Good morning, Greater Sudbury.
Here are some stories to start your day.
Darcy Sheppard pleads guilty on first day of his murder trial:
Darcy Sheppard pleaded guilty to second degree murder Tuesday in the March 2017 killing of Kenneth Edwards, Sudbury.com has learned. His trial was to get underway at the Sudbury Courthouse this week. The 32-year-old was charged two years ago with first-degree murder, causing indignity to a human body, arson, breach of probation and theft under $5,000. A second man was originally charged as well back in 2017, but in September of that year all charges against Patrick Sweeney were stayed by the court. A joint submission by the Crown and defence suggests Sheppard receive a life sentence with no possibility of parole for 17 years. A sentencing date has not been scheduled.
Coroner investigating 'non-occupational' death of worker at Copper Cliff smelter on Monday:
The Ministry of Labour is investigating after a contract worker died while on the job at Vale's Copper Cliff smelter on Sunday night, though the man's death is not thought to be work related. An internal letter obtained by Sudbury.com says the worker with Ontario Electrical Construction Inc. was found unresponsive by other workers. Emergency responders were unable to resuscitate him. Vale notified the ministry of the incident. The coroner's office is confirming the cause of death.
Angry clients, embattled contractor may square off during June 5 hearings:
Eco Life Home Improvements owner Dave Murray is headed to the city's hearing committee June 5 in an attempt to get his business license restored, but a staff report on his case strongly recommends against allowing him to operate again. The city revoked his license in April following an investigation into numerous complaints about Eco Life's business practices. Many clients have complained they paid in advance for home renovations that were never completed, and some have won civil suits against him. Greater Sudbury Police has also launched a fraud investigation into Eco Life. Murray told Sudbury.com that he's trying to finish contracts for clients, even as some of them take him to court. He said revoking his license and being investigated by police are preventing him from completing work on many contracts. Full story can be found here.
In the age of liability, Sudbury neighbourhood battles over a boat launch:
During the recent Victoria Day weekend, some residents who hoped to get their boats onto McFarlane Lake using one of two boat launches people have used for years were shocked to discover they were now closed. “When we showed up to the lake on long weekend, as we have been doing forever, there was a gate up and notes posted that said no trespassing,” said Lindsy Sauve, who doesn't live on McFarlane but whose family has ties to the area dating back generations. “These launches have been used (by the public) forever … and this is the only access to the lake for a lot of people.” Sauve, who said many people are upset about losing the launches, wondered why anyone would buy such a small strip of land, because you clearly can't build anything there. She always assumed that strip was Crown land. As it turns out, the launches on South Lane Road are part of a larger property on the opposite side of the road – and so are on private property. Full story here.
City may look to private sector to solve downtown parking problem:
Following a report that the big projects being built downtown will lead to a serious shortage of parking spots downtown, city council could look to the private sector to fill the gap. The May 8 report to the finance committee said once the Places des Arts and the Junction are complete, there is a need for 271 new spaces just for the new amenities — and 500 spaces overall. “Based on high level industry estimates, an above-ground parking structure costs approximately $25,000 per space,” the report said. “Given this value, the high level cost estimate for the recommended parking structure is $12.5 million.” The legal battle over the Kingsway Entertainment District means the Sudbury Arena — the original site for the art gallery, library and convention centre – on Elgin Street is on hold. So staff were told to find another site for the library and art gallery, and the most suitable location is on city land currently occupied by a parking lot, aggravating the parking shortage. More on this story can be found here.
Frail HSN patients getting 'in crisis' designation to speed move to long-term care:
Health care managers are still puzzled about what caused a spike in the number of alternate level of care patients in hospital awaiting long-term care in early May while, at the same time, making allowances for people most in need to move up wait lists. The North East Local Health Integration Network has designated several frail, elderly people hospitalized at Ramsey Lake Health Centre as being in crisis so they will get faster access to a long-term care bed. Early in May, the number of ALC patients at the acute care site of Health Sciences North rose to almost 100, meaning people who did not need to be in hospital were occupying roughly 20 per cent of all beds. That put the hospital at well above 115-per-cent capacity, straining staff and physician complements, posing inconvenience to patients housed in unconventional spaces, and resulting in the cancellation of a dozen elective surgeries. Overcrowding due to the high number of frail, elderly people awaiting long-term care has been a problem in Sudbury’s hospital system for better than 15 years. Continuing efforts to curb the ALC crisis have resulted in hundreds of schemes to deal with the crush, but the aging population of the Northeast has continued to challenge the system. In the past, regional health planners gave Sudbury’s acute hospital a crisis designation, often for one week out of a month, during which time ALC patients were a priority for placement in long-term care over people in the community. This go-around, the crisis designation is being applied to individual patients, with the goal of finding a bed for people who have waited the longest in hospital for one. Get the full story here.
Closing arguments at Winnipeg trial for suspect in death of woman in barrel:
Lawyers presented their closing arguments Tuesday at the Winnipeg trial of a man accused of killing a woman whose body was found in a barrel. Perez Cleveland, who is 46, has pleaded not guilty in the 2016 death of 42-year-old Jennifer Barrett, who is originally from Sudbury. Court has heard that Cleveland shared a house with his adult daughter and five women who were described by one of them as "sister wives." Four of the women testified that they experienced extreme physical abuse, surveillance and manipulation in the home. The Crown has said that Cleveland became convinced Barrett was cheating, so he tortured her for days before she was killed. The defence argued that one of the other women was jealous of Cleveland and Barrett's relationship and acted violently towards Barrett.
Letterkenny, Sudburians Darlene Naponse and Patricia Cano receive NOMFA awards:
A Sudbury director, a local musician and a Nickel City-shot TV show all received awards at the Northern Ontario Music and Film Awards (NOMFA) gala May 25. Celebrating Northern Ontario’s best and brightest from the past two years, Music and Film in Motion unveiled award recipients in 13 different award categories, acknowledging achievements in both music and film. Local filmmaker Darlene Naponse won three awards at the gala (Creative Impact Ontario North and Outstanding Screenwriter and Outstanding Director for her film “Falls Around Her”). Sudbury's Patricia Cano won the award for Outstanding Vocal Performance on a Recording for her album “Gracias a la Vida.” And the third season of “Letterkenny,” which is filmed in Sudbury, won for Outstanding Television or VOD Series. Find the full list of winners here.
Wednesday Weather:
Mainly sunny to start the day, becoming a mix of sun and cloud by afternoon. Wednesday's high is expected to get up to around 18. Clear skies into the evening with the temperature sitting at 10. For current weather conditions, short-term and long-term forecasts visit Sudbury.com's weather page at www.sudbury.com/weather.
