Good morning, Greater Sudbury! Here are a few stories to start your day on this Friday morning.
Front window smashed out at the Ukrainian National Federation building
A front window of the Ukrainian National Federation Sudbury building on Frood Road has been smashed in, leaving members of the Ukrainian community hurt and confused. “It’s very distressing because we’re a very small volunteer group,” executive member Sonia Peczeniuk said of the incident. “This is expensive for us. We’re a volunteer group that’s struggling.” Greater Sudbury Police Service received a report about the smashed window, which they are investigating as a “hate-bias incident,” at 10:05 p.m. on Tuesday. They are currently canvassing the area for video surveillance footage. Although the Ukrainian National Federation building is insured, Peczeniuk said that between premium rates and deductibles, the smashed window will end up costing them something in the end. It also remains to be seen whether this was a targeted attack or another case of random vandalization, such as what she said occurred a few years ago when intoxicated people caused some damage.
Read more about this story here.
Pierre Poilievre brings his federal Conservative leadership train to Sudbury on Saturday
A federal leadership hopeful is visiting Sudbury this weekend for a meet and greet. Pierre Poilievre is vying for leadership of the Conservative Party of Canada and will be at the Radisson Hotel at 85 Ste Anne Road on Saturday beginning at 11 a.m. The event’s Facebook page bills him as a “candidate for Prime Minister,” and he people can register for the event by clicking here.
You can read more about Pollievre’s upcoming visit here.
Laurentian aims to file plan of arrangement by May 31 so it can finally exit CCAA, Haché says
Laurentian University’s president said it remains LU’s goal to file a “plan of arrangement” before the courts by May 31 as it attempts to exit the insolvency restructuring process. A plan of arrangement is essentially a plan put forward by an insolvent organization to pay out its creditors, and it must be approved by these creditors. Back in January, Laurentian — which has been undergoing insolvency restructuring under the Companies’ Creditors Arrangement Act (or CCAA) since February 2021 — was granted a further extension of creditor protection until May 31. Dr. Robert Haché said in an April 19 written report to Laurentian’s senate that the university and its advisors, with the assistance of the court-appointed monitor, are continuing to advance all aspects of the CCAA restructuring.
You can read more about this story here.
Then & Now: New book laments loss of heritage buildings including Sudbury's landmark post office
In the course of writing "Then and Now" for Sudbury.com since September 2020, I have featured articles about many of the city’s landmarks and how they have been thoughtlessly discarded in the name of modernity. Many of Sudbury's heritage buildings were lost because short-sighted decision-makers had no appreciation for history. In other cases, the cost of keeping an old building in a holding pattern while a new purpose could be found became too costly to the property owners. In some municipalities, there are tax breaks for owners so that they do not turn their properties into parking lots. Not Sudbury.
Sudbury Five fall 119-112 to Windsor Express
In their final regular season game against the Windsor Express, the Sudbury Five fell in a close game 119-112, despite having a 3-0 record against the Express this season. Jaylen Bland turned in a season-high 47-point performance, but the Windsor Express replied by putting three players over the 20-point plateau to take the ‘W’ at the WFCU Centre in Windsor. Though it was not the outcome they’d hoped for, Five fans got the chance to see a familiar face in the line up, that of NBLC’s reigning Player of the Year, Braylon Rayson, who rejoined the Five for the April 20 game.
You can read the full report here.
Registration opens for Greater Sudbury’s annual roadside Clean Up Blitz
The city is currently looking for people to register for the annual Clean Up Blitz, set to take place from 9 to 11 a.m. on May 7. Registrations are being accepted until April 29, and more information can be found by clicking here. The forms are also available at any Citizen Service Centre or library and more information can also be found by phoning the city’s help line at 311.
You can find all the details here.
‘We are learning to live with the pandemic,’ says Rainbow board director as trustees rescind 2020 mask mandate
With some school boards in other parts of Ontario defying the province’s removal of mask mandates in schools, Rainbow District School Board trustees voted unanimously April 19 to rescind the board's 2020 motion pertaining to mask requirements. The motion, passed back in September 2020, extended mask requirements in Rainbow board schools over and above provincial requirements at the time. However, as of after the March Break last month, the provincial government has removed mask mandates in Ontario schools, making the rescinding of the 2020 Rainbow board motion something of a formality. “We are learning to live with the pandemic,” said Bruce Bourget, director of education.
Read the full story on the Sudbury.com homepage.
Finally, a sunny Friday in the forecast
Finally, Sudbury, a day that looks a little more like Spring. Though the wind chill in the morning will make it feel like minus 7, with winds up to 15 km/h, it will be hard to care with the sunny day on your face and the high of 9 degrees. The UV index is 7 or high. Overnight will fall to minus 1 with cloudy periods heading into the weekend.
