Good morning, Greater Sudbury! Here are a few stories to get you started on this Wednesday morning.
Fabio Belli’s name won’t be considered as monicker for sports dome: Rainbow
The multi-sport bubble dome on Lasalle Boulevard will no longer be named for Fabio Belli, said Rainbow District School Board, several days after it announced it was taking over full funding and operation of the facility. The school board said it is disappointed by the fact it did not receive the promised $1-million donation from the Fabio Belli Foundation towards the $4.3-million sports dome. As a result, the board will retain all revenue generated through rentals, which Rainbow said will cover the costs of maintaining the facility. As part of the announcement, the school board said the name of the dome will reflect its location and its ownership. In an email, a board spokesperson confirmed the new name will no longer be in honour of the late city councillor, who died suddenly on April 12, 2014, at the age of 37. Belli spent years working to bring a year-round sports facility to Greater Sudbury. “The name of the dome has yet to be determined,” said Nicole Charette.
Opinion: What do we do with memorials to historical figures who've done bad things? A historian weighs in
The present discussion about history, monuments and statues is vital. It relates directly to who controls public space and what represents a common past. It points to how a dominant narrative is often proclaimed to be “history,” when in fact it offers a single perspective. As many have recently learned, much is missing from official versions taught in public schools. For example, a very negative side of Canada’s first prime minister was recently exposed, so honouring him with public statues does not fully represent him or his era, as was and is understood by more critical and thoroughly informed thinkers. In my view, most existing statues should not be removed, or vandalized. Rather texts with full and fair commentary, including controversial and even conflicting perspectives, could be added. Wrong facts, however, have to be corrected.
Read the full opinion piece here.
Drone and dogs track down Sudbury teen who fled police on motorcycle
An eighteen-year-old motorcycle rider is facing a host of charges after police say he led officers on a high-speed chase and hid in the bush, trying to escape arrest. West Nipissing OPP reported that on Aug. 22 at 10:15 a.m. officers clocked a motorcycle travelling in excess of 170 km/h on Highway 17 in Verner. They attempted to pull the driver over, but he fled, police said. “Officers continued to patrol the area and subsequently located the motorcycle, abandoned at the dead-end of Leclair Road in Verner,” OPP said. Undeterred, the OPP searched for the rider using its Emergency Response Team, canine unit and a drone. It didn’t take them long to find him. At 11:35 a.m., OPP said the canine unit found the teen hiding in the bush and arrested him. The driver was not injured, police said. Now, the 18-year-old driver faces numerous charges, including failing to stop for police, stunt driving, careless driving, using a plate not authorized for the vehicle, failing to get a new permit after buying a vehicle and operating a motor vehicle without a licence. The accused is scheduled to appear at the Ontario Court of Justice in Sturgeon Falls on Oct. 26.
Discover: Is intermittent fasting the weight-loss cure people think it is?
The word ‘fact’ has been more than a little abused in recent history, but for those who respect the power of the fact, their consistency and dependability can be a balm, a warm hug of stiff impenetrability, a wall against those who would attack you. Or, they can sit on your chest like a gorilla. These weight loss facts are the latter. Terribly sorry to have to do this to you, gentle readers, but we better just rip the Band-Aid off. If it helps, these come directly from Jeffrey Gagnon, associate professor and chair of the Biology Department at Laurentian University, whose field of study is medical endocrinology (during an interview that was followed directly by the interviewer taking a very long, very brisk walk). Now is talk of another diet, one known as intermittent fasting (IF). With all the above caveats in place, it is time to talk about scientific studies, weight loss, glucose metabolism, and how stressful eating can be. Does intermittent fasting lead to weight loss? That is a good question.
Ontario confirms 100 new COVID cases today
Public Health Ontario has confirmed 100 new cases of COVID-19 in today's update, and has reported two more deaths. The province has now reported 2,800 COVID cases that have ended in death. According to Public Health Ontario, there have been 2.8 million COVID tests processed in Ontario since the start of the pandemic, including 20,013 tests reported processed since yesterday's update. To-date, the province has confirmed 41,607 cases of COVID-19, and has reported 37,748 of those as recovered (90.7 per cent). As of Aug. 25, there were three known active cases in the North, one in Sudbury and two in Thunder Bay.
Medical association reveals 15% pay gap between male and female physicians
The Ontario Medical Association (OMA) said it cannot explain the reasons why, but an in-depth study revealed there is a pay gap of more than 15 per cent between male and female doctors. The 30 page study, reported to be the largest study of its kind in Canada, was released by the OMA in August and is the result of examining OHIP billings from 2017 and 2018. The study was initiated in May of 2019. The association said the study included billings "from nearly all doctors practising in Ontario and adjusted for certain factors, such as years of experience and work outside of business hours, to create an apples-to-apples comparison." The executive summary outlined the basic findings: "This work found that, on average, male physicians bill 15.6 per cent more than their female counterparts, after controlling for available practice characteristics and labour market inputs. Substantial variation in the billings gap was observed across Assembly, geography, payment model and practice setting. The differences observed among physician groups are central to understanding how to combat pay inequities."
Noëlville woman nabbed in West Nipissing drug bust
A Noëlville woman is facing several drug charges after West Nipissing OPP raided a Sturgeon Falls apartment last week armed with a search warrant. West Nipissing OPP said on Aug. 19 officers with the Community Street Crime Unit and the West Nipissing detachment stormed a rental unit on Front Street in Sturgeon Falls to execute the warrant. “Officers seized a quantity of drugs suspected to be: Fentanyl, crystal methamphetamine and cocaine, along with drug paraphernalia and over $1,100 in Canadian currency,” police said in a news release. “The street value of the drugs seized is approximately $14,700.” Two people were charged. A 32-year-old Noëlville woman faces two counts of possession of a controlled substance (methamphetamine) and one count of possession of a controlled substance (other drugs). She was released on an undertaking, police said, and has an Oct. 1 date at the Ontario Court of Justice.
