Good morning, Greater Sudbury. You've made it halfway through the work week!
Here are a few stories to get you started today.
We could be in for a lot of snow
Batten down the hatches, Greater Sudbury, the forecast is calling for 15 to 25 cm by the end of today. A Colorado low is expected to pass just to the south of us, bringing with it more snow. The snow is likely to bring with it poor winter driving conditions due to low visibility and accumulating snow on unplowed roads. Drivers are encouraged to allow extra time to reach their destinations. To report severe weather, send an email to [email protected] or tweet reports using #ONStorm.
Are GSPS computer networks safe from hackers?
With news that Health Sciences North, along with several other Ontario hospitals, had been hit with a computer virus last week, police services board chair Michael Vagnini asked at the Jan. 17 meeting whether police computers could be hit with a similar attack. Police CAO Sharon Baiden said keeping the system safe is obviously a big priority, and they have firewalls in place to secure data. The police service also conducts regular security audits in which they contract specialized companies to try and hack their system to look for security flaws. GSPS also maintains a comprehensive data backup, Baiden said, with a full copy of vital data kept secured in case of an issue.
Unsafe ice the cause of half of snowmobiler deaths this season
The OPP is concerned with the number of snowmobiler deaths this season related to sledders travelling over unsafe ice. Three of the six snowmobilers who have died this season were travelling on unsafe ice. Two of the snowmobilers went through the ice, while the third drove into open water. Speed, driving too fast for the conditions and alcohol/drugs were factors in the other three fatal incidents. Last snowmobile season, three of the 14 snowmobilers who died were also travelling on unsafe ice when they drove into open water. Alcohol/drugs were linked to six of last season's fatalities and speed played a role in five of the deaths. The OPP have begun patroling trails from the air, including using drones to keep an eye on things. Air patrol is being used for speed enforcement, search and rescue and detecting dangerous snowmobile operation.
Police watchdog looking into fatal crash in Sudbury
The province’s police watchdog is looking into a crash last week in Greater Sudbury. The driver of one of the vehicles involved in the crash died from his injuries on the weekend. Shortly before midnight on Jan. 15, a Greater Sudbury Police Service officer observed an Audi in a restaurant parking lot located at 5085 MR 80. When the vehicle left the parking lot, refusing to stop when officers put their lights on. A short time later, on MR 80 and just south of Valleyview Road, the Audi was involved in a collision with another vehicle, sending both drivers to hospital with serious injuries. On Jan. 19, the 29-year-old driver of the Audi died from his injuries. Two investigators and one forensic investigator have been assigned to the investigation, the release said.
Leaked memo says Mills out as head of NEO Kids Foundation
Sudbury.com has been handed a leaked internal memo from the chair of the NEO Kids Foundation that states Patricia Mills is out as executive director. The memo from Mick Weaver, the chair of the foundation, is dated Jan. 22. Mills' last day with the organization was Jan. 18. "Since its launch three years ago, it has benefitted from a dedicated staff, strong community support, engaging donors and stakeholders who are the inspiration for NKF," the memo states. "Now its founding president, Patricia Mills, is moving on after spending the past three years building the Foundation with her dedicated staff and generous donors. We thank Patricia for her work with NKF and wish her much success in her future endeavors in the private sector."
Long cold day without power in Coniston
A cold day for residents of Coniston came to an end at around 2:30 p.m. yesterday afternoon after nearly 11 hours without electricity. Power was lost just before 4 a.m. Tuesday morning when a transmission line went down at a remote bush location with no road access. The difficult location made restoring power particularly challenging, Greater Sudbury Utilities said, which is why it took Hydro One so long to reconnect. During the outage, the City of Greater Sudbury sent two transit buses to Coniston to act as mobile warming stations, which dropped people back off at home once power was restored.
