Good morning, Greater Sudbury! Here are a few stories to start your day on this Thursday morning.
Report to board of health contains scant information on summit
A recent report to the Sudbury Board of Health meeting on the proceedings of the Sudbury Summit on Toxic Drugs held in December mentions no specific information on what might be done to resolve the crisis. The summary on substance use was part of the monthly report (page 38) submitted to the January board meeting by the Medical Officer of Health Dr. Penny Sutcliffe. The two-day summit was held in early December, more than six weeks ago, but Sutcliffe's report to the board of health on January 18 carried very little in terms of solutions or pro-active steps. "Over 200 participants, including over 50 organizations, attended with opportunities to hear panel discussions and a variety of speakers," Sutcliffe wrote in the report to the board.
Dangerous offender in Sudbury facing new child pornography charges
A 43-year-old Sudbury man has been charged with multiple counts related to child sexual abuse material and his alleged efforts to arrange an opportunity to abuse a child. On Jan. 18, the Greater Sudbury Police Internet Child Exploitation and Computer Forensic Units, along with the Emergency Response Unit, executed a search warrant at a residence in Greater Sudbury. As a result, a 43-year-old Sudbury resident is charged with seven offences, including attempting to arrange a meeting with a child under 14 for a sexual purpose. Charged is Michael Tomasik who was using the online alias of “John Wick.” Police are concerned Tomasik may have used the alias to commit other offences against children. He appeared in bail court on Jan. 22. Sudbury.com has learned Tomasik was remanded into custody.
Ford says Northern Ontario mines will help create economic boom
Ontario Premier Doug Ford said he is counting on the Northern Ontario mining industry to help build Ontario into an economic powerhouse for the battery electric vehicle (BEV) industry. Ford was speaking Jan. 23 at the annual conference of the 2024 Rural Ontario Municipal Association(ROMA) when he spoke about the importance of the Ontario critical minerals strategy for the future of EVs in Ontario. "I know you’ve heard me speak about this many times before. But I need to talk about our booming electric vehicle industry. That’s because this industry is going to benefit every community in the province for generations to come," Ford told the delegates in downtown Toronto. "We’re building a home-grown EV supply chain, connecting critical minerals in Northern Ontario, and clean steelmakers in Hamilton and Sault Ste. Marie to auto makers and battery manufacturers across Ontario, all powered by clean, affordable Ontario energy," Ford continued.
Memory Lane: The unique story of Sudbury’s playground leagues
For the previous 12 winters, your writer (along with a good group of volunteers) has been taking care of the outdoor rink in Coniston, making sure that the ice is up to snuff for both the youngsters dreaming of future glory and those oldsters who come out to dream of past glories. On this night, my daughter, ever so shaky on her skates, staying both close to the boards and accelerating at as near to a turtle’s pace as possible, perhaps inspired by the boys playing hockey at the opposite end of the rink, asked me if I had a stick and puck for her to use. After handing her an old wooden Sherwood, dropping a puck with a faded Canadian Tire logo and watching her take the first tentative strides with puck on blade, my thoughts drifted to the past (as they often do) and I began to ponder the outdoor rink hockey of the past. Now, if one sport were to be considered most identifiable and perhaps the absolute personification of Greater Sudbury, it would be that icy battle of the blades known as hockey. Indeed, the feats of players and teams across both the amateur and the professional ranks have been major highlights of the area's athletic history. Most Sudburians can readily retrieve from their memory banks stories of provincial championships, Memorial and Allan Cups won, and hometown boys who made good in the National Hockey League.
Celebrate Chinese New Year in Sudbury Feb. 17
The Chinese Association of Greater Sudbury (formerly Chinese Heritage Association of Northern Ontario) is once again hosting Chinese New Year celebrations, and this year the Feb.17 event it is open to the public. In 2023, the venue was so filled with guests they almost ran out of room, with 100 expected and almost 250 arriving, the association wanted to open their doors to their Sudbury community. The traditional Chinese calendar is a lunisolar calendar based on astronomical observations of the Sun’s position in the sky and the Moon’s phases. A lunar month is the time between the new moon and the full moon. This ancient calendar dates back to the 14th century BCE (whereas the Gregorian calendar was introduced in 1582). The Chinese lunisolar calendar shares some similarities with the Hebrew calendar, which is also lunisolar, and it has influenced other East Asian calendars, such as those of Korea and Vietnam.
Canada, Ontario sign Robinson Huron Treaty settlement
Another milestone has been reached in the settlement of past compensation in the Robinson Huron Treaty Annuities Case as Canada and Ontario have now signed the settlement agreement. The federal and provincial governments reached a proposed $10-billion settlement with the Robinson Huron Treaty Litigation Fund (RHTLF), representing the 21 Robinson Huron First Nations, in June, 2023. The proposed settlement includes $5 billion from Canada and $5 billion from Ontario and will be paid to all 21 First Nations included in the Treaty through community and individual investment, to be determined through the still ongoing community consultations. The Robinson Huron signatory chiefs and trustees met Jan. 3 to sign the Settlement Agreement.
