Good morning, Greater Sudbury! Here are a few stories to start your day on this Wednesday morning.
Ontario budget projects $9.8B deficit, real-dollar social services cuts
The Ford government has dropped another unsexy budget in troubled times, with a painful path back to balance. Finance Minister Peter Bethlenfalvy signalled in advance his intent to mostly stay the course, promising Ontario more options for auto insurance, cash for housing infrastructure and, as always, no new taxes. In his speech to the legislature on Tuesday, Bethlenfalvy acknowledged Ontarians’ “real challenges … of making rent, of paying the bills, of affording groceries,” and touted his plan to freeze taxes without any major service cuts. “The 2024 Budget is a continuation of a plan that is working and working well,” he said, adding that “the higher deficits, compared to what we projected last year, will be time-limited, while the return on investment will be felt for decades.” Ontario’s financial picture is less rosy than this time last year, when the government projected a modest $200-million surplus in 2024–25, growing to $4.4 billion by next year.
Arson triple homicide: Victim was scared of accused, officer testifies
One of the victims of the 2021 Bruce Avenue fatal fire that claimed three lives told police she felt unsafe with the man now charged in her death and that he controlled money that she received, a Sudbury court heard March 25. Jamie-Lynn Rose, 33, was in what’s been described as an “on-again, off-again” relationship with Liam Stinson, the man who is now on trial for his alleged role in fire that killed Guy Henri, Jasmine Somers and Rose herself, as well as severely injuring another man, David Cheff, who testified at trial last week. A Greater Sudbury police officer for the last 24 years, Const. Katherine Hucal testified to a Dec. 20, 2020, interaction with Rose that occurred after the officer had been dispatched to an address on Cambrian Heights Drive. That address was a residence leased to Liam Stinson. Hucal didn’t testify to the reason GSPS officers were dispatched to locate Rose that day. The woman wasn’t at the location provided and after looking around the property, the officers found a person with a key to the residence (a “keyholder” is what Hucal called this person), who let them in.
Man facing pornography, bestiality charges delays trial again
A Sudbury man about to take a plea on charges related to child sexual abuse material and bestiality has again reversed course, asking now for a judge-only trial. James Maguire, 37, is charged with accessing child pornography, possessing child pornography, bestiality and compelling the commission of bestiality. He was set to have a judge and jury trial beginning Jan. 8, but that was abruptly put over when Maguire decided to plead guilty to the charges, which was to happen in Sudbury Superior Court on March 25. Instead, Maguire’s lawyer, George Fournier, told Justice Robbie Gordon his client now wants a judge-only trial, asking for an adjournment to assignment court on April 16 to set a date. Maguire has been in custody since he was charged on March 27, 2021 as part of an “extensive” 13-month investigation by the Greater Sudbury Police Internet Child Exploitation Unit.
One arrested after search nets $38K in illegal drugs: GSPS
A 43-year-old Sudbury woman is facing several charges following the execution of search warrants by Greater Sudbury Police Service on March 22. That day, detectives from the Drug Enforcement Unit (DEU) concluded an investigation into the activities of a local resident, a suspected drug dealer. On March 22, “detectives from the Integrated Crime Section with the assistance of the Emergency Response Unit (ERU) and the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP)-led Guns and Gangs Enforcement Team arrested a 43-year-old woman from Greater Sudbury on drug charges,” police said. Following the arrest, detectives executed three search warrants in Greater Sudbury. Ultimately, detectives seized approximately 362 grams of suspected cocaine, 3.55 grams of suspected methamphetamine, 659 amphetamine tablets and 179 oxycodone pills. All told, police said the estimated street value of the seized material is $38,770. Police also seized close to $300 in cash.
Greater Sudbury region is seriously short of ophthalmologists
Sudbury optometrists are worried about a possible human resources crisis with respect to a decline in the number of ophthalmologists in the Sudbury area in the coming months. The concern was outlined in a recent letter of concern from the Sudbury Society of Optometrists, a volunteer group that is part of the Ontario Association of Optometrists. The worry is that one local ophthalmologist has retired and another is planning to close his practice in June, said the letter. In addition, there is the concern that two other health professionals, older ophthalmologists, could potentially retire in the next few years. This could cut the number of local ophthalmologists in half, said the letter. The letter was sent to HSN president and CEO David McNeil requesting that more Operating Room (OR) times be freed up in order to allow ophthalmologists to carry out more eye care surgeries.
The Stampeders include Sudbury date on alleged ‘final’ tour
Fittingly on a Sudbury Saturday night, The Stampeders are slated to perform at Laurentian University’s Fraser Auditorium on April 13. Billed as their “One More Time” tour, the classic rock band’s founding member, lead vocalist and guitar player Rich Dodson said he hasn’t committed to calling it quits after the tour. He still remembers seeing The Who’s alleged final show at Maple Leaf Gardens in 1982, which was followed by numerous subsequent tours, including dates as recent as last year. “What are you going to do?” Dodson asked Sudbury.com during a recent phone interview from his home in the Greater Toronto Area. “Sit at home and watch MSNBC or something? Or Trump ... is he going to have the money? “It’s sort of what we do and who we are, so as long as the health holds out and you can stand up on stage and move around and still sing and do all that,” he said. “It’d be a drag to pack it in.”
