Good morning, Greater Sudbury! Here are a few stories to start your day on this Friday morning.
Mediation in CUPE talks ends with no deal
Mediation between the Ontario government and the Canadian Union of Public Employees has concluded with no deal ahead of a planned education workers' strike Friday. Education Minister Stephen Lecce says the government is proceeding with legislation, expected to pass today, to impose a contract and ban strikes. But CUPE has said its workers, including educational assistants, custodians and administrative staff, will start a strike Friday "until further notice," even if the legislation passes and makes a walkout illegal. Ontario's Ministry of Education is telling school boards to make "every effort" to keep schools open and otherwise pivot to remote learning.
CUPE walkout will see Rainbow Board close its schools after all
Rainbow District School Board has changed its mind about keeping schools open during a planned walkout Nov. 4 by support staff who are members of the Canadian Union of Public Employees. Initially, all four school boards operating in the Greater Sudbury area said they were keeping schools open Friday amid plans by a union representing 55,000 Ontario education workers to walk off the job. The Rainbow District School Board said in a statement published on its website Nov. 1 that its schools will remain open on Friday. But Nov. 3, Rainbow issued a letter to parents saying the board has had to change course about staying open. Rainbow's decision to change course is related to the decision by Ontario Public Service Employees' Union (OPSEU) to join CUPE in Friday's walkout. Because education assistants employed by the Rainbow Board are OPSEU members, the board is forced to close tomorrow. “Given that we are without the services of more than 425 staff members tomorrow, we can no longer ensure the health and safety of students,” the letter states. “For this reason, classes for in-person learners at all Rainbow Schools in Sudbury, Espanola and Manitoulin Island are cancelled on Friday, November 4, 2022. Please do not send your children to school for in-person learning tomorrow.” The three other boards in the region (French public and French Catholic, and English Catholic) aren’t impacted by the OPSEU solidarity walkout and will stay open.
Hospital CEO’s $400K a year contract renewed for 5 years
Figures recently published by Health Sciences North (HSN) and by Health Sciences North Research Institute (HSNRI) show that hospital president and CEO Dominic Giroux will be paid a combined "base salary" of more than $400,000 per year in each of the next five years. The salary figures are outlined in the HSN "summary of contractual terms and conditions" for Giroux as approved by the hospital board of directors this past April, but the documents only appeared on the hospital website within the past few weeks. The new contract is for a five-year period that ends on Oct. 2, 2027. The 2022 numbers show that Giroux's HSN base salary is $320,824, which is the same base salary that was approved five years ago when he was hired, as of Oct. 2, 2017. It was a five-year agreement that extended to Oct. 1 of 2022. The newer numbers also show that Giroux has an additional yearly base salary of $80,208 as the president and CEO of HSNRI. This, too, was Giroux's salary assigned by HSNRI back in 2017. Together, the two salaries add up to $401,032. The HSN contract also provides for $12,000-a-year car allowance "to offset the cost of business-related transportation." It is defined as a taxable benefit.
GoFundMe created for Desormeaux family’s surviving daughter
With permission from the family of Brian, Janet and Ashton Desormeaux, who died in their home in Coniston on Oct. 31, a GoFundMe has been set up in order to take the pressure off their daughter, Lee Ann, who has experienced the staggering loss of her family. With a goal of $25,000, the GoFundMe can be found here. Set up by Diane Delisle-Langdon and Melissa Billard on behalf of Coniston Minor Hockey, the fundraising is to help “one of our hockey families get through the next several months,” the description on the page states. “Coniston as a community has experienced an unfathomable loss, and our hockey family has been left reeling and searching for ways to help,” it begins. “Brian coached many of our children over the years, and Janet would certainly always be heard cheering for Ashton and all of our kids on the ice. They were staples in the arena and always ready to pitch in and help throughout the community. We have tragically lost these three valuable parts of our team & community.”
Meet the residential school whistleblower everyone ignored
It has now been a month since Canadians donned their orange shirts and paused to remember the many children who never came home from residential schools, and in many cases, to acknowledge the trauma that still faces those who did survive. The days leading up to Sept. 30, the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, held many discussions. From mainly non-Indigenous people, the question was often a form of “why didn’t more people know?” about the deplorable living conditions and frequent deaths Indigenous children in residential schools. While Indigenous people are well aware of the treatment residential school children receiving and of the high mortality rate at many of the schools, the fact is, at the time the schools were most active, it was known. It is just that no one with the power or authority to make changes did so. How did authorities know? They heard it from Dr. Peter Henderson Bryce in 1907, who was the chief medical officer under the Ministry of the Interior and Indian Affairs at the time. He tried again in 1915. And again in 1922.
Fatal Hwy 144 crash involved three commercial vehicles
Ontario Provincial Police have announced the fatal collision that closed Highway 144 in South Porcupine involved three commercial vehicles. The highway remains closed at this hour and has been since 5:30 p.m. on Nov. 2. The collision took place near Doyle Township, near Highway 101 and the Arctic Watershed plaque. The OPP’s investigation has revealed that a south bound commercial motor vehicle collided with two north-bound commercial motor vehicles resulting in the highway being blocked. The identity of the deceased person will be released pending next of kin notification. The highway would be closed for most of Nov. 3, OPP advised yesterday.
High of 16 and cloudy today
Expect cloudy skies today but the unseasonably mild temperatures will continue. Today’s high is expected to hit 16. The wind will be southerly at 30 km/h, gusting to 50. The UV index today is one, or low. Tonight, showers are expected with winds lightening near midnight, before picking up again near morning. The overnight low is 12.
