Good morning, Greater Sudbury! Here are a few stories to start your day on this Friday morning.
Indie hosts special film screening for Orange Shirt Day
The Sudbury Indie Cinema will host two screenings of Cinéfest Sudbury selection Stories of Decolonization: (De)Colonial Relations on Friday, Sept. 30, in honour of The National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, also known as Orange Shirt Day. Entry is free, and donations will be collected for a local Indigenous organization. Akinomooshin, Inc. is a grassroots non-profit organization centering traditional knowledge in the lives of all Anishnawbek through their teaching lodge, akinoomoshin wigwam. The 3 p.m. showing will offer Anishinaabemowin subtitles, at 6:30 p.m. will be the bilingual (French and English) version. Stories of Decolonization is a multilingual, interview-based, multi-film documentary project created by a collaborative group of filmmakers (including Laurentian University social work faculty member Elizabeth Carlson-Manathara) with the aim of providing the public with a basic and accessible understanding of colonization and its continued impacts on everyday Canadian experiences. Stories of Decolonization: (De)Colonial Relations is the project’s newest release. In this 59-minute film, personal stories are used to reveal ongoing processes and structures of colonialism in Canada. With sensitivity to the intersectional oppressions experienced by diverse groups and the challenges these present, the film moves toward solidarity, deeper relationality, and decolonization. For more information about the project, visit their website, found here.
Vale takes to the air with choppers over Coniston for five days
Vale continues the effort to regreen the Sudbury landscape by flying over parts of Coniston for several days beginning Thursday, Sept. 29. Sudbury's largest mining company will be carrying out the annual aerial grass seeding program which began more than 30 years ago. In a company news release, Vale said it will be using helicopters to target barren land that requires reclamation. The effort is expected to last for five days. Vale said the targeted area will take in roughly 100 hectares of land southeast of Coniston. "While every effort will be made not to fly over nearby residential areas, local residents may notice low-flying helicopters near the Town of Coniston. Residents are advised that this is part of Vale’s normal land reclamation activities and the low flight paths are necessary for the work to be effective," said the Vale news release. "Weather permitting, helicopters will depart from a private aggregate pit south-east of the Town of Coniston and deposit loads of pelletized limestone, grass seed and fertilizer on the designated treatment areas," the release continued. A similar effort was carried out in the Coniston area at this time last year. The Vale reseeding program was started in 1990 and has treated more than 4,100 hectares of land to date. The regreening efforts in Sudbury began in the 1970s and has involved several companies and all levels of government. In that time, the city has gained worldwide attention for the success of reclaiming land that was once left black and barren by industrial mining pollution.
GSPS welcomes six new constables
Six new constables were welcomed to Greater Sudbury Police Service during Wednesday’s police board meeting, which kicked off with a swearing-in ceremony. It’s not an easy job, Chief Paul Pedersen cautioned the newcomers, noting they’re charged with doing “more things for more people under increasing complexity, increasing scrutiny.” “When all else fails, when other public services sleep, which is the only profession out there in all conditions, every single day, day in and day out? That’s our profession,” he added. “We’re not only a service that’s available if you call, but we’re a service actively involved, actively working proactively and reactively so everyone can enjoy their lives safely. “Oftentimes it seems the standard you’re going to be held to is a standard of perfection. That isn’t true. You’re held to a standard of putting your best foot forward day in and day out. This is a profession where there will always be naysayers, where there will always be someone that thinks they can do your job better than you. The reality is, none of those people ever applied, never mind making it through the exacting standards you did.” Read the full story here.
Cambrian soon to boast battery test site for mining vehicles
Cambrian College is helping to step up Sudbury's role as a key centre for Battery Electric Vehicle knowledge and innovation. Details were revealed at the recent Mine Operators and Maintenance Engineers conference, hosted by the Sudbury branch of CIM (Canadian Institute of Mining, Metallurgy and Petroleum) on how Cambrian College will be expanding its Centre for Smart Mining to include a formal testing facility for battery electric vehicles (BEVs). Stephen Gravel, the manager at the Smart Centre, spoke briefly at the conference to comment on the role of education as more mining companies are integrating BEVs into their mining operations. This formal announcement of the testing centre was revealed by FedNor earlier this year, but Gravel provided newer details this past week. Gravel said that within a year Cambrian will be opening a specialized battery performance testing facility where companies can go to have their vehicle power trains and battery packs tested on a simulator and dynamometer machine. The facility will be 5,600 square feet. Contractors arrived at the college this week to begin preparations for construction. Read the full story on Sudbury.com's home page.
Humdrum agenda for city council’s final meeting
Greater Sudbury city council appears to be done making any major decisions, with the agenda for their final meeting on Oct. 3 consisting mainly of final approval for existing decisions. The 3:30 p.m. special city council meeting will follow a planning committee meeting at 1 p.m. and was “scheduled to deal with the ratification of matters from the planning committee, which are time sensitive,” according to a city spokesperson. They also confirmed the meeting would be the last before the Oct. 24 election, and that the next regular council meeting would be held Nov. 8. A regular council meeting had been scheduled for Oct. 4, but is no longer on the city’s calendar. As such, it appears the current city council’s final regular meeting was held on Sept. 13, at which members voted to hammer the final nail in the Kingsway Entertainment District’s coffin and to request the public weigh in on the proposed federal electoral boundary changes. Read the full story here.
‘Haunted Heights Trail’ organizers collecting for food bank
If you’re looking for a bit of Halloween fun appropriate for adults or families with older kids, check out the Haunted Heights Trail at 1764 Kathleen St. in McCrea Heights. The 800-foot trail officially opens Friday, Sept. 30, and runs 8-11 p.m. The trail runs Fridays and Saturdays throughout October from 8-11 p.m. It also runs Sunday, Oct. 30 from 7-10 p.m. Admission is $10, or $7 with two non-perishable food items (human or pet). The organizers are trying to raise two tons of food for the Sudbury Food Bank. The trail is open to those eight years of age and older. Anyone under the age of 16 must be accompanied by an adult. Dogs are not permitted. Due to the terrain, the trail is not wheelchair accessible. Learn more on the event’s Facebook page.
Friday weather:
Friday will be sunny with a high of 15 C. UV index 4 or moderate. While it sounds like a lovely fall day is ahead, a frost advisory is in effect for the region, at least early Friday morning. Environment Canada said temperatures near or below the freezing mark were expected into Friday morning, which could affect plants. Friday night is expected to be clear, with fog patches developing overnight. The temperature expected to get down to 1 C with patchy frost.
