Good morning, Greater Sudbury.
Here are some stories to start your day.
Pamper your green thumb at the Sudbury Gardening Festival May 25:
Pamper your green-thumb at the Sudbury Horticultural Society's 9th annual Sudbury Gardening Festival, taking place at the YMCA Centre for Life and Parkside Centre May 25, from 9:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. This free event will feature gardening-related vendors and environmental displays, as well as a presentation on worm composting at 10:30 a.m., garden design at 12 p.m., and growing air plants at 1:30 p.m. The Sudbury Horticultural Society will also be holding its spring plant sale and horticulture show in tandem with the event.
Annual Defeat Depression Walk/Run takes place this Saturday:
The sixth annual Defeat Depression Walk/Run takes place at Bell Park on Saturday, May 25. This is a national mental health fundraising, awareness, and anti-stigma campaign that provides hope for people affected by depression and other mood disorders. Defeat Depression events take place across Canada, with three quarters of the proceeds supporting a local organization, and one quarter of the proceeds going to the Mood Disorders Society of Canada, which manages the events at a national level. In Sudbury, Defeat Depression supports NISA/Northern Initiative for Social Action, a recovery-oriented mental health organization that offers peer support along with active living, creative, and vocational programming to its members.
City had responsibility for woman's death at job site, Ministry of Labour argues:
The Ministry of Labour was in a Greater Sudbury courtroom Friday, arguing the city must be held responsible for a 2016 tragedy that led to the death of Cecile Paquette. Ministry of Labour lawyer David McCaskill told Superior Court Justice John Poupore the decision to acquit the city “was incorrect in law.” “(Judge Karen Lische) found the city was neither the employer nor the constructor, which are the two areas upon which the MOL can lay charges,” McCaskill said at the conclusion of the appeal hearing. “We feel those decisions are incorrect in law, and that's why we're here appealing.” The Ministry of Labour laid charges against the city and private contractor Interpaving in September 2016 under the Occupational Health and Safety Act, almost a year after Paquette was struck and killed by a grader at the intersection of Elgin and Beech streets. Ultimately, Interpaving agreed to a set of facts in March 2018 for failing to provide a signaller and was fined $195,000. Two other charges against the company were dropped. Greater Sudbury was also charged with failing to supply a signaller, as well as failing to erect a 1.8 metre barricade and not implementing a traffic protection plan. The city said at the time it planned to “vigorously” defend itself against the charges, and was ultimately acquitted. Find the full story here.
Wake-up call: Sudbury isn't facing a PSW crisis, it's in one:
The Sudbury region isn't headed toward a crisis when it comes to personal support workers — it's already in one. That's the conclusion of a recent survey conducted by Workforce Planning for Sudbury & Manitoulin of personal support workers (PSWs). The organization surveyed roughly 80 PSWs, and a number of key items jumped off the page when comparing the results of the survey. Overall, the survey showed that Personal Support Workers feel they are overworked, underpaid and undervalued. Although the survey did not ask how often a PSW may have endured these experiences, close to 90 per cent reported dealing with difficult clients and 54 per cent reported experiencing physical injury. Full story here.
Flood Watch issued for residents along Wanapitei River:
Conservation Sudbury is maintaining a Flood Watch for the Wanapitei River System including Wanapitei Lake. This statement is effective from 2 p.m. Thursday and remains in effect until 10 a.m. on May 30. Runoff from the recent rain event has added to the river that was already flowing high, said Conservation Sudbury in a news release. This has resulted in localized flooding along some shoreline sections and certain low-lying areas. The water level in Wanapitei Lake remains high with high outflows continuing into the Wanapitei River. The river will remain elevated for some time to come until the peak flow has passed. Neighbourhoods adjacent to the river in the towns of Wahnapitae and Wanup and waterfront properties on Wanapitei Lake are experiencing shoreline flooding. Elevated water levels, flows and wave action can lead to increased erosion. Developing conditions must be closely monitored by all residents, especially those living in known low-lying, hazard areas where overland flooding could become an issue.
Highlife is finally open for business:
Greater Sudbury's second cannabis store is now open for business. After waiting nearly two months, Highlife received its license from the province and finally open its doors on May 24. "It was such a long wait for us," store manager Eugene Konarev said. "We built this store specifically for education, selection and speed." The shop is the second last of Ontario's 25 cannabis shops to get its licence to open its doors. Owned by a man named Anton Lucic, who is not a Sudburian, Highlife has about 350 lines of cannabis products. Customers can't handle the marijuana before they buy it, but Highlife has a unique bud bar where customers are able to take a sniff from special goblets, and even take a look with a magnifying glass. Aside from cannabis, Highlife also sells a large variety of accessories like bongs and pipes. Highlife is located at 1299 Marcus Drive. The store will operate seven days a week from 9 a.m. to 11 p.m. Age restrictions will be vigorously enforced and anyone under age 30 should expect to be asked for ID. Get a look inside Highlife in Sudbury.com's video tour, found here.
Sudbury Spartans kick off 2019 season at home on Saturday:
The Sudbury Spartans will kick off their 2019 season at home this Saturday May 25 against the Oakville Longhorns. Kick-off is set for 7 p.m. “Another season is upon us, along with all the hope that comes along with it,” said Sudbury Spartans General Manager Bill Costello. “We expect this will be a very exciting and entertaining year as we have lots of amazing young talent on the roster and are looking forward to what the new season brings.” Tickets for Saturday’s game are available at the gate for $10 each. Spartans fans can keep up to date with the team by following them on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. For more information, contact Bill Costello at 705-988-0247.
Sudbury Kart Club season opens Sunday:
The Sudbury Kart Club hits the track this weekend for their first race of the seasonin the Technica Mining Karting Championship 2019, on May 26. The Sudbury Kart Club started in 1995 with a group of people who had the same vision - "To Race Karts". The Northern Ontario Racing Series was formed and the club joined the governing body of Canadian motorsport, ASN Canada FIA. The club currently boasts a membership of more than 50 people, including drivers, associate members and volunteers from the ages of 8 to 40+. The first race of the season gets underway bright and early on Sunday at 7:30 a.m. Check out the full race schedule here.
Photos: Hundreds of athletes compete at city track and field championships:
Hundreds of high school athletes flooded the Laurentian University track this week for the city track and field championships on May 23 and 24. Despite intermittent downpours, numerous records were broken over the two-day event, hosted by the Sudbury District Secondary School Athletic Association. The top five athletes from each event will take on the best in Northern Ontario when they head to NOSSA next week in North Bay. Check out photos from the event here.
