Good morning, Greater Sudbury.
Here are some stories to start your day.
Constable shot in Gore Bay incident has died:
The mayor of a town on Ontario's Manitoulin Island says the community is reeling after a shooting that left a police officer and a civilian dead Thursday. Dan Osborne, mayor of Gore Bay, says news of the incident quickly spread through the small island community yesterday. He says it's the kind of place where everyone knows everyone, and the loss is "devastating." Ontario's police watchdog said yesterday it is investigating the shooting, which took place after the officer was called to a property in Gore Bay. The Special Investigations Unit said the call was related to an "unwanted man" on the property. It said the officer, identified as Const. Marc Hovingh, was shot dead after he arrived, while the man on the property died in hospital.
Break-ins and theft continue to plague downtown businesses:
A number of local businesses have been victims of property crimes in the past few weeks and the owners are becoming frustrated. Comics North on Elm Street, Damascus on Cedar Street and Trand Kitchens on the Kingsway have all been broken into in the last month and have suffered hundreds, if not thousands of dollars in losses. Damascus Cafe and Bakery on Beech Street has been hit by both vandalism and theft recently. The cafe's owner, Hussein Qarquoz, the patriarch of the first Syrian refugee family to settle in Sudbury, says that he has noticed more people congregating in the areas near his restaurant since the pandemic took hold. The pain in Qarquoz' voice was evident when he spoke about the situation, as the generous business owner opened his doors and handed out free meals to the city's less fortunate last year around the holidays. "I'm seeing more homeless people, they're hanging out around the front of the store," said Qarquoz, whose front door was broken at the cafe a week ago. "We notice there's more people here now, it's a very bad time." A few months ago, Qarquoz' van was broken into and his wallet was stolen. The thieves pulled nearly $3,000 from Hussein's account and it has caused him a lot of difficulty and he now fears he could lose his cafe. "We've been very slow because of COVID-19, but I had $2,800 stolen and I can't pay rent for October or November," said Qarquoz. "I'm trying to save my business. I've been giving free food to homeless people, but I can't afford to do this anymore." Get the full story here.
Police seeking info on man believed to be connected to series of robberies:
Greater Sudbury Police are seeking the assistance of the public to locate 34-year-old Ty Thrush in connection to numerous robberies that occurred between Nov. 7 and Nov. 15. Two of the robberies took place back-to-back on Notre Dame Avenue on Nov. 14. Members of our Break Enter and Robbery (B.E.A.R.) Unit identified the man believed to be responsible as 34-year-old, Ty Thrush. He is also believed to be responsible for four other robberies that took place on Nov. 7 on Douglas Avenue, on Nov. 8 on Elm Street, on Nov. 11 on King Street and on Nov.15 on Douglas Avenue. Due to the violent behaviour of this man and the escalating number of incidents, Detectives applied for and have been granted an arrest warrant for Ty Thrush for six counts of robbery (six counts) and six counts of disguise with intent.
OPP find crashed vehicle carrying large cache of drugs abandoned near Sudbury detachment on Hwy. 69:
In a bizarre turn of events, a crashed rental vehicle carrying a large cache of drugs was found abandoned very close to the Sudbury OPP station on Highway 69 Nov. 10, and police are still looking for those responsible. The Nipissing West OPP said that while on patrol at 6:45 p.m. Nov. 10, officers observed the car parked on an angle with its lights off, facing southbound in the northbound lane on Highway 69, just south of the Sudbury OPP Detachment, City of Greater Sudbury. Investigation revealed the vehicle was initially southbound on Highway 69 when it struck the centre traffic light post at the intersection of Pioneer Road, which resulted in severe damage to the vehicle, rendering it inoperable. The occupant or occupants had fled the scene and could not be located. As a result of further investigation, officers seized a substantial quantity of drugs, suspected to be opioids, oxycodone, cannabis, and edible products, along with Canadian and United States currency. The street value of the drugs seized is unknown at this time, pending the Certificate of Analysis report from Health Canada. The investigation is continuing. Police are asking anyone who has information in regards to this collision to contact the Sudbury OPP Detachment at 705-564-6900 or toll-free at 1-888-310-1122.
New COVID-19 test site created in Sudbury's South End:
Starting today, Sudbury area residents will be tested for the COVID-19 virus at a new location in the city's south end. Health Sciences North (HSN) said it made the decision to move the COVID-19 Assessment centre from Walford Road to 2050 Regent Street, a former freight warehouse, close to the Buzzy Brown's Brasserie. Motorists will be able to turn into the area from a set of traffic lights located on Regent. HSN said the new venue will allow for more convenient testing with the arrival of colder and snowy weather. “The bulk of the tests at our COVID-19 Assessment Centre are done by drive-through testing which takes place outside. This approach has been really effective and efficient as it allows us to test the most people in the safest way possible," said Mark Hartman, Senior Vice President of Patient Experience at Health Sciences North. "But in order to continue with this approach during the cold winter months, we needed an area that will provide some shelter to staff and patients.”
No more shared rooms: Extendicare building a new advanced-design LTC home in Sudbury:
Extendicare had a ground-breaking event in Sudbury Wednesday for a new $62.3-million long-term care home, which the company said is being built to replace the current facility on Falconbridge Road, which was constructed in the early 1970s. The new home will be located on Algonquin Road in the city's South End. Based on new design parameters set out by the province, the new facility will provide low-occupancy single rooms for up to 256 residents. Those new design rules mandate that four-bed, ward-style rooms are no longer allowed as rooms with four occupants make it difficult to impose quarantines if and when any sort of widespread illness occurs. "All residents will have their own bedroom to ensure privacy and optimize infection control," said Extendicare. "This project is an example of the significant investments private sector operators make to modernize and expand long-term care capacity in the province. In addition, the Government of Ontario will provide a grant of approximately $6 million upon completion of construction as well as ongoing capital funding to support the new home," said the company release. The company also said construction is commencing now and should be completed late in 2022. Full story here.
‘Headed in the right direction’: Stack wins hardware at Ontario Brewing Awards:
Winning awards for their craft beer is nothing new to Stack Brewing, but winning five awards in about two months is certainly a feather in the company’s cap, said the brewer’s provincial sales manager. The Sudbury-based craft brewery won four medals at the Ontario Brewing Awards this past weekend, following a gold medal at the Canadian Brewing Awards a few months ago. At the provincial level, Stack won two gold medals — one in the Strong Belgian Ale category (LaCloche) and one in the Amber Bitter European Beer category (Impact) — and two silver medals — one in the Standard American Beer category (Nickel City) and one in the India Pale Ale category (Expansion Sour IPA). The awards ceremony happened virtually on Nov. 14. Stack also took home a gold medal at the Canadian Brewing Awards a few months ago in the American Style Black Ale category (Black Rock). More on this story here.
Then & Now: Sudbury’s historic buildings are disappearing:
D'Youville Orphanage was one of the oldest buildings in the city. Designated under the Ontario Heritage Act as a protected site, it was bulldozed 15 years ago. A heritage designation does not ultimately save a building from the wrecking ball, but it does delay the process, puts up roadblocks to demolition, and ensures public debate with the objective to find an alternative to demolition. It also protects a building from neglect. The orphanage, at 38 Xavier St. off St. Anne Road, was built as a French school in 1895 and it was owned by the Roman Catholic Diocese of Sault Ste. Marie. The Catholic diocese was concerned the abandoned building was a financial liability that needed an estimated $750,000 in repairs to be brought up to code. Attempts to find a funding partner to help renovate failed. The diocese had to make a case for demolishing the heritage building, apply to the planning committee for a permit, and get permission from city council, a process that eventually took several years. There are umpteen buildings with fascinating histories in the City of Greater Sudbury, such as the former Mine Mill Hall on Regent Street and Old City Hall on Cedar Street, but only eight are protected under the provincial heritage act. Find the full story here.
Friday Weather:
Mainly cloudy to with a 30 per cent chance of showers in the afternoon. Another mild day Friday with the high getting up to 9. Mostly cloudy into the evening with chances of showers and flurries. Overnight low will drop to -4, feeling like -9 with the wind chill. For current weather conditions, short-term and long-term forecasts visit Sudbury.com's weather page at www.sudbury.com/weather.
