his conduct was causing the complaintant to be afraid and feel that she was trapped in her office." Cleared of criminal wrongdoing, Ziegler is now facing his professional standards board. There are certain jobs within our society that I think there is an expectation that people hold themselves to even a higher standard than what we want every citizen to hold themsself to.

[00:09:49]>> Londonbased lawyer Nick Cake says this is common for professions that rely on public trust.

[00:09:55]>> There are other checks and balances that he has to comply with. It's the same as if um a police officer gets gets charged or a lawyer, a doctor, uh things like that. There are administrative boards that govern the actions of certain professions.

[00:10:13]>> In the notice of hearing, the board says the alleged conduct is contrary to the integrity of the judiciary and undermines the public's confidence in the justice of the piece's fitness to hold judicial office and in the administration of justice. The hearing panel will have to determine whether to dismiss the complaint or uphold it. If upheld, the board has a long list of possible penalties from a warning to suspension without pay for up to 30 days. Or it says the hearing panel can also recommend the attorney general removed Ziggler from office. The notice of hearing confirms that Ziegler has been removed from judicial duties. In the meantime, Zagel remains on the Sunshine list, earning over $175,000 last year.

[00:10:59]>> Maybe it's the criminal lawyer in me, but everyone is innocent until proven guilty in a in a court of law. And so ultimately, if the employer makes the decision to sideline these individuals, but yet there hasn't been a final determination of guilt or innocence, then I suppose by rights they they ought to be paid. Jeff Pickle, CTV News Kitchener.

[00:11:25]>> Well, just ahead, more scrutiny over spending tied to provincial politicians.

[00:11:29]And then later, a Laurier grad is reflecting on an opportunity that truly went into [music] orbit.

[00:11:36]>> They were looking for a Canadian brand, a product that had super long shelf life.

[00:11:42]>> CTV's Caris Map hears from the creators of a cereal that played a role in the [music] recent moon mission. Here's our satellite and radar back down here on Earth tonight as we take a look across southern Ontario. Lots of rain, uh, but we've been pretty free of it here in the southwestern portion of the province. If you take a look to the east [music] of us down the 401 corridor toward Kingston, the nation's capital, they've been getting a lot late tonight. Current temperatures though, this is another part of the story that's been evolving this week [music] with the weather. The first real cool nights of July beginning to set in. 16 in KW, 17 in [music] London right now, 19 in Hamilton, and just 14° right now in Mount Forest.

[00:12:27]Well, here's a look at a golden sunset [music] over Highway 8 a little bit earlier tonight as seen from the Franklin Street Bridge looking toward downtown [music] Kitchener from our photographer Dan Lochner earlier this evening. Nice to see that sunshine poking through once [music] again as we get a little bit of a break this week from the clouds and the rain. We'll be back with more news coming up in 2 minutes.

[00:12:53]Download the CTV News app and stay on top of local stories as they unfold.

[00:12:59]>> We go to a dramatic scene [music] unfolding.

[00:13:01]>> Customize your feed and watch live wherever you are. ctvkitchener.ca, your home for news.

[00:13:17]>> [music] >> Well, we are learning more about what appear to be lavish expenses associated with some Ontario MPPPS. As CTV's John Woodward reports, records show the constituency association of Ontario's embattled labor minister has also been a big spender.

[00:13:36]Years ago, North umberland Peterborough MPP David Pacini could be spotted at events at a local pub in Port Hope.

[00:13:43]After he became labor minister in late 2023, records show something changed.

[00:13:47]Hospitality costs borne by his constituency association swelled from $12,000 to almost $50,000, boyed by $1,800 at the Four Seasons. $2,000 at the Conservative Albany Club in Toronto.

[00:14:02]$237 at the Antonio Park, a luxury restaurant on the 51st floor of the Manul Life Center.

[00:14:09]>> These folks, they're living they're living large. A lifestyle, says Liberal interim leader John Fraser, that happened as Pacini gained control over $2 and a half billion dollars in a government jobs fund.

[00:14:20]>> See this this gigantic increase in donations, which relates to the skills development fund.

[00:14:26]>> Pacini already facing an integrity commissioner investigation over whether he broke the law in giving out those grants, something he's always denied.

[00:14:33]The association's chief financial officer doubts Pacini was living large on donations from people trying to get grants. I I really doubt it. He's a pretty honest guy. I I doubt if there's anything like that going on with David Pagini.

[00:14:46]>> The PC's reeling this week after Revelations former Tourism Minister Stan Cho's constituency association was spending thousands on trips and meals.

[00:14:55]Cho resigned after it emerged he'd spent more than $16,000 on hotels in Toronto where he lives. More than a dozen nearby MPP spent $100,000. The premier says they'll repay it. If if you guys think for a second I'm happy about this, you're wrong. It's unacceptable.

[00:15:12]>> The premier said like I deserve a luxury private jet, so I'm buying one.

[00:15:18]>> So everybody else is just following suit.

[00:15:20]>> The constituency association records are kept at this election's Ontario office on paper. Something one watchdog wants to change.

[00:15:28]>> All of that should be in required to be regular disclosure online in a searchable database. That's what the internet's for. making it less likely that expenses like these won't be discovered for years. John Woodward, CTV News.

[00:15:43]>> A big shipment of relief supplies for people affected by the northwestern Ontario wildfires is on the way from Lam County. CTV's Sean Irvin shows us who is behind this grassroots effort to step up during a crisis.

[00:15:58]The devastating images of forest fires engulfing communities in Northern Ontario have touched us all. But for one Lamp County woman, the pictures sparked her into action when she realized that co-workers at another trucking auction depot were residing near the flames.

[00:16:16]>> I do have colleagues currently working during the day at our company and then fighting fires at night.

[00:16:22]>> But soon after an initial social media post, it became clear Lamp County wanted to do as much as it could to help anyone displaced by the fires. By Friday, a tractor trailer donated by Shrivever's employer had begun to fill with contributions.

[00:16:39]>> And then Saturday, right at 8 a.m., the container doors were opened and cars were coming in non-stop throughout the day.

[00:16:46]>> One of the first groups to step up was a church community led by Heather Skolley.

[00:16:51]>> We were just all willing to do whatever we could to make sure that people had shoes and boots and sweatshirts for when it starts getting cool. As they worked, the smoke from northern fires hung over Lampton County. Yet, no one was deterred.

[00:17:07]>> We were just um in awe of what happened and how that bin filled so quickly.

[00:17:15]>> Despite the haze, the donations kept coming. A second truck arrived as the first left for the north.

[00:17:22]>> So, what? We're suffering a little bit of smoke. There's people up there in the thick of the smoke and they've lost everything. Now with the second transport ready to depart, the call for help has ended. But Lamp County has a challenge for those looking to give surrounding London.

[00:17:38]>> This is the end of our two containers.

[00:17:40]However, we do recommend that people step up in their communities if they want to help. Um if you get the word out, the communities do seem to want to give back >> near Petroia. Sean Irvin, CTV News.

[00:17:53]We'll have more news coming up in just a few minutes, but first, let's check in with Ashley Bacon now for a preview of our weather forecast.

[00:18:01]>> A few more scattered showers expected through the overnight, but will Wednesday be a wash out? Those details with your full forecast coming up. Stay with us.

[00:18:11]>> When you see it happen, send it to CTV News.

[00:18:16]>> Text 10400 from your screen to ours.

[00:18:22]Text 10400.

[00:18:38]Well, one more look outside a little bit earlier tonight at that beautiful golden sunset above the city of Kiter. It was nice to see some of those clouds finally break up and let the sun peek through as the evening set in. And as it's getting a little bit cooler outside as well now that that rain and those thunderstorms have moved on to the east of us. We're sitting at just 16° outside our studios right now in the Deer Ridge area of Kitner. And we're expecting some even cooler overnight lows this week. Here's Ashley now with our long range forecast.

[00:19:16]>> Well, I hope you've had a great day today. Rain was promised and well, it was delivered. Definitely wet throughout the day. Thunderstorm activity starting bright and early. It woke me up around 4:00 a.m. this morning and certainly was consistent throughout the day. Now, we are still seeing some scattered showers linger throughout the region. That's going to continue overnight and into Wednesday morning. But the great news is by Wednesday afternoon, we're expecting things to start clearing up. Although it will be cooler out temperature- wise, the sun will make a return, which will make it feel a whole lot nicer.

[00:19:49]Overnight, we are expecting a low of 14.

[00:19:51]So very comfortable for sleeping conditions. That's right around where we should be for this time of year. We should see a northwest wind of around 30 kilometers an hour as well. So consistent with the wind into tomorrow as well. That might just shift a little bit to northwest. Mainly cloudy conditions and just a high of 20. So below seasonal for temperatures tomorrow into tomorrow night, but things getting a bit warmer as we get into the weekend.

[00:20:15]Taking a look at our almanac. As a reminder, normal for this time of year, 27 for a daytime high and 15 as an overnight low. So, we're right where we should be for this time of year. Sun setting at 8:56 p.m. So, get out and enjoy it while you can because believe it or not, spring or not spring rather, fall and winter are on the way. Get out and enjoy summer while we still can.

[00:20:37]Looking at our 7-day forecast for Waterlue region, sunny conditions returning by Thursday and high of 22, 26 and sunny to round out your work week.

[00:20:45]So, not a bad end to the work week ahead in Lamp, Kent, Essex. Mainly cloudy conditions expected for your Wednesday and 23. Sunny and 25 for Thursday, 27 on Friday with a chance for showers to start your weekend on Saturday. And lastly, in southern Georgian Bay, you should see a very nice uh rest of the week ahead. 21 with a mix of sun and cloud for your Wednesday, sunny and 22 for Thursday, 25 and sunny on Friday, and then a nice start to your weekend on Saturday at 26. So Tony, make sure you have that umbrella handy at least for tomorrow morning, but bring a hat, some sunscreen, and of course your sunglasses if you're headed out through the afternoon on your Wednesday.

[00:21:24]>> Sounds good, Ash. And I don't want to be hearing about fall just yet. It's the 21st of July. We've got a little more time before we have to think about that season on its way. [music] Okay, 16° getting a little cooler out there as we speak outside our studios. Back in two minutes.

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[00:22:06]Finally for us, a former Laurier student who's basking in the glow of an out of thisworld business move and giving back to business students at the local campus. CTV's Caris Map introduces us to the creators of a cereal that helped to fuel the Artemis 2 moon mission.

[00:22:24][screaming] >> A historic launch for Canadians, not only because of the astronaut aboard, but also what helped fuel him during the Artemis 2 mission. Canadian Jeremy Hansen, Canadian Space Agency. It makes sense that we're going to support him.

[00:22:38]He chose our strawberry lavender superseded cereal flavor and it was approved for launch.

[00:22:44]>> The stellar story began with the cereal company that launched during the pandemic, receiving an email in the summer of 2024.

[00:22:50]>> It was from the Canadian Space Agency, which we didn't really know existed. We obviously are all familiar with NASA, but we we kind of ignored it at first.

[00:22:58]We thought it was a junk email. Further research proved the email to be legitimate and the gravity of the space ay's request for Goldie cereal settled in.

[00:23:06]>> They were looking for a Canadian brand, a product that had super long shelf life, a product that was very light in weight, like the mass is light, a product that is nutritionally dense, easy to prepare, and a product that doesn't crumble like a cookie would crumble. We check all of those boxes inherently. Once cleared for takeoff, the pair and their product were flown down to Florida for the launch.

[00:23:31]>> We had to get the right amount of product down in time to uh Cape Canaveral for this launch and we stocked the ship.

[00:23:40]>> Getting to watch their cereal being part of the pricey project.

[00:23:43]>> I think we were told that it cost $10,000 per kilogram to get anything into space.

[00:23:50]>> The Daniel duo have been friends for over 30 years now. Shriber attended Wilfrid Laurier University and now tries to give back to the next generation of students.

[00:23:59]>> We've gone back to Laurier uh a few times to participate in their business program, talk about our story. They used us as a case study. Um so it was really exciting obviously to be there and share that experience with Shriber because obviously that was his old school and just kind of walking those halls again from a different perspective. Goldies is currently sold in many grocery stores across Canada, including Soies, Metro, and Longos starting next month. The brand will also be stocked on Walmart shelves across the country. Caris Map, CTV News.

[00:24:30]>> And that's all the time we have on this Tuesday, July the 21st. Thanks for checking in with us until tomorrow. Have a good night.