Good morning, Greater Sudbury! Here are a few stories to start your day on this Tuesday morning.
Gas could rise by five cents this week and five cents the week after, analyst says
A leading energy price expert says gas prices could go up another five cents across Canada if Russia decides to intensify its assault on Ukraine or declare all-out war come Monday. Dan McTeague, president of Canadians for Affordable Energy, says May 9 marks Victory Day in Russia and could prove pivotal when it comes to the trajectory of the war in Ukraine. McTeague says gas prices could go up an additional five cents per litre next week as well if the situation worsens in Ukraine and as Canadians gear up for the May long weekend, which is typically considered the unofficial start of summer. The average price of gas in Canada is pushing towards $1.97 per litre, with British Columbians feeling the most pain at the pump, shelling out an average of $2.06 per litre.
New Ledo Hotel owners have affordable housing project in the works
The historic Ledo Hotel in downtown Sudbury is slated to change hands next month, with a North Bay-based group of investors slated to invest $5 million toward affordable housing. “It just happened,” Stephane Roy told Sudbury.com. “I like the Ledo because I can see the project, as I have one in North Bay that’s similar.” Joined by two silent investors, Roy said that he knows the building’s current owner, George Soule, who had expressed interest in selling the building. The 70-year-old building has a storied past, and has already served the community as low-income housing under Soule’s ownership, until a small fire displaced residents in 2020. Numerous safety issues were discovered at the time, which sealed the building’s fate and has resulted in it remaining vacant to today, with its main floor largely gutted. Around the time of its closure, a separate group of investors proposed a $50-million overhaul of the building, which ended up falling through.
Ford makes campaign stop in Timmins
Ontario Progressive Conservative leader Doug Ford was on the campaign trail in Timmins Sunday. Joined by Timmins PC candidate George Pirie in front of the Timmins Museum:National Exhibition Centre, Ford reaffirmed commitments to bringing back passenger rail and rebuilding Highway 101 in Timmins. “After decades of neglect, Highway 101 is now voted one of the worst roads in Ontario, that’s unacceptable. The people in Timmins deserve better than roads with huge potholes, that’s why a re-elected PC government will invest $74 million to rebuild Highway 101 from the west right over to the Porcupine Ontario Northland rail crossing in the east. And there couldn’t be a better time to rebuild the highway because we’re investing $75 million to bring the Northlander Passenger rail back to Timmins,” Ford said. Last month, Ford was in Timmins to announce the additional cash to return passenger rail service in Northern Ontario. The $74 million for the Connecting Link was included in the Ontario budget, which hasn't been approved.
Fight at Ontario Northland depot nets possession charges
An altercation at a bus terminal on The Kingsway, which may have involved discharging a firearm, led to the arrest of a 22-year-old man on possession charges, said Greater Sudbury Police. Officers were called to the Ontario Northland Bus Terminal on May 8 around 5:20 p.m. Information provided was that multiple men had been involved in a verbal argument that turned into a physical altercation, and it was believed that a gunshot was heard prior to the men leaving the area. When they arrived, officers found one of the men with minor injuries. He was arrested, and when officers searched him, they found $1,800 in cash and almost 30 grams of what is believed to be cocaine. He was taken to police headquarters. Police searched the man’s bag and found 1.35 grams of what is believed to be cocaine, as well as a bullet casing. The suspect has been charged with possession of a Schedule I substance for the purpose of trafficking under the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act. He was held in custody overnight and will attend bail court today, May 9, to answer to the charge. His name cannot be released as the information has not yet been sworn to through the Court process.
Ontario Party Leader Derek Sloan talks ‘freedoms’ in Sudbury
Building momentum from this year’s ‘Freedom Convoy’ in opposition to COVID mandates, Ontario Party Leader Derek Sloan visited Sudbury to talk politics on Friday night. Following a speech to approximately 50 people at Aisle Nine Gourmet Burgers & Poutine on Friday night, he reflected on the party event as being something special. “The number of people we’ve seen today is actually unusual for political events,” he told Sudbury.com. “It’s rare to get that unless it’s a special fundraiser or something like that, so the turnout was solid. I’m impressed with the tenacity of our candidates.” There’s some spillover from this year’s Freedom Convoy to Ottawa, he said of the protest movement earlier this year that found truckers and others opposed to vaccine mandates make their way across the country to protest at the nation’s capital. At the time, hundreds of people cheered the convoy along as it made its way through Greater Sudbury. There appears to be a strong base of support locally, Sloan said, adding, “I hope that they see us as a new opportunity that is different from the status-quo parties.”
NDP makes affordability, health care central pillars in Northern Ontario platform
Pledging to make life more affordable in the North, Ontario NDP Leader Andrea Horwath visited Sudbury today alongside a handful of candidates to announce their Northern Ontario platform. “Life needs to be more affordable in the North, we need to fix the things that are broken,” she said. “Let’s face it, look at the price of gas right now,” she said, adding that with such long winters in the north, the cost of staying warm also factors in. “It’s much more expensive to live in the North, so anything we can do to make life more affordable for Northerners, we will be doing that.” On the affordability front, the Ontario NDP would regulate gasoline prices, build 6,000 units of affordable housing in Northern Ontario and 3,600 units of supportive housing, move forward with a $10-a-day child care system and keep electrical prices low by delivering power at cost. In a platform point that bridges the affordability pillar with health care, the Ontario NDP would also improve the Northern Health Travel Grant, which Nickel Belt candidate France Gélinas has been advocating for years toward.
No other way to describe, gorgeous day in store
Expect a high of 23 today under sunny skies. The wind will be out of the south at 30 km/h, gusting to 50. The UV index today is eight, or very high. Tonight, the skies will stay clear and the temperature will dip to 12.
