Good morning, Greater Sudbury! Here are a few stories to start your day on this Tuesday morning.
Canadian Trucking Alliance condemns protests by unvaccinated truckers
A Canadian federation of provincial trucking groups is speaking out against planned protests by unvaccinated truckers opposed to a vaccine mandate for cross-border travel. The Canadian Trucking Alliance issued a statement on Saturday saying it does not support and "strongly disapproves" of protests staged on public roads, highways and bridges. Alliance President Stephen Laskowski says because both Canada and the United States have cross-border vaccination rules in place, truckers "must adapt and comply." A website run by protest organizers says convoys of demonstrators are slated to hit the road from British Columbia today, while similar groups from across the country are expected to convene in Ottawa for a mass protest on Jan. 29. The group has raised over $2.3 million in donations, which will go to the cost of fuel, food and accommodations for participating protesters, according to its GoFundMe page.
Search commences for the city’s seventh poet laureate
The search for the city’s seventh poet laureate has commenced, with the Greater Sudbury Public Library announcing a call-out for applicants. “Greater Sudbury’s poet laureate is a vital part of our community’s rich cultural fabric, embracing arts, literacy and heritage,” Mayor Brian Bigger said in a media release issued by the city. “On behalf of all residents, I would like to extend my sincere gratitude to outgoing poet laureate Vera Constantineau for championing poetry in the community and beyond our borders over the past two years.” Constantineau, a published author from Copper Cliff who loves the short Japanese poetry forms of haiku and senryu, has been in the role since March 2020. She is Greater Sudbury’s sixth poet laureate, and followed Roger Nash, Daniel Aubin, Tom Leduc, Kim Fahner and Chloé LaDuchesse. The new poet laureate is expected to be announced in March, and will require the recipient of the prestigious role to serve as an advocate for poetry, literacy and literature by initiating and participating in readings and other events throughout the community during their two-year term. They receive an honorarium of $1,000 per term.
Victim of alleged sexual assault launches $13M lawsuit against Sudbury lawyers, law firm
A $13-million lawsuit has been filed against a local lawyer and his law partner by the victim in an alleged sexual assault case against him. The lawsuit was filed in Sault Ste. Marie on Dec. 20 in the Superior Court of Justice. It names both Adam Castonguay and Samantha Prescott as defendants. They are partners at Conroy Scott LLP in Sudbury, which is also named in the lawsuit. Castonguay is headed to a trial confirmation hearing on Jan. 31 for his criminal matter. He is charged with sexual assault causing bodily harm and sexual assault - chokes, suffocates or strangles, from an alleged incident that took place in December 2020. A publication ban on those matters prevents any information that might identify the victim from being published. There is no publication ban on the lawsuit, however, Sudbury.com has chosen not to name the alleged victim.
Area school bus cancellations down over late last week
The number of cancelled school bus routes reported by Sudbury Student Services Consortium is down over late last week. On Friday, there were 38 school bus routes that were cancelled - 28 due to bus driver absences (mostly due to the impact of COVID-19), seven due to bus driver shortages and three due to weather conditions. The situation has improved notably over the weekend. There are five school bus routes that have been cancelled due to bus driver shortages for the week of Jan. 24, along with another 15 bus routes cancelled due to bus driver absences, for a total of 20 school bus route cancellations today. The current list of cancelled routes is as follows: cancelled due to bus driver shortages for week of Jan. 24: L114, L807, L815, L883 as well as V915, and; cancelled due to bus driver absences: L103, L111, L365, L608, L618, L874, N407, NW427, N436, N449, N456, N459, N507, N515 and N750.
Provincial government wants to 'get the North moving,' sets up transport task force
The Ontario government wants to make Northerners feel safe when travelling on highways, wants to better facilitate the movement of goods, and all while pumping up the regional economy. So, it's setting up a task force. In a Jan. 21 provincial news release, the establishment of a Northern Task Force — handling all matters having to do with transportation — is the government making good on that 60-some item to-do list from its 2020 study, Connecting the North: A Draft Transportation Plan for Northern Ontario. The document was released more than a year ago, right about the same time the future of the Huron Central Railway, a short freight line between Sault Ste. Marie and Sudbury, was in doubt. The government said it's looking to round up people to sit on this group but so far it's signed up some mayors, chiefs, a tourism association CEO, the chair of a Crown-owned railway and bus company, a public policy wonk, and the owner of a trucking company.
Read the full story on the Sudbury.com homepage.
Province wants to scope out Northern Ontario for new hydroelectric power sites
Is there untapped hydroelectric potential in Northern Ontario? Provincial Energy Minister Todd Smith has instructed Ontario Power Generation (OPG) to look for potential areas for new project development in this region. The provincial government wants to address Ontario's growing long-term energy needs and come up with a course of action toward zero emissions in the electricity sector. The Independent Electricity System Operator (IESO) has forecast an increased power demand due to increased electrification in the economy, the closure of the Pickering Nuclear Generating Station, and the refurbishment of Ontario’s other nuclear facilities. Hydro power makes up 24 per cent of Ontario’s electricity generation and is considered the lowest cost method of power production. The review, announced Jan. 20, involves OPG working with the Ontario Waterpower Association (OWA) to update previous evaluations of hydroelectric potential in the North.
Cold temperatures in store today
Tuesday won’t exactly be a comfortable day weather-wise. Expect a high of just -22 today with winds at 15 km/h, so plan for a wind chill of -36 this morning and -27 this afternoon. There is a risk of frostbite. Tonight, the mercury will drop to -32 under clear skies.
