Good morning, Greater Sudbury! Here are a few stories to start your day on this Saturday morning.
Joes take on the Five but it’s local charities that win
With fun the name of the game, Mayor Paul Lefebvre capped Thursday’s charity basketball match by declaring it a tied affair, invoking a lesser-known mayoral power. The Joes vs Pros game at the Sudbury Community Arena featured several “celebrity” players, including business people, radio personalities and others known in the community, who faced off against the Sudbury Five on the court. Sprinkled throughout the event were various contests and entertainers to keep the crowd of approximately 2,500 people riled up. “It was good to see right around Christmas time all the people come together for children's charities,” Social Rise owner Connor LaRocque told Sudbury.com following the event. “We haven’t seen an event like this in a few years.” Social Rise hosted the event alongside Active Therapy and Tristan Ritchie Realtor, in partnership with the Sudbury Five.
Police say driver breached court orders, faces multiple charges
The decision of a suspended driver to go for a spin, and to speed while doing it, didn’t go so well when he was pulled over for speeding, Nipissing West Ontario Provincial Police detachment reported today. On Dec. 25 at 7:01 p.m., Nipissing West Detachment OPP report conducting a traffic stop of a vehicle travelling over the posted speed limited of 80 kilometres per hour on Highway 64 in the French River area. “The driver of the vehicle provided a false identification to police and was arrested,” the detachment reported in a news release. The OPP said further investigation revealed not only was the driver breaching court orders by driving and not only was there an outstanding warrant for his arrest, but also he was under a driving suspension at the time of the alleged offence and was facing charges for other multiple driving infractions.
Lefebvre year-end interview: Challenges, ‘excitement in the air’
While recognizing the city faces numerous challenges in 2023, Mayor Paul Lefebvre said there’s ample reason to remain optimistic. Each major challenge has been paired with an action, he said, including a plan to address a bottleneck in housing that has been frequently blamed for stymying growth. While fears of a broader recession are bandied about, Lefebvre said, “I’m optimistic on the economy being strong” locally, adding he’s “bullish on what’s going on in Sudbury, certainly on the mining side — lots of exploration and a lot of activity going on.” Lefebvre was in Ottawa earlier this month meeting with federal ministers about Canada’s new Critical Minerals Strategy, under which he said the Greater Sudbury area’s natural resources will place the region front and centre. City staff are working on a plan to determine where Greater Sudbury might fit into the federal plan so they’re ready to pounce when the funding doors swing open.
Jobs of the Future: Feds expand skilled refugee program
The federal government announced earlier this month that it is expanding the Economic Mobility Pathways Pilot (EMPP) program that brings in skilled refugees to fill jobs in high-demand sectors. Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Minister Sean Fraser said in a news release that in the coming years, Canada would work with employers and communities across the country to expand the pilot program and welcome 2,000 skilled refugees to fill specific labour shortages in high-demand sectors, such as health care, skilled trades and information technology. “Resettlement provides refugees with the opportunity to live in safety and rebuild their lives, but it shouldn’t mean their career experience gets overlooked in the process,” Fraser said in a news release. “Through this groundbreaking program, our government is highlighting skilled refugees’ professional achievements by allowing them to continue their career in Canada, while giving employers access to a pool of global talent.” The program connects skilled workers overseas with employers in Canada who need to fill critical job shortages.
Degrassi stars stopping by Sudbury for Nostalgiacon
It’s almost time to dust off your old fanny pack, digital watch, Hammer pants and rediscover your Gargoyles Pogs, because Nostalgiacon is taking place on April 23. The pop culture convention is aimed “to recapture your youth, if just for the day,” organizer Bradley Davidson said, adding they’re planning “a little bit for everybody.” Nostalgiacon is new to Sudbury, and is being organized by the same people behind the annual Northern Game Expo, which they’re still planning on hosting in the fall. The spring Nostalgiacon is broader in scope and encompasses pop culture from the ’70s on, with more than 90 vendors lined up thus far to sell collectable blasts from the past. “Basically, you’re taking a step back in time to eras gone by, so we’re looking to bring in vendors from the ’70s to now,” Davidson said. “You’re looking at everything from records, video games of course, art, authors — anything in the nostalgic genre.”
Christmas day ditching leads to impaired, assault charges
A Christmas evening drive turned into an arrest and several charges for a Sudbury man. At 11 p.m. on Dec. 25, the Manitoulin Detachment of the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) responded to a single vehicle that had ditched on Highway 6 in Assigninack Township. “Police attended the location and it was determined the driver had been consuming alcoholic beverages,” the OPP reports in a news release. “The driver was unco-operative and assaultive towards police and also caused damage to the police cruiser.” The man’s vehicle was towed and impounded, and his driver’s licence was suspended for 90 days.
Mild New Year’s weekend in the forecast
Expect a mild New Year’s weekend, Greater Sudbury. The forecast calls for a steady daytime temperature of -2 today under cloudy skies. The winds will be 15 km/h, bringing a -7 wind chill. Tonight, the skies will stay cloudy and the temperature will drop to -7. For Sunday, expect a high of -1 under cloudy skies. For Sunday night, the temperature will stay steady at -1 under cloudy skies with a 30-per-cent chance of flurries.
