Good morning, Greater Sudbury! Here are a few stories to start your day on this Friday morning.
Robert Steven Wright charged with two counts of sexual assault
Convicted murderer Robert Steven Wright, 44, now faces several new charges, including sexual assault and forcible confinement. Wright is currently serving 12 years after he was convicted in the second degree murder of Laurentian University student Renée Sweeney, who was stabbed almost 30 times on Jan. 27, 1998. North Bay police confirmed there was an investigation on Dec. 13 and today announced they have charged Wright with one count of criminal harassment, two counts of sexual assault and one count of forcible confinement. A release was issued Dec. 14. “Criminal investigators from the North Bay Police Service received information from the Greater Sudbury Police Service in regards to a historical sexual assault that had occurred in North Bay between 2015 and 2016,” it reads. “The accused, who is currently serving a life sentence in Kingston, Ontario, was informed of the new charges, and remains in custody.”
Water/wastewater rates to go up 4.8% per year in 2024-25
As with other recent municipal budgets, the City of Greater Sudbury’s water/wastewater rates are slated to continue going up by 4.8 per cent annually in the 2024 and 2025 budget years. The annual rate hike follows a long-term plan with annual 4.8-per-cent increases for each of the 20 years through 2039, which city council set in motion in 2019. Increases of 4.8 per cent were also approved from 2020-23. From 2016 to 2019, the annual increases to water/wastewater rates were 7.4 per cent. These annual increases, according to the city’s proposed 2024-25 budget document, will lead to “sustainability.” It all comes down to filling the city’s water/wastewater infrastructure gap using a phased-in approach over the course of 20 years.
New study says community health workers need a pay raise
Workers in Ontario's community health sector, which includes community social workers in the non-profit sector, should be given wage hikes, according to the new Ontario Community Health Compensation study, based on information provided by 10 provincial associations. The community sector is more than $2 billion behind on wages, compared to their peers doing similar work in hospitals and other sectors, said the study. This is despite the fact that community health care requires a specialized skillset due to highly complex patients often facing multiple severe and chronic conditions, often 24/7 service delivery responsibilities and obligations, and limited resources relative to hospitals. The report was authored by Eckler Ltd., a national actuarial consulting service based in Toronto. The 91-page study looked at the compensation for workers in the community health workforce, which encompasses a range of essential health care roles, including nurses in primary care, addiction and social workers in mental health organizations, and personal support workers in home and community care, long-term care among others. Similar to the findings in the year-end report by the Ontario Auditor General released last week, this new study found that many workers are leaving the community health sector to find jobs in other fields or in other provinces or countries "making it increasingly challenging to recruit and retain essential health workers," said the study.
Spike in vicious animal complaints prompts review
In response to an increase in vicious animal complaints, the City of Greater Sudbury has been asked to review its current approach to the issue. A motion by Ward 5 Coun. Mike Parent sparked the review during a committee meeting of city council this week, which asks the city to consult with other municipalities and jurisdictions to review their deterrent practices and penalties. The motion came in response to calls from area residents, Parent explained, which included incidents where veterinary or medical treatment was required following animal attacks. Sudbury.com reported on one such incident, where a pair of tan shar pei have allegedly been attacking people and animals, including an incident where one of them killed a puppy. Last year, there were 281 vicious animal complaints filed with the city, corporate security and bylaw services director Stefany Mussen told Sudbury.com.
Sudbury man gets lucky urge to buy ticket, wins $50K
A lucky feeling told James Smith of Sudbury to buy a ticket, and that ticket made him $50,000 winner in the Sept. 2 LOTTO 6/49 draw. Smith, who works in the industrial sector, said he is a sporadic lottery player and picks up a ticket when he feels the urge. This is his first big win. “I scanned the ticket using the ticket checker and didn’t even see what I had won,” he said while at the OLG Prize Centre in Toronto to pick up his winnings. “I saw the words ‘Big Winner’ but had no idea what to expect. I was happy to discover I won $50,000!” Smith told OLG he plans to pay some bills, purchase a ‘new-to-him’ vehicle and he might treat himself to a trip. “This feels great. Money doesn’t buy happiness, but it’s given me a happy moment,” he said. The winning ticket was purchased at Dino’s Milk Mart on Lorne Street in Sudbury.
Inaugural Dwayne Trudeau Memorial Blues Festival runs Dec. 17
Though the Sudbury music scene lost a monster of a blues man, they gained a festival to honour his legacy, and a chance to hear the music he loved and the inaugural Dwayne Trudeau Memorial Blues Festival. Held this Sunday, Dec. 17 at Little Montreal (182 Elgin Street), the festival’s lineup features musicians Tommy Fyfe, Phillipe Mathieu, Phil Loves Music, Sean Poluk, Pepper Stalr Cain and P.R. Smith (spoken word). A week after Sudbury.com featured Trudeau and shared some of his music, we learned he had unexpectedly passed away. Trudeau died on Nov. 13 at the age of 48. He leaves behind family, four children, and the eternal respect of Sudbury’s music community. Born April 29, 1975, Trudeau was originally from Wiikwemkoong Unceded Territory, and moved to Sudbury in 1987. He told Sudbury.com in early November he began playing on the streets just to make a few bucks for diapers, and ended up playing just about every stage in Sudbury.
Sudbury-designed, all-electric mining hauler shoots for 2026 launch
Tough and resilient, much like its namesake, the RIINO cargo hauler will be ready to charge into the mining industry in 2026, according to its inventor. Aaron Lambert, the company’s Sudbury-based founder and CEO, came up with the concept for the all-electric, zero-emission monorail about a dozen years ago while working as a mine contractor. With the demand for minerals rising, and mine development challenges increasing in complexity, Lambert intuited the industry’s need for a haul system that reduces construction and operational costs, while boosting efficiency and cutting down on greenhouse gas emissions. “This is something that the mining industry is not only interested in, but it's something that they do need to be able to continue developing mines,” he said. Lambert said he’s now been working on the monorail in earnest for about 18 months, consulting the industry on its needs and building an executive team.
