Good morning, Greater Sudbury! Here are a few stories to start your day on this Saturday morning.
Comedy giants Dan Aykroyd and Chevy Chase reunite in Sudbury
Two comedy giants reunited in Greater Sudbury this week, with Dan Aykroyd and Chevy Chase spending four days acting in Zombie Town, a movie based on a book by R.L. Stine. During a scrum with local media on the set in Garson on Thursday, Aykroyd expressed a great deal of affection for the Nickel City, offering that he felt a “kinship” with the region. Chase was a bit more difficult to read, in keeping with the deadpan comedic voice that helped make him famous. He alternated between declaring his intention to relocate to Greater Sudbury and a desire to leave as quickly as possible. “Jesus, I mean, I live in a real place,” he said to laughter from those who gathered to hear from the comedic duo. Aykroyd, who grew up in Ottawa and currently calls Kingston his home, said his experience the past few days would be worth repeating.
Bold: Fall colours are the biggest outdoors attraction right now
If you're like a lot of Northerners who spend time in the outdoors, you probably enjoy seeing the arrival of fall colours at this time of year. From the Quebec border near Mattawa all the way to the Manitoba border near Lake of the Woods, the forests are ablaze with spectacular colours. And the Algoma District which surrounds Sault Ste. Marie is smack in the middle of all that spectacularity (yes, it's a word!). But like a lot of Northerners — and Lindsey Ambeault of Sault Ste. Marie is one of them — you might also take those fall colours for granted because you just grew up surrounded by spectacular maples, poplars, birches and elms. "Absolutely. I don't think it was until I started working for the tour train that I realized how lucky we are to have that,” Ambeault said. “And we do take it for granted. We sit in our backyards and the colours are all around us. But we have people that travel across the world just to see those colours that are right there beside us."
Public asked to weigh in on ‘concerning’ riding redistribution
A letter-writing campaign is being organized by the City of Greater Sudbury to “bombard” the Federal Electoral Boundaries Commission with input from Northern Ontarians. This, because their proposed redistribution of federal electoral districts offers “further evidence that they do not understand Northern Ontario,” Ward 12 Coun. Joscelyne Landry-Altmann said. The councillor spoke up during Tuesday’s city council meeting, at which Ward 7 Coun. Mike Jakubo and Ward 9 Coun. Deb McIntosh put forward a successful motion for the city to issue a letter advocating against the proposed redistribution. Last month, Northern Ontario’s 10 MPs also pushed back against the proposed riding boundary change, which Jakubo said exemplifies the non-partisan nature of their point of advocacy. During Tuesday’s meeting, Mayor Brian Bigger said he found the proposed changes “very concerning,” and that he’s concerned it will “further dilute our representation in the north.”
Get your monster fix at Indie Cinema this weekend
Sudbury's Indie Cinema has launched a line-up of several film-related special events happening in the city in the coming days and weeks. Indie Cinema executive director Beth Mairs said the venue at 162 Mackenzie Street is an ideal location not only for art-house style films but also as a multi-disciplinary arts and entertainment space. Mairs said this was evident just before the pandemic hit two and a half years ago, when the Indie Cinema hosted events that were not specifically film related. With that in mind, several new events are planned, said theatre manager Miranda MacLeod. This includes the Sudbury Indie Creature Konvention (SICK) which is running this Friday and Saturday, Sept. 16 and 17. Along with some horror films, this event will include a screening of the feature film “Two Witches”, with a live in-person introduction by actress Rebekah Kennedy, said MacLeod.
Objected-to sign on Stonegate Drive removed
A group of area residents came out triumphant during this week’s city council meeting, with the city’s elected officials near-unanimous in their support for removing an objected-to street sign. A vandal had apparently taken the law into their own hands prior to the meeting by removing the sign, which prohibited left turns from Stonegate Drive onto Beatrice Crescent. Area resident Agnes Beck reported the sign’s removal to Sudbury.com before this week’s meeting took place, at which time she expressed optimism city council members would not allow the city to replace the sign. The lone vote of city council against a motion by Ward 11 Coun. Bill Leduc for the sign to be removed came without explanation from Ward 2 Coun. Michael Vagnini. The sign was installed this summer through a motion by Leduc which came in response to a public consultation session whose participants advocated for it. Area residents not invited to the meeting, such as Beck, have since pointed out its shortcomings.
‘Into the Woods’ meets climate change on STC stage
A reimagining of Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine’s hit musical “Into the Woods” in the context of the disastrous impacts of climate change is on stage at the Sudbury Theatre Centre building from Sept. 16 to Oct. 9. “Into the Woods” is a 1987 musical that intertwines the plots of several Brothers Grimm fairy tales as they strive to get to “happily ever after,” giving us a glimpse of what their lives are like afterward, and the repercussions of selfishness. The reimagining of the musical being presented locally was adapted by Toronto theatre professional Mitchell Cushman, who is also directing the piece for YES Theatre/STC. The text of the musical hasn’t been touched, it’s only the setting that is changed. The piece is set in the “midst of a climate disaster, in the not-so-distant future,” said Alessandro Costantini, artistic director of both YES Theatre and STC as the local theatre groups explore a merger. “We find this group of people gathered in this displaced persons encampment, sort of sheltering from the storm. Our production centres around this young child who comes in, and we use the story of ‘Into the Woods’ to calm this child and make sense of what is happening.”
Cloudy, rainy weekend in the forecast
Expect a cloudy, wet day for Saturday and more of the same for Sunday. Today will be cloudy with a 60-per-cent chance of showers. The wind will be southerly at 20 km/h around noon. Today’s high is 21 with a humidex value of 27. The UV indext today is four or moderate. Tonight, the clouds will stick around, bringing a 70-per-cent chance of showers. The overnight low is 14. For Sunday, expect a cloudy day with showers possible throughout the day. The high should be around 18. Sunday night, expect more showers a low of 13.
