Good morning, Greater Sudbury! Here are a few stories to start your day on this Saturday morning.
Officers, volunteers conducting grid search for missing city councillor
It’s been six days since Ward 2 Coun. Michael Vagnini was last seen and the search for the missing Greater Sudbury politician continues. Feb. 2, Greater Sudbury Police along with North Shore Search and Rescue are conducting an active grid search in a swampy frozen wetland area off of Panache Lake Road. GSPS officers and more than a dozen civilian searchers were part of the effort, trudging through knee-deep snow and heavy brush in an effort to find Vagnini. The grid search is in an area that one unnamed searcher said was identified as an area where a person might have been seen. While that search is underway, an overhead search effort continues with the aid of a Ontario Provincial Police helicopter. No word has been issued on whether anything has been seen.
OPP helicopter takes to sky in search of missing councillor
The Ontario Provincial Police helicopter will be in Sudbury today, Feb. 2, to aid in the search for missing Ward 2 Coun. Michael Vagnini, Greater Sudbury Police said in a news release. GSPS state they have also called upon the North Shore search and rescue team to assist in today’s ground search. The GSPS release states that general areas of focus for today’s search will include the McCharles Lake Road, Panache Lake Road and surrounding areas. “We request that the public remain away from these locations today to allow for search personnel and emergency vehicles to access and effectively search these locations,” reads the release. “We truly appreciate the support and efforts of those in our community that have taken it upon themselves to help find Michael.” Police ask that any community searchers take precautions and be mindful of their own safety, including letting someone know where they will be going and when they should be expected to return.
Community searching for missing councillor alongside police
Several smaller communities within Sudbury are adding a helping hand to the search for Ward 2 Coun. Michael Vagnini, and are listing the areas they’ve covered online. Vagnini, 62, was last seen driving a black 2021 Ram 1500 truck with Ontario licence plate BK 22178. It has a broken passenger side tail light. These communities include the Sudbury Freedom Convoy Facebook group, who have been searching since they heard of his disappearance. A photo of Vagnini meeting with the group on Saturday, Jan. 27, is the last known photo of him. In it, he is wearing the yellow hockey jersey he was last seen wearing. There are also those posting to Vagnini’s Facebook page, called Councillor Vagnini’s Ward 2 Community.
Stiles slams Cons for burying report showing French university could work
The Ford government rejected a Francophone university proposal last year despite a 2022 report that showed the Université de Sudbury had the organizational capacity to offer such programming. Ontario NDP leader Marit Stiles spoke about the newly revealed report on the Université de Sudbury proposal during a Feb. 1 press conference in Sudbury, where she slammed the province for its actions to date on the file. She was joined at the press conference by Joanne Gervais, executive director of the Association canadienne française de l'Ontario (ACFO) du Grand Sudbury, as well as NDP MPPs Jamie West (Sudbury), France Gélinas (Nickel Belt) and Guy Bourgouin (Mushkegowuk–James Bay). “We care about this issue, and we're going to continue to fight for it,” said Stiles. The report being referenced by Stiles was submitted to Colleges and Universities Minister Jill Dunlop in September 2022 by the Postsecondary Education Quality Assessment Board (or PEQAB).
No Fences: Original musical celebrates everything Northern Ontario
A transplanted Brit, Sudbury musician Andy Lowe loves his adopted home of Northern Ontario. He loves it so much that he’s written numerous songs about its unique people and places, and now he’s even created a musical about Northern Ontario based on his music. No Fences, directed by Lowe and presented by Sudbury Performance Group, runs at Thorneloe University Feb. 8-10. Lowe said he’s never heard of another musical about Northern Ontario. “That’s really why it's a musical about Northern Ontario, because it's my mission I feel passionate about,” Lowe said. “I just wanted to say thank you, basically, to the region for being a good home to me as an immigrant.”
Police and firefighters hockey game raises thousands for NEO Kids
Greater Sudbury police and fire services faced off at the Sudbury Community Arena Thursday night with a charity hockey game that raised thousands of dollars for the NEO Kids Foundation. Thursday's game was the first time in a decade that the popular showdown - Fire and Ice - has taken place, said Greater Sudbury Police Service communications supervisor Kaitlyn Dunn, one of the organizers. "So this is the first time in 10 years that we've hosted the Fire and Ice. We are looking to make it an annual event this year. We selected NEO Kids as it is near and dear to a lot of our members' hearts as well as fire services," said Dunn. The Sudbury Arena had a big crowd. Dunn said 1,100 tickets had been pre-sold and many more were purchased as fans came through the doors Thursday evening. Early estimates put the fundraising total at well over $12,000, but that tally is expected to increase once all the funds are in from the popular 50/50 cash draw held at the game.
