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Good morning, Nickel City! Here are stories to start your day

170822_Morgan_Wilson_13yrsold_Deer_1
Thirteen-year-old photographer Morgan Wilson captured this tender moment between a doe and her fawn. Sudbury.com welcomes submissions of local photography for publication with our morning greeting. Send yours to [email protected].

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. 

Read the full story here.

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. 

Read the full story here.

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.

Read the full story here.

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.

Read the full story here.

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. 

Read the full story here.

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. 

Read the full story here.

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.

Current Weather

Cloudy

Cloudy

-3.3°C

Pressure
101.5 rising
Visibility
32.2 km
Dewpoint
-6.8 °C
Humidity
77%
Wind
W 10 km/h

Radar Satellite


Hourly Forecast

Today
9 AM
-6°C
Chance of flurries
Today
10 AM
-4°C
Chance of flurries
Today
11 AM
-3°C
Chance of flurries
Today
12 PM
-2°C
Cloudy
Today
1 PM
-1°C
Cloudy
Today
2 PM
0°C
Cloudy
Today
3 PM
0°C
Cloudy
Today
4 PM
1°C
Cloudy
Today
5 PM
1°C
Cloudy
Today
6 PM
1°C
Cloudy
Today
7 PM
0°C
Cloudy
Today
8 PM
0°C
Cloudy

7 Day Forecast

Chance of flurries

Today

1 °C

Cloudy. 30 percent chance of flurries this morning. Wind becoming west 20 km/h late this morning. High plus 1. Wind chill minus 12 this morning. UV index 3 or moderate.


Mainly cloudy

Tonight

-9 °C

Cloudy. Becoming partly cloudy after midnight. Wind up to 15 km/h. Low minus 9. Wind chill minus 13 overnight.


Periods of snow

Saturday

4 °C

Mainly sunny. Increasing cloudiness in the afternoon then 40 percent chance of snow late in the afternoon. Wind up to 15 km/h. High plus 4. Wind chill minus 14 in the morning. UV index 4 or moderate.


Chance of flurries

Saturday night

-6 °C

Cloudy with 40 percent chance of flurries. Low minus 6.


Sunny

Sunday

6 °C

Sunny. High 6.


Clear

Sunday night

-4 °C

Clear. Low minus 4.


Sunny

Monday

9 °C

Sunny. High 9.


Cloudy

Monday night

-3 °C

Cloudy. Low minus 3.


A mix of sun and cloud

Tuesday

4 °C

A mix of sun and cloud. High plus 4.


Chance of flurries or rain showers

Tuesday night

-3 °C

Cloudy periods with 30 percent chance of flurries or rain showers. Low minus 3.


Chance of flurries or rain showers

Wednesday

5 °C

A mix of sun and cloud with 40 percent chance of flurries or rain showers. High plus 5.


Cloudy periods

Wednesday night

-5 °C

Cloudy periods. Low minus 5.


A mix of sun and cloud

Thursday

7 °C

A mix of sun and cloud. High 7.


Yesterday

Low
-4.4 °C
High
1.6 °C
Precipitation
1.2 mm

Normals

Low
-7.1 °C
High
3.2 °C
Average
-2.0 °C

Sunrise and Sunset

Sunrise
7:08 AM
Sunset
7:50 PM

Record Values

Type Year Value
Max 1977 14.7 C
Min 1970 -22.2 C
Rainfall 2009 26.6 mm
Snowfall 1975 8.1 cm
Precipitation 2009 27.2 mm
Snow On Ground 1959 94.0 cm

Based on Environment Canada data