GUELPH – Brian Cox has been found not guilty on all charges against him in a sexual assault trial.

Judge Matthew Stanley delivered his verdict to a full courtroom gallery in Guelph on Tuesday.

Stanley’s decision was met by silence.

Cox was charged with two counts of sexual assault against Janice Klinetobe and two counts of sexual assault, in addition to two counts of gross indecency, against Kristin Bax.

Klinetobe and Bax accused Cox of sexually assaulting them in their teens, between 1986 and 1991.

• Court hears sentencing submissions from lawyers in sexual assault trial

The three were introduced through membership in an insular religious group known as the “Two by Twos.”

Klinetobe and Bax separately came to work at Cox’s used car dealership, BJ’s Auto Sales, in Guelph.

The 69-year-old Puslinch man pleaded not guilty to the charges and took the stand in his trial, which began in March.

Defence lawyer Dean Paquette asked in July for Cox to be acquitted; assistant Crown attorney Marilyn Dolby suggested he be found guilty on all counts.

Stanley said there were problematic inconsistencies in the women’s testimony but said he did not accept the entirety of the evidence given by Cox either.

Evidence presented throughout the trial didn’t go far enough to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt, resulting in Cox’s acquittal.

Paquette said he was confident about the outcome.

The acquittal is “very important for Brian and his future, his reputation,” Paquette said, and should demonstrate to people “rooting against Brian” in the courtroom that “perhaps things are not as they first perceived them to be.”

“I don’t know how any judge on this case, hearing all the evidence, could come to another conclusion,” Paquette said.

Cox told the Advertiser he’s “grateful for the wisdom of the judge” but said people on the other side of the case are “mad” and “will never change their mind about the verdict.”

“I just have to continue to get on with my life here,” he said, adding, “everybody treats you different … it’s just a nightmare for me.”

Klinetobe and Bax stood before a group of 28 supporters, including current and former Two by Twos members, gathered at the Bar Mason in Guelph on Tuesday afternoon.

Bax shared her doubts about the justice system and read from prepared remarks.

“I am not a victim, but I am victorious,” she said.

“No matter the outcome of this trial … I can speak my truth without shame,” she continued.

“Through some of the hardest moments that life can bring, I have found true friends and I have found a community of kindness unlike anything I’ve ever known.”

Klinetobe, also reading from prepared remarks, said the day marked “a new beginning.”

“Burdens that have weighed me down for decades are laid down – my truth is out,” she said.

“I [am] stronger than I ever thought I was.”

The two women thanked the group and embraced to applause.

The post Brian Cox acquitted of all charges after trial evidence leaves doubt appeared first on Wellington Advertiser.

PUSLINCH – No one was injured in a blaze on Gore Road in Puslinch on Sunday after a 100-year-old barn caught fire.

“The barn was a complete loss,” said Puslinch Fire Chief Jamie MacNeil.

The Puslinch fire department received a call at around 2:30pm on Sept. 14 and five trucks were dispatched to the scene.

The blaze was extinguished with the help of brews from the Hamilton, Cambridge and Guelph/Eramosa fire departments.

“It [the barn] was fully involved as we were responding,” said MacNeil.

“So there wasn’t much left of the barn by the time we got there; it had already collapsed.”

There were no animals or people in the barn, which contained straw and farming equipment.

Fire crews left the scene at around 9:30pm.

The cause of the fire is undetermined as an investigation would be impossible due to the extent of the damage, MacNeil said.

The post Puslinch barn destroyed by fire appeared first on Wellington Advertiser.

ELORA – An early morning fire on Saturday forced 12 people to evacuate a commercial and residential building in Elora.

Centre Wellington Fire Rescue responded to the blaze on Metcalfe Street at 1am on Sept. 13.

The building features The Showroom vintage clothing and interior design store, as well as a “mix of Airbnb rental units and long-term rental units,” deputy fire chief Jonathan Karn told the Advertiser.

Around 25 firefighters arrived on scene, from both the Elora and Fergus fire stations.

“When we arrived there was fire in the (Airbnb) unit and it was extending to the exterior of the building,” Karn explained. 

“Our main priority at that point was to make sure that fire did not extend to the major area of the building.” 

Firefighters responded to the blaze at about 1am on Sept. 13. Submitted photo

The fire was contained, yet all building units, including The Showroom store, suffered smoke and/or water damage.

The building’s 12 residents were evacuated safely and no one was injured.

“We worked with the Ontario Provincial Police, who contacted the Wellington County Victim Services and they came right to the scene,” Karn said.

“They were able to take the Airbnb renters to a local hotel for an evening and our permanent residents stayed with either family or friends.”

Karn said a damage estimate is not currently available, but officials “are confident we know how the fire started.

“This fire is not suspicious.”

Karn noted crews headed back to the scene at 10:30am on Sept. 15.

He said a damage estimate and official cause will be released by the fire department later in the day or on Sept. 16.

The post Fire forces 12 residents to evacuate Elora building appeared first on Wellington Advertiser.

On Tuesday September 9th the Maryhill Historical Society was pleased to host a Waterloo Historical Society meeting.  The meeting took place at the Maryhill Heritage Park Community Centre with the doors opening at 6:30 p.m. and the program began at 7:15 p.m.  They were also pleased that the Wellington County Historical Society was invited and was able to attend.  

Eyelash Man #1: “Be Cool”

“That’s fine, he likes the glue too”

Eyelash Man #2: “Snakeskin Smooth”

“That’s Sara, here’s Snyder, Sam’s in the glasses, those ones are Synthia…”

Eyelash Man #3: “Max Lift”

“The bottle said ‘Maximum Lift”

CENTRE WELLINGTON – Wellington Terrace Long-Term Care Home resident Reta Allan has turned a creative art project into a fundraiser for Diabetes Canada.

The rock snake currently lives at the Terrace near the front entrance and continues to grow everyday.

Allan had heard of the idea from “somewhere else in town” and thought “why don’t we do our own snake,” she told the Advertiser.

The snake is made out of approximately 50 rocks residents have painted throughout the summer.

Each is hand painted and sealed with two coats of a finisher to survive the outdoor elements.

“I made the head and a couple pieces for it and then we … invited the residents and their families,” Allan said. “We’ve got some neat ones.”

The rocks are to be sold for $1 during the home’s residents council week from Sept. 15 to 21.

“Every year during the residents council week we raise money for some charity organization,” she explained.

The council is a group of residents who are active in the community, hosted by each member of department of staff.

“I would have loved to seen a whole lot more but everybody isn’t capable of it,” Allan said.

“Looking at the length of it I’d say we had a fairly good response.”

Last year Allan’s rocks raised around $260.

Asked if she has always had a passion for arts she replied, “I don’t know if you can call it a passion but I’m down here (art room) everyday.”

“A lot of residents refer to this room as Reta’s art room,” terrace recreation therapist Megan Versteeg said during the interview.

Versteeg told Allan how the snake rock has “rippled through neighbourhoods” inside and out of the home.

She also noticed the “obsession of adding to the snake” among the other residents during one-on-one time.

“I think you’re creative spark has moved through the building in a way that you’re not aware of,” Versteeg said.

“I’ve been painting rocks all summer.”

Resident Joan Schnell took part in growing the snake and “I thought it was wonderful,” she said.

“The rocks were just booming [and] every time you’d look at the snake it’s longer,” Schnell added.

Not typically a craft person but she found joy in participating.

The rocks will be on display from Sept. 15 to 21 at 474 Charles Allan Way in Centre Wellington.

The post Local senior turns art project into fundraiser for Diabetes Canada appeared first on Wellington Advertiser.

GUELPH/ERAMOSA – Blue-green algae has been spotted at a third lake within Wellington County.

“The presence of a suspected blue-green algae bloom has been observed at Guelph Lake Conservation Area,” stated a Sept. 12 press release from the Grand River Conservation Authority (GRCA).

It added the environment ministry and public health have been notified.

The announcement comes just weeks after the GRCA closed the beaches at the Belwood Lake (Aug. 27) and Conestogo Lake (Aug. 22) conservation areas.

Both closures were due to blue-green algae blooms, which are discovered pretty much every summer at Belwood, Conestogo and/or Guelph Lakes, as hot weather creates “the perfect conditions” for it to grow in large bodies of water, officials say.

“There is permanent signage at these locations advising visitors of the potential for blue-green algae blooms and precautions that should be taken,” the GRCA stated.

Officials say users of Guelph Lake should take the following precautions:

• keep children and pets away from the algae;
• avoid contact with the algae;
• don’t eat fish from the lake;
• don’t use the water for drinking or any other purpose; and
• don’t swim in areas “where you see scum, or it is accumulating along the shoreline.”

Anyone with health-related questions can contact public health.

For more information visit the GRCA website.

The post Blue-green algae spotted on Guelph Lake appeared first on Wellington Advertiser.

MAPLETON – A local woman has died following a two-vehicle crash near Glen Allan on Thursday.

Emergency crews responded to the scene, on the 3rd Line in Mapleton Township, on Sept. 11 at about 9:30am.

Wellington County OPP officials say the collision involved a pickup truck and SUV.

“As a result of the collision, a 59-year-old from Mapleton Township, was pronounced deceased at scene,” police stated in a Sept. 12 press release.

“The other driver was not injured.”

Anyone with information about the incident can call the OPP at 1-888-310-1122.

The post Mapleton woman dead after two-vehicle crash near Glen Allan appeared first on Wellington Advertiser.

WELLINGTON COUNTY – The county has proposed a $1.4-million winter response plan to keep about 75 homeless people off the streets this winter.

Director of housing services Dave Purdy presented a report on Sept. 10 to the joint social services and land ambulance committee, which covers both the county and City of Guelph.

“Chronic and non-chronic homelessness numbers continue to increase in our community from last year,” Purdy told the committee.

“There are at least 75 individuals that we are aware of experiencing unsheltered homelessness in our community.”

• County’s winter response plan for homelessness sparks tiny homes debate

That number is based on the Wellington-Guelph by-name data, formerly the by-name list, a real-time list of all people experiencing homelessness in a service delivery area.

Of the individuals experiencing unsheltered homelessness, 12 are in the county and 63 in Guelph.

“That number is significantly higher than (during) our conversation that led into our winter response plan last year,” Purdy said.

Cost estimates are based on accommodating up to 75 individuals from Oct. 1 to April 30.

Of the $1.43 million, the county will cover $540,000 and the city $855,700.

Unsheltered individuals will be offered tarps, tents, sleeping bags, pillows, warm clothing and access to storage of belongings will continue for those who move to temporary accommodations over the winter.

The tangibles and storage will cost $40,000 and all cost estimates have been included in the winter response plan budget.

The 2025 county budget included an allocation of $283,000 for response plan costs.

County officials anticipate an increased cost of $331,000 will be partially offset by a one-time Reaching Home federal grant received earlier this year.

“A variance report will be brought forward in October that will provide an estimate of the overall year-end position for both the city and county,” states the report.

“Giving a person a place to live temporarily is a great thing, but are we then trying to reach out with other services to help get them out of that hotel situation?” asked councillor Mary Lloyd.

Purdy said one the biggest successes of last year’s plan “was incorporating the housing engagement agreements and participation and engagement requirements to identify long-term housing solutions.”

He added, “So the answer to your question is yes.

“No matter if they are in a hotel, we’re still having those engagement conversations on a long-term housing solution strategy.”

The plan states to continue to implement a housing engagement plan and agreement approach with individuals staying in hotels or at the temporary accommodation services at 128 Norfolk Street in Guelph.

Guelph Mayor Cam Guthrie asked if there is money in the budget for repairs if the county units are damaged.

“In this winter response budget we are not incorporating damage costs,” Purdy said.

The 2026 forecasted budget includes an allocation of $675,000 for seven months (January to April and October to December) of winter response plan costs.

The report proposes a cost of $820,600 for January to April, with additional costs needed to support October through December.

“At this time, no increase in funding from senior levels of government are available to offset these costs,” the report states.

“The entire increase in cost will impact the municipal tax levy.”

The committee recommended county council approve the report on Sept. 25.

The post County proposes $1.4-million winter response plan appeared first on Wellington Advertiser.