There were hundreds of local headlines and hundreds of thousands of words written by local reporters and published in OrilliaMatters in 2024.
These ten stories, in order of number of page views, were among the most-read for the year.
Orillia woman preparing class-action lawsuit against BMO Canada
Orillia's Debbie Sammit is leading the charge in organizing a class-action lawsuit against BMO Canada.
In September 2022, Sammit noticed $3,000 had been e-transferred out of her account without her authorization. After going public with her story on OrilliaMatters, 30 people contacted her to say they had the same experience.
An Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada investigation from 2021 found BMO Canada's online banking software had "significant weaknesses" in its technical safeguards between June 2017 and January 2018, allowing potential attackers to breach about 113,000 bank accounts.
"A lot of other banks are doing things like a two-step authentication code to improve their security," Sammit said. "Even after that breach, the Bank of Montreal has done nothing to improve their security."
Click on the headline above to read more.
Snow transforms Orillia into a winter wonderland (16 photos)
The first winter storm of the season draped Orillia in a fresh coat of snow. But things went from bad to worse quickly — especially north of the city.
The storm, which started slowly, gathered steam and eventually prompted a state of emergency in Bracebridge after many motorists were stranded on Highway 11 just north of Orillia — some for dozens of hours.
Despite the chaos, pictures of the pretty landscape were enjoyed by many. Click on the headline above to read more.
Orillia girl finds rare relic in Lake Couchiching
An Orillia girl found a unique treasure in Lake Couchiching late this summer.
While snorkelling near the dock at her grandparents’ house in Rama, Aurora Palmateer found a Canadian penny from 1859.
"I thought it was just a piece of metal," the seven-year-old said. "When I actually looked at it, I saw that it wasn't a normal coin."
Palmateer's grandfather, Dave Grant, says he never expected her to find such a relic.
Click on the headline above to read the full story.
Local boat companies 'devastated' by luxury tax
Local boating companies are feeling the effects of the vessel luxury tax this year.
In August 2022, the federal government implemented a tax on yachts, cruisers, sailboats, deck boats, water skiing boats and houseboats priced above $250,000.
Crate's Lake Country Boats owner Jason Crate says the tax has "devastated" the retail side of the boating industry.
"Tons of jobs have been lost," he said. "People just stopped buying boats over $250,000."
Click on the headline above to read the full story.
Hundreds of trucks, people stuck on snowy Hwy. 11 north of Orillia
The snow has stopped in Orillia, but it's not safe to drive on local highways, police warned on the evening of Nov. 30.
As of 5 p.m. that evening, Highway 11, near Washago, was closed. Because of multiple crashes and vehicles stuck on the highway, plows have not been able to clear one of the province's busiest north-south routes.
It's estimated hundreds of big rigs are stuck on one of Canada's busiest highways.
Click on the headline above to read the full story.
'I'm tired': Popular downtown restaurant set to shut down its grill
A popular downtown restaurant decided to close (as of Dec. 28) as Chef Samir Hanna, owner of Sanafir Mediterranean Restaurant, decided to hang up his apron.
“I’ve been in the business, working as a chef, since 1987 and that’s long,” says Hanna. “I'm tired, physically. Mentally, I'm done. So, I think it's time for me to put my jacket on the wall and that's it.”
Click on the headline above to read the full story.
New Orillia doctor opens walk-in clinic days after arriving in Canada
A new doctor is always big news. That was the case in December when we ran a story about a new doctor opening a new walk-in clinic in Orillia.
Originally from the U.K., Dr. Mohammed Khaliq is now one of two doctors at a new walk-in clinic at City Med Pharmacy on Colborne Street.
“Anybody in the community who has a family doctor, who doesn't have a family doctor, we're open to see them, to serve them, to see how we can help,” Khaliq said.
Click on the headline above to read the full story.
Beloved local equestrian coach 'had everything and lost it to drugs'
Mary Louise Amos is calling the death of her daughter, Erin Amos, "a story of a girl who had everything and lost it to drugs."
Erin, an Orillia native, was the founder of Top of the Hill Farm in Oro-Medonte. She was a championship-calibre equestrian rider, coach, and line handler.
"She always had a passion for horses," Mary Louise said. "She rode ponies as a kid and was buying and selling horses for herself and other people at auctions by the time she was 16."
Click on the headline above to read the full story.
Brazen Highway 11 sign accuses lawyers, judges, bankers of crimes
Have you noticed the large sign on the side of Highway 11 North accusing a long list of lawyers, judges, law enforcement, and lenders of committing a variety of crimes?
Robert Woods, who lives in a residence adjacent to the highway — just south of Orillia between Line 14 and Line 15 — said he has displayed the sign for more than a year after dealings with Ontario lenders and legal representatives who he alleges fraudulently took his money and property.
Woods’s sign accuses numerous parties of bankruptcy fraud, insurance fraud and mortgage fraud, among many other crimes he says are connected to a legal battle that saw him lose two properties — a show home and a hotel — in Sudbury around 2014-15.
The sign is still at the side of the highway today. Click on the headline above to read the full story.
'Broken system' leaves Ramara landlords to foot bill for tenants trashing their home
A Ramara Township landlord has had to come out of retirement to foot the bill for tenants that have refused to pay rent for more than six months.
Rob Maranzan, along with his wife, Kim, have rented out a three-bedroom unit on Creighton Street since January 2023. While their tenants initially paid their monthly rent of $2,200 and their share of the utilities, by February 2024 they had stopped paying for anything — leaving the Maranzans on the hook for around $18,000 since that time.
Three adults initially rented the unit, but by December last year an additional six people had moved in, including two adults and four young children, bringing the total number of occupants up to nine people, along with three dogs.
Click on the headline above to read the full story.
There were three stories that proved even more popular than these locally-written articles. Here are the top three stories, in terms of readership, published by OrilliaMatters in 2024.
Northern Ontario couple spots a very big cat in their backyard
ill Gendron and his wife Rose Mary photographed what they thought was a cougar in their Echo Bay backyard on Wednesday, but several readers believe the animal was either a bobcat or a lynx.
Regardless of what it was, the Gendrons have seen all sorts of wildlife venture through their yard over the years — but nothing like this.
Living up Highway 638 just across from Lakeview Drive, the couple noticed the larger-sized cat enter their vicinity around 12:45 p.m. yesterday.
Click on the headline above to read the full story.
Connor McDavid's wedding photos from Muskoka nuptials go viral
A hockey superstar and his bride. Perhaps it's no surprise this story went viral.
Click on the headline above to read the full story.
Area lockdown-resisting business owner convicted of 36 charges
Alexandra Stewart, who resisted lockdowns and various orders issued by the North Bay Parry Sound District Health Unit regarding the operation of her business at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, has been convicted of 36 related Provincial Offences, according to a news release issued by the health unit.
Click on the headline above to read the full story.
