Good morning, Greater Sudbury! Here are a few stories to start your day on this Wednesday morning.
Glenn Thibeault ‘kicking tires’ for Liberal leadership run
Former Sudbury NDP MP and Liberal MPP and cabinet minister Glenn Thibeault said he’s currently “kicking the tires” of a provincial Liberal leadership run. The local politician first indicated as much to the Hill Times last month, and reaffirmed his status as a potential contender in conversation with Sudbury.com this week. “It’s a lot of tire-kicking,” he said, adding that as soon as this story appeared in Sudbury.com he would have a lot more people to speak with. “I’m getting phone calls from members of the party, from people who have talked to me in the past about putting my name forward to run for leader,” he added. “It’s humbling and everything else that goes along with that when people are still talking about your name in that kind of light and want to see something different, but there are so many things that need to fall into line and happen to even consider something like that.”
Another $1 million grant for Dynamic Earth's Go Deeper project
Another million dollars in funding has been announced for the Dynamic Earth Go Deeper project, which is currently under construction in Sudbury. The money was announced Tuesday morning by Sudbury MP Viviane Lapointe on behalf of Patty Hajdu, the minister responsible for FedNor. FedNor, which is Northern Ontario's economic development agency, announced that $1 million will be used to help develop Go Deeper as a regional tourism project. Go Deeper is described as a hands-on experience into the world of modern mining and the attraction will be part of the Dynamic Earth project which is run by Science North. Funded through FedNor’s Northern Ontario Development Program (NODP), the Go Deeper project is expected to help create and maintain 47 jobs and generate $10.1 million in economic benefits for Northern Ontario, said a news release from the agency. The Science North capital campaign for the project was announced last spring.
Ford says Ontario presenting CUPE with 'improved' offer
Bargaining is resuming today between the Ontario government and a union representing 55,000 education workers – who are back on the job today after a walkout – and the premier says he is presenting an "improved" offer. Doug Ford says he's glad both sides are at negotiations again today, a day after he promised to repeal legislation that imposed contracts on the Canadian Union of Public Employees workers and the union agreed to end its walkout. Ford says he can't get into details, but the government is presenting a better offer, particularly for lower-income workers. However, he also cautions that any agreement with the education workers will have an impact on the four major teachers' contracts also in bargaining and increases for CUPE could lead to "tens of billions of dollars" for increases to the teachers, and he needs to watch Ontario's bottom line.
What you need to know about the uptick in RSV cases
There is a seasonal uptick in Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) across Canada, but Public Health Sudbury and Districts (PHSD) said while there is no cause for alarm, people should certainly be aware that RSV is out there. There are easy ways for people to protect themselves, said PHSD. Carly Zubalich, a registered nurse and health protection specialist at the health unit, said the higher incidence of RSV is happening at the same time as other common respiratory ailments such as the common cold and influenza. "So we've kind of entered into the season for colds and flu. And what we know with RSV is that it also kind of follows the same pattern. So seeing increased RSV activity is normal, but across Canada right now, what we're seeing is higher than expected RSV activity," Zubalich said. "Usually with RSV, what we're seeing with most people is mild symptoms. So that would be fever, nasal congestion, runny nose or cough, really those cold-like symptoms,” she said. While people typically get better on their own, those who are at higher risk, like older adults and young children, could develop more serious symptoms, Zubalich added.
Greater Sudbury Cubs crack the national top 10
The Greater Sudbury Cubs have been ranked in the top 10 junior teams in the country for the first time. In the Canadian Junior Hockey League’s latest national rankings, the Cubs are ranked 10th. It’s the first time the team has cracked the national top 10 rankings. The surging Greater Sudbury Cubs went on an eight-game winning streak last week, picking up two wins last week, including a narrow 2-1 win in Hearst and a 3-0 victory in Cochrane. The winning streak was stopped on Sunday with a 5-4 loss to the Timmins Rock, a game which marked the team’s third tilt in less than three days. There is one other NOJHL team to crack the CJHL top 20 and that team is the Powassan Voodoos. The Voodoos are paying Sudbury a visit on Thursday, Nov. 10. Sponsored by Sudbury.com, the game is also a special Remembrance Day match. A pre-game Nov. 11 ceremony will be held prior to the start of Thursday’s game, organized by veterans and members of the Lockerby Legion branch. The puck drops at 7:05 p.m. at the Gerry McCrory Countryside Sports Complex.
Pursuit: Hockey Assoc. awards Andrew Olivier a life membership
The stories of the Sudbury Minor Hockey Association and Andrew Olivier will forever be interlinked — that is a given. The fact is the hockey injury the youngest of four children sustained on Jan. 4, 1994, one day shy of his 15th birthday, occurred while Olivier was playing AAA hockey for the SMHA at Cambrian Arena. Hard to believe that almost three decades have passed since the time of that unfortunate accident, one that involved absolutely no contact with an opposing player, a moment in time which has since seen the 43-year-old graduate of Laurentian University (Commerce with a masters in Business Administration) find a way to overcome constantly and enjoy a very good life. “We were on the penalty kill and I ripped down the ice and lost my footing by the goal line,” said Olivier. “The damage was done to my spinal cord (dislocating the C4 and C5 vertebrae) and once that happens, neurologically, it doesn’t come back.” Earlier this year, the man whose sweater and number have adorned the walls of the Gerry McCrory Countryside Sports Complex since 1995 was granted a lifetime honorary membership in the SMHA, a process led by long-time friend and board member Joel St-Marseille, past-president Angela Vendette and the current board of the local hockey association.
Showers and a high of 9 today
Expect a mainly cloudy Wednesday with a 40-per-cent chance of showers late in the afternoon. Today’s high is expected to be 9. The wind will be from the south at 30 km/h, gusting to 50. A wind chill of -7 is expected this morning. The UV index today is two, or low. Tonight, the skies will stay cloudy and the temperature will actually climb overnight to 10.
