Good morning, Greater Sudbury! Here are a few stories to start your day on this Saturday morning.
Walkout: Hundreds gather in Sudbury to support education workers
The hundreds of protesters who gathered in Sudbury to support education workers on Friday had a simple message: Education workers need more money. Though it gets more nuanced than that, that’s the bare-bones version of the job action that closed various schools throughout the province on Friday, including those in Rainbow District. “Wages,” Lo-Ellen Park Secondary School custodian Stan Pasternak told Sudbury.com, when asked why he was protesting. “Enough is enough, we need to get more to survive in life these days,” he said, adding that he presently makes $23 per hour, which makes things difficult. “We need more.” The average wage among education workers, a class which includes such staff as education assistants and custodians, is between $39,000 and $45,000, OPSEU Local 614 president Lise Orsini told Sudbury.com. This wage, she said, makes it “difficult to live and support yourself in this day and age, with the cost of living increasing.”
High winds expected this weekend with gusts reaching 90 km/h
A wind advisory is now in place for Sudbury, lasting for much of the weekend, as a cold front associated with a strengthening area of low pressure will be moving across the Greater Sudbury area Saturday night. Beginning late Saturday afternoon and continuing until early Sunday morning, winds with gusts between 70 and 80 kilometres per hour are expected, with isolated gusts up to 90 kilometres an hour. The advisory includes a warning about objects being tossed in the wind, with the potential to cause injury or damage. Environment Canada also warns of the potential for power outages.
Hospital tightens security after incident with starter pistol
Sudbury's Health Sciences North (HSN) has stepped up security measures in response to an incident in October where a man showed up at the hospital with a starter pistol loaded with blank caps, after gaining entry through an unlocked staff entrance. Details of the event were provided to hospital staff through a recent internal news blog from hospital president and CEO Dominic Giroux who said although no weapon was pointed at anyone and although no person was threatened, the incident was regarded as distressing by many staff members and requires action. "An individual presented to the Emergency Department and informed the registration clerk that they had a gun and that police should be called. The individual returned calmly to the waiting room," Giroux wrote in the blog. Giroux also revealed that no gun was pointed at staff at any time nor did the individual act threateningly. Police were called immediately and they responded quickly, arresting the individual in the waiting room. The incident happened Oct. 11. "Thanks to the quick actions of the registration clerk, triage nurse, the team in the Emergency Department and HSN security staff, this event was resolved without injury to patients or our people. Everyone involved is to be commended for their actions," Giroux wrote.
Falconbridge roundabout fully opening on Friday
Coming in on time and on budget, the $4.1-million roundabout at Longyear Drive and Edison Road in Falconbridge will be fully open at noon on Friday, Nov. 4. “We did a soft open just to get people used to it,” project manager Miranda Edwards told Sudbury.com during a tour of the partially opened roundabout earlier this week, joined by city engineering services director David Shelsted. Until Friday at noon, the roundabout constructed by Interpaving Ltd. will remain partially closed off with pylons, allowing motorists to only make the first right turn. With residents of Falconbridge having no other choice but to use the roundabout, and this being a first for the community, Edwards said it was important for people to ease into using it. That said, it’s a straightforward one-lane roundabout with three entry points requiring motorists to yield going in.
‘Fall back’ Sunday for daylight saving time
With daylight saving time ending at 2 a.m. Sunday, Nov. 6, Ontarians can catch a few extra Z’s, with clocks slated to “fall back” an hour. The act of falling back and springing forward for daylight saving time has been largely derided and lampooned in recent years, but remains in place in Ontario while other provinces have seen it fall by the wayside. Saskatchewan, Yukon and some areas of British Columbia, Quebec and Ontario do not recognize daylight saving time, which was first observed in Canada in 1908. The Ontario communities of Atikokan and Pickle Lake do not recognize daylight saving time. Its Canadian origins were in Port Arthur and Thunder Bay, after which other locations in Canada began following suit. Regina joined in 1914, followed by Winnipeg and Brandon in 1916, with others falling on board in subsequent years.
Proposed business cases total $7.78M tax impact in 2023
In what’s poised to be a difficult sell, 36 business cases proposing service level increases have been tabled by the city, carrying a total net property tax impact of $7.78 million in 2023. Although every budget cycle is pre-empted by rhetoric around “difficult decisions,” the 2023 budget process is particularly challenging due to the need for city administration to cut $17.7 million in expenses to hit a targeted 3.7-per-cent tax increase. Since the business cases would work against this goal, if approved, they are anticipated to spark debates in the council chamber during 2023 budget deliberations next year. Although the business cases in question are on the Nov. 8 city council agenda, the only decision the current batch of elected officials is expected to make is whether they want them forwarded to next year’s budget talks, which the new city council will make a final decision on. Among business cases with the greatest 2023 budget impact is a complete capital repair to the Onaping Falls Community Centre, which would tack $1.29 million onto next year’s budget and equate to a 0.41-per-cent levy increase.
Cloudy but mild weekend in the forecast
Expect a cloudy, wet but mild weekend, according to the forecast. For Saturday, showers will end in the morning, then cloudy with a 40-per-cent chance of showers late in the morning and early in the afternoon. Showers will continue in the afternoon with upwards of 5 mm of rain expected. The wind will be southerly at 20 km/h, gusting to 40 near noon. There is also a special weather statement in effect in regard to high winds. Click here for details. The high today is 15. The UV index is one, or low. For tonight, showers will end near midnight, then cloudy with a 30-per-cent chance of showers for the night. Up to 10 mm of rain is possible. Southerly winds with gusts up to 70 km/h are expected during the evening. The overnight low is 7. For Sunday, expect a cloudy day with a 30-per-cent chance of showers and a high of 10. For Sunday evening, expect cloudy periods and a low of 3.
