Good morning, Greater Sudbury.
Here are some stories to start your day.
Election 2018 Fast 15: Tough questions with the Sudbury and Nickel Belt candidates:
When we sat down with provincial candidates running in Nickel Belt and Sudbury, we wanted to try something a little different. We decided to keep the interviews relatively short – 15 minutes each – and, more importantly, to focus our questions on the parts of each party's platform that leaves voters asking for more detail. You can check out our interviews with the Sudbury candidates here, and the Nickel Belt candidates here.
Work on city's big projects continues apace, despite ongoing fight to halt them:
Plans for the Kingsway Entertainment District are moving ahead, city councillors were told Tuesday, despite the planning appeals filed by opponents hoping to stop the project. Ian Wood said the design/build RFP is in the final stages, and the city is working with PricewaterhouseCoopers on the criteria to evaluate the bids once the document is issued. “Site design is underway with the three parties involved,” Wood told council. As has been previously reported, groups opposed to building a casino on the Kingsway, and building the new arena beside it, have appealed to the new Local Planning Appeals Tribunal (which replaced the Ontario Municipal Board this year) in an attempt to block the zoning changes the project requires. Councillors also got an update on the Junction – which is what the combined Synergy Centre, art gallery and library is to be called. Plans are for the Junction to occupy the current Sudbury Arena location. Wood said they visited British Columbia, where facilities there have the convertible seating system that's envisioned for the Synergy Centre. “We wanted to understand exactly how this system works,” Wood said. “We were extremely impressed.” Public consultations have been held on plans for the Junction, and a major update on the project is expected at the July 10 city council meeting.
No date set to hear appeals opposing casino, Kingsway arena:
A spokesperson for the Local Planning Appeals Tribunal said Tuesday it's too soon to say when the dozen appeals filed opposing the Kingsway Entertainment District will come to the tribunal for hearings. Becky Fong said the LPAT received the appeals Monday and were still processing them. Sudbury businessman Tom Fortin, of the casinofreesudbury.com website, is named in all four appeals, as is the Sudbury Business Improvement Area. Local activist John Lindsay added his name to the appeal of the rezoning to allow a parking lot on the site; religious leader Christopher Duncanson-Hales is joining the appeal of the Official Plan amendment to permit the casino, as well as the appeal of the rezoning required to permit the casino. Finally, another activist, Steve May, has joined the appeal of the rezoning to permit a public arena. The groups are fighting to stop the casino from being built on the site, as well as city council's decision to move the arena from downtown Sudbury to the Kingsway. Find the full story here (https://www.sudbury.com/local-news/no-date-set-to-hear-appeals-opposing-casino-kingsway-arena-939666).
City agrees to consider $150K Theatre Cambrian bailout:
City council has agreed to consider providing a bailout for Theatre Cambrian, the latest arts group forced to head to the city cap in hand looking for money. The theatre troupe is looking for $150,000 after struggling in its new home, a former church on Eyre Street. Meeting on Tuesday, councillors agreed to have staff examine the situation at Theatre Cambrian to assess where they're at financially and report back to council whether it makes sense to provide them with the money. Councillors agreed to help the Sudbury Theatre Centre and the Sudbury Symphony Orchestra earlier this year, after both groups were hit by unexpected financial struggles. Both groups had a recovery plan in place to prevent a similar situation from happening again. The report on Theatre Cambrian, and the recommendation on whether to bail them out, will ready in a few months.
Closure of short-line railway would be “dramatic” for northeastern Ontario sawmill:
EACOM Timber is prepared to pull out all the stops to keep its Nairn Centre sawmill running even if rail freight service is discontinued between Sault Ste. Marie and Sudbury. Christine Leduc, director of public affairs for the Montreal-based forest products company, admitted that would be a difficult task since the mill has no other rail alternatives and trucking capacity in the northeast is very limited. “Not only is that rail critical for us, because it brings logs into the mill, it helps bring product to market.” Genesee & Wyoming Canada, the parent company of the Huron Central Railway, announced May 22 that it intends to discontinue operations on the 283-kilometre line at year's end. Reminiscent of the railway’s closure threats in 2009, the carrier is again in financial straits, blaming Queen’s Park and Ottawa for not coming through with $43.2 million in subsidies for track maintenance and federally-mandated safety upgrades. The company said in a news release that its application for $23.1 million from the National Trade Corridors Fund was rejected by Transport Canada.
Alouettes deny Cardinals a soccer sweep:
For much of Tuesday afternoon at the James Jerome Sports Complex, the St. Charles College Cardinals appeared intent on registering a soccer championship triple-header sweep. The Collège Notre-Dame Alouettes senior boys had other ideas. Midway through the first of two ten minute extra time periods, Noah La Sorsa pounced on his chance, making a nice move in tight to Cardinal keeper Kam McCue and snapping a 1-1 tie, lifting CND to their first SDSSAA Open Premier banner in program history. Get the recap of all the soccer action here.
Residents can weigh in on potential dog park in South End:
Residents are invited to view and comment on a proposal to construct an off-leash dog park in the city’s South End. Undeveloped land in the York Street north parking area, bordered by Paris Street and Boland Avenue, has been identified for the potential development. City of Greater Sudbury representatives will host an open house on Monday, June 4, backstage at the Grace Hartman Amphitheatre in Bell Park. Residents may attend any time between 4:30 and 7 p.m. to learn more about the off-leash dog park. Residents can also visit overtoyou.greatersudbury.ca until Friday, June 8 at midnight to submit their feedback online and view frequently asked questions.
Sudbury celebrates the environment at Earth Festival:
reThink Green will be celebrating the environment at Earth Festival 2018 held on Saturday June 2 at Memorial Park between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. Musicians, businesses, and grassroots organizations will come together to show their appreciation for the beautiful surroundings shared here in Greater Sudbury. “Our environment connects us all,” said David St. Georges, Communications Director for reThink Green. “Sharing a day together appreciating the beautiful landscape we’ve been given links us as a community.” The event is expected to bring more than 1,500 visitors from the community and features a variety of environmental, holistic, and community-focused businesses and organizations. Combined with live music, food, and kid’s activities it’s a way to share environmental awareness as friends and family.
Thursday Weather:
Showers are expected today with risk of a thunderstorm. Thursday's high will be around 22, feeling like 28 with the humidity. Cloudy into the evening with 60 per cent chance of showers. Low will dip down to 11 overnight. For current weather conditions, short-term and long-term forecasts visit Sudbury.com's weather page at www.sudbury.com/weather.
