Land Tribunal OKs Minnow Lake development opposed by neighbours
Last year’s Greater Sudbury city council decision to limit a 179-unit residential development to three storeys in height has been undone by an Ontario Land Tribunal order. With the tribunal’s decision, the full breadth of the developer’s plan has been greenlit. This includes three five-storey buildings approximately 19 metres in height each (120 units total), four two-storey ground-oriented multiple-unit dwellings with 26 units total, eight two-storey road dwellings with 31 units total, and one semi-detached dwelling with two units. The development is slated to take place off of Estelle Street in Sudbury’s Minnow Lake neighbourhood, at the site of the former St. Remi School. A city spokesperson confirmed that the tribunal’s order is effective the date it was issued, which in this case was Oct. 26. Indeed, the city’s zoning bylaw has already been amended online to reflect the change. “I knew it was going to get challenged,” Ward 11 Coun. Bill Leduc told Sudbury.com, adding there’s not much else to say about it now that the tribunal has rendered its decision. “We try to find a happy medium, and sometimes you just can’t find that,” he added. Leduc serves the affected Minnow Lake community.
NOSM University and unionized workers reach tentative agreement
After reaching a tentative agreement, NOSM University and OPSEU/SEFPO Local 677 (Unit 1) have announced the Northern Ontario medical school will operate normally for the time being. Both sides had been negotiating to reach a new contract agreement, but a no-board report from the Ontario Ministry of Labour meant that the union would have been in a legal strike position as of 12:01 a.m. on Sunday. Both sides issued a joint statement on Sunday, saying a tentative agreement was reached. "NOSM University and OPSEU/SEFPO Local 677 (Unit 1) confirm that they have reached a tentative agreement, subject to ratification and board approval. Accordingly, NOSM University will operate as normal on Monday, Nov. 6, 2023," said the statement. Ratification voting will be held on Wednesday, Nov. 8 to let the union membership decide whether the new contract gets approved. On Friday, NOSM revealed that last minute talks were still underway and that both parties were ready to negotiate throughout the weekend with the aim of arriving at an agreement. The statement from the medical school said if a strike had taken place Sunday morning, it would have impacted both NOSM campuses, which are located in Sudbury and Thunder Bay. NOSM had pledged to continue operations despite a labour dispute.
Prime: Don’t put off retirement travel plans
“Don’t put off to tomorrow what you can do today!” should be our guiding motto, because life seems to throw some crazy twists and turns at us as we check off the years. So let’s toss some clothes, a bathing suit, flip flops and our passport into a bag and go somewhere. Don’t put your next trip on a wait and wish list. Reminded of the 1969 film “If It’s Tuesday This Must Be Belgium,” recent experiences have forced me to acknowledge that travel is an adventure. You really do find your sense of the calendar and country being slightly skewed by jet lag and now add the semi-annual time change; it is not as easy as it once was. Oversold or cancelled flights, luggage delays, long line-ups at check-in and security, plus long distances to gates all add up to much standing and maybe even some running.
Blues come easy to slide guitarist Dwayne Trudeau
Sudbury.com often has to search in unsuspecting places for news. Other times, we look at our Facebook page, a friend has shared something fantastic, and we need to know more. That’s how we ended up finding Dwayne Trudeau, a blues guitarist with a talent for the slide, who has played just about every bar in Sudbury over the last 30 years. Trudeau is originally from Wiikwemkoong Unceded Territory, and moved to Sudbury in 1987. But his love of the blues started much earlier. “My uncle, Boniface Trudeau, was the one who introduced me to the blues,” Trudeau told Sudbury.com. “The sound of the slide really got to me because I could feel the emotions of the players.” Now, he shares his love of the blues at the Frood Hotel every second Wednesday.
No Strings band, brass choir holding Remembrance concert
The No Strings Attached Community Band, with the Northern Brass Choir as special guests, holds a Concert of Remembrance and Celebration on Nov. 12. This concert will feature a variety of traditional military marches and compilations for concert band, celebrating and remembering those who have served. The event takes place starting at 2 p.m. at the McKellar Auditorium at Lockerby Composite School. Admission is pay-what-you-can, with proceeds to the Poppy Fund.
