Good morning, Greater Sudbury! Here are a few stories to start your day on this Friday morning.
At least 137 Sudbury-area donors contributed to GiveSendGo convoy fundraiser
Leaked information has revealed that at least 137 Sudbury-area donors contributed to convoy protests through the Christian crowdfunding website GiveSendGo. The documents list more than 92,000 donations in total, of which 36,000 came from Canada and 56 per cent came from the United States, according to The Canadian Press. Another two per cent came from the United Kingdom and the remaining three per cent came from other countries. Singling out postal codes that begin with P3, which is limited to Greater Sudbury jurisdictions, reveals a list of 137 donors. Although there are also Greater Sudbury area addresses with postal codes that begin with P0M, none were listed in the leaked documents. Donations ranged from $5 to $2,000, averaged approximately $119 and totalled $16,142. Messages accompany each donation, with the top donor noting it’s a “Wonderful cause to fight a tyrannical government.”
CMHA returns donation from anti-mandate ‘Sudbury Freedom Convoy’ group
After initially accepting a donation from a local group that raised the money in support of the anti-mandate occupation protest underway in Ottawa, the Canadian Mental Health Association of Sudbury Manitoulin (CMHA) has announced they will be refunding the donation and no longer accepting funds from the group. After denying Sudbury.com an interview request in regards to the donation, CMHA instead issued a news release this morning to explain why they initially accepted the money and why they ultimately decided to return it. The mental health association said a “local partisan group that conflicts with agency mission, vision and values” appeared in person to make the donation. A CMHA representative appeared in a photo of the cheque presentation that was posted to the Sudbury Freedom Convoy Facebook page on Monday. The donation of $462 was made by a man calling himself “Eric Freedom” on behalf of a group that calls itself Sudbury Freedom Convoy. The money was raised during an anti-mandate protest in Bell Park, the post stated. “At the time, CMHA-S/M accepted the donation and was pictured with one of the representatives from the group,” reads the Feb. 17 release. “CMHA-S/M quickly realized that to have accepted the money was a mistake and as a result, and is now reviewing its donation process to strengthen decision-making around future donations.”
GSPS officer resigns prior to start of disciplinary hearing this week
A Greater Sudbury police officer, whose conduct while on duty landed him in a disciplinary hearing, has resigned. Const. Kyle Cartwright’s disciplinary hearing was scheduled to begin this week, however, a note on GSPS’s website says Cartwright has resigned. GPSP would not elaborate on the resignation, only stating in an email that “Constable Cartwright has resigned from the Greater Sudbury Police Service and as such, the Police Services Act Tribunal no longer has jurisdiction on the matter. The matter has been stayed.” Cartwright was headed to a disciplinary hearing on two charges of misconduct and one charge of insubordination.
Laurentian bringing students back to campus with accommodations amid Omicron
Laurentian University is gradually shifting its teaching back to campus this month, but it’s making some accommodations for students who may not be comfortable with in-person learning due to the Omicron wave of the pandemic. In his Feb. 15 report to LU’s senate, Laurentian president Robert Haché said the university’s staged return to campus began the week of Feb. 7 with experiential learning activities, such as labs and research activities. Beginning the week of Feb. 28, all classes originally scheduled to be face-to-face will return to campus. However, Haché said that in order to provide more flexibility to students, some classes originally scheduled to be delivered on campus will be offered in a hybrid format for the remainder of the term. Faculty will contact students directly if the course they are teaching will have a hybrid option for the remainder of the term.
Two affordable housing projects inch forward, including a 14-unit Sparks Street complex
The city’s elected officials approved two affordable housing projects in Greater Sudbury during Tuesday’s finance and administration meeting, offering them their near-unanimous support. This includes proceeding with a 14-unit affordable housing complex at 1310 Sparks St., despite its cost jumping from $5.5 million to approximately $6.3 million. City staff were also asked to prepare a bylaw to have five single-family dwellings purchased from the city by the not-for-profit Raising The Roof-Chex Toit for continued use as affordable housing to retain their tax-exempt status. Ward 4 Coun. Geoff McCausland opposed the Sparks Street expenditure increase, and Ward 2 Coun. Michael Vagnini abstained from both votes without explanation. Following the meeting, McCausland clarified to Sudbury.com that the Sparks Street build will be a much-needed addition to the city’s affordable housing stock, which he’s also pleased to see factor heavily into the city’s environmental goals through its energy efficient build.
Robinson once again named Green Party of Ontario candidate for Sudbury
Setting his sights at tackling the climate emergency, David Robinson has been nominated as the Green Party of Ontario’s candidate for Sudbury in the upcoming provincial election. “The Ontario Greens are the only party in the province with a serious plan to tackle the climate emergency,” Robinson said in a media release issued by the party. “It’s going to take real action to avoid climate disaster — the half measures and compromises that the other parties are offering won’t cut it.” Robinson was a professor at Laurentian University for 36 years, during which he focused on resource and environmental economics and served as director of the Institute for Northern Ontario Research and Development.“David has a deep knowledge of the climate, economic and regional issues facing northern Ontario,” party leader Mike Schreiner said in a release.
Mix of sun and cloud and a high of -13 today
Expect a mix of sun and cloud for your Friday with a high of -13. The wind will be out of the north at 20 km/h, before becoming light in the morning. Anticipate a wind chill of -34 in the morning and -19 in the afternoon. There is a risk of frostbite. Tonight, there is snow in the forecast and a low of -16.
