Good morning, Greater Sudbury! Here are a few stories to start your day on this Tuesday morning.
Vandalized speed-trap cameras cleaned, repaired quickly
Tipping them over, prying them open, covering them with eggs, garbage bags, duct tape, shaving cream, spray paint, and ... placing a microwave on one of them, for some reason. Frustrated area residents have deployed all manner of things to disable the six automated speed enforcement cameras installed recently throughout the City of Greater Sudbury. In every case to date, they’ve been repaired fairly quickly, city Linear Infrastructure Services director Joe Rocca told Sudbury.com. The vendor has been “pretty prompt” in cleaning and repairing the devices, he said, adding that it’s the city’s expectation they will continue to be repaired soon after each case of vandalization. Area residents began egging the cameras early last month, even before they were turned on.
Upcoming left-turn signal to slow traffic on Lasalle Boulevard
Cited as a resolve for safety concerns, a left-turn phase is slated to be added to facilitate westbound traffic turning into a seniors building complex at 901 Lasalle Blvd. This, following a successful motion by Ward 12 Coun. Joscelyne Landry-Altmann during last week’s operations committee meeting of city council, which passed by a vote of 4-2. A left-turn phase is a turn light which will allow time for westbound traffic to turn left into the housing complex, which Landry-Altmann’s motion notes houses approximately 330 people, of whom 80 per cent are seniors. Landry-Altmann's motion calls for the left-turn phase to be installed as a two-year pilot project. “It’s a very busy building,” she said, citing her push for a left-turn phase as a safety concern.
Police track down man in distress at AY Jackson Lookout
Greater Sudbury Police were able to successfully track down a man in distress at the A.Y. Jackson Lookout trail system Sunday. Staff Sgt. Chris Brown said Greater Sudbury Police got a call about the man, who seemed to be having a medical concern, at around 10:30 a.m. Sunday morning. The area was contained, and an initial search failed to locate the individual. But while police were still on scene, they observed him from a distance within the trail system. “He actively evaded the officers who were trying to make contact with him,” said Brown. After a “very lengthy K-9 track,” the man was located in good condition at around 7 p.m. Sunday evening.
Pirie's new Mining Act powers come into effect on April 1
Beginning April 1, the Ontario government has made it easier and quicker for new mines to be approved without changing environmental safeguards. That's when the new regulations come into effect that give unprecedented power to the Ontario Minister of Mines — in this case Timmins MPP George Pirie — to make decisions on mine closures, mines rehabilitation and mining exploration. The changes were outlined in the Building More Mines Act. The new regulations mean the minister now has the power to make decisions that were previously only given to high-level staff members in the Mines ministry. In order for a mine to be approved in Ontario, mine developers must provide a mine closure plan – essentially a look-ahead blueprint for the day when the mine shuts down. That plan would outline how the mine developer will return the land to a natural state; rehabilitating the land free of hazards and environmental damage.
Minimum wage going up this fall
Ontario’s minimum wage is going up. The province announced on March 28 that minimum wage would go up to $17.20 per hour, an increase of 3.9 per cent, starting this fall. “Under the leadership of Premier Ford, our government is helping nearly one million workers earn more money for themselves and their families,” Labour Minister David Piccini said in a provincial news release. “We are providing businesses with certainty and predictability by announcing this annual wage increase six months in advance, while also helping families offset the rising cost of living, so that Ontario continues to be the best place to live, work and raise a family.” In effect as of Oct. 1, the changes come under the Employment Standards Act, which is based on the Ontario Consumer Price Index (CPI). The CPI is a measure of inflation that represents changes in prices experienced by Ontario consumers, the province explained.
Video: The syrup is flowing at Maple Hill Farm
Spring was in the air in Hanmer on March 31, as maple lovers from across Greater Sudbury headed to Maple Hill Farm for a Taffy Tasting Weekend. Featuring maple taffy, face-painting, a chance to pet miniature horses and an Easter egg hunt, the event was filled with very happy and very sticky children. Maple Hill Farm was once known as the “Despatie Maple Farm – La ferme Despatie”. Though the first sugar shack (cabane à sucre) was built on the property in 1916, it was in the mid 1950s that the 35-acre property was purchased by Lucien and Alice Despatie and, in 1967, they began to commercialize syrup products and to host large public events, school tours and horse-drawn sleigh rides during the winter. A newer sugar shack was built in the 1970s for production as well as for public demonstrations.
