Good morning, Greater Sudbury.
Here are some stories to start your day.
City council to decide on funding safe injection site study:
The last meeting of the current city council will have at least one big decision to make at their final meeting Nov. 20. As part of the city's response to the opioid crisis, councillors will vote whether to spend $60,000 to fund an $80,000 study into whether the city would benefit from opening a safe injection site for addicts. The remaining cost would be covered by other community organizations that are part of the Community Drug Strategy (CDS). The Sudbury's CDS has representatives from more than 25 community partners, including health, social services, education, police, justice and emergency services. While the Doug Ford government has frozen provincial money for the sites while it conducts a review, a staff report on the plan says a new policy is emerging that includes “further monitoring, reporting, and community consultation with more access to social services. Get the full story here.
Saving lives on Sudbury roads: Safe Ride Home Sudbury campaign kicks off:
Safe Ride Home Sudbury launched their winter 2018 campaign on Nov. 14 with the help of some friends. Greater Sudbury Police Services and Tim Hortons have partnered with Safe Ride Home Sudbury for the winter and members of the GSPS were out conducting a RIDE check stop on Regent Street near Edna Street on Wednesday evening. Members of GSPS and Safe Ride Home Sudbury were handing out Tim Hortons gift cards to drivers who were driving safe and sober. Wednesday marked the kick off to the second year that Safe Ride Home Sudbury will be helping to ensure Sudburians get home with their vehicles at the end of a night of partying during the holiday season. "We want to make sure people are planning ahead and getting home safely this holiday season," said Lesli Green, president, Safe Ride Home Sudbury. "We've been in the community for 20 years, getting people home safe and sound." The volunteer-run organization operates every Friday until the end of the year between the hours of 8 p.m. and 3 a.m. Volunteers operate in teams and will come to your location and drive you home in your own vehicle. Find the full story here.
Infographic: The opioid crisis in Sudbury by the numbers:
Could the City of Greater Sudbury benefit from a supervised injection site? The question arose during municipal election debates and in candidate press releases. Now, the current city council is preparing to vote on a feasibility study regarding the possibility at their final meeting on Nov.20. This, as new data from Statistics Canada recently revealed that nearly 10 Canadians fatally overdosed every day between 2016 and 2018. According to Health Canada, problematic substance use is a complex issue with no simple solutions. Supervised consumption sites provide basic health services, testing for infectious diseases, safe disposal of drug use equipment and access to health professionals that can intervene in the event of overdose. Get a by-the-numbers look at the opioid crisis in Sudbury here.
Edgar Burton Christmas Food Drive launches today:
Campaign supporters and organizers will be celebrating the launch of the Edgar Burton Christmas Food Drive and Kids Helping Kids Campaign on Thursday, Nov. 15. The launch will be held at 10 a.m. at the New Sudbury Centre near the Santa Claus photo area. On hand for Thursday's launch will be Mellaney Dahl, President, Sudbury Food Bank, Sharon Burton, wife of Edgar Burton, Greater Sudbury mayor Brian Bigger, and many more. Children from local schools will sing the “Food Drive” song and Christmas carols, donate food and visit with Santa. The Olympic torch that Edgar carried will also be passed on to the school that made the largest contribution to the Kids Helping Kids campaign last year. Be sure to check back with Sudbury.com later today for a full story from the launch.
Food Bank is accepting donations to cover cost of damaged van:
Greater Sudbury Police are asking for the public's assistance to locate the culprits in an incident involving the catalytic converter being cut off the Sudbury Food Bank's delivery van, rendering the vehicle inoperable. The incident occurred overnight between Nov. 12 and Nov. 13 in the food bank's parking lot on Webbwood Drive. It is believed that some sort of saw was used to cut the catalytic converter from the undercarriage of the van. The van would have been visible from Webbwood Drive as well as Lorne Street when the incident occurred. The Sudbury Food Bank uses the van to pick up and deliver fresh produce and food items for our city’s most vulnerable community members. The food bank is unable to use the van until it is repaired and the estimated damage to the van is estimated at $4,500. If you would like to help the Food Bank get their van back on the road, you can make a donation by calling them directly at 705-671-9663. They Sudbury Food Bank can take Visa and MasterCard over the phone. People can also go to the website at sudburyfoodbank.ca and make a donation there and specify the donation is for truck repair. Anyone with information related to this incident is asked to contact police 705-675-9171 or Crime Stoppers 705-222-8477.
Public info session Thursday for proposed sports dome on Sacré-Cœur campus:
While a $4 million provincial grant for a sports dome planned at Lasalle Secondary School has officially been cancelled by the Ford government, another dome at a local French Catholic high school is still moving ahead. Conseil scolaire catholique du Nouvel-Ontario (CSCNO) is holding a public information session about the project starting at 6 p.m. Nov. 15 in the École secondaire du Sacré-Cœur gymnasium. The sports dome, managed by the Sudbury District Sports Club (SDSC), will be built on the grounds of the École secondaire du Sacré-Cœur, with construction planned to begin in the spring of 2019. The proposed sports bubble will be operated by the SDSC, which will also fund most of the project's cost and operate the sports bubble. CSCNO expects to invest $300,000 in this project. Changes made to the Sacré-Cœur parking lot and the addition of external washroom facilities will benefit both students and the community at large, said a press release. The new sports facility will include two artificial grass playing fields and will operate all year round.
Wolves take on league-leading Ottawa 67's on Thursday:
Wolves Hockey action returns to the Sudbury Arena this week for a rare Thursday night match-up against the Ottawa 67’s at 7:05 p.m. This game marks the return of former Wolf Norm Milley and the league-leading 67’s for their only appearance of the season. The Wolves are coming off a strong weekend where they travelled to London and Sarnia to face off against Western Conference opponents and came away with three of four points on the weekend. The 67’s currently sit atop the OHL with 36 points in 22 games with a record of 17-3-2-0 and are led up front by overage right-winger Tye Felhaber who sits second in the league in scoring with 37 points in 22 games.
Thursday Weather:
A mix of sun and cloud for Thursday with more chilly temperatures. Today's high will be around -1, but it'll be feeling like -19 with the wind chill this morning. Cloudy skies this evening with some snow beginning near midnight. Overnight low will be -3, feeling like -8. For current weather conditions, short-term and long-term forecasts visit Sudbury.com's weather page at www.sudbury.com/weather.
