Good morning, Greater Sudbury! Here are a few stories to start your day on this Wednesday morning.
Genesis Hospitality says it will ‘build … own and operate' hotel at Kingsway Entertainment District
Social media misinformation has clouded just about every step of the Kingsway Entertainment District’s progress, with the naming of a hotel partner no exemption. Genesis Hospitality executive president Kevin Swark told Sudbury.com this week that his company’s intent is to “build a hotel, own and operate it.” The company is based in Brandon, Man., and they own and operate 12 hotels in three provinces, including four in Manitoba, three in Alberta and five in Ontario. Swark said they’re still looking for a brand to operate under, but described it as a franchisee situation wherein Genesis Hospitality would be responsible for the facility, including its construction. “We own and operate the hotel, manage the people and pay a royalty to use their brand,” he said. Social media misinformation appears to have latched on to the fact Genesis Hospitality offers various management, training and development services in addition to owning and operating their own portfolio. As such, it was claimed the company would have a lesser role than they actually intend on playing.
‘I don’t care what anybody says’: Kirwan continues to insist there is a KED build agreement
The only build commitment among the Kingsway Entertainment District’s partners relates to initial site preparation and not the actual construction of buildings. This much has been affirmed by city staff (including two lawyers) and at least 10 of the city’s 13 elected officials. Ward 5 Coun. Robert Kirwan continues to insist they are all wrong and that there is a written build commitment among partners that legally binds them to complete their respective projects. Sudbury.com reached out to the six councillors who voted against the motion. After a few days and two messages, the only councillor who did not respond to our request was Ward 11 Coun. Joscelyn Landry-Altmann. Between a phone interview and emailed correspondence with Sudbury.com, Kirwan outlined his case. The foundation to his assertion that all parties are “legally bound to complete their projects” is in Section 15(1) of the cost-sharing agreement. “Since none of them have indicated that they will not be proceeding with their respective projects, they all remain fully committed to moving forward,” Kirwan said. “This is their ‘build commitment’.”
It’s refreshing to see the city work to retain its museums: Montpellier
The City of Greater Sudbury’s four museums are on track to remain closed for another year, but the closure is not expected to be permanent. This, Ward 3 Coun. Gerry Montpellier said, is a far cry from cutting the curator position, which was initially proposed in 2021 budget deliberations before city council reversed their decision. He was among those on council to push for the position’s reinstatement. “I’m a firm believer in little bite-sized things,” Montpellier said. “All the little pieces come together to make it a nice place to visit, and they’re all parts of it.” The city’s elected officials were slated to debate the future of city museums during a city council meeting last week, but Ward 12 Coun. Joscelyne Landry-Altmann introduced a successful motion to defer council debate until next month.
Laurentian concerned how ongoing negative press will impact 2022 recruitment
The negative national press Laurentian University has received lately and the impact it will have on recruitment for fall 2022 was a hot topic of discussion at the university’s senate meeting last week. Underscoring the discussion in LU’s senate, the day after the senate meeting, Toronto Star columnist Bob Hepburn actually named Laurentian as one of the “losers” of the year in his Dec. 15 column about the Top 10 Winners and Losers of 2021. Laurentian declared insolvency earlier this winter, and has been undergoing court-supervised restructuring under the Companies’ Creditors Arrangement Act (CCAA). The university has been grabbing national headlines since the CCAA filing, but interest in the Laurentian situation was renewed earlier this month. That’s when the Ontario legislature issued a rare Speaker’s warrant, ordering LU to hand over by Feb. 1 documents it’s been refusing to provide. Also last week, on Dec. 16, the province announced a financial package for Laurentian. In connection with that financial package, 11 members of Laurentian’s board of governors have stepped down, including chair Claude Lacroix.
Greater Sudbury Police seeking man convicted of attempted murder
Greater Sudbury Police is asking for help in locating a man convicted of attempted murder. Jonathan Cushing, 39, was granted bail following his conviction in relation to a serious assault that took place Oct. 18, 2020, on Cedar Street, said police. He was sentenced to 10 years in prison. Cushing was required to surrender himself to police on Dec. 9. He failed to do so. Anyone with information related to Cushing’s whereabouts is asked to contact police at 705-675-9171 or Crime Stoppers at 705- 222-TIPS, online at SudburyCrimeStoppers.com.
Sudbury junior miner raises $12 million for northwestern Ontario lithium project
A Sudbury junior mining company has cashed up to do more exploration of its high-grade and open-ended lithium property in northwestern Ontario. Frontier Lithium announced Dec. 15 that it's raised $12 million in flow-through shares to boost the resource numbers at its PAK project, 175 kilometres north of Red Lake, near the Manitoba border. The company's 26,774-hectare property hosts two spodumene-bearing deposits, dubbed PAK and Spark, located two kilometres apart. Spodumene is the most widely used lithium because of its high lithium content. Frontier Lithium claims PAK is a 'Tier 1' globally significant lithium resource with room to expand through exploration. The company has stated its intentions of bringing the two deposits into production with the help of a strategic investment partner. Frontier Lithium intends to be a miner and a process with the intention of establishing a hydrometallurgical chemical plant to supply product to the electric vehicle market.
Clouds and windy weather for Wednesday
Expect cloudy skies for your Wednesday with just a few flurries ending in the morning. Wind will be out of the northwest at 30 km/h, gusting to 50 before becoming light late in the afternoon. While that wind is up expect blowing snow in the morning. Today’s high is -10 with a wind chill of around -20. This evening, the temperature will drop to -19 under clear skies.
