Good morning, Greater Sudbury! Here are a few stories to start your day on this Tuesday morning.
Science North lit up for the annual Festival of Lights
It was a bit early to hear “Merry Christmas,” but it was a common refrain during the Nov. 19 launch of the Festival of Lights at Science North. Children posed for photos with Santa Claus, hot chocolate was abundant and the grounds’ eclectic collection of lights flashed on for the season at 6 p.m. Joining the collection of lights were the flashers from a Greater Sudbury fire truck, which children raced toward to learn more about firefighting from local firefighters. The Science North ground lights are slated to be turned on from 5 p.m. until approximately 10 p.m. nightly until Jan. 6. “I bet our traffic count has to be over 35,000 people,” former Sudbury Charities Foundation chair John Querney told Sudbury.com of the annual display. “They’re even all the way down to the waterfront, so it’s a drive-by if they want, or if it’s a nice night they can get out of their cars and walk as well.”
Safe Ride Home ready to get you home starting Nov. 24
Safe Ride Home Sudbury will begin ferrying people home safely from holiday festivities starting Nov. 24. It’s the 25th season volunteers with the service have been driving clients home in their own vehicles to prevent impaired driving. “We’re gearing up to make sure everyone gets home safely to prevent impaired driving,” said Safe Ride Home Sudbury President Lesli Green during the official launch earlier this month. Greater Sudbury Police Service is a program partner. Chief Paul Pedersen described Safe Ride Home as an important component of their top priority, which is crime prevention. “I can’t think of any better, more direct crime-prevention campaign than taking impaired drivers off the roads before they get on the roads,” he said.
Let’s eat! Sudbury restaurateur branching out into fresh pasta
In Italian slang, the word “aniko” translates to “everything and anything.” It’s also the middle name of Verdicchio Ristorante owner Mark Gregorini’s son. Gregorini has taken that little gem of a word and twisted it into a new artisanal pasta enterprise — Aniko Pasta Artigianale — that’s churning out a variety of homemade delights. “It’s been a dream of mine for about seven years,” Gregorini said “We make amazing pastas for the restaurant. It’s a main dish and a strong focus of ours. So why not offer that quality to people in their homes?” Over the course of the last six months, Gregorini has worked to expand his facility in the West End of the city on Kelly Lake Road. He also consulted extensively with experts in the field and purchased two industrial pasta making machines from Italy with the support of the Northern Ontario Heritage Fund Corporation. “I have taken my time with this new venture,” he said. “I wanted a product that was superior.”
Home care bill will enrich private companies, create conflicts of interest, advocates warn
The Ford government's plan to reorganize the home-care system will enrich the province's for-profit providers and leave Ontarians struggling with a "fractured and chaotic system," advocates are warning. Health Minister Sylvia Jones tabled a bill in early October that would amalgamate the province's Health Integration Networks (LHINs) into a new organization called "Ontario Health atHome." The government's goal is that, in the future, Ontario Health atHome will delegate the responsibility for co-ordinating and providing home care to the province's Ontario Health Teams (OHTs) — 58 different groups of health-care providers. Committee hearings on Bill 135, the Convenient Care at Home Act, were held this week and several stakeholders asked the government to toss it out. "Bill 135 would create conflict between the financial interests of service providers and the health care needs of the home-care clients they serve," warned the Advocacy Centre for the Elderly (ACE), a non-profit legal clinic.
EQAO results out, Rainbow board says there’s ‘work to be done’
Rainbow District School Board had the highest result among English-language school boards in Northeastern Ontario in the 2022-2023 Education Quality and Accountability Office (EQAO) assessments in primary reading, writing and math as well as junior reading and math. The results were presented to trustees during the regular meeting of the board held on Oct. 24. While the board maintained its results in Grade 3 reading, Rainbow said in a news release, there was an improvement in Grade 3 writing. The board also maintained its results in Grade 3 math, ranking first among English-language school boards in the Northeast Region. Unlike the Grade 3 results, there was a decrease in results in Grade 6 writing, with a “notable increase” at the Grade 6 level in math.
Mayor’s Tree Lighting Ceremony slated for Dec. 1
Mayor Paul Lefebvre is joining city council by hosting a tree-lighting ceremony in the courtyard of Tom Davies Square at 6 p.m. on Dec. 1. The event will be accompanied by performances and complementary hot chocolate and treats. GOVA Transit will offer free transportation to those wanting to take part in the event, a city media release noted, encouraging riders to let bus operators know they’ll be attending the ceremony and they’ll be let on for free. The “Merry and Bright” tree will be lit from Dec. 1 until the week after Orthodox Christmas.
