With the new year fast approaching, here’s a look back at some of the biggest events that made headlines in the Barrie area in 2018.
10. Wasaga Beach pays cybercriminals thousands to regain access to town servers: staff report
The Town of Wasaga Beach paid nearly $35,000 to cybercriminals in order to regain access to the town’s servers, which had been held ransom for seven weeks.
The hack was executed by cybercriminals who demanded 11 bitcoin be paid in exchange for all of the servers to be unlocked.
9. Gibbon that went missing from Ontario zoo five months ago located in Quebec
Five months after she was reported stolen, Agnes the baby gibbon was located by police and returned to the Elmvale Jungle Zoo in Springwater Township.
Agnes was allegedly stolen from the zoo along with a lemur and a tortoise in late May.
JC the lemur was located by police and returned to the zoo in June.
Stanley the tortoise has not yet been located.
A 21-year-old man from Ottawa and a 20-year-old from Mount Albert were charged with breaking and entering and theft over $5,000 in June in connection with the alleged animal heist.
WATCH: Elmvale Jungle Zoo appeals for information after animals taken
8. Barrie apartment fire leaves residents of 25 units homeless
A devastating multi-level apartment building fire in Barrie’s Allandale neighbourhood forced the occupants of 25 units to evacuate in April.
The fire is believed to have started on the third floor of the building before spreading to the roof.
Officials said no one was injured as a result of the fire, however, more than 70 people were left homeless.
7. Police arrest 5th suspect in connection with Orillia homicide investigation
According to police, on July 30 a violent altercation took place on a walking trail adjacent to the parking lot of a Tim Hortons in Orillia.
As a result of the altercation, police say 25-year-old Jordan Carter-Bonfield of Orillia was pronounced dead at the scene.
Get daily National news
Police have now arrested five suspects in connection with the ongoing homicide investigation.
WATCH: Police investigation underway after man with serious injuries dies in Orillia parking lot
6. Stayner resident to throw first-pitch at a Blue Jays game after raising $30,000 for Children’s Miracle Network
Stayner Resident, Raymond Hardisty was given the opportunity to throw the first pitch at a Blue Jays game in Toronto to recognize him for the work he has done fundraising for children in need at Sick Kids Hospital.
Hardisty spent a majority of his childhood in and out of hospital after was diagnosed with leukemia at the age of four.
Now 29 years old, Hardisty has spent the last several years fundraising to give back to the organization he says gave him a second chance at life.
To date, he has raised more than $30,000 for the Children’s Miracle Network.
5. Collingwood restaurant mistakenly targeted by Trump supporters
The Olde Red Hen restaurant in Collingwood became the target of online hate comments after Trump supporters mistook the eatery for one in Lexington, Va., with a similar name that asked White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders to leave.
Trump supporters began sending hateful comments and filling out negative Yelp and Trip Advisor reviews about the restaurant, but residents in Collingwood were quick to defend their beloved local eatery.
WATCH: Sarah Huckabee Sanders welcome at Collingwood Red Hen restaurant
4. One student airlifted to hospital after school bus, pickup truck collide in Innisfil
One student was airlifted to hospital and two others suffered serious injuries after a school bus and pickup truck collided in Innisfil.
The bus was on its way to Nantyr Secondary School when it collided with the truck at 5th Side Road and 4th Line, causing it to tip over.
Officials say 15 students were on board at the time of the collision.
Good Samaritans heard the crash and were quick to respond, helping the children exit the bus and tending to the injured while they waited for first responders to arrive.
WATCH: Community rushes to aid of students after Innisfil school bus crash
3. MNRF investigating cause of devastating Parry Sound 33 forest fire
The massive and devastating Parry Sound 33 forest fire ripped through northern Ontario this summer, covering more than 11,000 hectares of land.
The fire, which was was initially discovered on July 18 near Henvey Inlet, took more than a month to contain and forced the evacuation of several communities.
WATCH: Aerial footage shows choking smog, fires from Parry Sound 33 forest fire
2. Black Lives Matter Toronto holds rally in Barrie after death of Olando Brown
Led by Black Lives Matter Toronto organizers, around 30 friends and family members of Olando Brown marched to the Barrie Police Service station in a peaceful protest.
Brown, 32, went into medical distress and died while in the custody of Barrie police in June. Shortly after the incident, a video of the arrest surfaced online showing three officers engaged in the arrest. In the video, police can be seen using an electronic stun gun.
Following the incident, officers notified the province’s police watchdog, the Special Investigations Unit, which has launched a probe into Brown’s death.
-PKG_-_(1)_848x480_1275012675939.jpg?w=1040&quality=70&strip=all)
WATCH: Black Lives Matter Toronto holds rally in Barrie after death of Olando Brown
1. ‘It’s murder’: How lethal opioids devastated a small region of Ontario
As part of the Fentanyl: Making a Killing investigative series, Global News looked into how lethal opioids have devastated the Simcoe-Muskoka region.
In 2017, the area saw the rate of emergency hospital visits for overdoses rise to 77.1 visits per 100,000 people, higher than the provincial rate of 54.6 visits, according to Public Health Ontario. Between 2013 and 2017, deaths more than doubled to 81 a year.
Several families in the area shared their tragic stories of loss with Global News, illustrating just how dire the opioid overdose crisis has become.
— With files from David Shum, Andrew Russell, Stewart Bell, Sam Cooper and Rahul Kalvapalle
Comments