Good morning, Greater Sudbury! Here are a few stories to start your day on this Thursday morning.
Councillor’s $13.8K mileage expense called to question
For a year in which city council meetings were held virtually and few events took place, how is it that Ward 2 Coun. Michael Vagnini claimed $13,820 in mileage in 2021? Ward 4 Coun. Geoff McCausland sought an answer to this question during tonight's finance and administration committee meeting when mayor and councillors' 2021 remuneration and expenses came up for discussion. “I feel an obligation to question the claim publicly if only from a good governance and accountability perspective,” McCausland said, noting that at a mileage rate of 53 cents per kilometre, Vagnini claimed 26,076 kilometres for council work in 2021. The average number of kilometres travelled among Canadians is 15,200, McCausland noted. “How is it possible that for a year with very few meetings and very few events and that saw everyone in Ontario stuck at home in mandated lockdowns you drove 171 per cent of (the) Canadian average annual mileage for council purposes alone?”
Region’s top doc talks working two jobs during a pandemic and racking up $500K+ in overtime
With health-care workers logging unprecedented overtime throughout the pandemic, Public Health Sudbury and Districts’ medical officer of health and CEO has been no exception. “We’re certainly all, including myself, very, very weary, there’s no doubt,” Penny Sutcliffe told Sudbury.com this week. “Our team has been unbelievably responsive,” she said of the 61,559 hours of overtime logged last year by Public Health Sudbury and Districts staff, adding that they’ve approached everything with a “work first, ask questions later” mentality to complete their necessary duties. Public Health Sudbury and Districts came under fire in recent days for Sutcliffe’s 2021 salary, which hit $800,726 according to the Sunshine List released last week. This list includes the salaries of those public sector employees who earn $100,000 or more in a given year. Sutcliffe’s 2021 wage included $219,000 due to overtime worked in 2020 but not paid until 2021, and a further $263,000 in overtime pay in 2021. Board chair René Lapierre said that although managers typically absorb some unpaid overtime in their regular duties, the COVID-19 pandemic kicked overtime into a new gear that necessitated compensation. “Public Health has never been an agency that was built for a 24/7, 365 operation, and once the pandemic hit, that was almost what it was,” he said.
Report highlights how the KED project will impact the Ramsey Lake watershed
A new report on the Ramsey Lake subwatershed has added fuel to the anti-KED fire, with the Minnow Lake Restoration Group citing it as further evidence the project should not proceed. The report in question is the Ramsey Lake Subwatershed Study and Master Plan, which was finalized last month, commissioned by the City of Greater Sudbury with provincial funding and prepared by Aquafor Beech Ltd. The Kingsway Entertainment District will be located on a Significant Groundwater Recharge Area located at the headwaters of Eugene Creek, which flows into Ramsey Lake. According to the Master Plan, this development will increase runoff “due to both an increase in imperviousness and reduction in (evapotranspiration),” which is the combination of evaporation and transpiration (water movement through plants). Although the report doesn’t anticipate any “major changes to the overall water budget under the future land use conditions,” there will be an anticipated “measurable impact” as a result of the KED. “The enhanced runoff from the upland areas may locally increase downslope groundwater recharge, and the water quality of the runoff may be detrimental to the ecology of the headwaters if the runoff contains road salt,” according to the report. The road salt issue is only anticipated to become a greater concern as a result of climate change, according to the report. As it stands, salt is not applied in temperatures of -12 C and colder, but a climate change forecast cited in the report notes that winter temperatures could become 3.5 C warmer than historical trends.
‘We can’t ever give up hope’: Former Columbine High principal to speak in Sudbury
The retired principal of Columbine High School said that if someone had told him before April 20, 1999, that a mass shooting could happen at the school, he wouldn’t have believed it. Frank DeAngelis said this is a common sentiment at the sites of other mass school shootings, whether it’s Sandy Hook Elementary School or Stoneman Douglas High School — “we can’t believe it happened here.” He said he doesn’t want to scare people, but he does want to prepare them, and he wants to reduce the chances of it happening at other schools. “There's so many things now that we're doing, that are protecting our kids, protecting our students or our staff members,” DeAngelis said. DeAngelis is coming to Sudbury on April 11, where he will give a free presentation on lessons learned from the Columbine shooting. His presentation takes place 6-8 p.m. April 11 at the Caruso Club. People are welcome to join in-person or virtually through Zoom. The presentation will be in English. To register for the in-person event or to receive the Zoom link, email Barsanti at [email protected].
Canadian country musician Brett Kissel plays Bell Park July 23
Canadian country musician Brett Kissel performs at the Grace Hartman Amphitheatre in Bell Park on July 23 as part of the tour for his new album “What is Life?”. Also performing is Kissel’s pal, fellow Canadian country musician Nate Haller. Sudbury Summer Concert Series and Cabin Media Entertainment Group recently announced the concert. The lead single from the album “Make A Life, Not A Living” is also nominated for the 2022 JUNO Award for “Single of the Year.” Tickets for the show are on sale as of 10 a.m. March 31. Purchase tickets through the concert’s promoter, Cabin Media.
Former SAMSSA director Dick DeStefano named Science North honourary life member
Science North recognized a leader of Northern Ontario’s mining industry as an Honorary Life Member March 25. Dick DeStefano, now retired as the executive director of the Sudbury Area Mining Supply and Service Association (or SAMSSA, which has now been renamed MineConnect), is a community leader who has contributed a wealth of knowledge and expertise in the fields of mining, said a press release. With a strategic vision of a united mining service and supply sector across Northern Ontario, DeStefano has worked hand-in-hand with Dynamic Earth and Science North for many years as a champion of our vibrant and progressive mining community. When DeStefano discovered there were over 25,000 people working in the local mining industry and that eight per cent of the population in the City of Greater Sudbury worked in the supply sector, generating $5 billion annually in sales, it seemed obvious that the businesses working together collectively could be very powerful. He credits his background as a generalist with experience in education, community development and communication technologies for his success. Today MineConnect represents a membership of 190 mining-related companies across Northern Ontario. Members are globally recognized for their innovation, and the essential role they play in advancing the mining sector.
Rain showers and more snow in the forecast
Well the wonderful springtime continues today with both rain showers and snow in the forecast.
Expect a high of 6 today under cloudy skies. Rain showers will become mixed with flurries late this afternoon. The wind will be out of the east at 20 km/h before swinging to come from the south at 40 km/h, gusting to 70 late in the morning. Tonight, expect periods of snow and a low of -8.
