Good morning, Greater Sudbury! Here are a few stories to start your day on this Wednesday morning.
Search for city councillor moves to more urban area of Sudbury
Tuesday's search for missing Ward 2 Coun. Michael Vagnini took police away from the far western reaches of the city and closer to the residential areas near St. Charles Lake in the Moonglo area, west of Regent Street. It has now been 10 days since Vagnini was declared missing and efforts to find him have continued unabated — but without success — since search efforts got underway Jan. 28. Ground searches with police personnel and North Shore Search and Rescue volunteers, and aerial searches with an Ontario Provincial Police helicopter and a GSPS drone, turned up nothing in the McCharles Lake Road and Panache Lake Road areas on the western edge of the city, the location of the last confirmed sighting of the missing politician. Today, those search efforts continued with North Shore Search and Rescue out to lend assistance to Greater Sudbury Police Service (GSPS) officers, including members of the GSPS Rural Community Response Unit. While one group of searchers checked out nature trails behind houses on Nova Street, another group of police officers used an unmanned aerial device (drone) in an area near Moonrock Avenue where several new homes were under construction.
Vigil for missing city councillor to be held Thursday evening
A vigil for missing Greater Sudbury city councillor Michael Vagnini is being held Thursday, Feb. 8 as part of the Walden Winter Carnival. Vagnini has been missing since Jan. 27. He represents Ward 2, which includes the Walden area. Searches for Vagnini in recent days by police and search and rescue teams have generated no new information. The vigil for Vagnini is being held Thursday, Feb. 8 from 8-8:30 p.m. in the TM Davies Community Centre upper lot, following the carnival fireworks.
Cambrian College now has more international students than domestic
Cambrian College’s international student population has seen rapid increases in recent years both on its Sudbury campus and at a private college offering programming in the Greater Toronto Area and Vancouver on Cambrian’s behalf. In light of the recent federal announcement aimed at stemming the explosive growth of international students, Sudbury.com has taken a closer look at Cambrian College’s enrolment numbers, as well as the fiscal implications for the Sudbury college. Cambrian College has the most skin in the game with regards to international students of the three Sudbury post-secondary institutions, although international enrolment at Laurentian University also increased substantially this school year. Cambrian College’s on-campus international student enrolment in Sudbury has gone up by 204 per cent since 2018 and by 89 per cent in just the past 18 months. The number of Cambrian College international students studying at the private college called Hanson Canada has increased by 212 per cent since 2018, including an 81 per cent increase in just the past 18 months.
Most FedNor service contracts not awarded to northern businesses
Fewer than 15 per cent of the contracts awarded by FedNor for goods and services worth more than $1,000 went to businesses in Northern Ontario. This, despite the Federal Economic Development Agency for Northern Ontario’s mandate, Kenora Conservative MP Eric Melillo said, which is to “work with businesses and community partners to build a stronger Northern Ontario.” (These contracts exclude the grants and contributions the federal organization awards to support Northern Ontario businesses and organizations.) Melillo dug out this revelation in a recent inquiry to the federal government, in which all contracts over $1,000 awarded by FedNor since Aug. 12, 2021, be compiled alongside a description, location and contract amount. The resulting document lists 29 contracts, the majority of which were awarded to companies in southern Ontario. This includes such things as the purchase of a Kia Sorento (vehicle) for $61,712, which went to a dealership in Mississauga. FedNor purchased six double-tier lockers from a company in Mississauga for $6,266, three speakers and microphones from a company in Pickering for $6,717, 30 webcams from a Staples in Mississauga for $5,000, and received $20,272 in “digital asset design” work from a company in Sarnia.
Top Glove fighters stand tough at Brampton Cup
Fighters from Sudbury’s Top Glove Boxing Academy showed just how tough they are when they travelled to the 41st annual Brampton Cup tournament on Feb. 1-4. Billed as Canada’s largest and longest-running amateur Olympic-style boxing tournament, the Brampton Cup drew more than 450 pugilists. Top Glove coaches Gord Apolloni and Johnny Dempster travelled with fighters Jadyn Lewis, Darryl Savoie, Josh Guignard, Riley Davidson and Gavin MacIsaac to the event. Two other fighters, Brian Derro and Shon Vivier, also fought wearing Top Glove colours at the event. “With three rings running simultaneously, there was no shortage of boxing action,” Top Glove told Sudbury.com. Lewis and Davidson didn’t prevail but “both learned a great deal and met the challenge head on,” Savoie fought in two make-up bouts, winning one and dropping the other.
City’s Public Art Master Plan proposes funding boost
The City of Greater Sudbury’s elected officials are considering a boost in public art funding through their Public Art Master Plan, which they’re voting on during their Feb. 13 meeting. Since 2022, the city has earmarked $25,000 annually toward a public art reserve fund, which has gone toward hiring a consultant for the master plan, the commission of murals, maintaining the legal graffiti wall and other general program funding. The proposed master plan includes two options for funding, both of which propose boosts. Option 1 would see the city increase funding to $250,000 per year, collecting $1 million over four years. Option 2 would see the city gradually boost funding to hit $125,000 in 2028, including a four-year expenditure of $350,000.
