Fatal crash claims hockey player’s life, cyberattack at Windsor’s hospital, and a murder trial comes to an end: Top Windsor stories this week

The Lakeshore Canadiens hockey team in mourning, Windsorites struggling with making rent, and the final sentence handed down in a Windsor murder trial.

Here’s a look at the top five stories on ctvnewswindsor.ca this week:

Cyberattack to blame for service interruption at area hospitals, officials say

Windsor Regional Hospital Ouellette Campus in Windsor, Ont. on Monday, June 19, 2023. (Rich Garton/CTV News Windsor)

Hospitals in Windsor-Essex have been dealing with system-wide technical issues Monday due to a cyberattack, officials say.

Windsor Regional Hospital, Hotel-Dieu Grace Healthcare, Bluewater Health and Chatham Kent Health Alliance have been impacted by a service interruption, including email, for most of the day as the hospitals’ shared service provider, TransForm, is experiencing a cyber attack, according to an update.

“We are investigating the cause and scope of incident, including whether any patient information was affected. Our investigation is ongoing and we will provide further updates, as appropriate. We will not be providing further comment in response to this statement,” officials said in a joint statement.

The statement said patients who have schedule care in the next few days will be contacted directly, if possible, to reschedule or provide alternate arrangements.

 

Two men wanted in connection to Tecumseh robbery

Police have released these photos of the suspects wanted in connection to a robbery in the 12000 block of Riverside Drive East in Tecumseh, Ont. (Source: Essex County OPP)

Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) in Tecumseh are asking for the public’s help identifying two suspects wanted in connection to a recent robbery.

Police responded to the robbery report around 4:20 a.m. on Oct. 15 at a business in the 12000 block of Riverside Drive East.

Two men entered the business demanding cash, police say. The suspects left the store with an unknown amount of money and are believed to have taken off in an unknown vehicle.

 

Lakeshore Canadiens mourning loss of player in crash

Sylvain Lessard. (Source: Lakeshore Canadiens)

The Lakeshore Canadiens hockey team is mourning the loss of one of their players.

The team said in a Facebook post that they are deeply saddened by the passing of Sylvain Lessard.

The general manager confirmed he died in a crash between an SUV and a tractor trailer on County Road 42 west of Patillo Road on Tuesday night.

According to OPP, the 20-year-old driver of the SUV was pronounced deceased on scene and the driver of the tractor trailer was transported to a local hospital with life-threatening injuries.

 

Windsor tenants trapped by high rates despite lower rental costs compared to other Canadian cities

Brittany Leroux (Sanjay Maru/CTV News Windsor)

While a new survey shows Windsor's rental rates are among the lowest in all of Canada, some tenants in and around the city say they have no choice but to stay in their current residence because of high rental prices.

According to a recent survey by rentals.ca(opens in a new tab), Windsor ranks 28 out of 35 municipalities in terms of rental prices for one-bedroom and two-bedroom apartments.

In Windsor, a one-bedroom and two-bedroom apartment costs a monthly average of $1,529 and $1,952, respectively.

Brittany Leroux lives in a two-bedroom apartment in east Windsor with her partner, son, and daughter. She fears the day when her children, an infant and toddler, grow up and her family is forced to move to a bigger space.

 

'I will live with this until the day that I pass on': Final sentence handed down in Windsor murder trial

Madisen Gingras, 20. (Source: Brenda Gingras)

One of the men convicted in a Windsor murder dating back to April 2020 has been sentenced to life in prison and parole ineligibility of 17 years for the murder of a 20-year-old Windsor woman.

On April 1, 2020, 20-year-old Madisen Gingras was shot in the back of the head in her boyfriend’s car on a South Windsor side street during what the court would later learn was a drug deal gone wrong.

Kyle Hanna, 29, was convicted of second degree murder by a jury in June, but acquitted of attempted murder. The co-accused, Keermaro Rolle and Tameko Vilneus were convicted of first-degree murder and the attempted murder of Gingras’ boyfriend, Jacob Reaume.

“She was tortured. She was bound and zip tied. She was shot in the back of the head. She was forced to ingest an inordinate amount of drugs,” said assistant Crown attorney Delia Greco after the sentencing decision Friday. “It doesn't get more aggravating. It was terrible.”