Good morning, Greater Sudbury! Here are a few stories to start your day on this Christmas Eve morning!
One week after mass resignation, slimmed-down Laurentian board meets
A slimmed-down version of Laurentian University’s board of governors met Dec. 22, a week after 11 members of the board resigned in connection with a provincial financial package provided to the ailing university. The board of governors meeting was supposed to be held Friday, but was abruptly cancelled and then rescheduled for this week after news of the resignations and the province’s financial bailout package became public on Thursday. Former board chair Claude Lacroix, along with former vice-chair Sonia Del Missier, were both among those who resigned from the board last week. Because of this gap in the board’s leadership, Wednesday’s meeting was chaired by board member Maxim Jean-Louis, who agreed to temporarily take on the role for the meeting. Despite the mass resignation of 11 board members last week and this week’s announcement of the appointment of five new board members, the public portion of the meeting appeared to proceed in a fairly routine fashion.
City opens can of worms by blocking Lake Wanapitei access
A can of worms was opened in Skead earlier this month when city staff installed large boulders at the end of Poupore Road West. The cul-de-sac at the end of the road had been used for the past several decades as access to Lake Wanapitei, where people launched boats and drove ice-fishing shacks onto the lake. A few days after the boulders were installed, and sparked by concern among users about lake access, Mayor Brian Bigger ordered staff to remove some of the boulders to accommodate ice fishers. Between area residents and anglers, both of these steps have fired up Sudburians.
Trucker launches petition to improve training for truck drivers
A veteran long-haul truck driver says driving on Highways 11 and 17 in Northern Ontario has become treacherous. "I got military danger pay for things that are a lot less dangerous than driving on those highways," Richard Deschamps said. It's why he's started an online petition aimed at improving truck-driver training. Deschamps is from the Ottawa valley but is currently based in Quebec. Besides spending some time in the military, he's driven a truck for 27 years. He credits most truckers with being "awesome" drivers, but said but there are still a lot who "don't adapt to the conditions of the road, and you mix that with the unqualified, untrained drivers, and everything has just become ridiculous." The petition on Change.org states, in part: "Enough with our safety being put in jeopardy...enough with the government not taking these issues seriously."
Ontario reports record 5,790 new COVID cases Thursday
Public Health Ontario is reporting a record 5,790 new COVID cases today. Previously the highest number of cases reported in a day was 4,128 on April 16, 2021. The latest updates also include 1,659 recoveries and seven deaths.
Man who failed to surrender to police following conviction arrested
A wanted by police after he failed to surrender himself following an attempted murder conviction was arrested downtown on Dec. 22. Jonathan Cushing, 39, was arrested by members of the Break Enter and Robbery Unit and Intelligence Unit on Larch Street late Wednesday afternoon. "We would like to thank everyone who shared the media release and those who contacted police with information," GSPS said in a news release this morning. Cushing was on bail following his conviction for a serious assault that occurred on Cedar Street on Oct. 18, 2020. He was to surrender himself to authorities on Dec. 9 to begin serving a 10-year sentence. He failed to do so and police have been searching for him for the past two weeks.
Feds moving to ban plastic straws, bags by end of 2022: Guilbeault
It's the end of days for plastic grocery bags and Styrofoam takeout containers in Canada. Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault published draft regulations Tuesday outlining how Canada will ban the manufacture, sale and import of these items, along with plastic cutlery, stir sticks, straws and six-pack rings, by the end of next year. The regulations outline how each of the products is to be defined — plastics bags for example are those made of plastic film which will break or tear if used to carry 10 kilograms back and forth 53 times. Cutlery includes forks, knives, spoons, sporks and chopsticks that will start to melt if immersed in hot but not boiling water. There are some exceptions for single-use plastic flexible straws to accommodate people with disabilities and those needing them for medical purposes. The public can provide written comment on the draft regulations until March 5, and the timing of the final regulations will depend on how much feedback is received. World Trade Organization rules mean Canada has to allow a six-month phase-in period once the final regulations are published, but Guilbeault said he expects them to take effect by the end of 2022.
Mild day in store with a risk of freezing drizzle
Expect a high of -2 today with a 40-per-cent chance of flurries with snow beginning late in the afternoon. There is a risk of freezing drizzle in the morning. The wind will be out of the southeast at 20 km/h late in the afternoon. Expect a -9 wind chill in the morning and -4 in the afternoon. This evening, the temperature will climb to one degree, bringing periods of snow or rain.
