Good morning, Greater Sudbury! Here are a few stories to start your day on this Thursday morning.
Police make arrests in fatal Bruce Avenue shooting
A 45-year-old man has been charged with second-degree murder in the death of another man on Jan. 21 on Bruce Avenue. Greater Sudbury Police said just before 9 a.m. on Feb. 23, Michael Grant was found in Port Stanley and arrested. He is charged with second-degree murder, possession of a firearm or ammunition while prohibited, possession of a weapon for a dangerous purpose, possession of an unauthorized firearm, and knowledge of unauthorized possession of a firearm. He is scheduled for bail court on Feb. 24. A 26-year-old man is also charged in connection to the murder. Tyrone Ifabumuyi is charged with accessory after the fact of murder, careless use of a firearm, unauthorized possession of a firearm, unauthorized possession of a weapon, possession of a weapon for a dangerous purpose, knowledge of unauthorized possession of a firearm, possession of a firearm contrary to prohibition order, failing to comply with a judicial release order, possession for the purpose of trafficking a Schedule 1 substance, and possession for the purpose of distributing.
Overnight fire at The Barber Shop deemed suspicious
An overnight fire at The Barber Shop at 1212 Lasalle Boulevard is considered suspicious. The incident is being investigated by Greater Sudbury Police Service and the Office of the Fire Marshal. As such, Greater Sudbury Fire Services Deputy Chief Jesse Oshell said he is unable to comment on its potential cause. However, he clarified that its location, across the street from the New Sudbury fire station, proved ideal. “It’s all about getting there fast and getting it under control quickly,” he said, adding that the initial crew was able to arrive on scene quickly. They were later joined by crews from three other stations, which were able to beat down the blaze before it caused much additional damage to adjoining properties. The fire was reported by passing motorists at approximately 11 p.m. on Tuesday and crews were on site for approximately three hours. The Barber Shop is part of the Place De Leon strip mall, which includes various other businesses and residential units. Although some of these properties suffered smoke and water damage, crews were able to contain the fire to a single unit.
Nickel City’s population grows by an ‘astronomical’ 2.8% since 2016
The City of Greater Sudbury’s population is now 166,004, with 4,473 more people calling the city home than in the previous Statistics Canada count in 2016. “Our population growth from the recent census is astronomical compared to previous editions of the census,” Ward 7 Coun. Mike Jakubo said in a written statement provided to Sudbury.com. Jakubo also serves as chair of the city’s finance and administration committee. “This clearly shows confidence of the broader population in relocating to our city. That level of growth is also supported by other recent figures like job growth and the really low unemployment rate as well as the really low vacancy rate. So it’s not just one measurement, but several all pointing in a positive direction of growth.” This latest population count ranks the city as the 15th most populous in the province and 31st nationally. The 2.8-per-cent population increase from 2016 compares to a provincial average of 5.8 per cent and a national average of 5.2 per cent.
Fire services calls jump higher than pre-pandemic levels
As the pandemic drags on, people have been easing back into the normal swing of things and increasingly finding themselves in dangerous situations. Greater Sudbury Fire Services members responded to 5,080 calls last year, which was a 28-per-cent jump from the 3,984 calls they responded to in 2020. Although this increase appears particularly alarming at face value, it’s worth noting that calls to the fire department were down significantly in 2020, due in large part to the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. The fire department saw their overall call volume drop by 17.4 per cent in 2020, with members responding to 4,676 calls in 2019 and only 3,984 in 2020. Although last year’s increase is partially attributable to both a COVID-related course correction toward a new normal and an annual increase in call volume they’ve come to expect, Greater Sudbury Fire Services Deputy Chief Jesse Oshell said it’s not all status quo. “We did have a major increase in medical assistance calls in 2021, and those are calls that our partners in paramedic services request our assistance for,” he said, adding that at least part of this 137-per-cent increase had to do with responding to more opioid-related incidents. Medical assist calls totalled 955 in 2019, dropped to 681 in 2020 and hit 1,615 in 2021.
Taxi driver really picked the wrong place to smoke a joint
A taxi driver picked the wrong location to get high on Feb. 19 and has been charged with impaired driving by drug. The driver attended the Collision Reporting Centre in Azilda on Feb. 19 at about 10 a.m. While the vehicle was parked in the parking lot, off-duty officers were arriving for their shift when they detected a strong odour of cannabis coming from the taxi. As the officers approached, the driver reversed and nearly struck the officers. Officers conducted a Standardized Field Sobriety Test (SFST), resulting in the driver being arrested for impaired driving. A drug recognition expert then conducted a drug recognition evaluation, confirming that the driver was impaired by a drug. The 60-year-old man has been charged with driving while impaired by drug. His name cannot be released as the information has not yet been sworn to through the court process. His driver’s licence has been suspended for 90 days and the involved taxi vehicle was towed and impounded for seven days.
Prominent Sudbury lawyer Ted Conroy has passed away
Sudbury lawyer Ted Conroy passed away Feb. 20 at the age of 89. Edward James “Ted” Conroy was born in Kirkland Lake on Jan. 14, 1933. Conroy grew up in Kirkland Lake and attended secondary school in Sudbury. Conroy was a founder of the firm now named Conroy Scott LLP. Over the course of his practice, Conroy participated in several breaking civil suits. In 1988, he was awarded the continuing designation of Specialist in Civil Litigation by the Law Society of Upper Canada. Over the years, Conroy has received many awards and honours, including a Hubby Award, as well as life memberships to both the Sudbury Game and Fish Protective Association and the Ruffed Grouse Society. The obituary said one of his proudest moments came when he was conferred with an Honourary Doctor of Sacred Letters from Huntington University, later serving as Huntington’s third Chancellor for eight years and then becoming Huntington’s first Chancellor Emeritus. Conroy was a prominent member of the Sudbury community and could be found at most fundraising events in the city. Conroy was a strong supporter of Huntington University, Maison Sudbury Hospice, the Northern Ontario School of Medicine, the Canadian Cancer Society, St. Joseph's Villa and St. Andrew's United Church. A visitation will be held Feb. 24 at Jackson & Barnard Funeral Home. Friends may gather between 2 and 5 p.m. A funeral will be held at Huntington University on Friday, Feb. 25 at 11 a.m.
No snow in the forecast, but a bitter wind chill
Expect a high of -11 today under sunny skies. There is no snow in the forecast. The wind will be blowing at 15 km/h, so anticipate a wind chill of -33 in the morning and -14 in the afternoon. There is a risk of frostbite. Tonight, the skies will cloud over and the temperature will dip to -20.