Memorial Park homeless encampment to be dismantled April 1
The City of Greater Sudbury announced March 15 their plans to dismantle the homeless encampment in Memorial Park, as well as another on the grounds of 199 Larch St. The decision was based on directives in the encampment guide created for the city by Iain De Jong. The dismantling will begin at noon on April 1. “The Leadership Encampment Table is moving forward with the next step in the encampment strategy and action plan with a planned closure of the remaining encampments within Memorial Park,” states a press release from the city, released on March 15. One of the considerations for closing the encampment, according to the guide, is the “refusal of three or more offers of service by remaining encampment residents.” Gail Spencer, the city’s co-ordinator of shelters and homelessness, said if someone has declined the services being offered, like a stay at the shelter, which she said usually has at least 20 beds open, that is fine. However, “at this point, now, they just can't remain in the park,” Spencer said. Read our full story.
Suspicious barber shop fires appear targeted and connected, according to police
Two suspicious fires over the past month appear targeted and connected, according to police, whose investigation is ongoing. Both fires targeted The Barber Shop locations, which are owned by the same people – the first on Lasalle Boulevard on Feb. 22 and the second on Regent Street on Wednesday morning. During the most recent of the two fires, police took over the scene with detectives from the Major Crime Section of their Criminal Investigation Division with assistance of officers in Patrol Operations, according to a Greater Sudbury Police Service media release. As of this morning, police were still canvassing for video surveillance footage, with businesses in the area equipped with such equipment asked to check their footage between 5:45 a.m. and 6:15 a.m. Wednesday and to contact police if there’s anything suspicious. Detectives are working in collaboration with the Ontario Fire Marshal’s Office to determine the cause of the fire. Both The Barber Shop locations are part of strip malls. In both fires, neighbouring residents and businesses were also affected. Read more here.
Ontario Green Party leader promotes Sudbury’s status as a leader in green mining innovation
The Greater Sudbury area isn’t meeting its potential as a leader in the green mining economy, and the Ontario Green Party’s leader said their platform will focus on improving things. Mike Schreiner was in Sudbury on Wednesday to promote city candidate David Robinson and the party’s prioritization of a green economy in advance of the June 2 election. “Sudbury is essential to the green economy,” Schreiner told Sudbury.com at the Knowhere Public House café between meetings with mining industry leaders. Sudbury is a sustainable mining capital in the world, and we want to promote Sudbury as a green mining hub that is vital to the green economy.” Nickel and copper are essential ingredients for batteries used in things such as electric vehicles, and production needs to “significantly ramp up” to meet what needs to be a growing demand to reduce our reliance on fossil fuels, which places the region in a prime spot. Learn more here.
It's official: Vaccinated travellers won't need test to enter Canada as of April 1
Vaccinated travellers will no longer need to show a COVID-19 test to enter Canada beginning April 1, Health Minister Jean-Yves Duclos officially announced Thursday. The change is being made at the tail end of the Omicron wave in Canada, as new reported cases of COVID-19 have declined since mid-January. Duclos said the change is possible because of Canada's high vaccination rates and fewer cases of the virus being detected at the border. "Over the last few weeks we've seen a significant decrease in the rate of positivity of travellers entering into Canada," Duclos said at a briefing Thursday. While the positivity rate at airports was about 10 per cent in January, it has since fallen to about one per cent, Duclos said. Read the full story.
Community group still trying to save the Beaver Lake welcome centre
This year’s denied budget allocation wasn’t necessarily a death knell for the Beaver Lake welcome centre, with a community group still striving to keep the facility operating. “I need the city to open it up and accept our plan,” Beaver Lake Fire and Services Committee member Brenda Salo told Sudbury.com, adding that approximately 200 vehicles per day visit the centre during the peak summer months. The facility operates from the May long weekend to Thanksgiving. “We’re on the Trans-Canada, so we’ve got all east-west, west-east travel going past this welcome centre,” she said, adding that some of these travellers litter. “If it’s up and running and maintained properly, it takes the relief off the entire neighbourhood for garbage.”The welcome centre is a city-owned facility that includes indoor washrooms, a covered picnic area with a few picnic tables, garbage containers and a few acres of land at the City of Greater Sudbury’s western edge. Visit Sudbury.com's home page for the full story.
Then & Now: Deadly rail accidents near Sudbury some of worst in Canadian history
News stories about deadly train crashes with the dateline Sudbury made the front pages of newspapers coast to coast and in the United States more than a century ago. A train crash killing 12 people took place in Azilda in the early morning of Wednesday, Sept. 12, 1906. At the time, it was one of the worst CPR crashes on record. A few years later, a westbound train out of Sudbury derailed on the Spanish River trestle bridge. It remains one of the deadliest train accidents in Canadian history. A newspaper report at the time of the Azilda crash described, "two ponderous locomotives locked in a deadly embrace." Read freelancer Vicki GIlhula's full story here.
Friday weather:
Friday will be cloudy. Thirty per cent chance of flurries in the morning with risk of freezing drizzle. Fog patches dissipating in the morning. Wind north 20 km/h. High of 4 C. Wind chill minus 8 in the morning. UV index 2 or low. Friday night there will be periods of snow or rain with a low of 1 C.
