Good morning, Greater Sudbury! Here are a few stories to start your day this Monday morning.
Powwow is ‘medicine’ coming out of a pandemic
In a scene very much missing from the past couple of years, hundreds of people gathered at Atikameksheng Anishnawbek First Nation for the 35th Annual Jiingtamok during the weekend. “After COVID, it’s nice to get out again and see the people, so we’re celebrating that,” dancer Ned Benson told Sudbury.com between songs at the powwow, at which all were welcome. “If a good tune comes on, I’m abandoning you,” he said with a chuckle. “If the singers provide a good song and they’re feeling into that song, us as dancers interpret that.” Benson came from his home community of Sebright, near Orillia, to attend the local powwow, and as one of many dancers and visitors to travel from throughout the province to participate. The inclusive nature of the festivities was highlighted by this year’s theme, “Coming Together Again,” and further established through the inclusion of a Pride flag for the first time. Its presence was cheered on loudly during the powwow’s grand entry on Saturday.
Public poster exhibition centres on Junction Creek stewardship
Greater Sudbury bus shelters are about to become a lot more informative, with giant posters espousing the importance of Junction Creek slated for installation over the next few months. The posters for the Tiny Traces Along Junction Creek public poster exhibition will feature art by children, families and community members and will feature drawings and watercolours accompanied by quotes from children about the creek. In addition to the bus shelter posters, a series of small posters will be exhibited in store fronts. The project is an effort of Early Childhood Creative Collaborations in partnership with the Junction Creek Stewardship Committee, which received funding from Health Communities Canada.
Mayoral candidate targets Greater Sudbury’s dust control methods
This year’s municipal election has gotten a bit salty, with mayoral candidate Miranda Rocca-Circelli pledging to do something about surface treatments (road salt) for dust control. “Each year the City of Greater Sudbury tenders a contract for the surface treatment of roads, part of which includes secondary roads, and construction sites to suppress dust,” she said in her latest media release. “As a result, tens of thousands of litres of corrosive chemicals are dumped on our roads. These chemicals; calcium chloride and magnesium chloride are toxic and water soluble, so when it rains, they wash off the roads and ultimately end up in our lakes.” Calcium chloride and magnesium chloride are types of road salt, which are highly soluble in water and make their way downstream to city lakes. “The city follows industry best practices for dust suppressant application and in all cases where calcium chloride is used, Ontario Provincial Standards for dust suppressants are followed for both the material and application,” according to a city spokesperson. “This means that dust suppressants have to be applied in a manner that avoids run-off, that the application will not proceed during periods of rain or when the weather forecast indicates a high probability of rainfall.”
Labranche pledges to cut red tape if elected mayor
Eliminating red tape is front and centre in Devin Labranche’s campaign to become mayor of Greater Sudbury. “It’s amazing what a community can get together and do if they feel they can do it,” he said, adding that the most successful work is done by community groups and not governments. “I think there’s a lot more opportunity to make people feel like they can have a lot more impact, and there are systems that need to be put in place to allow them to get that done." Labranche registered as a candidate on Thursday, at which time he became the sixth registered candidate. The candidate said he still needs to hash out much of his campaign’s nuances, but that he’d like to see the city afford more responsibility to surrounding communities to make decisions. “The city needs to do less,” he said. “We need to allow more opportunity for people to take control of their lives and what’s going on around them."
Greater Sudbury GDP to exceed pre-pandemic levels next year
Buoyed in part by mining, the Greater Sudbury area is expected to continue its path toward pandemic recovery with an employment rate jump and a GDP increase of 3.9 per cent. This, according to the Conference Board of Canada’s “Major City Insights Greater Sudbury” report issued this week, which also warns life will become less affordable. “Demand for nickel to produce batteries for electric cars is good news for Greater Sudbury,” according to the report. “Although nickel prices have come down recently, they will likely remain high by historical standards because of the war in Ukraine.” The local nickel industry received a boost this year when Vale signed a long-term deal with Tesla to supply the U.S.-based electric vehicle company with nickel. After rising by 3.9 per cent this year, the GDP is expected to experience a “healthy gain” of 2.7 per cent next year, which will “finally lift the city’s economic output beyond pre-pandemic levels.”
Cloudy conditions in the forecast
It's poised to be a cloudy Monday, with Environment Canada forecasting a mix of sun and cloud in the afternoon. The wind will become northwest at 20 km/h late in the morning, with a high of 23 C. The humidex will be 23, and the UV index will be six or higher. During the evening, conditions are expected to clear up, with a low of 12 C.
