Good morning, Greater Sudbury! Here are a few stories to start your day on this Saturday morning.
Canada's 1st Indigenous supreme court justice is from Hanmer
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau appointed Ontario judge Michelle O'Bonsawin to the Supreme Court of Canada on Friday, making her the first Indigenous person poised to sit on the country's highest bench. Born and raised in Hanmer and an Abenaki member of Odanak First Nation, O'Bonsawin holds a Bachelor of Arts from Laurentian University, a Bachelor of Law from the University of Ottawa, a Master of Law from Osgoode Hall Law School, and a Doctorate in Law from the University of Ottawa. A bilingual Franco-Ontarian, she lives in Ottawa with her family. O'Bonsawin comes to the court after spending five years as a judge at the Ontario Superior Court of Justice in Ottawa, where she was also the first Indigenous woman to hold that position. Before that, she spent eight years serving as the Royal Ottawa Health Care Group's general counsel. She has also taught law at the University of Ottawa, and earlier worked in legal services for the RCMP and Canada Post.
‘Historic’ announcement supports Sudbury’s SNOLAB
Innovation, Science and Industry Minister François-Philippe Champagne travelled two kilometres below the surface of the Earth today to announce more than $600 million in funding to support 14 research projects across the country. But the major announcement was for Sudbury’s own SNOLAB underground research facility, which is receiving $100 million of the $628-million funding envelope to continue its work studying neutrinos and dark matter, and probing the “secrets of the universe”. The work of researchers at Canadian facilities like SNOLAB aim “to answer the big questions of our time,” Champagne said during the Aug. 19 press conference. The press conference capped off a two-day tour by the minister that saw him visit NORCAT and Vale’s Integrated remote operations centre (iROC), and meet with several mining industry stakeholders representatives of CEMI/MICA, Frontier Lithium, Collège Boréal, MIRARCO, TesMan, Symboticware and Glencore Sudbury. Champagne was joined at the announcement by Sudbury MP Viviane Lapointe and Nickel Belt MP Marc Serré, as well as various researchers connected to SNOLAB.
Learning about the city’s supervised alcohol consumption program
A managed alcohol program in Sudbury has been offering options and treatment for those who have severe alcohol dependence since 2013, and as a harm reduction-based treatment program, has been successful in reducing calls to emergency medical services (EMS), police, hospital visits and increased the participants’ quality of life. It’s the chance to offer a way out of the harms that come from substance use, said Cindy Rose, manager of harm reduction and shelter service for CMHA Sudbury/Manitoulin, especially those who have escalated their use to include non-beverage alcohol, like hand sanitizer, shoe polish, cough syrup or mouthwash. The program can then offer health care and long-term treatment and even housing support while the person recovers and learns to manage their substance use. The theory behind the program is to replace non-beverage alcohol with doctor-prescribed amounts of wine, just enough to keep any withdrawal symptoms at bay, but not so much that the individual is unable to make decisions for their safety and their future.
Vagnini’s controversial YouTube video remains online
A YouTube video city officials cited as rife with misinformation remains online, despite Ward 2 Coun. Michael Vagnini’s prior assurance it would be removed. During the Aug. 9 city council meeting at which Vagnini was docked 40 days’ pay for code of conduct violations, Mayor Brian Bigger inquired about a post on Vagnini’s Facebook page regarding deaths at Memorial Park. “Mayor, I will check later this evening,” Vagnini said at the time. “I will check, Mr. Mayor, and make sure that’s down.” “I would feel better if that posting was removed off of Facebook,” Bigger said, adding local police, EMS and other city officials refuted various points presented in the video. “I would just like to have that posting removed because I don’t believe that information is correct,” Bigger said. “I do still believe the posting has remained, and to me that’s a bit damaging to the community.”
Police trying to connect stolen good with their rightful owners
Greater Sudbury Police Service is trying to reunite stolen goods recovered during the execution of a recent search warrant with their rightful owners. Some of the items recovered have not been reported stolen as of yet, GSPS said in a news release. Specifically, police said businesses and educational institutions should taken an inventory “to determine whether or not equipment is missing.” The following items were recovered: Flir brand flashlight and UV goggles; Olympus microscope and tools; Kanomax particle counter, and; Flir thermacam. “If you believe that these items belong to you or the business/institution that you work for, you are asked to contact us at 705-675-9171. You will be asked to provide additional information related to the items in order to ensure that they are returned to the rightful owner(s).”
Greater Sudbury man arrested for online child luring
A Garson man has been arrested by the OPP and charged for allegedly attempting to lure a child for a sexual purpose. The man was arrested following the execution of a search warrant at his home on Aug. 16. Members of the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) Child Sexual Exploitation Unit, Digital Forensics Unit and Sudbury OPP were involved in the investigation. Several electronic devices were seized during the search. The 68-year-old man faces one count each of luring a child to facilitate sexual interference and luring a child to facilitate sexual assault. The man was released from custody following a bail hearing and is scheduled to appear in court on Sept. 19 at the Ontario Court of Justice in Sudbury. The OPP encourages parents visit ProtectChildren.ca and download the "Child Sexual Abuse - It Is Your Business" brochure from the Canadian Center for Child Protection to learn more about how to protect children from online predators.
Cloudy weekend with showers possible
Expect a mix of sun and cloud for your Saturday with a 60-per-cent chance of showers in the afternoon and the risk of a thunderstorm. The wind will become southerly at 20 km/h, gusting to 40, late in the morning. Today’s high is 27 with a humidex value of 32. The UV index today is seven, or high. Tonight, the skies will cloud over, bringing a 40-per-cent chance of showers and a low of 17. For Sunday, expect a cloudy day with a 40-per-cent chance of showers and a high of 23. For Sunday evening, expect more clouds and a 30-per-cent chance of shower, with a low of 16.
