Good morning, Greater Sudbury! Here are a few stories to start your day on this Friday morning.
How much home will $400K get you in Greater Sudbury?
Greater Sudbury is among the most affordable Ontario cities to live in, according to a recent report by Point2Homes.com. Pulling data from the province’s 30 largest cities, the report outlines how much house city residents throughout the province can expect to purchase for $400,000. Greater Sudbury ranks No. 3, at 1,000 square feet. The Nickel City falls behind Thunder Bay (1,325 square feet) and Chatham-Kent (1,081 square feet). Perhaps unsurprisingly, downtown Toronto carried the lowest square footage for $400,000, at 395.
GOVA Transit single-ride fare jumps to $4 on Jan. 15
GOVA Transit and GOVA Plus fares will increase by 14 per cent on Jan. 15, following a city council resolution which passed during a recent 2024/25 budget meeting. City staff had originally proposed increasing bus fares by seven per cent, but a successful amendment by Ward 1 Coun. Mark Signoretti saw to it that the increase doubled. Ward 8 Coun. Al Sizer tacked on a friendly amendment for the increase not to affect bus pass and six-ride card rates for seniors, disability pensioners and youths (concession fares). The city’s elected officials were near-unanimous in supporting the amendment, which helped cut the tax rate by $555,000 annually. Only Ward 11 Coun. Bill Leduc and Ward 12 Coun. Joscelyne Landry-Altmann voted against it. Fare prices remain unchanged and are available for passengers aged 65 and older, recipients of a disability pension and youth ages five to 12. A six-ride card is $15, and a 31-day pass is $56. Infants, age four and under ride transit for free.
Canada to pick site for underground nuclear waste repository in 2024
A critical milestone is on the horizon for Canada's 175-year-long plan to bury its nuclear waste underground, with two pairs of Ontario communities set to decide if they would be willing hosts. Late next year, the Nuclear Waste Management Organization plans to select the site for Canada's deep geological repository, where millions of bundles of used nuclear fuel will be placed in a network of rooms connected by cavernous tunnels, as deep below the Earth's surface as the CN Tower is tall — if the process goes according to plan. The sites are down to the Wabigoon Lake Ojibway Nation-Ignace area in northwestern Ontario and the Saugeen Ojibway Nation-South Bruce area in southern Ontario. The municipalities and First Nations are planning votes for next year, the culmination of a years-long information gathering process that some say has left deep divisions within their communities. The process to move ahead with a deep geological repository is already more than 20 years along. The NWMO was established under legislation in 2002 and is funded by the corporations that generate nuclear power and waste, such as Ontario Power Generation and Hydro-Quebec.
Suspect in school bomb threats last month arrested in Morocco
Police say a suspect arrested in Morocco in connection with bomb threats in Belgium is now facing charges in similar incidents in Ontario. Ontario Provincial Police said in late November they had "strong reason" to believe the suspect was also behind a series of threatening messages against schools and public facilities in the province earlier that month. They said the messages claimed bombs had been placed at those locations, but "no actual explosives were ever found." The threats also included demands for money in exchange for information about the alleged explosives. The threats, which became public Nov. 1, targeted multiple schools under multiple school boards across the North East and North West Regions, demanding payment. As a precaution, the majority of the targeted schools were closed while police investigated.
Memory Lane: Remembering Sudbury’s first New Years celebration
Well, we all survived the hustle and bustle of the Christmas season and now we find ourselves tucked in all nice and cozy in that short interval between Santa’s big day and the arrival of Baby New Year. Four weeks ago, we took you on a trip back in time to the first Christmas in Sudbury. Let us now take a look back at the first New Year’s celebration of our fledgling community. As with our previous trip to the past, we are indebted to Florence Howey for her account of how New Year’s Eve 1883 was celebrated by the Howeys and their friends. The Howeys, and “about the same party” as their Christmas gathering one week prior, had been invited to celebrate with Mr. and Mrs. Ross at the Hudson's Bay Company Post on Whitefish Lake, west of Sudbury Junction. A dance at the nearby Indigenous village (now known as Atikameksheng Anishnawbek) was also a part of the plans. Early on New Year’s Eve day, Mr. Ross arrived with a dog team and two Indigenous gentlemen to transport Mrs. Howey to the post. She was wrapped in a blanket and strapped into the toboggan. Guide ropes were held at the back of the toboggan in order to keep the sled from toppling during its journey. Dr. Howey, accompanied by Mr. Fairman, Mr. Mueller and Mr. Fulford, snowshoed in behind, "like a sort of bodyguard.” Such was the procession that made its way to the Post.
Food security the focus of new Northern Ontario agri-research
Food security researchers, growers and innovators are coming together for a three-year-project studying local food supply. Collège Boréal, the Northern Ontario Farm Innovation Alliance (NOFIA), the Rural Agri-Innovation Network (RAIN), the Greater Sudbury Food Policy Council (GSFPC), and the Thunder Bay and Area Food Strategy (TBAFS) have partnered to develop a research project to study local food supply processes in Northern Ontario communities. The three-year project, which runs until May 31, 2026, will help identify barriers to local food supply for this vast region’s producers, processors and buyers. A release from the partners states this project will also develop and test processes that will bridge the gap between these stakeholders while promoting an economically sustainable food production chain and providing the current and future workforce with knowledge about local food sourcing. “This project allows Collège Boréal to use its research expertise, facilities and extensive network of partners to study a specific issue affecting all Northern Ontarians,” said Sabine Bouchard manager of Research and Innovation at Boréal, in the release. “Ultimately, the results of this research will help reduce the environmental impact of transporting our food and stimulate the economies of our regions through new opportunities for local food supply.” An investment of nearly $360,000 from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) will allow the project’s partners to be better equipped to assist local producers and processors in gaining easier access to buyers in their region, said a release from the groups. They will also provide practical solutions to the challenges of local food supply in Northern Ontario.
