Good morning, Greater Sudbury! Here are a few stories to start your day on this Tuesday morning.
Transport driver charged after school bus collision
A transport truck driver the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) say was involved in a crash involving a school bus full of students this morning has been charged. On Jan. 15, shortly after 8:30 a.m., Nipissing West OPP and Sudbury Paramedic Services responded to a two-vehicle collision on Highway 17, west of Stinson Road, in the city limits. "A CMV (commercial motor vehicle) collided into the back end of a school bus, which was transporting students to school. No injuries were reported," OPP said in a news release. As a result of the investigation, the 48-year-old driver of the transport truck, who is from Sudbury, was charged with careless driving. The highway was reduced to one lane for under three hours, during the investigation and the removal of vehicles.
Merger talks about the Sudbury mining camp long overdue, says industry watcher
Vale Base Metals chairman Mark Cutifani's remarks last week to Reuters new agency about a pursuing a business combination between his company and Glencore in the Sudbury basin has mining analyst Stan Sudol wondering, “What took them so long?” The Sudbury-raised and Toronto-based owner of the Republic of Mining website is a keen observer of the global nickel industry and of the Sudbury camp. Now is the “perfect time” for a business combination between Sudbury’s two largest miners, and one that’s long overdue, he said. There have been on-again, off-again discussions since the former INCO and Falconbridge, and their predecessor companies, sparred over consolidating the Sudbury mining camp under one operating entity since the mid-2000s. The competitive cross-town rivalry between the two companies is dead and the geopolitics of strategically placed critical minerals has entered the picture, Sudol said, not to mention the insatiable demand for the metals needed to feed the electric vehicle and clean-tech revolution.
Winter weather travel advisory in effect for Sudbury
A winter weather travel advisory is in effect for Greater Sudbury. Environment Canada said to expect total snow accumulations of 10 to 15 centimetres and reduced visibility in areas of heavier snow. Lake effect snow off Lake Superior may extend far enough inland to affect portions of Highway 101 and 129 in Chapleau region, and Highway 144 and 108 in Sudbury region today. It is possible that the lake effect snow may continue into Tuesday for portions of the regions. Motorists should expect hazardous winter driving conditions and adjust travel plans accordingly. Prepare for quickly changing and deteriorating travel conditions. If visibility is reduced while driving, slow down, watch for tail lights ahead and be prepared to stop.
Video: Robot wars at Cambrian for VEX championship qualifier
The Cambrian College eDome was filled with the sounds of young people and their robots Jan. 12, duking it out against teams from across the province at the qualification rounds for the VEX Robotics Championship. It’s the first time Cambrian College has hosted the event, and Jim Allman, engineer and professor at the college, said this hopefully won’t be the last. “We've got teams from as far away as Sault Ste. Marie to the west and Ottawa to the east and all the way down to Oakville and Toronto and Brampton, as well as some local content, too,” Allman told Sudbury.com. The competitors at the are middle school and high school students from across Ontario vying for a spot at the provincial championships, or even the World Championship held in Texas later this year. In these Cambrian-hosted qualification rounds, points are what matters, and existing teams join together with the participants from the other teams.
Study shows increase in Canadian adolescents with depression
A study published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal said more research is needed for the detection and treatment of depression in young people. The study, called “Diagnosis and Management of Depression in Adolescents”, examined the role of depression as a "leading cause of disability and a major contributor to the global burden of disease." The study was authored by Drs. Daphne J. Korczak, Clara Westwell-Roper and Roberto Sassi, all MDs. The prevalence of depression among adolescents increases with age, said the study. Before COVID-19, the prevalence of Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) among adolescents was estimated at 13 to 15 per cent, said the study.
Province's reliance on international students causing economic problems: banks' chiefs
If the province wants to get a handle on inflation — particularly in rental rates — it needs to urgently dial down the number of international students at its post-secondary institutions, some of the country's top economists are warning. The chief economists of the country's big banks gathered for a panel talk hosted by the Economic Club of Canada this week to offer their forecasts for 2024. Among them was that inflation, while down from the highs of 2022, will remain a challenge for the Bank of Canada. The days, before and during the pandemic, of the Bank of Canada using ultra-low interest rates to put upward pressure on inflation to reach its two-per cent target, were a "hangover" from the 2008 financial crisis, according to BMO Financial Group's chief economist, Doug Porter, and they are likely not coming back. However, interest rates will likely come down to a new normal of a couple of percentage points lower than the current overnight rate of 5 per cent, he said.
