Good morning, Greater Sudbury! Here are a few stories to start your day on this Thursday morning.
Brant Burke’s daughter spent a month consoling the man arrested for his murder
For a month after her father’s body was discovered on a walking trail near Point Grondine, Melanie Burke spent a lot of time concerned about the well-being of the man who would later be arrested and charged with his murder. Brant Burke, 56, was shot and killed, and his body was found on Oct. 25, 2020 on a trail near their camp in the Point Grondine reserve off Highway 637. Brant’s own brother, Kerry Burke, is now in jail and charged with first-degree murder. Brant’s wife, Melissa Sheridan, is also charged with first-degree murder, however, she was granted bail under a strict set of conditions. The Burke brothers were best friends, said Melanie, the second oldest of Brant’s daughters. “When it all happened, my heart was breaking for Kerry,” she said. “They saw each other every day. They've been close for as long as I can remember. I promised dad that I will do my best to help Kerry through this.” And then he was arrested. Shock is an understatement, she said. “Kerry was one of my closest uncles growing up,” she said. “We spent almost every weekend in the summer with him at our camp. He took us tubing; he was a very close uncle.”
Arson suspected as video shows youths running from scene of Chelmsford RV fire
Greater Sudbury Police are investigating the possibly deliberate burning of an RV in Chelmsford early Tuesday morning. At 2:17 a.m. on April 26, police were notified of a suspected arson that had occurred on David Street in Chelmsford. There were no injuries in the incident. Information provided to police was that an RV that is attached to a deck and a shed had been lit on fire and that two youths were seen running from the fire on video surveillance after the fact. Greater Sudbury Police said Tuesday that they had not determined the identities of the two youths. They had also not yet determined the owner of the RV or property. Damage to the property was extensive, as it was fully engulfed in flames. The scene is being contained as the investigation is ongoing. Police continue to canvass the area for additional information and video footage of the incident.
Montpellier, Sizer clash over Ward 3 councillor’s KED motion
For breaking decorum by speaking over his colleagues, Ward 3 Coun. Gerry Montpellier’s microphone was temporarily turned off during Tuesday night’s city council meeting. In response, Montpellier spoke even louder in council chambers, prompting Mayor Brian Bigger to threaten the councillor with expulsion from the meeting. “I will ask you to leave,” Bigger said, around which time Ward 2 Coun. Michael Vagnini joined Montpellier by speaking out of turn and over his colleagues. After the meeting wrapped up, Bigger told Sudbury.com that it was his role as meeting chair to ensure respectful decorum was maintained, and that some council members fell short. “If people don’t follow the rules of decorum, their microphones will be turned off to maintain decorum for the rest of council, for staff spending their evenings at these meetings and the public watching these meetings,” he said. The trouble started shortly after Montpellier tabled a motion to city council that would direct staff to make a full disclosure on various issues related to the Kingsway Entertainment District and its anchor tenants, the Sudbury Wolves OHL team, and their longevity in Greater Sudbury.
Pandemic stress could trigger youth violence, expert says, as new partners sign threat protocol
A very special guest was on hand April 26 as 26 partners signed onto the fourth edition of a protocol designed to prevent tragic events such as the school shootings in Columbine, Taber and Sandy Hook here in Greater Sudbury. Kevin Cameron has developed protocols and provides training on traumatic events before they escalate and after they occur. He played a key role in the aftermath of the 1999 Taber, Alberta, school shooting, among others, and works with police, school boards, cities, community agencies, and provincial governments throughout Canada and the United States, including Sudbury. Cameron was in Sudbury this week to provide training to members of the threat assessment protocol, as well as to hold a free Zoom talk on his work yesterday evening for members of the public. The group also hosted retired Columbine High School principal Frank DeAngelis earlier this month. The signing of the fourth edition of the Community Threat Assessment Protocol here in Greater Sudbury comes at a crucial time, Cameron said. After more than two years in a pandemic, kids and families are under a lot of stress, and “we know that we would see an increased level of threat-making or threat-related behavior, (which) are certainly cries for help,” Cameron said.
École St-Denis looks to foster friendships with ‘buddy bench’ project
Thanks to a team of grade 7 and 8 students, École St-Denis will soon have four new buddy benches. The idea is that if a student sits on a buddy bench (or banc de l’amité, en français), they’re signalling to their peers that they’re looking for someone to play with. “It’s an area that they could go sit, and it's like a sign for other students that person would like to play,” said École St-Denis special education teacher Mia MacDonald. “So I'm going to see that and I'm gonna go up to them and say ‘Would you like to play with me?’” She said that students may sometimes feel lonely or excluded by their peers, and some may not know how to interact with other children. This is especially true for MacDonald’s special education students, who have a harder time communicating. “With the unveiling, we're going to help raise awareness and educate them as to why we're putting that in the school yard,” MacDonald said.
Public Health Sudbury reports two new COVID-19 deaths, 156 new cases in April 27 report
Two new deaths have been reported in the city. There are also 49 COVID-19 patients at Health Sciences North in Sudbury, with four of those patients in the Intensive Care Unit. Public Health Sudbury and Districts (PHSD) reported two new deaths and that in both cases, COVID-19 was identified as the underlying cause of death. The total number of deaths in the local jurisdiction since the pandemic began in March of 2020 is now 137. PHSD also reported there were 156 new COVID-19 cases in the local health jurisdiction on Wednesday. These numbers are for the past two days since the health unit does not report statistics on Tuesdays. PHSD also reported that 14,778 total accumulated cases have occurred in the Sudbury jurisdiction since the pandemic was declared in March of 2020. PHSD also reported that 14,303 of those cases have been resolved. This means there are currently 475 known active cases in the health unit area. More complete details are included on the daily COVID-19 public health summary.
Sunny day in store today
Expect a bright and sunny day for your Thursday. The wind will be out of the north at 20 km/h, so a wind chill of -11 in the morning. The UV index today is six, or high. Tonight, the skies will stay clear and the temperature will drop to -2.