Good morning, Greater Sudbury! Here are a few stories to start your day on this Thursday morning.
‘Strong mayors’ powers likely irrelevant in Sudbury: Bigger
The province’s proposed allotment of additional power to Ontario mayors is receiving a lukewarm reception in Greater Sudbury, with Mayor Brian Bigger questioning its relevance. “I’m not sure what they’re thinking, how deeply they thought about it, and we’ll leave it at that,” he told Sudbury.com by phone from Ottawa this week, where he is advocating for various local needs with provincial officials at an Association of Ontario Municipalities convention. Questioning, “isn’t this a democracy?” he said giving greater power to Ontario mayors might create a more divisive environment around council chambers. On the table is a proposal by the province to allow mayors the right to override council approval of bylaws that would hamper a set of provincial priorities to be set out in regulations. “I think there’s a strong call by mayors across Ontario to better understand the province’s plans and to give further details,” Bigger said, adding the province’s proposal has evolved dramatically in recent days. It was initially proposed to affect only Toronto and Ottawa, with Premier Doug Ford later suggesting it might be expanded to include other cities as well. “This was not on anybody’s radar, so we’re trying to find out more information from the province, “Bigger said.
Friends of Killarney Park receives $53K boost from FedNor
Friends of Killarney Park received a $53,500 boost from FedNor this week, with Nickel Belt Liberal MP Marc Serré announcing the funds to help boost area tourism. The funds are earmarked for hiring a youth intern as a publications co-ordinator for a one-year term to help increase camping tourism at Killarney Provincial Park. They will work with Friends of Killarney Park to redesign the organization’s key tourist information pamphlets, including printed backcountry and trail tourism guides, and the main canoe guide. “The enhanced marketing products will target the increased number of first-time campers and visitors who have discovered the area in recent years,” according to a media release issued by FedNor, which also notes the guides will meet accessibility standards and contain more inclusive content reflecting local Indigenous culture and history, specifically the neighbouring Wiikwemkoong Unceded Territory and Point Grondine Park. The intern will also create digital versions of the guides for use on social media platforms to further promote tourism online. “This internship is providing a recent graduate with valuable new skills for career advancement, and it will help market Killarney Park to a wider audience, which in turn, will bring economic benefits to the region,” Serré said in the release.
Sudbury post-secondary schools going easy on COVID requirements
COVID-19 vaccination and masking requirements for post-secondary institutions in Sudbury have changed in recent months with most restrictions being eased. Last fall, as the number of COVID cases was on the rise, all post-secondary institutions in Sudbury had masking and vaccine mandates in place. Things have changed since then. As Cambrian College prepares for the fall semester, it said vaccines and masking are now a matter of personal choice. “For the fall semester starting in September, proof of vaccination and the wearing of a mask are not required to access campus or to live in Student Residence,” said Cambrian communications manager Dan Lessard. "They are a matter of personal choice. We will continue to encourage students and staff to follow infection control best practices, such as frequent handwashing/hand sanitizing, and staying home if they are sick. If someone chooses to wear a mask and practice physical distancing, we ask that everyone respect each other’s choices," Lessard added. It appears a similar approach is in place at Collège Boréal which had a notice on its website stating that as of May 30, masking is no longer a requirement there.
Nuclear waste site selectors delay announcement until 2024
The site selectors for a proposed underground nuclear waste repository in Ontario say they won’t make a decision on a preferred location until the fall of 2024. The Nuclear Waste Management Organization (NWMO) is pushing back the naming of a site by one year, attributing it to a series of pandemic-related lockdowns that hampered their work in the selection process. Wabigoon Lake Ojibway Nation-Ignace area, an hour’s drive east of Dryden, in northwestern Ontario and the Saugeen Ojibway Nation-South Bruce area in southern Ontario are the two communities on the short list to host the deep geological repository. Last week, 49 chiefs of the Nishnawbe Aski Nation (NAN) passed a resolution at their annual conference in Timmins opposing plans to haul and store nuclear waste in the region. Though the potential site of the repository is not in NAN’s treaty area, leadership hold concerns about the downstream impact of such a facility in the waterways of their traditional territories. “We experienced a significant loss of time for face-to-face engagement and interaction, especially in communities exploring their potential to host the project,” said Lise Morton, NWMO’s vice-president of site selection in a news release.
Robinson Drive residents praise traffic-calming bollards
The traffic-calming bollards installed along Robinson Drive last week are receiving positive reviews from area residents. The majority of people Sudbury.com spoke with while door-knocking along the road this week believe the bollards have been effective in slowing traffic, while those uncertain of their merit said they didn’t have a problem with them. “We’re happy with them,” area resident Michelle Martineau said, adding they have “slowed down traffic considerably.” This, she added, is important in part due to a number of kids and dogs living on the street. With speed bumps installed along the nearby Southview Drive a few years ago, Pekka Marttinen said the traffic volume along Robinson Drive increased due to people wanting to avoid the disruptive traffic-calming infrastructure. Since the bollards were installed, he reports noticing a “huge increase in confusion” among people uncertain as to how they might proceed past the devices.
How to dispose of vaping products properly and safely
With the booming vaping industry comes the concern for how e-cigarettes are disposed of. Given the fact that e-cigarette manufacturing companies don’t overtly promote or share how to dispose of vapes and pods – do people know how or where to toss a used disposable vape or pod? Well, a survey by the Truth Initiative suggests that “more than half (51 per cent) of young e-cigarette users reported disposing of used e-cigarette pods or empty disposables in the trash,” and “almost half (49.1 per cent) of young people don’t know what to do with used e-cigarette pods and disposable devices.” What might be overlooked in this instance is the environmental impact of vape disposals, especially considering the cultural phenomenon vaping has become over recent years. E-cigarette use has been a booming market since the early 2010s as statistics show that Canadian e-cigarette sales have nearly tripled in revenue since 2014. Standing at $1.26B in revenue as of 2022 compared to vape sales in 2014 that brought in $.47B. Canada also ranks as the third biggest revenue generator in the e-cigarette market on a global scale. And despite restrictions on the sales of nicotine-containing e-cigarettes in Canada, a study done by the School of Public Health & Health Systems, University of Waterloo,Ontario, suggests that there’s an increase of smokers and non-smokers trying e-cigarettes and the proportion of non-smokers trying e-cigarettes nearly doubled according to a 2012 Canadian survey. With the increase of vaping consumerism, millions of disposable vapes are ending up in landfills, despite containing metals like lithium that are often used in batteries.
Mainly sunny risk of showers, thunderstorm
Expect a mainly sunny day today with increasing cloudiness in the afternoon. There is a 40-per-cent chance of showers late in the afternoon with a risk of thunderstorm in the afternoon, too. Today’s high is 28 with a humidex value of 31. Today’s UV index is seven, or high. Tonight, expect cloudy periods and a low of 15.