Good morning, Greater Sudbury! Here are a few stories to start your day on this Wednesday morning.
Sudbury gas prices have jumped to 197.9 at some stations
Gas stations in Greater Sudbury began hiking their prices yesterday, with prices climbing nearly 12 cents per litre over the morning to 197.9. Most gas stations in Greater Sudbury were charging 186.3 Tuesday, GasBuddy.com data shows. However, Tuesday is traditionally the day gas prices normally increase locally. As of Tuesday morning, the cheapest gas in the city was 179.9 at Byrnes in Azilda. Outside Sudbury, fuel was selling yesterday morning for 185.9 to 186.6 in Espanola and 179.9 to 186.9 in Sturgeon Falls. Tuesday’s average price of gas in Ontario today was 183.1, with the cheapest price being 147.9 in Ohsweken Six Nations and the highest price listed on GasBuddy.com at 210.9 in Brampton.
Rainbow board’s multimillion soccer dome finally reopens to community use
After being closed to community use for nearly two years due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Rainbow District School Board reopened bookings of its indoor soccer dome to the general public as of Monday. After numerous false starts, delays, different funding sources and proposed locations dating back as far as 2012, the $4.1-million soccer bubble opened on the Lasalle Secondary School campus in February 2020, to the delight of the local sports community. However, with the pandemic hitting Canada just a month later, the soccer bubble (known officially as the Lancer Dome, referring to Lasalle’s school mascot) remained closed to community use until this week. While the dome was closed to the wider community, the Rainbow board has been using the facility for school activities at points during the pandemic. The Rainbow board has now published a notice on its website, inviting the general public to book the soccer bubble.
Province tops up City of Greater Sudbury homelessness funding to $4.46M
The province has committed $4,461,900 to the City of Greater Sudbury toward efforts aimed at tackling homelessness, which is an 8.6 per cent increase over last year’s pledge. The money has been earmarked toward helping more people who are experiencing or at risk of homelessness find the right housing and other supports they need. It’s intended to help streamline operations so municipal service managers have more time to spend working with their clients. “By simplifying the delivery of services and increasing funding, our government is helping our municipal partners spend more time focusing on providing vulnerable people in our Northern communities with the supports they need to stay in their homes or find housing,” Nipissing MPP Vic Fedeli said in a release issued by the province.
Man wanted on Canada-wide warrant known to frequent Sudbury
A man who is known to frequent Sudbury, among other cities, is the subject of an active police search across Ontario. Police said 30-year-old Ho-Wayne Walker is the subject of a Canada-wide warrant as the result of a breach of statutory release. Walker is described as male with a dark complexion, standing 5-6 tall (168 cm), weighing 141 pounds (64 kilograms) with black hair and brown eyes. Police said Walker is currently serving a six-year, 10-month sentence for two counts of possession of a prohibited/restricted firearm with ammunition, aggravated assault, assault and possession of a weapon contrary to a prohibition order. Anyone having contact with this offender or information in regards to his whereabouts is asked to contact the Provincial R.O.P.E. Squad at 416-808-5900 or toll free at 1-866-870-7673 (ROPE) or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 (TIPS) or call 9-1-1.
A fourth bail hearing being held for Robert Steven Wright on March 10
Robert Steven Wright will get his fourth attempt at bail this week. His lawyer, Michael Lacy, said in an email the bail review will take place Thursday, March 10 at 2:30 p.m. Wright succeeded in his appeal application after he was denied bail a third time in January. Superior Court Justice Patrick Boucher dismissed the application, stating any material change in circumstances, as filed by Wright and his counsel, wasn’t sufficient. There is a publication ban in effect, so none of the evidence can be made public in this case. Associate Chief Justice of Ontario J. Michal Fairburne granted Wright’s leave to appeal. The reasons for the decision are covered by a publication ban. Wright, who is now 42 years old, is charged with second-degree murder in the 1998 stabbing death of Renee Sweeney. He has been in custody since he was arrested in December 2018.
Cambrian College relaunching hospitality management program
Sensing the tourism career opportunities in a post-lockdown world, Cambrian College is reviving its Hospitality – Hotel and Restaurant Management program in May. Delivered for the first time at the main Sudbury campus since 2012, the two-year diploma program becomes the only one of its kind delivered by a Northern Ontario college. Confederation College in Thunder Bay shuttered its Tourism, Travel, and Eco-Adventure program a year ago due the pandemic. “The hospitality sector has been especially hard-hit since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Brian Lobban, dean of the schools of business and IT in a March 7 news release. “This program will help rebuild the hospitality workforce that was devastated by the pandemic.”
Read the full story on the Sudbury.com homepage.
Another mild day, but snow in the forecast
Expect a cloudy day with a high of -1 for Wednesday. Periods of snow are expected to begin in the afternoon, with about two centimetres expected. Wind will be out of the southwest at 20 km/h, gusting to 40 in the morning. A wind chill of -12 is expected in the morning and -5 in the afternoon. Tonight, the temperature will fall to -13 with a 40-per-cent chance of flurries.
