Good morning, Greater Sudbury.
Here are some stories to start your day.
Crown seeks 5 years for Sudbury track coach convicted of sexual assault:
Despite being prepared to sentence former track coach David Case on Tuesday, Superior Court Justice Alex Kurke will hand down his sentence on Jan. 4, 2021. That’s because Case’s defence lawyer, Nicholas Xynnis, said following sentencing submissions Tuesday morning that he had asked for a reserved decision through email, and that Kurke had agreed. While Kurke said he could not remember agreeing to a reserved decision, he adjourned the sentencing to Jan. 4. Case, 58, was convicted in March of one count of sexual assault, one count of assault causing bodily harm and one count of assault against a girl he coached in the 1980s and early 1990s. She was 15 when she first met Case, and she secretly married him in 1985 when she turned 18. Xynnis is seeking three years of probation. If Kurke decides on incarceration, Xynnis submitted a range of between six and 12 months. “My client has lived until the age of 58 without a criminal record and has led a fairly productive and social life, which belies any concern that he’d reoffend,” Xynnis said. However, Kurke said he is aware Case is also to be sentenced in January after he was found guilty of sexual assault by aiding and abetting. The charges in that case came after these charges, meaning Case had no criminal record prior to this trial. The Crown is seeking a five-year prison sentence, that Case be listed on the Sex Offender Information Registry for 20 years, as well as a 10-year weapons ban and to not have contact with the victim. Full story here.
Mayor Bigger absent, council votes split on Project Now proposal:
Tensions were high at Tuesday night's city council meeting, as the downtown arena versus Kingsway Entertainment District debate flared up once again. With Mayor Brian Bigger absent from the Dec. 15 meeting, council votes were split down the middle at six votes apiece, defeating a members' motion brought forward by Ward 4 Coun. Geoff McCausland and Ward 1 Coun. Mark Signoretti that asked staff to take a closer look at a proposed downtown arena renovation. Greater Sudbury city council got a closer look at Project Now on Oct. 6, despite opposition from some members of council to having representatives from 3rdLine.Studio come before council at all. McCausland and Signoretti were behind the members' motion that brought Project Now to the attention of council as a whole and Tuesday's motion asked that the city's large projects steering committee take a deep dive into the details of the proposal. Find the full story here.
Sudbury is a sellers' market as average home prices soar by 14%:
Sudbury was one of just four cities in the province that saw its sales-to-new-listing ratio hit 100 per cent this year, making it one of the most heavily weighted seller's markets in Ontario, real estate website Zoocasa said this week. Zoocasa recently released a list of 35 Ontario cities, ranking them from most to least competitive real estate markets. The website looked at housing competition across the 35 cities, reviewing sales and new listings during the month of October to determine the sales-to-new-listings ratio (SNLR). Sudbury's SNLR came in at 100 per cent for the month of October, meaning that for every new home listing that hits the market, a home is sold. The average home price in Sudbury has soared since last year, jumping up 14 per cent to $321,514. "There's more buyers than there are sellers in Greater Sudbury right now," said Tyler Peroni, chair of the Sudbury Real Estate Board. "In 2020, the appreciation of house prices and the market that we've been in we haven't seen in the city for almost a decade. Even about five years ago, we'd have very little appreciation, between zero and two per cent, because house prices this year have gone up close to 15 per cent, instead of it being an equal market in the last five years with appreciation going up calmly, it's just hit all at one time." More on this story here.
One new case of COVID-19 reported by health unit:
Public Health Sudbury & Districts reported one new case of COVID-19 in its Dec. 15 update. The most recent positive case is in a person from Greater Sudbury. According to PHSD reporting, there is information pending or missing at this time as to how the person became exposed to the virus. This brings the total number of positive cases in Greater Sudbury and area to 247 since March. There were no resolved cases on Dec. 15, and there are currently eight active cases in the region.
Ontario confirms 2,275 new COVID cases Tuesday:
Public Health Ontario has reported 2,275 new cases of COVID-19 on Dec. 15. While that is the highest number of cases reported in Ontario in a single day, the total reflects test results for a 26.5 hour period instead of the usual 24 hours. Until this point, Public Health Ontario has included data collected at 10:30 a.m. the previous day (so Dec. 14 for Tuesday's report). But the province has now switched to collect data from the individual health units at 1 p.m. So Tuesday's report includes a one-time increase. The province reported 20 deaths in Tuesday's update, including eight people between 60 and 79 years old, and 12 people over the age of 80. Of the deaths reported on Dec. 15, one was a resident at a long-term care home. Since Monday's report, 43 people have been hospitalized with COVID-19 and five COVID patients have been admitted to intensive care units. Get all the numbers here.
Man arrested after nearly $60K worth of drugs found in vehicle:
A 28-year-old Greater Sudbury man was arrested and charged on Dec. 6 after police found nearly $60,000 worth of drugs in his car. Shortly after 12:30 p.m. on Dec 6, Greater Sudbury Police were called in relation to a suspicious vehicle complaint in the parking lot of a grocery store on Regent Street. Information provided was that the vehicle had been running in the parking lot for two hours and the driver appeared to be asleep in the driver’s seat. The caller had attempted to wake up the driver by knocking on the window with no response from the man inside the vehicle. Officers arrived on scene and located the vehicle still running in the parking lot with the driver behind the wheel. The officers made multiple attempts to get the man’s attention and when they finally did, he showed visible signs of impairment. An officer conducted a standard field sobriety test where the man performed poorly and was placed under arrest for operation while impaired by drug. The man was transported to police headquarters where a drug recognition expert conducted a series of tests. During the evaluation, the man refused to complete part of the mandatory testing resulting in an additional charge of failure or refusal to comply with demand. Due to the man being arrested while operating his vehicle, officers completed a search of the car and located around 150g of fentanyl and 85g of cocaine, as well as, close to $7,000 in cash. The street value of the drugs is approximately $60,000.
Unconscious at the wheel earns charges for River Valley man:
A River Valley man is facing charges after OPP said they found him unconscious at the wheel on Main Street in Sturgeon Falls on Dec. 11. Police said officers and paramedics responded to a call for service regarding an unresponsive driver slumped over the steering wheel of a parked vehicle on Main Street just after 3 p.m. that Friday afternoon. “Officers attended the scene and upon speaking with the driver, they concluded the individual was under the influence of a drug and was arrested,” OPP said. A small quantity of drugs, suspected to be methamphetamine, was seized, police report. The driver was transported to the North Bay OPP Detachment for further testing by a drug recognition expert (DRE). The 33-year-old now faces a charge of operation while impaired and possession of a Schedule 1 substance. The man was released on an undertaking. He has a court date of Jan. 7 in Sturgeon Falls.
Memory Lane: Sudbury consumed with Royal mania during 1991 visit:
Charles, Prince of Wales, visited Sudbury Oct. 24, 1991 to open Inco's $500-million facility that reduced pollutants from the Copper Cliff smelter. But the Royal watchers and the media were more interested in his stunning wife, Diana. The city was consumed with Royal mania. An estimated crowd of 4,000 waited for the Prince and Princess to appear at an outdoor reception at Science North. In that crowd was Sudbury.com’s associate content editor, Heidi Ulrichsen, then an 11-year-old Girl Guide. Ulrichsen wrote about the experience for Sudbury.com back in 2017. Then an 18-car motorcade whisked Charles to a VIP presentation in Copper Cliff. Princess Diana, wearing a pink suit with gold by fashion designer Paul Costelloe, toured the chemotherapy ward of the Northeastern Ontario Regional Cancer Centre and stopped to talk to patients. She officially opened the Daffodil Lodge, the residence for cancer patients. In honour of the occasion, Inco announced a reforestation program with 10,000 seedlings and a $500,000 donation to the Daffodil Lodge. More on the latest in Sudbury.com's Memory Lane series here.
12 Days of Kindness: She makes quilts for Alzheimer's patients, we have a wagon full of goods to help:
Welcome back to another day of Sudbury.com's 12 Days of Kindness supported by @homeEnergy. Tuesday's recipient has dedicated much of her time and money helping others. Lise Nadon creates fidget blankets and other quilted items for residents living at Extendicare Falconbridge. Watch as we recognize Lise for her giving spirit and surprise her with a wagon full of goodies courtesy of some generous local businesses. Watch Tuesday's AOK here.
Wednesday Weather:
More chilly weather on the way with possible flurries for Wednesday. A mix of sun and cloud to start the day with 30 per cent chance of flurries. Daytime high will only get up to -11, feeling like -14 with the wind chill. A few clouds overhead into the evening. Overnight low will drop to -17, feeling like -24. For current weather conditions, short-term and long-term forecasts visit Sudbury.com's weather page at www.sudbury.com/weather.
