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Good morning, Greater Sudbury! Here are a few stories to get you started on this Tuesday morning.
Local 6500 members to meet on new contract offer Aug. 3
Striking Steelworkers Local 6500 members meet tomorrow for information sessions on a new contract offer to end a labour dispute that has dragged on since June 1. On Aug. 2, the union posted the details for three information sessions on Aug. 3. No details of the contract offer were provided today. Highlights of the offer will be made available on the Local 6500 website in the morning. The sessions will be held remotely, but for those who can’t access Zoom, simultaneous in-person sessions will be held at the Steelworkers Hall on Brady Street. Only 260 people can be in the room to comply with COVID-19 restrictions, so entry will be first come, first served, the union said. Online voting on the offer will be held Aug. 3 from 4-11 p.m. The nearly 2,500 Local 6500 members hit the picket line June 1 after rejecting the first contract offer, which the union’s bargaining committee recommended workers accept.
Police investigating after injured woman rescued from Ramsey Lake
A woman with serious injuries had to call 911 from the back of the jetski she was riding after being hurt in an incident on Ramsey Lake today. Emergency services were dispatched to Ramsey Lake at around 2:20 p.m. after receiving a report of an injured boater on the water. Deputy Fire Chief Jesse Oshell said crews from the Minnow Lake station were dispatched to Moonlight Beach to respond to the call for help. When they got to the scene on the water, bystanders in a boat were assisting the woman on the jetski. Oshell said the woman, though seriously injured, was able to phone 911 herself. What is unknown as of Monday evening is how the woman was hurt. “It was an accident of some sort,” Oshell said. The woman was transported to hospital by paramedics. Police are investigating.
Donna Spiegel remembered for fighting for cancer patients, palliative care
Donna Speigel is being remembered as a woman of firsts: she organized the first breast examination clinic; she was part of the core group that created palliative care in Sudbury and was part of the group that fought for a cancer centre in northeastern Ontario to be located in Sudbury. Speigel passed away Aug. 1 in her 78th year. While raising a family and volunteering, Speigel earned a second MA in child psychology and worked as a psychometrist with the Sudbury Catholic School Board, going on to work with children all over the province and with First Nations communities from Cornwall to Moosonee. Speigel was also an entrepreneur, becoming a partner in Watch It Timepieces and a member of the board of directors of the Greater Sudbury Chamber of Commerce. Speigel’s professional and volunteer efforts earned her the Sudbury Business and Professional Women’s Association Woman of the Year award and a Lieutenant Governor’s award for exceptional community service.
Police lay 16 stunt driving charges over long weekend
Greater Sudbury Police were out in force over the Civic Holiday weekend to crack down on speeders on city streets. And what a crack down it was. The police service said it laid stunt driving charges against 16 drivers between July 30 and Aug. 1. GSPS said one driver was clocked doing 180 km/h in an 80 km/h zone. Drivers who exceed the speed limit by 50 km/h could face a stunt driving charge, which includes a fine of between $2,000 and $10,000, six demerit points, a two-year driving suspension and up to six months in jail. The charge will also impact a driver’s insurance rate. If you drive 50 km/h over the limit, you could face a stunt driving charge. This holds some major consequences including a $2,000-$10,000 fine, six demerit points, a 2-year licence suspension and up to six months in jail.
With potential election looming, Angus takes a swipe at Sudbury MPs over Laurentian
Timmins-James Bay MP Charlie Angus isn’t buying what Sudbury’s two Liberal MPs are selling when it comes to Laurentian University. In an Aug. 2 letter, Angus said one thing the Laurentian University insolvency situation has demonstrated is for too long Northern Ontario has voted under the fallacy that in order to be heard, the region needs a seat at the decision-making table. “I have heard this ‘seat at the table’ pitch in every election I can remember,” Angus wrote. “The disastrous handling of the Laurentian University crisis has shown us that the so-called Liberal table simply doesn’t exist.” He said the failure of Nickel Belt MP Marc SerreĢ and Sudbury MP Paul Lefebvre to engage the federal government before Laurentian entered CCAA protection lest it fail to meet its payroll in February demonstrates that having a backbencher at the table is about the same as having no one at the table.
Walking tour of Laurentian greenspace aims to highlight regreening efforts
Enjoy a walking tour of the Laurentian University greenspaces this month, while learning about the decades-long efforts to undo the environmental damage that led to Sudbury being described as a moonscape. As Laurentian University continues through its insolvency process, there is some concern portions of the extensive greenspaces on the campus could be sold off to help improve the school’s financial position. To this end, members of the public, city councillors, MPs and MPPs have been invited to participate in one of two tours to understand what could be lost. “The Laurentian University greenspace has long been a space where Sudburians hike, swim, ski, learn, and connect to nature and family. The LU insolvency could put all this at risk,” the tour organizers state in a news release. The tour will be led by biologist Peter Beckett, naturalist Franco Mariotti, local historian Paul Haynes, and trail enthusiasts Sheilah Arena and Sharon Roy.
Let’s eat! Like the Buddha belly, the Laughing Buddha vibe just keeps growing
Revelling in the ambiance of the Laughing Buddha patio is like relaxing at your hipster and ultra fashionable friend’s balcony for cocktails. The lighting, the fire tables and the umbrellas are all tucked away safe from downtown traffic in patio spaces that used to be parking spots. With the tables comes a new heated outdoor stage for live performances. General Manager Veronica Desjardins said the sprawling expansion of these secret and sidewalk patios off Elgin Street over the years have proven to be a success especially during the pandemic. “It started as an artsy, cool, hip, comfortable and inclusive space,” she said. “It was the downtown counterculture. Now it is so much more.” Desjardins said there are plans for menu updates and a larger sidewalk patio. She also has her attention on what happens to the location or relocation of the downtown arena as this will have a major impact on what comes next.
Cloudy, humid day in store with risk of a thunderstorm
Expect a mainly cloudy day today with a 60-per-cent chance of showers this afternoon and the risk of a thunderstorm. Again, smoke from rampant forest fires in the northwest will impact air quality locally, so expect hazy, smoky conditions in the late morning and into the afternoon. The wind will be out of the southwest at 20 km/h, becoming light near noon. Today’s high is 25, but the humidity will make it feel more like 29. The UV index today is six, or high. Tonight, expect cloudy periods with a 60-per-cent chance of showers, and a low of 14.
