Good morning, Greater Sudbury! Here are a few stories to start your day on this Monday morning.
Supervised Consumption site manager responds to low usage
Amber Fritz, manager of supervised consumption services for Réseau ACCESS Network, told Sudbury.com she is always hesitant to focus on numbers when it comes to harm reduction. “Other people may see numbers, but we see human beings,” she said. With the release of an infographic from the Energy Court supervised consumption site earlier this month, timed with the release of government opioid death figures from public health districts across Ontario, many have commented on what could be seen as a small number of visitors to the Supervised Consumption site, open since the end of September. It has seen 126 visits, from 69 unique visitors, and reversed three overdoses linked to the drug-poisoning crisis. Usage per capita is on par with provincial averages and in some instances surpasses figures from other sites. And more than that, said Fritz, those three overdoses are three people; three people who are alive today because they chose to use substances at the site.
West urges Ford government to take action on diesel particulate
Miners in Ontario are allowed to be exposed to far more diesel particulate than they are in other provinces and jurisdictions and now the Ontario NDP is joining the United Steelworkers union in calling on the province to take action. Sudbury MPP and NDP labour critic Jamie West issued a statement on the issue this week. "No worker should ever be forced to jeopardize their health and safety simply by doing their job,” West said. “But our miners’ health is in danger. The research is clear: Ontario mine workers are getting ten times the recommended maximum exposure level of diesel particulate matter (DPM).” As detailed by USW Local 6500 during a press conference earlier this month announcing their lobbying campaign to lower the DPM threshold, Ontario mines currently cap exposure at 400 mcg/mg, far higher than other jurisdictions.
OHL mourns sudden passing of Knights centre Abakar Kazbekov
London Knights centre Abakar Kazbekov has died, the team and Ontario Hockey League announced via Twitter on Saturday. "Today I join the entire OHL community in mourning the devastating loss of London Knights player Abakar Kazbekov," OHL commissioner David Branch said in a statement. "Our deepest condolences are with his family and friends in Russia and his teammates, billets and friends here in Canada." According to news reports, the London Police Service (LPS) Major Crime Section is investigating after the 18-year-old's body was found on the sidewalk Saturday morning. Police said Kazbekov appeared to have fallen from the building. The Moscow native had been a member of the Knights since the start of last season.
MNRF’s aerial moose survey now underway
The Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry has commenced its annual aerial moose inventory surveys. Wildlife management units in several parts of the province aims to monitor moose populations across Ontario. “Between December and February, staff are using aircraft to look for moose and their tracks in fresh, deep snow,” the ministry said in a notice to media. “Survey information about the number, age and sex of moose is used to inform moose and habitat management.” Most of these survey flights will occur over Northern Ontario, but some areas farther south will also surveyed, including areas around Bancroft, Parry Sound, Bracebridge and Peterborough, as well as other unspecified areas.
Year-round rink at Robinson Playground officially opened
Volunteers and city officials gathered on Cranbrook Crescent on Dec. 17 for the official opening of the new outdoor rink at Robinson Playground. It was also a lovely day for residents of the neighbourhood to lace up and try out the new sheet of ice made by the unofficial “mayor of Cranbrook”, Joe Caridade. On hand for the official opening were Mayor Paul Lefebvre, Ward 1 Coun. Marc Signoretti, whose ward includes the playground, Ward 7 Coun. Natalie Labbée, corporate sponsors who helped fund the project, the volunteers who moved the project forward, and a few dozen residents of Cranbrook who gathered to celebrate. Approximately $200,000 in donations were pledged toward the rink project by community members and companies, with various in-kind contributions rounding out a project estimated to cost $380,000. The logos and names of many of those sponsors have been added to the rink boards.
Fun and games at Festival de Noël in Azilda
Café Heritage’s Le Festival de Noël drew a crowd to Whitewater Lake Park in Azilda this weekend for a celebration of the holiday season and winter itself. Besides the fun and games, there are several festive displays for folks to stroll through. A nativity scene is the centrepiece of the displays at the park, which also feature a miniature Santa’s Village built by the students at Collège Boréal and with plans by Bélanger Salach Architects, who designed the wonderland. There are also 64 panels representing 16 classic Christmas carols, including two from homegrown artists such as Chuck Labelle and Claude Lecuyer. The songs will be playing in the background as people tour the wonderland. The official launch was on Dec. 16 at 7 p.m. with a light show at the park. The evening continued with a performance from Rodney Meilleur. This Winter Wonderland can be viewed each night from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. until Dec. 27.
Read the full story and check out the photos here.
Cloudy and fairly mild today
Expect a cloudy day to start the work week with the wind out of the northwest at 20 km/h, becoming light late in the morning. Today’s high will be around -5, but with a wind chill of -15 in the morning and -7 in the afternoon. Tonight, expect cloudy periods with a 30-per-cent chance of flurries and a low of -15.
