Good morning, Greater Sudbury! Here are a few stories to start your day on this Thursday morning.
Leaked emails show councillors were told cost of wage hikes
In the same open letter where she suggests city CAO Ed Archer should resign from his position, Ward 7 Coun. Natalie Labbée also volunteers herself for resignation. That is, if she’s incorrect about when city council knew about last year’s non-union wage hikes. In her open letter published on Tuesday, Labbée wrote in all-caps that the annual $520,000 cost to hike non-union city managers’ salaries approved last year was “NEVER DISCLOSED” to city council “prior to or during budget discussions, nor was it disclosed to us in any closed documents until it was leaked to Sudbury.com, and I will die on my sword over this FACT!!!!” The idiom to “fall on one’s sword” means “to resign from one's position as a result of failure, wrongdoing, etc.” Despite the Ward 7 councillor’s assertion this week that she and her colleagues were blindsided by the cost of wage hikes for non-union employees approved by CAO Ed Archer, leaked emails obtained by Sudbury.com show Labbée and her fellow councillors were informed, and should’ve been aware, of how much the raises would cost.
Arson triple homicide: Stinson’s sentencing to start Aug. 19
A Sudbury man found guilty of three counts of first-degree murder in a 2021 arson triple homicide will not face sentencing until August. Liam Stinson is in Sudbury District jail awaiting sentencing in the deaths of Guy “Popcorn” Henri, Jasmine Somers and Stinson’s estranged partner, Jamie-Lynn Rose. Stinson was also found guilty of arson causing bodily harm against David Cheff, who was forced to jump from a second-story window to escape the blaze. Stinson’s attorney, Liam Thompson (appearing on behalf of Joseph Wilkinson) appeared virtually in Sudbury assignment court to set a date for his sentencing, but while Thompson believed it would only take one day of court time, Sudbury Crown attorney Kara Vakiparta thought more like two. “I think we need a day and a half to two days. There are a lot of victim impact statements, because there were three deceased,” she told Superior Court Justice, R. Dan Cornell. “Then in terms of sentencing submissions on the arson causing bodily harm, it might take a little bit of time, and then your honour’s decision, as well as the directed verdict application, so our estimate is two days.”
Police charge 81-year-old for harassing city councillor
An 81-year-old man has been arrested and charged with criminal harassment of a city councillor. Detectives began investigating the matter on May 16, according to a media release by Greater Sudbury Police Service, after receiving a complaint from a Greater Sudbury city council member. The harassment began in 2022, the media release said, and has continued, escalating from harassing communication to attending and harassing the councillor at their residence, causing them to fear for their safety. The suspect was arrested and charged on May 21, and was later released on an undertaking with a court date of June 19. The name of the person charged has not been released, nor has the name of the city councillor in question. “This is a reminder that there are proper and appropriate channels available to community members who are looking to contact public officials,” GSPS said in their media release. “Attending an individual’s private residence is not an appropriate avenue. Please be respectful of their privacy and the privacy and safety of their family members.”
Leduc calls for city’s integrity commissioner to be fired
For investigating his cellphone expenses, Ward 11 Coun. Bill Leduc is calling for the firing of city integrity commissioner David Boghosian. In a motion tabled for the May 28 city council meeting, Leduc alleges Boghosian “is using his power to harass members of council during his investigations and when presenting his reports.” The investigation into Leduc’s cellphone use was prompted by a complaint from a member of the public who requested anonymity. Boghosian’s investigation, also tabled for the May 28 meeting, ended up concluding that Leduc had not breached the city’s Code of Conduct. Boghosian pursued the complaint long after it should have been shot down, Leduc alleges in his motion’s preamble, which notes Boghosian “chose to pursue further questions and bring forward the report to council, which is not required when a complaint is dismissed, incurring additional costs.” Wrong on both accounts, Boghosian told Sudbury.com. The integrity commissioner denied pursuing further questions after deciding to dismiss the complaint (“I do not understand where the councillor got that from,” he said), and clarified that he was required to bring the report forward to city council.
Laurentian needs more time to release info on Bell Mansion
Laurentian University says it needs another month to respond to a Freedom of Information Act request made by Sudbury.com in April for an engineering report on the repair status of the Bell Mansion. The 100-year-old university-owned building, which has for many years housed the Art Gallery of Sudbury, was closed in October 2023 because it was no longer safe in its current state of repair. The issue with the Bell Mansion is with the south-facing wall and chimney, and doesn’t impact the gallery’s collection. The gallery’s art collection is safe, split between storage spaces in the Bell Mansion and at Laurentian University. Following the Bell Mansion’s closure last fall, the gallery has since rented space at 172 and 174 Elgin St., on the same strip as Sudbury Custom Paint and Framing, to house its gallery shop and some exhibitions.
Seismic event related to Garson Mine
Many people took to social media early this morning to report the ground shaking in the Greater Sudbury area. Sudbury.com reached out to Earthquakes Canada to get the details. The seismic event was recorded May 22 at around 9:03 a.m., and had a magnitude of 3.1 MN. A spokesperson for Earthquakes Canada said the seismic event has been confirmed by Vale’s Garson Mine to be mining related. Following this article's initial publication, Vale provided us with a written statement on this morning's seismic event. "At 9:02 a.m., Garson Mine experienced a seismic event measuring 3.1 in magnitude below the 5300 East mining level," the statement reads. "Everyone in the mine has been accounted for and the affected area of the mine has been restricted. The area of the mine impacted was supported with dynamic support designed to support the ground for this type of event.
