Good morning, Greater Sudbury.
Here are some stories to start your day.
Loblaws 'assures' customers they are taking hep A infection at Superstore 'very seriously':
Loblaws says it is working closely with Public Health Sudbury and Districts to ensure safety of customers and staff after a second case of hepatitis A was confirmed at the Real Canadian Superstore on Thursday. The health unit said customers of the Real Canadian Superstore “who consumed clerk-served deli meat or cheese, or meat and cheese from prepared deli trays purchased from the store between Nov. 27, 2019, and Jan. 2, 2020, could be at risk of hepatitis A infection.” This notice extends to Jan. 2 the original notice which was to Dec. 16. “We want to assure our customers and colleagues that we take their safety very seriously,” said an email statement from Loblaws Public Relations. When the second case was announced Thursday night, Public Health quoted Stacey Laforest, director of the health protection division, saying the new case was "unfortunate, but perhaps not unexpected." Dr. Ariella Zbar, associate medical officer of health, explained that Laforest was referring to the hardiness of the virus. Hepatitis A, she said, is a tough virus that can withstand the very harsh acids in our stomach as it passes through our system. Full story can be found here.
Cause of New Year's crash that killed three children still under investigation:
A tragic New Year's Day car crash in northeastern Ontario killed three siblings under the age of 12 and left their young friend in hospital with life-threatening injuries, provincial police said Thursday. Const. Michelle Coulombe said officers are still investigating the crash, which saw a vehicle carrying members of two families strike a rock cut near a highway close to Sudbury, Ont, shortly before 9 a.m. on Wednesday. "It's quite the tragedy," Coulombe said in a telephone interview. "I can't even imagine." Coulombe said the four children and their mothers were travelling back to their homes in Chelmsford, Ont., just outside Sudbury, in a 2007 Honda Accord at the time of the crash. She said weather conditions at the time of the crash were reasonable with only a light dusting of snow on local roads. Police have not yet determined what caused the vehicle to leave Highway 17 and crash into the rock cut, Coulombe said, adding the investigation is ongoing. But she said the scope of the tragedy quickly became clear when officers arrived on the scene. Brothers Destiny and Flourish Osagie, aged 11 and 10 respectively, were pronounced dead at the scene, she said. Their six-year-old sister, Britney Osagie, was taken to hospital, but later pronounced dead as well. The crash also badly injured a 10-year-old boy who Coulombe described as a friend of the Osagie family. She said he remains in hospital with undisclosed, life-threatening injuries.
Man taken to hospital with third degree burns after trying to fight fire in his apartment:
Greater Sudbury Fire Services responded to a 9-1-1 call at around 10:30 a.m. Friday, where a civilian reported flames coming from a third floor unit in a Barrydowne Road apartment. The cause of the fire is still being investigated and there are currently no damage estimates, but the lone occupant of the apartment where the blaze orginated was taken to hospital with third degree burns. "He was in there while the fire was still active and was trying to put it out," said GSFS platoon chief Andre Laurin. "He didn't have to be pulled out or anything like that but he did have burns to his extremities and face, so pretty serious injuries." The fire was isolated to the contents of the third floor unit, with smoke damaging much of the unit and some of the hallway outside of it. "The damage was limited to that unit and the hallway, no other units were damaged and no one else in that building had to be displaced," said Laurin. Investigation into the cause of the fire will continue on Saturday, and Laurin explained that investigators were sent to the scene as no one living in the apartment building heard any alarm sound while the fire was burning in the third floor unit.
Two people arrested in connection to Val Caron gas station robbery:
Greater Sudbury Police arrested and charged two people in connection to an attempted robbery and a robbery at a pair of businesses in Val Caron in the early hours of Dec. 31. Just before 4:30 a.m. on Dec. 31, a man and a woman attended a fast food restaurant on MR80 in Val Caron. The woman remained in the vehicle while the man covered his face, walked up to the drive through window, forced it open and attempted to take the cash register from inside. An employee inside the restaurant yelled at the man who let go of the register and ran back to the vehicle. Minutes later, the same two individuals attended a gas station on the same road. The woman once again remained in the vehicle while the man covered his face and went inside the store displaying a conducted energy weapon (taser-like) and what appeared to be a can of bear spray. The man demanded money from the employee and left with an undisclosed amount of cash. The employee was not injured during their interaction. Shortly after 2 p.m. on Dec. 31, members of the Break Enter and Robbery (BEAR) Unit located and arrested the 19-year-old woman. At 11:55 a.m. on Jan. 2 members of the BEAR Unit and Drug Enforcement Unit (DEU) located and arrested the 32-year-old man involved.
GOVA Transit downtown kiosk open Sundays starting Jan. 5:
GOVA Transit is increasing the hours its downtown kiosk is open to match a growth in weekend ridership. Effective Jan. 5, the kiosk will open every Sunday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. to provide information, transit passes and identification cards. Regular hours of operation will remain unchanged. The kiosk is open Monday to Friday from 7:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. and Saturday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., with Sunday hours coming into effect on Jan. 5. As part of the GOVA service enhancements launched in August, an improved Sunday service schedule was introduced at the request of residents to be more consistent with routes and schedules on Saturdays. Since the launch on Aug. 26, ridership on the new GOVA Sunday service schedule has attracted about 40 per cent more riders than the previous transit service.
Brewer Lofts developer seeks rezoning extension:
The city's planning committee will decide next week whether to grant a one-year extension to rezoning approvals needed to build the Brewer Lofts on Lorne Street. Greg Oldenburg, who has been working on the project since 2012, had rezoning approved in 2016 to build 50 condos, which he is now advertising as starting at $185,000 each. But financing for the $23 million project has been an obstacle. In 2017, Oldenburg applied to the city for $9.5 million, a mix of tax relief, grants and an interest-free loan of $4.5 million. He was critical of councillors when they turned him down. But in February 2019, councillors agreed to a $4.1 million package over 10 years for the project – or $410,000 a year – as long as Oldenburg met several benchmarks, such as leveraging private funds. Get the full story here.
LPAT rejects local firm's claims over expropriated land:
Greater Sudbury has won a battle at the Local Planning Appeals Tribunal – but not the big one over the Kingsway Entertainment District. In a decision released Dec. 23, the LPAT ruled a local construction company was not entitled to $762,000 it was claiming for compensation for land the city expropriated in 1999 as part of plans to create the Junction Creek Waterway Park, a series of trails that run from the West End to New Sudbury. In total, 1.545 hectares owned by Loris Cecchetto Construction Ltd. was expropriated in the Flour Mill section of the city. The property includes the channel of Junction Creek that passes through the company's land, and a strip about 22 feet wide to the east of the creek. Initially surveyed at 18,220 square feet, a new survey produced at the LPAT proceedings corrected the measurement to 22,572 square feet. The company's claim included such things as the estimated the loss in market value for the property — $144,461 — $233,911 for trespassing and $198,400 for “Estimated Injurious Affection from Parking Restrictions.” More on this story here.
River & Sky, extended edition: No need to tear yourself away from Fishers' Paradise in 2020:
The ground may be coated with a thick blanket of snow, but the organizers of the River & Sky Music and Camping Festival are asking you to think ahead to July and August. “It's the hope of summer that gets you through the winter,” said Peter Zwarich, who plans the annual event with wife Lara Bradley. If you're a fan of the festival, and think you'd like to spend more time at its home at Fishers' Paradise on the Sturgeon River in 2020, you're in luck. While River & Sky technically runs July 23-26 this year, organizers are planning a bunch of ways you can while away more of your summer days on the festival site. Find out more here.
