Good morning, Greater Sudbury! Here are a few stories to start your day on this Thursday morning.
Sudbury cop demoted over incident at Espanola Rec Centre
Superintendent Peter Lennox has released his decision in the disciplinary case against Greater Sudbury Police Officer, Const. Melisa Rancourt. After hearings to determine what punishment the officer should face under the Police Services Act for her refusal to show proof of vaccination at a children’s hockey game, as well as subsequent social media posts, Lennox determined Rancourt will be demoted from first-class constable to third-class constable for a period of one year, followed by one year in the rank of second-class constable, conditional on satisfactory performance of duty by the officer and the concurrence of her unit commander. She will also be required to perform 40 hours of volunteer work through the Friends of Simon Wiesenthal Centre for Holocaust Studies. Rancourt worked with the organization during her administrative leave in order to better understand her use of the word ‘nazi’ after Rancourt was arrested for resisting a peace officer and trespassing after refusing to show proof of vaccination at the Espanola Rec. Centre on Sept. 26 of 2021. The decision came down on Nov. 18, after the disciplinary hearing in October.
LUFA: ‘Shocking details’ in documents kept secret during CCAA
The Laurentian University Faculty Association (LUFA) has responded to the release of documents kept secret through a court order while Laurentian was under insolvency creditor protection. Laurentian finally exited the Companies’ Creditors Arrangement Act (CCAA) on Nov. 28, after 22 months. With the CCAA exit, the public got a look at letters exchanged between Laurentian University and the Ministry of Colleges and Universities from January 2021, in the days leading up to when LU declared insolvency. Confidential Exhibit EEE is a letter from Ross Romano, then the minister of Colleges and Universities, to then Laurentian president Dr. Robert Haché, dated Jan. 21, 2021. Confidential Exhibit FFF is a letter from Haché to Romano, dated Jan. 25, 2021. The letters between the two parties show the negotiations between LU and the government in the days leading up to Laurentian’s CCAA filing. LUFA said the sealed documents “contain shocking details about the university’s senior leadership plans to cut 124 faculty and over 50 programs, regardless of whether they received government support or CCAA protection.”
City sees $64M in permits issued for Q2 and Q3
The City of Greater Sudbury is highlighting the dollar value for building permits issued for the second and third quarters of 2022, which totalled some $64 million. The city said in a news release that the number and value of the permits issued — in particular permits issued the cultural, hospitality, mining, health care and research sectors — indicates “positive economic growth and continued confidence” in the city’s economy and its future. In particular, the construction of the exploration shaft hoist house at Vale, the transformation of several existing buildings into new residential units and the construction of Cambrian College’s Battery Electric Vehicle Lab were highlighted. “I am encouraged by the ongoing growth and potential in our community,” said Mayor Paul Lefebvre. “Strong partnerships, innovative programs and the tireless work of our local businesses ensure the economic outlook for Greater Sudbury remains strong. I have been very clear I will promote, attract and innovate to grow our community, and I am ready and excited to tackle this work head on.”
Council names deputy mayors, makes committee appointments
The first meeting of the new Greater Sudbury city council saw councillors appointed and elected to the various panels and committees, as well as the selection of the two deputy mayors. All but one councillor attended in person, with Ward 9 Coun. Deb McIntosh attending the Nov. 29 meeting virtually. After quickly moving through the usual business, positions to the panels and committees of Greater Sudbury were filled. Each councillor could nominate themselves or another council member for available positions, and when the number of councillors who accept the nomination exceeded the available position, a vote was held. The votes were on paper ballots, collected and then read by the clerk into the record. The new appointments were then added to a motion, and that motion was voted on. All but two of the final selections carried with a unanimous vote. The Police Services Board appointment motion and the Greater Sudbury Utilities board appointment motion were both opposed by Ward 2 Coun. Vagnini.
Former Elliot Lake mall property back on sale
The former Algo Mall property, which has sat vacant since the mall collapse that claimed two lives in 2012 and was purchased by the city for close to $1 million in April, will be going on the sales block again, a unanimous and newly elected council decided at its first regular council meeting Monday evening. The 13-acre property known as 151 Ontario Ave. was declared surplus, paving the way for the sale. It was on a motion from Coun. Norman Mann that the motion to sell was approved. Mann said the property, which he voted against purchasing and campaigned to sell, could be developed into a mix of commercial and residential uses. Possible purchasers of part or all of the property would decide on the type of development and prepare a bid to the city’s economic development department which would work on it before it goes to the council for any final approval. Initially, the plan was for the city to purchase the property and build a multi-million dollar recreation hub on the site. Failure to secure any funding from the federal or provincial levels of government has put that plan to rest for now.
Mostly sunny afternoon, high of -3
Expect this morning’s cloudy skies to clear around the noon hour. The wind will be westerly at 30 km/h, gusting to 50 before becoming light in the afternoon. The temperature will be steady around -3, but that wind will mean a wind chill of around -13 in the morning and -5 in the afternoon. The UV index today is 1, or low. Tonight, expect cloudy periods and a low of -4.
