Good morning, Greater Sudbury! Here are a few stories to start your day on this Wednesday morning.
Hwy. 17 crash overnight claims lives of two teens
Two teens from Espanola have died as a result of a two-vehicle crash on Highway 17 near Massey last night. Manitoulin Ontario Provincial Police responded to the incident just before 1 a.m. today, along with Manitoulin-Sudbury Paramedic Services and Sables-Spanish Rivers Fire Department. The highway has since been reopened. Police said the crash was a head-on collision between a transport truck and a pickup truck. “Two people have died and three people have been injured as a result,” OPP said. “A 19-year-old, from Espanola, was pronounced deceased at the scene. In addition, a 17-year-old, also from Espanola, was transported to a local hospital where they later died as a result of their injuries.” The three other people injured in the collision were transported to hospital.
Seismic event in Sudbury measured 3.2 in magnitude
The seismic event Tuesday morning measured 3.2 in magnitude, a spokesperson for Vale told Sudbury.com. “At 10:04 a.m. Garson Mine experienced a seismic event measuring 3.2 in magnitude. All employees are safe and accounted for and have been brought to surface,” said the spokesperson. Vale is currently following their “Significant Seismic Event protocol” and will inspect affected areas when safe to do so, they said. “It is common for deep mines such as Garson to experience periods of increased seismic activity from time to time,” said Vale. “Seismicity can occur as part of mining, especially at significant depths. Our emergency response processes are in place to ensure rigorous safety protocols are followed when seismic events occur.”
No easy fix to the city’s infrastructure gap: Lefebvre
“We are challenged, as a city, when it comes to our infrastructure,” Mayor Paul Lefebvre told Sudbury.com following his Oct. 24 speech at city hall highlighting council’s first year in office. “Big city, low density; that’s the challenge that we have, so how do we address that and try to keep the tax rate as low as we can, provide good services, as well as having modern facilities?” “How do you?” Sudbury.com asked. “You tell me,” he answered with a laugh. Lefebvre expanded on this point, noting it’s a “year-by-year” process with staff and keeping city council’s eye trained on economic development and infrastructure renewal. “We need to do this over many years, we can’t do this in one year,” he said.
Busting at the seams: $1.6M for portables at Holy Trinity school
Opened in 2015, just eight years ago, Holy Trinity Catholic Elementary School has recently seen the installation of two portable classrooms at a total cost of roughly $1.6 million to accommodate a large enrolment increase at the school. Sudbury Catholic District School Board, which runs Holy Trinity, provided us with the following emailed explanation for the addition of two portables to the relatively new school. “Holy Trinity Catholic Elementary School has become one of our fastest-growing educational communities,” said the statement. “Holy Trinity was built in 2015 to accommodate 550 students. Since then, the student enrolment has increased from 508 students to 676 students. The necessity to introduce two portable classrooms at the school is a response to this increase in enrolment.” Sudbury.com had reached out to the board, asking for an interview on the subject with a school board administrator, but we instead received the above brief emailed response, as well as a later clarification on the project’s total costs.
Gogama gold mine construction at 90 per cent completion mark
Toronto’s IAMGOLD said construction progress of its Côté mine project near Gogama is at the 92 per cent mark. In a news release, the company said activity is at a point where construction is largely wrapping up and pre-production teams are moving in to begin commissioning various elements of the open-pit operation. Côté is expected to start gold production sometime during the first quarter of 2024. Mining is already underway, having started last July. In the course of digging out the pit, 3.7 million tonnes of gold-enriched material has been stockpiled, on track to compile 5 million tonnes by year’s end. The workforce at the site, located halfway between Sudbury and Timmins, averaged between 1,800 and 1,900 in September.
Ontario doctors can say ‘no’ if patient's family is abusive
The Ontario College of Physicians and Surgeons (CPSO) has rejected a complaint from a Northern Ontario woman after a doctor in Sault Ste. Marie refused to provide further treatment to the woman's son, because the woman had a history of being abusive to the doctor. The issue was described in the most recent issue (Oct. 2023) of The Medical Post magazine, which raised the question of what a physician can do about a patient's family member that acts in an abusive manner toward health care professionals. If bad behaviour comes from a patient, the doctor can sever the relationship with that patient. But if bad behaviour comes from a patient's family, what is the appropriate course of action? The Ontario Health Professions Appeal and Review Board has upheld a physician's right to say no to verbal abuse by family members, said a review hearing.
