Good morning, Greater Sudbury! Here are a few stories to start your day on this Wednesday morning.
Election breakdown: How the numbers shake out in each ward
The unofficial results of this year’s civic election in Greater Sudbury reveal a decisive victory for mayor-elect Paul Lefebvre, who earned 52.44 per cent of the vote. Lefebvre’s 26,187 votes were followed by 9,094 for Evelyn Dutrisac, Miranda Rocca-Circelli’s 6,651, Mila Wong (3,002), Bob Johnston (1,860), Devin Labranche (1,367), Don Gravelle (1,090), Brian Bigger (607) and David Popescu (83). The show of support for Bigger, the incumbent candidate, is of particular interest because he announced earlier this month that he was withdrawing his name from consideration due to family reasons, but did so after the deadline for his name to be removed from the ballot. The unofficial results came in during the early morning hours and are expected to be followed by official results later today. Voter turnout was approximately 42 per cent, with 49,941 votes cast in the mayoral race. This is the lowest voter turnout since 2006, when a turnout of 40.82 per cent was recorded.
Public invited to annual poppy flag-raising this Friday
For the fourth straight year, the Royal Canadian Legion poppy campaign in Greater Sudbury will kick off with the raising of a massive poppy flag. This Friday, Oct. 28, Legion members and supporters will gather behind the MIC restaurant on the corner of Falconbridge Road and The Kingsway to raise the enormous flag, which measures 4.5m x 9m (15 ft x 30 ft) that features the poppy logo and the phrase “Lest We Forget.” “Traditionally the last Friday in October is the kick off to the poppy campaign,” Gisele Pharand, the public relations officer for Legion Zone H3, told Sudbury.com. The Legion is encouraging members of the public — including veterans, Legion members and citizens — to join the ceremony. People are encouraged to arrive at 4:45 p.m. with the flag-raising being held at 5 p.m.
Zero-emission vehicles remain a tough sell in Northern Ontario
Zero-emission vehicles are still hard to sell in Northern Ontario. Research conducted for the Northern Policy Institute found that only 2.2 per cent of all new zero-emission vehicles sold in the entire province last year were registered in Northern Ontario. The region has approximately five per cent of the province's population. The federal government defines a zero-emission vehicle as a battery-powered electric vehicle, a plug-in hybrid vehicle or a vehicle powered by hydrogen fuel cells. For every 10,000 residents of the North, six zero-emission vehicles were registered last year, compared with 15 vehicles for every 10,000 people province-wide. But Ontario itself does not compare well with some other jurisdictions. Only 3.2 per cent of new vehicle registrations in the province last year were zero-emission vehicles, compared with about nine per cent in Quebec and 12 per cent in British Columbia.
Many acclaimations, but at least one surprise in trustee races
Many area school board trustees were acclaimed to their seats and many incumbents re-elected during the Oct. 24 election. While that doesn’t exactly make for much drama, there was at least one surprise we’d like to highlight. Long-time Sudbury Catholic School Board trustee and Zone 1 (Wards 1 and 2) incumbent Estelle Scappatura has been unseated by her opponent, Shirley McKnight. Some of these school boards also have trustees running in areas encompassed by other municipalities in Northern Ontario. These trustees have not been included in this article. You can view the full results for trustees in this area, as well for the Greater Sudbury mayoral and councillor races, online here.
For the complete results click here.
Students select Bob Johnston as Greater Sudbury's new mayor
Homelessness advocate Bob Johnston would be Greater Sudbury’s mayor if students decided the results of this year’s civic election. He was the victor in this year’s Student Vote – an “an experiential learning program that enables teachers to bring democracy alive in the classroom, and empowers students to practice the habits of active and engaged citizenship.” “I hope the adults are the same, because I’d be glad to represent this city,” Johnston told Sudbury.com shortly after the results came in, where he secured 23 per cent of the student vote. He credits the prominence of his signs and the fact he’s quite visible in the community for his campaign resonating with youths. “I’m out at car shows, I’m out at some hockey games, I’m out everywhere,” he said. “They see me around for sure.” Johnston received 692 votes from Greater Sudbury students, and was followed by candidate Paul Lefebvre’s 533, Mila Wong (373), Evelyn Dutrasic (388), Miranda Rocca-Circelli (357), Devin Labranche (223), Don Gravelle (149), Brian Bigger (127) and David Popescu (120).
Cubs rocket to No. 11 in national junior rankings
The Greater Sudbury Cubs have climbed to the No. 11 spot in the Canadian Junior Hockey League’s Top 20 weekly rankings. The local NOJHL squad is coming off two big wins. On Oct. 20, the Cubs hosted the Powassan Voodoos at Countryside Arena and sent them packing 5-1. The next day, Oct. 21, the Cubs travelled to Espanola to battle the Paper Kings at the Espanola Regional Recreation Complex. The Sudbury team won that, too, by a solid 6-1 score. “The victories maintained the Cubs’ first-place status in the NOJHL with an overall record of 11 wins, two losses and two overtime losses,” the team said in a news release. Those wins “vaulted” the Cubs into the CJHL’s Top 20 Weekly Rankings, sitting comfortably at No. 11. “This is an exciting time for our franchise and the hockey fans of the City of Greater Sudbury” said Cubs Head Coach Darryl Moxam in the news release. “Hockey and hockey fans had to battle through a tough couple of years and we are truly grateful that our players have stepped-up and shown improvement this season.
Cloudy and a high of 13 today
Expect cloudy skies today with showers beginning early in the morning. The wind will be out of the southwest at 20 km/h late in the morning. Today’s high will be 13. The UV index today is one, or low. Tonight, the mercury will drop to 1, with showers.
