Good morning, Greater Sudbury! Here's some stories to start your Friday morning.
New international students who want to attend Laurentian University down 55%
“How bad does it look?” This was the question posed by Laurentian University board member Brian Ramakko during the governing body’s April 25 meeting regarding international student recruitment. Laurentian University and all other post-secondary institutions in this country have been taking a hit in international students due to federal policy changes. After international student numbers exploded across Canada in recent years, causing issues that include pressures on housing, the federal government started putting in place rules in 2024 to reduce their numbers. International students have been seen as a ready source of cash in the post-secondary sector, as they are charged higher tuition fees than domestic students. Provost Malcolm Campbell provided the board with up-to-date numbers with regards to new, prospective students who have applied to the university and confirmed they will be attending this fall. New international students who have confirmed they want to attend Laurentian this fall are down 55 per cent. “That’s a pretty profound impact for us,” Campbell said. On the bright side, though, new domestic students who have confirmed their attendance this fall are up 22 per cent.
‘Urgent action’ needed on vacant Gogama properties: Gélinas
Several years into advocacy efforts, Nickel Belt NDP MPP France Gélinas is expressing “deep concern and growing frustration” with the province’s inaction in selling off Gogama properties. At issue is a collection of 22 properties in Gogama which the province owns and have spent years doing nothing with, including several with single-family homes. “Despite more than six years of consistent communication, follow-up and formal engagement with multiple provincial ministers, including your predecessors, these vacant properties continue to sit unused, tied up in bureaucratic stagnation, while opportunities for growth, prosperity, and housing remain out of reach for residents and newcomers alike,” Gélinas wrote in an open letter to Infrastructure Minister Kinga Surma dated May 7. Since the issue was first raised in 2018, “there have been numerous formal inquiries, statements in the legislature, direct outreach to the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry, the Ministry of Government and Consumer Services, the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Infrastructure and the Premier’s Office,” Gélinas wrote.
FONOM sees discussions about Hwy. 69 four-laning, supportive housing
Highway safety, supportive housing, health care and policing were key themes during this week’s Federation of Northern Ontario Municipalities (FONOM) conference in North Bay. So described Mayor Paul Lefebvre upon arriving back in Sudbury on Wednesday. “The theme we’re hearing a lot from our friends in Northern Ontario is highway safety,” he told Sudbury.com of the conference, which saw municipal leaders from throughout the region gather to prioritize points of advocacy. “As we develop as a main hub of mining, that means a lot of folks live in Sudbury, but they might also live in mining camps throughout the north, and they travel by road. Safety is in all of our interests.” A key point of local advocacy is with the four-laning of Highway 69, Lefebvre said, adding that the province has clarified that they’re working on getting it done. “We’re waiting for the next steps on that one,” he said.
Public health drug alert issued for Sudbury area
Public health officials in Sudbury are warning there are reports of an increase in drug poisoning incidents - overdoses - an unexpected reaction to unknown substances that people are consuming. The cause of the increase is unknown. Public Health Sudbury and Districts (PHSD) said the alert serves as an important reminder that street drugs may be cut or mixed with substances such as benzos (benzodiazepines), xylazine, medetomidine, fentanyl or carfentanil. "Be cautious if using drugs and please share this information widely to help save lives," said the warning statement. PHSD also said that the reports indicated substances inducing heavy nods (sedation) and multiple doses of naloxone being required. Due to concerns about benzodiazepines (benzos) and tranquilizers (xylazine and medetomidine), take steps to support someone who is sedated.
Lack of seatbelt leads police to $98K in illegal drugs, OPP says
Not wearing a seatbelt while allegedly transporting more than $98,000 in illegal drugs was probably a bad choice for a M’Chigeeng driver on May 6. At around 11 a.m. that day, Manitoulin Ontario Provincial Police report officers observed a driver not wearing their seatbelt, and conducted a traffic stop on the vehicle. Further investigation and a search of the vehicle turned up a cache of illegal drugs, OPP said. “Additionally, police seized an amount of suspected cocaine with an estimated street value of $51,500, an amount of suspected fentanyl with an estimated street value of $46,100, an amount of suspect hydromorphone with an estimated street value of $400, an amount of suspected dilaudid with an estimated street value of $300, a small amount of suspected oxycodone, approximately $4,200 in Canadian currency, and a knife,” the news release states.
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