Good morning, Greater Sudbury.
Here are some stories to start your weekend.
Opioid overdoses to reach another record in 2019:
Reported opioid overdoses are set to reach another peak in 2019, the emergency services committee will hear next week, but there have been some encouraging signs the crisis is at least levelling off. Between January and September, paramedics in the city responded to 347 calls related to an opioid overdose, compared to 129 during the same period in 2018. The worst month of 2019 so far has been May, when paramedics responded to 71 suspected overdoses. But in August and September, the numbers were closer to 2018: there were 30 calls in August, compared to 33 in August 2018, and 26 calls in September, compared to 20 last year. The number of people dying from overdoses in Sudbury has also levelled off, peaking at nine in the month of June 2018, with no deaths being reported between December 2018 and March 2019, according to the latest data from the Community Drug Strategy Dashboard, which tracks opioid deaths across the province. Full story here.
Callam Rodya to be sentenced Jan. 7 for child porn charges:
A sentencing date of Jan. 7 has been set for former Sudbury reporter Callam Rodya, who faces a number of child porn charges. Rodya wasn't in court, but was represented by his lawyer, Alex Toffoli. He will be sentenced Jan. 7 at 2 p.m. in Courtroom B. No further details about a guilty plea were provided. Rodya was arrested in February this year after police searched his home and found evidence of child pornography on computers. He is charged with three counts of possession of child pornography, three counts of accessing child pornography, three counts of making it available and one count of possession of a controlled substance (cocaine). Rodya was released on bail on Feb. 14 with a number of conditions.
As year end draws near, city budget deficit sits at $7M:
The good news is Greater Sudbury's 2019 operating deficit was lower at the end of August than it was in May. The bad news is it's still running at close to $7 million. A report headed to the finance committee next week says about $300,000 of the deficit has been trimmed since the spring, and by the end of the year, whatever is remaining will be paid off using reserve funds. The major sources of the budget shortfall are in departments that have struggled to meet their approved budgets in recent years. Leading the way is winter maintenance, which reported it spent $4.7 million more than budgeted as record snowfalls hit Greater Sudbury early in 2019. More on this story here.
Report: Limiting overnight parking ban would impair snow removal:
A request to reduce the hours of the city's overnight parking ban during winter months would cause delays and potential safety hazards, says a report headed to the operations committee Oct. 21. In March, Ward 11 Coun. Bill Leduc asked for the report, arguing that since all snow removal doesn't happen overnight, reducing the ban from 2 a.m. to 6 a.m., rather than midnight to 7 a.m. wouldn't have a big impact on snow removal, and would reduce impaired driving for people downtown. Currently in effect from Dec. 1 until the end of March, the ban is enforced across the city through $75 tickets, and the possibility your vehicle will be towed to make room for plows. Commercial vehicles and trailers are banned from parking from 9 p.m. until midnight. Get the full story here.
Editorial: This is our take on Federal Election 2019:
At the best of times, it is difficult to lead this massive experiment called Canada. Our country is so big and our interests so diverse, we manage our political business with an untidy system of brokerage politics. We bring equalization payments to the Maritimes. We walk linguistic eggshells in Québec, while we ignore Ontario. We buy pipelines in Alberta and invest in oil spill mitigation in British Columbia. Of late, we are confronting our Indigenous colonial history and the impact of substantial immigration from around the world. Often, to satisfy one constituency we offend another. All of this, of course, before you bake in issues from climate change to abortion and your view on taxation and pharmacare. None of this is easy. With all of that being said, check out what party Sudbury.com is endorsing in this year's election, here.
Lace up your dancing shoes in support of Easter Seals Nov. 2:
Experience the music and dance of Latin culture at the second annual Northern Latin Congress (NLC), taking place Nov. 2 in support of Northeastern Ontario Easter Seals. The full-day event will include dance workshops, performances and an evening of dance, with music by local Dj Ritchie Rich. Participants will have the opportunity to engage and learn from local industry professionals, as well as those visiting the Nickel City from Toronto and North Bay. The NLC is an organization committed to promoting and celebrating Latin rhythms culture and heritage in Greater Sudbury. According to a press release, the group strives to promote "racial harmony" and cultural awareness by exposing the community to diverse cultural, social, and artistic events. The group was founded by Zoe Monroy, award-winning salsa dancer, instructor and entrepreneur, who offers local coaching in both English and Spanish. Find out how to get your tickets here.
Liberals sag, NDP, Bloc surge as coalition talk heats up:
The prospect of a coalition – formal or informal – coming out of the Oct. 21 election is growing, as opinion polls tighten and party leaders begin speculating on a minority Parliament. Tuesday morning, the website 338canada.com pegged the chances of either the Conservatives or Liberals of forming the next government at a virtual dead heat – 50.4 per cent to 49.6 per cent. The parties were looking at receiving roughly 32 per cent of the vote each, within a margin of error of about 4.7 per cent. The New Democrats, who had been close to single digits in support at the start of the campaign, have rallied to about 16.4 per cent nationally, with the Greens at 9.5 per cent and the Bloc Québecois surging in Quebec, although registering 6.6 per cent nationally. On the weekend, NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh said he would be interested in joining a coalition to ensure the Conservatives don't form government. Full story here.
Check out Sudbury.com's election page:
The federal election is less than a week away and advance polls have already come and gone. Sudbury.com will be bringing you news releases and stories from all of the parties and candidates running on the 2019 federal election page. Be sure to check in at our election page daily for the news of the day and for a closer look at the candidates running in Sudbury and Nickel Belt.
Thursday weather:
Dreary fall weather will continue Thursday with more rain in the forecast. Mainly cloudy toway with a 30 per cent chance of showers in the morning and afternoon. The high will only get up to 6 today. Mainly cloudy into the evening with the overnight low sitting at zero. For current weather conditions, short-term and long-term forecasts visit Sudbury.com's weather page at www.sudbury.com/weather.
