Good morning, Greater Sudbury! Here are a few stories to get you started on this Saturday morning.
Ontario legislature prorogued until after federal election
Ontario's Progressive Conservatives have prorogued the legislature until after the federal election, a move the Opposition called an "abdication of responsibility" as the province fights a fourth wave of COVID-19. The government said Friday that the legislature will return on Oct. 4, two weeks after Canadians head to the polls. "With a federal election underway, during which each party has put forward dramatically different policies and funding commitments that will have a direct impact on our government’s legislative agenda, we have made the decision to prorogue the legislature," Government House Leader Paul Calandra said in a statement. Calandra said the results of the election will offer more certainty so the province can plan its fall legislation. Politicians had been on summer break since early June, and were due back Sept. 13.
Sentencing submissions underway for ‘incel’ attacker Alexander Stavropoulos
Sentencing submissions are underway for Alexander Stavropoulos, the 28-year-old man who attacked and stabbed a woman and injured her baby in a parking lot in June 2019. Stavropoulos has been in custody since June 3, 2019. He pleaded guilty to two counts of attempted murder and one count of breaching probation after telling police in an interview that he was out to kill a little white girl. He stabbed the baby’s mother to prevent her from interfering in his attempt to kill the baby, who suffered minor injuries from being punched by Stavropoulos. Assistant Crown attorney Leonard Kim told the court the Attorney General did not grant the request to have Stavropoulos tried as a dangerous offender, despite this being the second time he is being convicted for a violent offence. He said this will proceed as a standard hearing.
Private or public? Advocate urges candidates to support public long-term care system
Advocating for stronger public services, Dot Klein attended Tuesday’s all-candidates debate at Royal Canadian Legion Branch 76 to see which federal candidates are on board. Klein has been working as a registered nurse for 57 years and is co-chair of the Sudbury chapter of the Ontario Health Coalition. Debates associated with public services have been going on for decades, but she said the COVID-19 pandemic has brought the discussion back to the forefront — particularly the issue of making long-term care facilities public. The pandemic showed that the private system does not work, Klein said following Tuesday’s debate, which was hosted by the local chapter of the Canadian Association of Retired Persons (best known as CARP) and Friendly to Seniors - Sudbury. “We were short of staff, they weren’t prepared with the protective equipment,” she said, noting the military had to be called out to assist at long-term care facilities, where residents were found malnourished, bed-ridden and abandoned. The for-profit model doesn’t suit the health-care field, she said, as shareholders’ need for profit always gets in the way.
Local NDP candidates say platform will bring in pharmacare that Trudeau hasn’t
NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh’s commitment Sept. 3 to reverse Justin Trudeau’s health care cuts means families in Sudbury and Nickel Belt will get more access to health care when and where they need it, said NDP candidates, Nadia Verrelli (Sudbury) and Andréane Chénier (Nickel Belt). The NDP’s commitment to strengthen and expand the public health care system includes bringing in a national pharmacare program and hiring more front-line workers. “Families who are paying out of pocket for the high cost of their prescription medication need support,” said Verrelli. “Justin Trudeau refused to bring in pharmacare after six years in government. New Democrats will support people and families by covering the cost of their prescription medication.” “Northern families need more access to health care, not less," said Chénier. "Justin Trudeau kept cutting the budget for our health care leaving us in a crisis even before the pandemic hit.
Sudbury woman sentenced to four years in prison for million dollar fraud
A 48-year-old Sudbury woman, Karen Cady, who was the bookkeeper at a small business in Sudbury, has been sentenced to four years in penitentiary for committing a serious financial fraud. This was Cady's third fraud conviction in the past 15 years. She was further sentenced to one year concurrent to another offence relating to possession of a forged document. The full scope of the two sentences is four years. Sentencing was imposed Friday morning by Justice Michael Carnegie of the Ontario Court of Justice. He presided via a Zoom teleconference along with Cady, her defence lawyer Denis Michel, Crown counsel Carolyn Hackett and Diana Fuller, president and CEO of Henninger's Diesel Limited, an engine manufacturing and service business in Sudbury.
Green party candidate opens virtual campaign office for federal Sudbury riding
Sudbury’s federal Green party candidate opened his virtual campaign office on Thursday night, with a handful of environmental stewards joining in for the Zoom-based online event. “It’s exactly what you do in a pandemic when this technology develops,” candidate David Robinson said prior to the event. “With such a short campaign, who wants to spend a week to find an office downtown, spend a bunch of money on it and most of your time setting it up and another five days taking it apart?” The virtual office will be open to the public via the Zoom video conferencing platform four times a week until the federal election on Sept. 20, including Mondays and Thursdays from 10:30 a.m. to 12 p.m. and from 6:30 to 8 p.m., during which Robinson will be available to chat with people. Despite hosting a virtual campaign, Robinson said he has been surprised by the response so far. “It’s a cheap, cheap campaign when you don’t have to rent an office or a phone, but I’ve still got more donations than we can spend at the moment,” he said.
Labour Council organizing a day of activities, entertainment for Labour Day
Sudbury and District Labour Council (SDLC) is inviting the community to celebrate Labour Day 2021 with a call to get more people back to work or at least taking part in better social programs. Labour Day is Sept. 6 and while it is a statutory holiday, it is also a time that organized labour comes together to reflect on the changes that have been made to improve the workplace over the years, to pay tribute to the sacrifices made by workers of days gone by, and to honour the efforts of those who continue to make the workplaces better and safer. The SDLC said Canadian unions this year are calling for a strong pandemic recovery that centres on workers and their families and that includes a plan for replacing lost jobs with better ones. Celebrations will begin Monday with a car parade beginning at about 10:15 a.m. at MacIsaac Drive (just behind Southridge Mall) near Paris Street. Participants are encouraged to dress up their cars, trucks and flatbeds with banners and union flags. The vehicle parade will make its way to the Steelworkers Hall on Brady Street for a Labour Day rally.
Public Health Sudbury reports five new COVID-19 cases for Sept. 3, Ontario reports 807
Public Health Sudbury and Districts (PHSD) has reported four new cases of COVID-19 in the local jurisdiction for Sept. 3. The health unit is also reporting there are now 28 active cases being monitored, a decrease of six cases in 24 hours. Also, since the PHSD began tracking COVID-19 cases just over 18 months ago, there have been 2,294 total COVID-19 cases confirmed locally. PHSD also said 2,266 of those cases are now resolved. There are also 1,074 cases that are "confirmed or presumed to be" positive for variants of concern. This is an increase of four cases since the last testing 24 hours ago. Public Health Ontario reported 807 new COVID cases today for Sept. 2. The latest update noted 738 recoveries and six deaths, but two of the deaths occurred more than two months ago and were not previously reported.
You can feel fall in the weekend forecast
You’ll feel a bit of fall in the air this weekend. Saturday will be mainly cloudy with fog patches dissipating in the morning and a 40-per-cent chance of showers late in the afternoon. The high will be 20 with a UV index of five, or moderate. The overnight low is 13 with showers. Sunday, expect showers off and on throughout the day with a high of just 19. Sunday evening will remain cloudy with a 60-per-cent chance of showers and a low of 12. The Labour Day holiday on Monday will feature more of the same, with a high of 18 and a 60-per-cent chance of showers. Monday night, the mercury will dip to 10 with a 40-per-cent chance of showers overnight.
