Good morning, Greater Sudbury! Here are a few stories to get you started on this Friday morning.
Two Sudburians dead after Hwy. 69 crash near Pointe Au Baril
Two Sudburians are dead after a crash on Highway 69 on Feb. 2. The Ontario Provincial Police say the collision just south of Pointe Au Baril was called in at around 12:50 p.m. The investigation revealed a northbound vehicle collided with a southbound tractor trailer. The driver of the northbound vehicle, Aime (Joseph) Giroux, 74, and passenger Suzanne Pharand, 68, both of Sudbury, were pronounced dead at the scene. The driver of the tractor-trailer did not sustain any injuries. The collision is still under investigation. The highway was closed for several hours.
Police seeking driver of Dodge Ram believed to be involved in fatal hit-and-run
Greater Sudbury Police are seeking the public’s help in locating a pickup truck and its driver that are believed to have been involved in a fatal hit-and-run on Walford Road on Feb. 1. They are also asking the driver involved to come forward. At around 6:52 p.m. that evening, police were dispatched to a report of a hit-and-run on Walford Road at Ramsey View Court. Police said a witness reported that a light-coloured Dodge Ram pickup travelling westbound on Walford struck a woman (police have not released the name of the victim as per the wishes of her family) in the intersection of Walford and Ramsey View Court. The “witness to the collision phoned 911 and rendered assistance to the victim,” police said, but the 36-year-old woman died in hospital after being transported by ambulance. In the course of the investigation, police located what appear to be surveillance images of the truck believed to be involved. “The truck sustained significant damage to the front grill (described as having a black honeycomb pattern),” police said. “The driver of the truck fled the scene in the vehicle without stopping to assist the pedestrian who later succumbed to her injuries in the hospital.” The GSPS Traffic Management Unit continues to investigate the collision and anyone with video surveillance footage in the area or anyone with a dash camera that may have been in the area of Regent Street/Walford Road around 6:50 p.m. on Feb. 1 is asked to contact police at 705-675-9171.
Under threat of Speaker’s warrants, Laurentian hands over documents to standing committee
Nickel Belt MPP Nickel Belt MPP France Gélinas said the Standing Committee on Public Accounts received a “whole lot” of documents from Laurentian University Feb. 1, and is in the process of reviewing them. The documents were those requested in December through rare Speaker’s warrants issued by the Ontario legislature. The Speaker’s warrants required Laurentian president Robert Haché and former board chair Claude Lacroix to ensure the delivery of the documents to the clerk of the Ontario legislature’s Standing Committee on Public Accounts by 5 p.m. Feb. 1. If they failed to comply with the Speaker’s warrants, they could have been subject to punishment, including imprisonment. Last week, a judge ruled that Laurentian was to hand over the requested documents, with the exception of those related to certain court orders pertaining to Laurentian's Companies Creditors’ Arrangement Act (CCAA) insolvency restructuring, pending another court hearing. The university is still working on reviewing some documents to ensure they’re not among the material covered by the aforementioned court orders, Sudbury.com has learned.
Group pushes for Greater Sudbury to adopt a living wage for municipal employees
The push for a living wage has reached city council chambers, with Ward 9 Coun. Deb McIntosh tabling a motion last week to have the city investigate the implications of adopting one. The motion, seconded by Ward 7 Coun. Mike Jakubo, seeks information on what it would mean for the city to adopt a living wage, which has been calculated by the Ontario Living Wage Network to be $16.98 in Greater Sudbury. With minimum wage under provincial jurisdiction, whatever city council ends up adopting would be limited to municipal employees. The motion will be voted on during the city’s Feb. 15 finance and administration committee meeting, prior to which the Sudbury Workers Education and Advocacy Centre is encouraging people to lobby city councillors to vote in its favour. “The living wage is something that we care about and something Sudbury employees need,” centre communications officer Tt Scott said.
Ground testing to take place at the Junction East site
The next step in the Junction East project is slated to take place in downtown Greater Sudbury from Feb. 9-11, during which geological and hydrological testing will be conducted. Municipal parking spaces will be affected from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. during these days, including those within the Shaughnessy East Block – the area south of the Sudbury Theatre Centre. These spaces will be occupied by contractors. Results of these tests will help inform the design for Junction East, which is projected to open in 2024 and consist of the Greater Sudbury Public Library main branch and the Art Gallery for Sudbury. The Sudbury Theatre Centre and the Sudbury Folk Arts and Multicultural Association are possible future partners in the project as well. The building will be located on the east side of Shaughnessy Street. An updated cost estimate for the Junction East project is anticipated to be presented to Greater Sudbury city council in March.
Kitchen fire guts apartment unit on Hemlock Street
There were no injuries reported following a fire in an apartment building earlier today, although one resident feared for the safety of his pet pigeon. Watching as Greater Sudbury Fire Services members tended to the scene at the Hemlock Street building at approximately 10:45 a.m., Sean Cusson said that the mishap occurred while he was deep-frying french fries. The 52-year-old left his pot unattended briefly to go to the washroom, and when he returned, the pot was on fire. He grabbed the pot, threw it into the sink and tossed a leather coat over it. Although this snuffed the flame in the pot, it had also spread to the area around his stove. He ran to the washroom to fill a bucket with water, but by the time he got back to the fire he discovered the bucket had a hole in it. Smoke had filled his apartment unit by then, so he ran outside to get fresh air. He filled a container he found outside with snow to pitch onto the fire, but by then there was too much smoke in the building. He yelled for someone to phone 911, and Greater Sudbury Fire Services members were on site within minutes. “I tried so hard,” Cusson said.
Friday sunny but cold
Friday will be sunny but cold. Environment Canada predicts a high of -16 C and a windchill of -32 C in the morning and -20 C in the afternoon. Risk of frostbite. Wind of up to 15 km/h. UV index of 1 or low. Friday night there will be cloudy periods, with a low of -23 C.
