Good morning, Greater Sudbury! Here are a few stories to start your day on this Thursday morning.
Sudbury’s female gridiron warriors need a league of their own
Despite the cold wind and a light, rainy drizzle, scores of young women in Sudbury hit the turf at James Jerome Field on May 16 for the second annual all-girls full tackle football game between the Bears of St. Benedict Catholic Secondary School of Sudbury and the Lions of St. Mark Catholic High School of Manotick, near Ottawa. With all the grunting, sweating and clash of pads of helmets, the event was to highlight once again that secondary school females are fully capable of playing full tackle football, just as boys have been doing for decades. Well-known Sudbury head-coach Kim "Junior" Labrosse said this year's game was a rematch from last May when St. Benedict hosted St. Mark for the first time in Sudbury. "Last year was the first high school girls football game in Canadian history between us and St. Mark's. And this year we're following through," said Labrosse. He said the reason the St. Mark Lions travelled all the way to Sudbury is because there are so few female high-school football teams anywhere in Ontario. Labrosse said that needs to change.
Fire hazard high over much of the northeast region
here are currently three active forest fires in the region, with one new fire confirmed May 16, the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forest Aviation, Forest Fire and Emergency Services advise. The three forest are: Sudbury 1 measures 4.5 hectares and is not yet under control; Bancroft 2, which started May 15, measures 8.8 hectares and is being held, and; Sault Ste. Marie 1, which started May 15, measure 9 hectares and is being held. The ministry said the Northeast Region is “showing high hazard” for areas from Sault Ste. Marie north to Lake Superior Provincial Park and east to Sudbury. Areas along Georgian Bay and going east from Parry Sound through Bracebridge, Kawartha Lakes, Bancroft and the Renfrew areas are also showing high hazard. Areas east of Sudbury, including North Bay and Pembroke, and north, includnig Temiskaming Shores, are showing low to moderate hazards.
Governance deal puts Métis, Indigenous communities at odds
A self-governance agreement signed in February by the Métis Nation of Ontario (MNO) and the federal government has created friction between the Métis Nation and the Robinson Huron Waawiindamaagewin (RHW), who say the government and MNO are negotiating for rights that do not belong to them, and have based their claims on flawed research. The MNO was founded in 1993 and represents the “collective aspirations, rights and interests of Métis people and communities” throughout Ontario, the group states. The governance agreement has been in the works since 2017. Under the deal, the federal government recognizes that Métis communities represented by the MNO “hold the inherent right to self-government and self-determination.” It’s a path for the MNO to become a recognized public Indigenous government, with law-making powers in the areas of citizenship, leadership selection, and internal operations.
Province appoints lawyer to the Greater Sudbury police board
One of two vacancies on the Greater Sudbury police board has been filled, with local lawyer Krista Fortier participating in her first meeting with the group on Wednesday. “It’s definitely a learning curve,” she told Sudbury after the meeting. Fortier’s voice was absent during her inaugural meeting, which she attended in-person at the downtown police station, so it remains to be seen what her presence on the board will bring. As a practising lawyer whose family law firm includes family law, Fortier said told Sudbury.com after the meeting that she has seen the impacts of mental health and addictions. “I really hope to be able to bring those concerns forward, and hopefully have them addressed with the board as well,” she said, adding that she also wants to promote “health and safety as well as officer safety and helping our city as a whole.”
Sudbury man awarded for for social work with kidney patients
A Sudbury man, Gary Petingola, MSW, RSW, has been awarded for outstanding achievement in nephrology patient and health-care professional care. Petingola was named the recipient of the Robert W. Whitlock Lifetime Achievement Award from the National Kidney Foundation (NFK), a U.S.-based health organization to support individuals affected by kidney disease. Petingola was awarded in April at the NKF’s 2023 Spring Clinical Meetings in Austin,Texas, said a news release. The award recognizes "the profound impact that Petingola has had on the field of nephrology social work" through programs, publications and teachings, mentoring colleagues and improving the lives of kidney patients and family through research, presentations, articles, and program development, said the release.
Annual cystic fibrosis walk in Bell Park on May 28
The 19th annual Walk to Make Cystic Fibrosis History hits Bell Park on May 28. Organized by the Greater Sudbury Kinette Club for the second year in a row, the annual event is tied to Cystic Fibrosis Awareness Month, and is Cystic Fibrosis Canada’s largest national fundraising event. “The walk is an opportunity for families, friends, individuals and teams to go #FurtherForAll and help change the lives of people living with cystic fibrosis and honour those who’ve lost their lives because of this disease,” the organization said in a news release. “The Walk is a volunteer-driven event and would not be possible without the support of hundreds of volunteers across the country.”Since its inception in 2005, the Walk To Make Cystic Fibrosis History has raised more than $42 million. The funds support increased access to medications, research and individualized health care.
High of 15 and sunny for Thursday
Expect a sunny Thursday with a high of 15. The wind will be southerly at 20 km/h near noon. The UV index today is seven, or high. For tonight, expect cloudy periods and an overnight low of 7.
