From bizarre discoveries to new scams to lottery winners: Here are the top stories from 2024

Controversy in Wasaga Beach after beachgoers poop in sand While Wasaga Beach is known for being the longest freshwater beach, reports have surfaced of beachgoers defecating in the sand.

The past year was filled with scam alerts from police, lottery winners, and bizarre discoveries.

Here are the most read articles from 2024.

Interac e-transfer: Ontario police warn of new scam

Provincial police and the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre raised awareness about a new variation of banking scams involving fraudsters impersonating financial institutions claiming the intended victim’s account had been compromised.

Police urged the public not to assume that phone numbers appearing on your call display are accurate, and if you are to receive a call and answer it, to advise the caller that you will call them back.

Controversy in Wasaga Beach after beachgoers allegedly poop in sand

While Wasaga Beach is known for being the longest freshwater beach in the world, it made headlines this past year after reports surfaced about beachgoers allegedly defecating in the sand.

The situation caught the attention of Premier Doug Ford, who publicly urged, “Folks, don’t be pooping on the beach.”

Following the reports, Mayor Brian Smith passed a motion in council formally requesting the province to ban four-sided tents on the beach.

Email scam alert: OPP and CAFC warn residents about extortion letters

In September, local authorities sounded the alarm about a scam involving extortion letters sent via email containing personal information.

"The extortion letter claims that the recipient has visited explicit websites and threatens to send a copy of a video to the recipient's contact list unless payment via cryptocurrency is made," the OPP stated.

Police encouraged anyone who received a similar "violent extortion message" to report it.

$70M lotto max winners of Lakefield Ont wait nearly 2 months to announce win

A couple from Lakefield, Ont., kept their $70 million lottery win a secret for nearly two months. The couple, married for 51 years, won the $70 million Lotto Max jackpot in February.

The couple decided to keep the multi-million dollar win to themselves for a while, not even sharing the news with their family members until about a week after collecting their prize.

Former fire captain pleads guilty in wife’s murder

A former Brampton fire captain and father of two accused of killing his wife in their Collingwood home pleaded guilty in June to second-degree murder.

The court had learned the marriage between James Schwalm and Ashley Milnes was on the brink of ending.

The couple had been married 10 years with two children, ages six and nine, when her body was found in a burned SUV in early 2023.

Corvette stripped of parts found on dirt road in Clearview Township

A strange discovery was made on a dirt road in Clearview Township in the fall that left residents scratching their heads.

A resident came across the shell of a Corvette, gutted and draped in yellow police tape.

Police in Niagara later confirmed the vehicle, a rare 2019 Chevy Corvette ZR1 convertible, had been reported stolen from a collector in Grimsby - but how the sports car ended up dumped on a dirt road in Clearview remains a mystery.

Housing costs force Midland senior to live in her backyard shed

A Midland woman resorted to living out of her shed out of desperation.

Debbie Lloyd moved into an outside shed following a Landlord Tenant Board dispute over mould found in her rented home.

After suffering medical issues, Lloyd said she had not other alternative, adding she couldn’t afford a car, could hardly afford food, and was priced out of the rental market.

Traffic stop in Blue Mountains leads to unusual discovery

Provincial police in the Town of the Blue Mountains made an unusual discovery during a traffic stop in October.

An officer pulled over a van on Grey Road 19 and found a passenger sitting in a wooden chair wedged between the two front seats.

The driver was subsequently charged for the offence.

Police said seatbelt non-compliance, among other factors, led to preventable loss of life this past year.