Good morning, Greater Sudbury.
Here are some stories to start your day.
Mills will spend 'more time and money' on town centres across the city:
If elected, mayoral candidate Patricia Mills says she would spend “more time and money” on town centres across the city, not just downtown Sudbury. “It is becoming increasingly apparent to me that we need to create a more caring and compassionate city, and I believe it starts with listening and understanding each other,” Mills said at a news conference Wednesday at Cousin Vinny's in Hanmer. “The people of our communities that make up Greater Sudbury have been neglected for far too long.” Each town centre should have their own master plan for future growth, she said. Instead communities are fighting each other because of poor leadership. “The downtown has a master plan and it needs action,” Mills said. “However, all of our communities neighbourhoods need focused improvements and the best way for downtown to succeed is when all of Greater Sudbury's town centres can celebrate their own successes.” With Sudbury facing a surging senior population, Mills said long-term care homes need to be built in all communities so people can stay close to home. “I want to work with local developers to strategically locate affordable housing in our town centres,” she said, “so seniors can stay in their neighborhoods that they know and love.” In addition to the town centres announcement, Mills received endorsements from two former councillors: Evelyn Dutrisac, the outgoing Ward 4 councillor, and Fran Caldarelli, who represented Ward 10 before retiring in 2014. Full story can be found here.
Where Do They Stand? Ward 5 candidates on the top issues in their ward:
Sudbury.com's Where Do They Stand series continues with questions for candidates in Ward 5. We have answers from all three candidates: Jerry Desormeaux, Michel Lalonde and the incumbent, Robert Kirwan, possibly the most outspoken candidate or sitting member of council. The questions we asked were about the Kingsway Entertainment District, Downtown and the urban-rural divide, and issues specific to Ward 4. Find each candidate's answers here and be sure to check back daily for more of our Where Do They Stand series.
Election roundup for October 10:
Ward 11 candidate Derek Young is calling on the municipality to come together with engaged citizens, community groups, businesses, industries, and educational institutions to perform an Environmental Audit. "Although trees, lakes, rivers, and air quality will be part of the audit, the purpose of the audit will be to look at successes and challenges, identify gaps and opportunities, assess information to help in our decision making, and to monitor our collective impact as a community," said Young in a news release. "The community will come together in open and honest dialogue to develop a common goal by looking at a number of topics and ideas that matter most to the community and develop a road map to get there. The new council will have a strategic planning session early in the term, currently scheduled for March 1 and 2, 2019. An environmental audit, will be a useful tool in helping council to establish their priorities for the next four years." Ward 11 candidate John Linsday is using a media report regarding a fault line under the KED site as further ammunition in his bid to stop the project. Lindsay is referring to a report in the Sudbury Star from Oct. 4 in which a rock engineer said he believes he’s found an active fault line under the Kingsway Entertainment District site, and that he believes the buildings on the site will have to be specially engineered to protect them should the earth move. Lindsay said this is more evidence the project is a bad idea. “This report adds more fuel to the fire that the whole project is indeed on shaky ground, not only for safety reasons with respect to earthquake activity, but due to the added cost of making sure the buildings on the site are built to withstand quite likely seismic events,” he said. Ward 5 councillor Robert Kirwan says that the new city council will have a lot to tackle after the Oct. 22 election. While issues like the Kingsway Entertainment District, city infrastructure, and taxes have been at the forefront of many candidates' campaigns, Kirwan is looking ahead to when the next council are in their seats in council chambers. "City Council has already directed staff to do a ward boundary review following the election in October. Staff have been asked to bring back a report to the next Council with recommendations on the possible realignment of our ward boundaries," said Kirwan in a news release. "On top of ward boundaries, the new Council will also have to wrestle with bringing back paper ballots as an option on Election Day 2022, whether or not to go with a "ranked balloting" system, whether or not to reduce the size of Council, and whether or not to move to a 'Councillor at Large' model with full-time councilors. All of these matters need to be decided early enough in the new term so that any approved changes can be ready for the next election." You can get caught up with all your election news at Sudbury.com' election page.
Sudbury jail fugitive Gaston Gagnon may be in Orillia:
The Orillia Detachment of the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) is asking the public in that area to help locate escaped Sudbury jail inmate Gaston Gagnon in Orillia. According to a statement, police said there is no specific threat to public safety. The OPP reminds the public to be aware of their personal safety at all times. Gagnon is believed to be involved in property crime. The Community Street Crime Unit (CSCU) and Orillia OPP are investigating the whereabouts of Gagnon and asking the public for assistance in locating him. Anyone with information on the whereabouts of Gagnon is encouraged to contact police at 1-888-310-1122 or 705-326-3536. If you wish to remain anonymous, you can contact Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 (TIPS) or visit Crime Stoppers at: www.crimestoppers.com where you may be eligible to receive a cash reward of $2,000.
Sudbury police working on pot policy for officers:
Greater Sudbury Police are still developing a policy regarding marijuana use and officers, as forces in other parts of the country are set to impose tough restrictions. It emerged Tuesday that the RCMP and the Toronto police service both are considering rules that would bar cannabis use by members within 28 days of a shift. The Calgary police service's policy is even stricter, barring the vast majority of officers from consuming marijuana while off duty. Tom Stamatakis, president of the Canadian Police Association, says officers should be trusted to make the right call when it comes to reporting to work fit for duty. He wonders why cannabis is being treated differently than other legal products such as alcohol and prescription drugs. Stamatakis says there has been no meaningful consultation on the creation and implementation of cannabis policies for officers, which vary from force to force. Sudbury police spokesperson Kaitlyn Dunn said Tuesday they are currently looking at options for a local pot policy. “We currently and have always had a 'fitness for duty' requirement in place regarding intoxicating substances,” Dunn said. “So that will now also include cannabis. “We're still reviewing the details around the policy. But right now, we're just trying to determine what will be the best suited for Sudbury.” The goal is to have something in place by Oct. 17, the day marijuana becomes legal in Canada.
Wade Hampton House getting A-Head in its expansion project:
The March of Dimes in Sudbury got a $25,000 injection towards its Wade Hampton House expansion project on Oct. 9. The Wade Hampton House is a community-based setting that offers 24-hour support to individuals with moderate to severe brain injury. Staff work with residents to engage them in their personal care and ongoing rehabilitation goals. Currently, Wade Hampton House is home to 11 people living with acquired brain injury. They live in either a congregate setting or in stand alone apartments and receive the support they need. However, with a wait list of more than 20 people across the northeast, it is time for the facility to expand. In 2015, the March of Dimes set out on its Moving A-Head capital campaign to facilitate that expansion. The goal is a new 12,000-square-foot facility big enough to accommodate 12 individuals with a brain injury. It's a $2.9-million project, with $1.95 million from the City of Greater Sudbury, leaving another $1 million to be raised by March of Dimes. More on this story can be found here.
Good growing: Collège Boréal is home to Northern Ontario's only agriculture program:
It was a celebration of growth in more ways than one at Collège Boréal on Oct. 9, as the school celebrated the official opening of its Applied Research Centre for Biodiversity. Extensive work has been done at the school to provide facilities for training and research in plant agriculture. The $3-million project was funded in part by the federal government's strategic innovation fund to the tune of $1.5 million, along with a $1.3-million contribution from the college. The province's share in the completion of the project was $200,000. A number of modern installations have been built on the college's campus, including a high-tech greenhouse, a classroom, a warehouse, a drive-in freezer for research purposes, and an open-air garden. These new facilities are in addition to pre-existing campus facilities used for research and teaching in forestry and animal studies. Collège Boréal is home to Northern Ontario's only post-secondary agriculture program and has 58 students enrolled between its agriculture and forestry programs. More on this story here.
Northern Lights unveils a bloomin’ new festival they’re calling Bloom:
Winter is a dark time in Northern Ontario, so why not celebrate the coming of bloom of spring with a bloomin’ new festival? And why not call that festival “Bloom”? Great idea, eh? Northern Lights Festival Boréal hopes you think so, too, which is why today they unveiled a brand-spanking new early spring festival that they’re calling — you guessed it — Bloom. The inaugural Bloom Festival will be held March 8-9, 2019 in downtown Sudbury. “Northern Lights Festival has taken place for 47 years, celebrating music and arts through the annual summer festival,” organizers said in a news release Wednesday morning. “This spring, the NLFB team brings you Bloom 2019, a multi-venue festival devoted to presenting culturally diverse music and arts. “There is, to date, no other world music festival in Sudbury and NLFB is thrilled to bring the most exciting, new international talent to our city.” Find out more about the festival here.
Thursday Weather:
More rain showers in the forecast for Thursday. There's a chance of showers this morning with a mix of sun and cloud expected by the afternoon. Thursday's high will be 14. Mainly cloudy into the evening with a 30 per cent chance of showers. Temperature will drop off steeply with the overnight low dropping to 2. For current weather conditions, short-term and long-term forecasts visit Sudbury.com's weather page at www.sudbury.com/weather.
