Good morning, Greater Sudbury! Here are a few stories to start your day on this Saturday morning.
Sudburian, former National Gallery director Marc Mayer to give talk
Accomplished former art gallery director, member of the Order of Canada and Sudbury native Marc Mayer will give a talk at Place des Arts Dec. 18. Place des Arts du Grand Sudbury is holding a series of talks and exhibitions this fall. Under the banner “Enlightening Talks for Evolving Times,” the talks will feature prominent arts and culture personalities who will discuss key issues, including relationships with Indigenous people. Simultaneous translation will be available, to French or English. Mayer’s talk is entitled “What I Bought For You.” Reminiscing on his career as a public collector of art, Mayer’s show-and-tell will cover many of the cultural wonders he and his teams have acquired for the public over the years, and he’ll explain his passion for them.
Beer and wine coming to Ontario corner stores in 2026
Beer, wine and other lower-alcohol beverages will be able to be bought in many more Ontario convenience and grocery stores by Jan. 1, 2026, Premier Doug Ford announced on Thursday, fulfilling an old campaign promise. Any participating convenience, grocery or big box store will be able to sell beer, wine, cider, seltzers, coolers and ready-to-drink cocktails, making Ontario the second jurisdiction in Canada to do so after Quebec, the government said in a release. There will be no restrictions on the size of cases — any retailer will be able to sell 24- or even 30-packs of beer. The government said the move will open up sales to an estimated 8,500 stores across the province. "Just imagine on a Friday night in December, instead of being stuck in a long line out at the LCBO you'll be able to pop into your local convenience store to grab a bottle of wine, local retail or a big box store before heading out to the holiday party," Ford said at a news conference held at a gas station in Etobicoke on Thursday. "Or in the summer, you'll be able to buy a case of beer at a grocery or big box store while you're stocking up on food and snacks ahead of your vacation up north or out east at the cottage."
Province will help laid off mill workers in Espanola
The Ontario government has announced it will invest $426,000 to create a new action centre to provide back-to-work assistance for the 484 pulp and paper workers recently laid off from the Domtar mill in Espanola, west of Sudbury. Domtar announced in September that the mill would be closing indefinitely and the closure would affect more than 450 workers. “The Espanola mill has been challenged for some time now,” said Steve Henry, Domtar's paper and packaging president. “We have worked diligently to find a viable path forward for the operation, including offering it for sale. Employees affected by this change have earned our appreciation and we thank them for their contributions. We also want to thank federal and provincial officials for their efforts.” On Dec. 12, the Ontario government said the creation of an action centre would assist workers to get new jobs more quickly.
Opioid surveillance numbers show modest drop in opioid deaths
New numbers released from the opioid surveillance initiative in Sudbury show that the number of incidents involving individuals using illicit drugs is declining slightly. At the same time, those numbers are still higher than the provincial norms. The opioid surveillance numbers are gathered by the Community Drug Strategy (CDS) and reported on the Public Health Sudbury and Districts (PHSD) webpage. In the fine print, PHSD said the numbers are preliminary. In terms of the number of opioid-related deaths in the Sudbury-Manitoulin districts this year, from January through to the end of July, there were 44 people who died from an opioid-related overdose, said the surveillance page. This compares with 62 local deaths reported for the same period last year, January to July of 2022.
The Soapbox: A community thank you from the owners of Golden Grain
When we announced Golden Grain would be closing, we were unprepared for the response our family and the bakery staff would receive from the community. The support received was awesome, absolutely over the top and incredibly warming. When the first Andlar, Peter, and his partner, Joseph Mihelchic, started this business back in 1932, one has to wonder if they knew what a relationship would build up between Golden Grain and this community and region or how long it would last. Bread is a staple for families. It’s something sacred and we have been honoured to earn the trust of so many families and restaurants and homes to have our breads and other products welcomed around their tables and incorporated into their meals, for generations.
