Good morning, Greater Sudbury.
Here are some stories to start your weekend.
Happy Victoria Day Weekend!
Happy Victoria Day Weekend, Greater Sudbury! Fondly referred to by many as, May 2-4, the holiday is celebrated annually on the last Monday preceding May 25, in honour of Queen Victoria's birthday. Canada is the only country that commemorates Queen Victoria with an official holiday. For many Canadians, this is the unofficial kick-off to the summer season, as it is often the first long weekend where the weather is nice enough to spend most of your time outdoors. From all of us here at Sudbury.com, we wish you a safe and fun Victoria Day!
Construction underway on PET scanner suite:
Construction crews are on site at Health Sciences North as work has begun to build a PET scanner suite. Crews will be working through the summer between 8 a.m. and 6 p.m. and the projected completion for the suite is February, 2019. Members of the community and media alike will be invited to a celebration of the start of construction on the project at a date that has not yet been determined. Be sure to check back with Sudbury.com during the course of the project for updates on construction progress and parking interruptions that may occur.
Delayed spring makes for increased fire risk:
If you're planning on heading out to the cottage or campsite this long weekend, make sure you're taking extra precaution when tending to the fire. Natural Resources Canada's wildland fire researchers are forecasting much of Canada to have an above normal fire risk this summer, in part due to a delayed spring and above normal temperatures on the horizon. Here in Northern Ontario, we were hit with some unseasonably cold temperatures and snowfall late into April, and while there may be an assumption that snow and cold weather in early spring could reduce fire risk, the opposite is true. "When we have a late winter like we did this year, it keeps things from thawing out and trees and grass take longer greening up," said Mike Wotton, a research scientist with the Canadian Forest Service. "So conditions are still quite dry. Mix that with warm temperatures, low humidity and winds and it can create quite volatile conditions." The rapid change from winter to summer-like conditions may cause a gradual increase in fire danger, long before summer arrives. Full story can be found here.
'Enough' with the gas gouging, says Nickel Belt MPP:
On the Friday morning just before the May long weekend, Nickel Belt MPP France Gélinas and Sudbury candidate Jamie West took some time to talk gas prices. Gélinas and West stood at the corner of Lasalle Boulevard and Barrydowne Road, where the price of gas at the surrounding stations was upwards of $1.33 a litre. This weekend could be the last weekend that Sudburians see those huge spikes in gas prices, should they elect an NDP government on June 7, said Gélinas. “It's the long weekend in May, it's the opening of pickerel season, everyone is going to be out on the lakes fishing, and we need gas for our motors and for our vehicles to get to those lakes, and how does the industry respond? By raising the price of gas,” she said. “Enough of that.” An NDP government would regulate gas prices, which would put an end to the wild price fluctuations between urban and rural communities, Gélinas said. More on this story can be found here.
Playing politics with resource revenue sharing:
Resource revenue sharing is on the minds of Ontario’s three provincial leadership hopefuls as they roll through Northern Ontario during the election. Allowing First Nations to benefit from mining and forestry operations on their traditional land has been a contentious and unresolved issue for many years. The Wynne Liberal government revealed a potential landmark deal – pending their re-election – by announcing that agreements had been signed with three First Nations organizations, representing 32 communities across the North. Lauding the deals as “the first of their kind,” the Liberals said the partnering First Nations will receive 45 per cent of government revenues from forestry stumpage, 40 per cent of the annual mining tax and royalties from active mines, and 45 per cent from future mines in the areas covered by the agreements. More on this story here.
Knights of Valour Extreme Jousting returns to Moonlight Beach:
It's time to helm up and charge on! Knights of Valour Extreme Jousting returns to Moonlight Beach in Sudbury this month. The event takes place Saturday, May 26 at 6 p.m. and Sunday, May 27 at 2 p.m. Gates open one hour in advance of show for ticket purchases. Knights of Valour present a jousting tournament, including a traditional skills competition. Joining the Knights of Valour will be Birds of Prey, Zoltan The Adequate, Kobbler Jay, the Gypsy Princess and new this year is the addition of magician Captain Thom Bedlam. Knights of Valour were featured on History Channel's Full Metal Joust and tour throughout North America performing at Canadian Fairs and Exhibitions and State Fairs in the United States. Many of the horses in the performance are rescued Percherons. Nothing is staged and anything can happen. This is a full contact jousting tournament. Sudburians will be able to cheer for their favourite Knight, including Sudbury's own TJ Duquette.
Do the DNA dance! Sudbury students take part in Science Odyssey to show you how:
Do you know how to do the DNA dance? You're actually doing it right now! In fact, everybody's doing it. In this video, Sudbury students will show you how. Understanding that they themselves are made of DNA, students and teachers at R.L. Beattie Public School worked with Dr. Thomas Merritt, Canada Research Chair in Genomics and Bioinformatics, to create a stunning dance that shows the moves that mitochondrial DNA make in the process of replication. In doing so, the students participated in a ten-day national campaign that celebrates Canadian achievements in STEM: Science, Technology, Engineering and Math. Hundreds of events have been planned all across the country for Science Odyssey 2018 — an initiative of the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada. Check out a video of the DNA Dance here.
Local teens to take part in international pow-wow in Winnipeg this weekend:
St. Charles College students Dana Lewis and Hannah Morningstar will be joining more than 800 dancers at the Manito Ahbee International Pow Wow in Winnipeg this upcoming weekend. These girls will be competing in their respective categories — Teen Jingle, Teen Traditional, and the Applique-Style Dance Special. This festival is a gathering that celebrates Indigenous culture and heritage to unify, educate and inspire. Manito Ahbee is recognized “as a leader in transforming relationships to share Indigenous culture and heritage with the world.”
