Good morning, Greater Sudbury.
Here are some stories to start your day.
Here’s how school bussing in Greater Sudbury will work next month:
Area parents who want their kids to ride the school bus this September need to get in touch with the Sudbury Student Services Consortium by the end of the work day Thursday, Aug. 20. Parents need to opt in to receive school bus transportation this year, said Renée Boucher, executive director of the consortium, which co-ordinates school buses for all four local school boards. They can let the consortium know their intentions through email at [email protected], by phone at 705-521-1234 (a note that the phone lines for the consortium have been very busy), or through the consortium’s parent portal at businfo.ca. If you’re opting in through the parent portal, you’ll need your child’s OEN (Ontario Education Number), which you can find on their report cards. The consortium is contacting parents of JK students who don’t yet have an OEN. More on this story here.
Health unit confirms new case of COVID-19 in Greater Sudbury:
Public Health Sudbury & Districts reporteda new COVID-19 case in a resident in the service area of Greater Sudbury, Sudbury District, and Manitoulin District on Aug. 19. Through contact tracing, Public Health will notify all close contacts directly. If you are not contacted by Public Health, you are not considered a close contact. This is the 93rd case of COVID-19 in the district. The latest case is a woman in her 50s who has no travel history or contact with a known case. She was tested on Aug. 12 and is currently self-isolating.
City conducting internal investigation into Hanmer skate park incident:
The City of Greater Sudbury has commenced an internal investigation into an incident that occurred at the Hanmer skate park on July 22. A 42-year-old man was charged on Aug. 18 in connection to the incident which involved two girls, ages 12 and 13. A release sent out by the city's communications department on Aug. 19 indicated that the city was made aware of the troubling video circulating on social media over the weekend that showed an altercation involving two teens and an adult male at a local municipal park. "The conduct depicted in the video is unacceptable and the events are disturbing for all residents, and we understand that criminal charges have now been laid," said the release. "The city has commenced an internal investigation. We will continue to respect the privacy rights of everyone involved, and will not be speaking further to the matter at this time."
Finance chair frustrated with some councillors as budget talks get underway:
Early discussions on Greater Sudbury's 2021 budget and two year financial plan have begun as the city's finance and administration committee got its first look at the plan on Aug. 11. In addition to getting an early glimpse at a plan that calls for a property tax increase of up to 3.9 per cent and a water/wastewater rate increase of no more than 4.8 per cent, the committee also received a long-term financial plan update from general manager of corporate services, Kevin Fowke. Finance and administration committee chair Mike Jakubo says the long-term plan paints a rather positive picture and not the doom and gloom that some may think is on the horizon. "The long-term financial plan really spelled out how the city is in a very healthy financial state," said Jakubo. "We have a very good footing on which to be addressing the whole COVID pandemic and those increased costs and we're on track based on what the plan says." The early look at the budget direction for the coming year is typically done in May, but with extenuating circumstances due to COVID-19, the discussions were pushed into August. In presenting the report, CAO Ed Archer outlined a $629 million operating budget, with $302 million funded through the property tax levy. Some significant budget changes being forecast at this time are transit revenues coming in $1.6 million lower than forecast for 2021, and leisure services revenues seeing a reduction of roughly $2.3 million. Full story here.
New GOVA routes and schedules begin on Aug. 29:
Starting Aug. 29, GOVA will transition to new routes and schedules to support passengers where and when service is needed most, while maintaining enhanced protocols for the health and safety of passengers and staff. “Throughout the pandemic, the city has delivered safe and reliable public transit to keep our city moving. We are committed to this essential service and will continue to respond to the needs of passengers as we move into the next phases of recovery,” said Greater Sudbury Mayor Brian Bigger in a news release. All passengers are required to wear a face covering or non-medical mask when riding buses and are encouraged to do so at bus stops. Facemasks are a requirement when visiting any indoor municipal facility, including the Downtown Transit Hub. GOVA Transit monitors and manages passenger capacity on its routes on a daily basis to deploy extra buses when necessary to support physical distancing. Get the full story here.
'This beloved Canadian quiz show host is giving fans an update':
The question, of course, is, "Who is Alex Trebek?" The venerable Jeopardy! host — and native of Greater Sudbury — has had an eventful summer and says he's ready to get back to work. Trebek continues to fight Stage IV pancreatic cancer, recently turned 80, and took the extended pandemic-related hiatus from filming the popular quiz show as an opportunity to grow back some of his famous, oft-talked about facial hair, although recent photos of Trebek show him clean-shaven again. In a recent video released by Jeopardy! parent company Sony Pictures, Trebek tells fans he is continuing his treatments for cancer. He was diagnosed in February 2019. "It is paying off," says Trebek, "though it does fatigue me a great deal." As part of his health update for fans, Trebek continues with "my numbers are good and I'm feeling great." Find more on this story here.
Video: Former cyber crime detective talks toughest cases, retiring from GSPS:
After serving nearly three decades as a police officer, Sgt. Tim Burtt decided to hang up his uniform. Burtt spearheaded the internet crime division at the Greater Sudbury Police Service and the department has since saved countless victims, mostly young children, from abuse. Watch the video as Burtt reflects on the most challenging cases he's worked on over the years, how he destresses and what he will be doing next.
Helpers: Helping children has driven her volunteer efforts for 60 years:
Inspired by her late mother, Eileen, Darlene Sargent carries on a family legacy of helping others and building a stronger community and doing so with conviction and compassion. The youngest of four children, Sargent and her siblings grew up in Sudbury. Their father, Norman, who had been seriously injured in the Second World War, was unable to work and so Eileen became the Sargent family breadwinner. She had a home-party sales career so successful, in fact, it earned her several new cars, courtesy of Tupperware. “Our mother was a very spirited and caring woman,” said Sargent. “I think she developed her entrepreneurial spirit from her own parents who operated Penny’s Cartage here in Sudbury. They handled sorting and deliveries for Eaton’s, and many of my mom’s relatives worked at the department store, in the mailroom or for my grandad’s trucking business.” When Sargent left Sudbury Technical School, she launched her career as a hair stylist with Chez Nils (now Nils Hair Centre), where she remained for more than three decades. Find out more here.
Thursday Weather:
Cooler temperatures will continue today with chances of some rain. Mainly cloudy for Thursday with a 30 per cent chance of showers. There's a risk of a thunderstorm this afternoon and the high will only get up to 20. Mostly cloudy into the evening with chances of rain and thunderstorms. Overnight low will be 16. For current weather conditions, short-term and long-term forecasts visit Sudbury.com's weather page at www.sudbury.com/weather.
