Good morning, Greater Sudbury! Here are a few stories to start your day on this Thursday morning.
City user fees jumping by 4.4% effective April 1
A wide range of municipal user fees are jumping by 4.4 per cent in alignment with September’s Consumer Price Index increase. This is 1.4-per-cent greater than the city’s initial estimate of three per cent, which came before the September CPI was available. The new fees will take effect on April 1 and include a wide range of municipal operations, including public pools, ice rinks, cemeteries, community halls, fitness and recreation centres, ski hills, legal services and various other publicly available services. A full rundown of the city’s new fee schedule can be found by clicking here. Although an associated user-fees bylaw was adopted during the March 22 city council meeting, Ward 3 Coun. Gerry Montpellier took a moment to briefly argue against the increase. “Our citizens are taxed, I think enough, so I’m going to vote no,” he said.
Liberal-NDP deal ‘is good news for Canada,’ say Sudbury-area MPs
The newfound relationship between the federal Liberals and New Democrats gets a thumbs-up from the area’s two Grit MPs. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced Tuesday that a three-year deal had been struck between the two parties. Called a “confidence and supply agreement,” the deal will see the NDP support the Liberals on confidence matters until 2025, including supporting four federal budgets, preventing the other parties from using confidence motions to trigger an election. In announcing the agreement, Trudeau acknowledged the parties have their own priorities, but they do have common goals. “We're different political parties, we stand for different things. But where we have common goals, we cannot let our differences stand in the way of delivering what Canadians deserve,” said Trudeau. “What this means is that, during this uncertain time, the government can function with predictability and stability.” Locally, Nickel Belt MP Marc Serré and Sudbury MP Viviane Lapointe both issued statements in support of the agreement, highlighting the stability that will be provided by the agreement.
CAA looking for the worst roads in Ontario
CAA is once again looking for Canada’s worst roads. Last year, Barrydowne Road made the list of the North’s worst roads, as did Third Avenue West in North Bay and Tokio Street in Thunder Bay. CAA’s Worst Roads campaign has measured public sentiment on the state of highways and non-highways since 2003. In Ontario, the campaign allows consumers to vote daily at caaworstroads.com. Votes for CAA’s Worst Roads can be cast from March 22 until April 19. Participants will be entered for a grand-prize draw to win free gas for a year. Once voting is closed, CAA will compile a list of the Top 10 Worst Roads in Ontario, and the worst roads in regions across the province. The regional top five lists will help shine a light on the state of local roads in municipalities across Ontario. CAA will present the list of 2022 Worst Roads to local and provincial officials to help inform future funding and planning decisions.
Refusing a new smart water meter will soon come at a price
Although behind schedule due to COVID-related delays, the city’s rollout of new smart water meters is still expected to be completed by the end of the year. A new substantial completion date of Dec. 23 has been set, with much of the incomplete portion of the installations likely coming as a result of those property owners who have refused the devices. Approximately 1,275 property owners have issued “soft refusals,” city director of water/wastewater treatment and compliance Michael Loken told local media after tonight’s city council meeting. Some of these people are beginning to reschedule visits to have the new water meters installed as their COVID-related health concerns ease. Those who continue to refuse the new water meters will soon face a monthly fee of $50, which city manager of growth and infrastructure Tony Cecutti described as a “reasonable administration cost that’s associated with additional work that wasn’t expected.” During tonight’s city council meeting it was noted that having someone physically read a scattering of meters throughout the city will become more labour-intensive and therefore costly per meter than it currently is.
YES Theatre was able to pivot its operations thanks to $100K Trillium grant
The pandemic has been an uncertain time, especially for musical theatre organizations. Sudbury’s YES Theatre has pressed on and has presented several live performances since the start of the pandemic, thanks in large part to a $100,000 Community Building Fund operating grant awarded last year by the Government of Ontario and delivered by the Ontario Trillium Foundation. “For more than two decades, YES Theatre has been a place for our community to gather, to be enlightened, and to be changed for the better,” said Jamie West, MPP for Sudbury. “I am proud of all the exciting programming that YES Theatre developed and delivered throughout 2021 with the support of the Community Building Fund grant. Their resiliency, creativity and dedication to the performing arts in our community continues to shine bright. “It’s obvious that Alessandro Costantini, and his talented passionate team, truly put their heart and soul into their work and aspire for the overall development and growth of the arts throughout the north. I wish them the best of luck in their continued growth, and look forward to seeing what they have in store for 2022!”
Sudbury gala supports Ukrainian war victims
If you’re looking for a way to help war victims in Ukraine, you’re invited to take part in a fundraising gala at the Caruso Club April 9. Proceeds from this gala will be donated to the Ukrainian Seniors’ Centre and charities in Ukraine. Bill McElree from Absolute Wedding partnered up with the Ukrainian Seniors’ Centre to make the event possible. McElree only started planning two weeks ago, but he’s already garnered support from members in the Sudbury community. “There are people here in Sudbury (who are) hurting,” McElree told Sudbury.com in a phone interview. “Somebody just suggested, ‘You should host a gala.’ And the rest has been the last two weeks of my life. So everybody I called didn't just say, ‘yes,’ (but they also said) ‘How can we help more?’” Three local bands — Flashback, Restored and Pop Machine, as well as DJs Alex Reed and Richie Rich will be there to perform and entertain guests. The event is on April 9 and starts at 7 p.m. at the Caruso Club. Tickets are available here and are $100 (not including tax) per person and a table can be bought for $800. McElree is still looking for sponsors to cover costs for the event as he continues the process of planning the event. For more info on the event, please email [email protected].
Read the full story on the Sudbury.com homepage.
High of 5 today with snow possible this morning
It will a high of five degrees today under cloudy skies. Periods of rain are expected, with snow possible in the morning. The wind will be out of the east at 20 km/h, becoming light in the morning. Tonight, rain or snow is possible. The overnight low is zero.
