Good morning, Greater Sudbury.
Here are some stories to start your day.
WestJet ending flights out of Sudbury in October:
Less than two years after it returned, WestJet announced Monday that it will end flights out of the Greater Sudbury Airport as of October. WestJet spokesperson Lauren Stewart confirmed the decision in an email, saying it's because of “weak demand.” “WestJet bases our service on supply and demand and we review our schedule on a regular basis to ensure we are meeting both guests' and the company's needs,” Stewart said in the email. “Unfortunately demand did not pick up sufficiently over the 16 months that we have conducted operations from the community. This lack of demand consistently left our aircraft operating with more than half of the seats empty. “We appreciate and understand this is disappointing news for the community.” The last day of flights for WestJet out of Sudbury is Oct. 27.
Body pulled from Sturgeon River Monday after man falls off wooden raft:
Provincial police are investigating two apparent drowning deaths and the near-drowning of a child over the long holiday weekend. On Monday afternoon, a man was found unresponsive in the water at a campground in the Township of East Zorra-Tavistock north of Woodstock, Ont. The unidentified man was without vital signs by the time emergency responders arrived and he was pronounced dead in a local hospital. The body of a second man believed to have drowned was recovered on Monday from the Sturgeon River in the Municipality of West Nipissing. Provincial police say the 57-year-old man was sitting on a chair on a wooden raft on Sunday when the chair broke and he fell into the river. In a release put out Tuesday, the OPP identified the man who died as Marcel Joseph Morin of West Nipissing, Ont. Also Monday, a 13-year-old girl was found unconscious in a small lake at a campground in the Municipality of West Perth northwest of Stratford. Emergency responders were able to resuscitate her before she was taken to hospital in life-threatening condition.
OPP divers searching for swimmer who went missing at Chutes Provincial Park:
Members of the OPP's underwater search and recovery unit continued to search for a 28-year-old man who went missing after swimming at Chutes Provincial Park. At around 8 p.m. on July 1, officers from the Manitoulin-Espanola OPP detachment received a report of a male swimmer who had not re-surfaced at the provincial park in the Township of Sables-Spanish River, Ontario. The OPP's underwater search and recovery init, OPP aviation services as well as marine units from the Manitoulin-Espanola OPP are continuing the search on July 3. The Chutes Provincial Park is open, however OPP is asking for the public to avoid the area where emergency services personnel are working. Further information will be provided as it becomes available.
Summer's Best returns: This year it's all about Sudbury's best eats:
Last year, Sudbury.com introduced you to our brand new series called Summer's Best. Our staff checked out the best our city has to offer, from best beach, to best chip stand, to best golf course, and much more. All of the winners in our Summer's Best series were decide by you, our readers. We had such a great time exploring your favourites that we've decided to bring the series back for another season, but with a tasty twist! Summer 2018 is being coined as GrEATer Sudbury's Best where we'll be looking to our readers once again to point us in the direction of the best steak, burger, french fries, desserts and more to chow down on during the summer months. This summer's series kicks off this Friday when we open the floor to you guys to get us rolling on our taste tour of Greater Sudbury. Catch a quick promo of our new Summer's Best series here.
LU researchers: Urban raccoons getting fat on human food, experiencing health problems:
Raccoons living in urban landscapes are feasting on our leftovers and suffering the consequences. Researchers at Laurentian University have examined how access to human food waste is increasing body mass and blood glucose in raccoon populations. The study, recently published in the journal Conservation Physiology, was led by Albrecht I. Schulte Hostedde, professor in evolutionary ecology at Laurentian University, in collaboration with assistant professor in obesity and metabolic disease research Jeffrey Gagnon. “Urban environments are novel habitats for raccoons from an evolutionary perspective,” said Schulte Hostedde, in a press release. “We wanted to see if they are experiencing the same health problems as humans—obesity, diabetes, metabolic syndrome.” The study compared data from three groups of raccoons: those with high access to human food waste living on the grounds of the Toronto Zoo, those in a conservation area with moderate access to garbage, and those in a farming area with little access to food waste. The results were clear: due to a high consumption of human food, urban raccoons are not only putting on excessive weight, but are also experiencing higher blood sugar levels.
Police looking for trio of home invaders:
Crime Stoppers and the Greater Sudbury Police Service are requesting the assistance of the public in identifying parties responsible for a home invasion that occurred in the area of Copper Park in Sudbury. At 6:30 p.m. on the Feb. 11, three suspects attended a residence and forced their way inside, assaulting the occupants while demanding cash. They fled the area in a black Ford pick-up truck with mud tires and tinted windows. "Any information on the identity of the suspect or vehicle involved in this incident would be greatly appreciated," said a release from Sudbury Rainbow Crime Stoppers.
Coniston's new splash pad, greenhouse officially opened on Canada Day:
Residents of Coniston had an extra reason to celebrate Canada Day with the grand opening of the Adélie Splash Pad and Community Gardens Greenhouse in Centennial Park. “The Adélie Splash Pad and Coniston Community Gardens Greenhouse would not have been possible without the generosity of Lopes Ltd.,” said Greater Sudbury Mayor Brian Bigger. “On behalf of all residents, I extend sincere thanks to Lopes for these lasting enhancements to Coniston and for their ongoing contributions to our community.” Lopes Limited, in Coniston, donated a total of $340,000 toward these two projects. The City of Greater Sudbury contributed $50,000 through its Healthy Community Initiative Fund. “This is what community looks like: business, residents and government pulling together to make good things happen,” said Ward 9 Coun. Deb McIntosh. “The Lopes team has been a strong leader on these projects and with the help and co-operation of volunteers and city staff, we are reaping the collaborative benefits today.” Adélie Splash Pad was open for Canada Day but will be closed for about two weeks to allow new sod to take hold.
Animals killed in Quebec SPCA fire:
A fire at the SPCA of Western Quebec, which destroyed the building, has killed an unknown number of animals. The fire happened at the SPCA's building on rue Auguste Mondoux, just off chemin Pink, near Hull's Plateau neighbourhood. Several passers-by saw flames and called 911, before 11 p.m., Monday. When firefighters arrived, flames had engulfed the building's entire roof. Gatineau firefighters say they rescued 12 dogs from the building before it began to collapse, forcing them to evacuate. An unknown number of animals died in the fire. A fire investigator has been called in to probe the cause of the fire, which caused about $580,000 in damages.
Wednesday Weather:
The heat wave continues Wednesday with temperatures climbing above the 30 mark again. Mainly sunny skies out there with a high of 33, feeling like 35 with the humidity. A few clouds this evening with an overnight low of 20. For current weather conditions, short-term and long-term forecasts visit Sudbury.com's weather page at www.sudbury.com/weather.
