Good morning, Greater Sudbury! Here are a few stories to start your day on this Saturday morning.
Investigation continues into toxic vapour cloud incident in Sudbury
Greater Sudbury Fire Services has wrapped up its on-scene investigation into a chemical reaction that produced a toxic vapour cloud and forced the evacuation of an industrial plant in Sudbury on Jan. 11. Although the Ontario Ministry of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development told Sudbury.com the incident was identified as an “explosion”, Sudbury Deputy Fire Chief Jesse Oshell clarified later it was, in fact, a chemical reaction that caused a vapour cloud. The incident occurred Thursday, shortly after 9 a.m. at the Quatro Industries Ltd. plant at 2555 Maley Drive. Oshell said the chemical substance was a form of highly concentrated nitric acid called red fuming nitric acid. Fire, paramedics and police all responded to the incident. Oshell said Greater Sudbury Fire Services hazardous materials team responded as well. When hazardous materials team arrived, Oshell said Quatro employees had already appeared to have handled the situation.
Former Sudbury mining entrepreneur Don MacLean has died
Don MacLean, a former Sudburian and well-known leader in the Canadian mining equipment business, has died. News of his death was posted to social media. Company president Stella Holloway of Sudbury wrote she was "deeply saddened" to share the information. MacLean, a professional engineer, who was also a former Inco miner and shift boss in Sudbury, started his own business MacLean Engineering, which in 2023 celebrated its 50th year in business. The company is known as a leading Canadian mining equipment business especially for battery electric vehicles. "It is with heavy hearts that we announce the passing of our esteemed founder and chairman, Donald MacLean. A visionary leader and inspiration to us all, Don left an indelible mark not only on our company but also on the global mining fraternity," said a company statement posted to social media on Friday. It was 10 years ago, in 2014, that MacLean was honoured at the inaugural 2014 International Mining Technology Hall of Fame awards for the introduction of innovative underground mining machinery such as automated rock bolters and block hole drillers.
Health unit looking to hire new associate medical officer of health
Now that Public Health Sudbury & Districts (PHSD) has hired a new medical officer of health (MOH), it is advertising to hire a new associate medical officer of health. The job application was posted to social media on Monday. This follows the recent announcement in November that a new medical officer of health was named to be the replacement for retiring MOH Dr. Penny Sutcliffe. The appointment for new MOH Dr. Mustafa Hirji is to take effect on March 18. The job posting said a new associate would need to be "an outstanding public health medical professional with a passion for creating healthy communities and a commitment to a community-centred approach to health equity and evidence-based practice." Further to that, the posting said the successful candidate would be required to meet several other requirements.
Quaker recalls 38 products because of possible salmonella risk
Quaker brand has recalled 38 of its granola bars and cereal products. The full list of products can be found here. This recall was triggered by a recall in another country and there have been no reported illnesses associated with the consumption of these products, says the Health Canada notice. The reason given for the recall is possible microbial contamination, namely salmonella. Anyone in possession of the products are told not to consume, use, sell, serve, or distribute them.
Video: Andrew Hyatt channels his heartbreak into new EP
A year ago, Andrew Hyatt was going through a particularly rough patch in his life as his marriage came to an end. To cope, the Sudbury native and Canadian country music artist sat down with his songwriting partner once a week, and just vented. Those venting sessions eventually turned into songwriting of the most personal nature. “They kind of turned into these therapy sessions/writes, where we would write about whatever my brain was doing that week, and kind of the coping mechanisms and dealing with, you know, the highs and lows and the acceptance and the anger, and then you know, where to place the blame, taking your share of the blame, and all of that,” Hyatt said. “It really was never meant to be released. It was just something I needed to do to get it off my chest. And then the demos went to my label, and then my label convinced me to release them.”
Sledders: Check the trail guide before firing up you machine
Given the non-snowmobiling-friendly weather so far this winter (at least until recently), the Ontario Federation of Snowmobile Clubs (OFSC) is warning sledders to use check the OFSC interactive trail guide for status and conditions before heading out. Snowmobile Safety Week runs Jan. 13-21 this year. The OFSC is using the opportunity to encourage riders to go online to consult the OFSC Interactive Snowmobile Trail Guide (ITG) before riding. Introduced in 2010, the guide is the sole authorized source for the status of 30,000 kilometres of OFSC Snowmobile Trails, the federation said in a news release. “With the unusually late start to this winter, this Safety Week update is especially important because most OFSC Prescribed Snowmobile Trails have been unavailable for recreational riding as of this date,” the release states.
