Good morning, Greater Sudbury! Here are some stories to start your Labour Day long weekend.
Racist, ableist, body-shaming language used by Ward 6 candidate
A racial slur and jokes, ableist language, body-shaming and dismissing the death of people who use substances have been unearthed in past online posts by Ward 6 candidate Scott Seguin. Some of these posts were exposed in a Sudbury Star article last week, but numerous additional messages have since come to light on social media and through private correspondence with Sudbury.com from concerned citizens. Among the old public Facebook posts brought forward are a handful in which Seguin used the word “P*ki,” a racist term for Pakistanis which has also been applied to other racialized people, mainly of south Asian origin.“It brings back memories,” Bela Ravi told Sudbury.com upon reading up on Seguin’s past online activity and his use of “P*ki. It just hit a nerve with me.” Ravi is president of the Sudbury Multicultural & Folk Arts Association, sits as a board member for such organizations as the Local Immigration Partnership and the India-Canada Association and was awarded the Honorary Doctorate of Sacred Letters from Huntington University last year. She immigrated to Canada from India in 1973, and said she remembers being called the racist term Seguin used when she first arrived in Toronto. Read the full story here.
New amber-red warning system on school buses
School buses are going to look a bit different when they hit the road for the new school year on Sept. 6. Effective July 1 of this year, Ontario is requiring school buses manufactured after January 2005 to operate an eight-lamp amber-red warning system. Buses will also display signage at the rear of the vehicles that reads “do not pass when red lights flashing.” Renée Boucher, executive director of the Sudbury Student Services Consortium, said the amber lights will flash, warning drivers that the school bus is about to stop. When the red lights and stop sign are activated on the school bus, drivers on both sides of the roadway are expected to stop, unless it’s a roadway separated by a median (in that case, only the vehicles coming from behind the bus must stop). Boucher said Ontario is the last jurisdiction in Canada to adopt this system. “Hopefully people are going to be paying a little bit more attention,” she said. Learn more here.
Resident plans rally prior to final city council meeting
Perceiving her community of Onaping Falls to have been neglected by the City of Greater Sudbury, Chantelle Gorham is organizing a rally outside of Tom Davies Square for Oct. 4. Upon learning of the rally, Mayor Brian Bigger dismissed it as part of a broader organized campaign on social media against city council, which has been fuelled by misinformation. The rally, titled “‘Greater’ Sudbury is Failing us,” has been scheduled to take place from 4-6 p.m., which leads up to the current incarnation of city council’s final meeting before the Oct. 24 election. “I don’t want residents to feel that this is like a witch hunt,” Gorham said of the rally. “This is a reminder for the incoming council, whomever it may be, that we can’t endure another four years of what we have gone through.” The rally, she added, is “a place for the outlying areas to show their support that we’re being neglected, whether it’s amalgamation-related or not, our needs are not being met. “We can’t keep begging for services, and it’s kind of across the board from garbage removal to always fighting for our facilities.” One more recent issue, she said, has been the neglect the Onaping Falls Community Centre has faced. A water leak was recently repaired after Ward 3 Coun. Gerry Montpellier raised concerns at city hall. Learn more here.
Rocca-Circelli proposes funding freeze if elected
With a 2022 budget punching in at $661 million, mayoral candidate Miranda Rocca-Circelli is questioning whether the City of Greater Sudbury has been fiscally responsible.The previous year’s budget saw the city spend $641 million.“With such high spending, it would be reasonable to expect that the condition of the city’s assets, such as infrastructure, should be improving year to year,” she said in a media release. “Unfortunately, the city’s assets continue to deteriorate and the infrastructure deficit continues to grow.” The City of Greater Sudbury currently requires an additional $100 million per year to maintain assets in their current condition, according to a city report issued last year. This would require a tax increase of approximately 33 per cent if placed solely on the property tax levy. Although various numbers have been ascribed to it over the years and its fluid nature calls the figure to question, the city currently estimates its infrastructure deficit to be approximately $1 billion. Read the full story on Sudbury.com's home page.
Ribfest is back in Sudbury!
This Labour Day weekend, Ribfest Sudbury is back with a new location, but the same great flavour. From Sept. 2 to 4, you can enjoy a meat-stravaganza at Bell Park’s Grace Amphitheatre. The festival features five professional rib teams, including one new team, The Silver Bullet (not related to the Sudbury food trucks), that Sudbury has never seen.The event also hosts vendors serving up complimentary sides, desserts and drinks. You can expect your favourites from the last 12 years and some new ones too. The festival runs 12 p.m. to 10 p.m. on Friday and Saturday and 12 p.m. to 6 p.m. on Sunday. Free parking at the three city lots on Paris Street adjacent to the park (one being the old hospital/Canada’s largest mural parking lot). Read the full story.
Sudbury’s second annual Kinky Expo happens Sept. 10
Sudbury’s second ever kinky expo, Midnight at Dawn, is taking place on Saturday, Sept. 10 at the The Northbury Hotel and Conference Centre on Brady Street, after a two-year hiatus. Midnight Manor, the organizer of this event, has partnered with Réseau ACCESS Networks, a local HIV/AIDS and social service organization, to offer sexual health education by providing safer sex supplies, and connecting folks to sexual health testing. “We are excited to continue to work with Midnight Manor and be a part of the Midnight at Dawn expo,” said Aspen Groom, Sexual Health Coordinator at Réseau ACCESS Network. “Having connection with folks that partake in different types of sex and relationships allows us to support more peoples in engaging in safer sex and accessing the supports they need.” Réseau ACCESS Network will be supporting the expo by hosting a booth, where they will be handing out safer sex supplies, harm reduction supplies, and answer any questions relating to sexual health and harm reduction. “Events like Midnight at Dawn are a great opportunity for adults to explore themselves and we want to make sure folks know what supports are out there when it comes to their sexual health,” said Groom. For tickets or more information visit www.midnightatdawn.com.
Long weekend weather:
There's pretty decent late-summer weather ahead for the Labour Day long weekend. Saturday will be mainly cloudy. Sixty per cent chance of showers in the morning and early in the afternoon with risk of a thunderstorm. Wind southwest 20 km/h becoming north 20 in the morning. High 20. UV index 5 or moderate. Saturday night there will be cloudy periods with a low of 7 C. However, Sunday will be sunny with a high of 19 C. Sunday night will be clear with a low of 8 C. Labour Day Monday is also forecast to be sunny, with a high of 21 C. Monday night will be clear with a low of 10 C.
