Good morning, Greater Sudbury.
Here are some stories to start your day.
City hall reporter Darren MacDonald takes us on a tour of Maley Drive:
The first sign we were on a brand new road Wednesday was the GPS display on the vehicle driven by Barry Tonello, superintendent with Teranorth Construction. Teranorth has the contract to build the new 11-kilometre road from Maley Drive at Barrydowne Road, all the way to the Lasalle Extension. With a full media contingent on board to see the latest progress in the $80-million extension project, the GPS showed we were driving into the bush. In fact, we made it from Barrydowne Road to Collège Boréal within minutes, even with Tonello driving at a less than brisk 15 km/hr. Leaving aside the politics of the project – critics have labelled it as too expensive and unnecessary – the scale of the work that has been done to date is impressive. Rock drills are scattered along the road, as excavators scoop the blasted rock into massive vehicles, which takes it to the crushing area for use in building up the road. Some sections have to be raised as much as 10 metres to align properly. When complete in December 2019, close to one million square metres of rock will have been blasted from the ground. That includes 175,000 square metres of from one rock cut that was 300 metres long and 27 metres high at its tallest point. Get the full story here.
'It's beautiful': Bench honouring teens killed by drunk driver unveiled:
It was bitterly cold on the afternoon of Nov. 21, but the mood was more than warm enough to face the icy temperatures for the official unveiling of a granite bench to honour Jazmine Houle, Steven Phillippe and Caitlin Jelley. The bench, etched with images of each the teens, was installed at the memorial site in Hanmer where a permanent recognition sign will be displayed beside a garden and three crosses, reminding passersby of the tragedy that shook the community on Father’s Day, 2009. The teens were hit and killed by drunk driver Nicholas Piovesan on June 21 that year. Piovesan served a seven-year sentence on three counts of causing death by criminal negligence. He was released from prison in 2015. The granite bench was crafted by the Khouri family of Khouri Granite Ltd. It was paid for in part by donations from the Ravi family, Connie Houle and his wife, Gerry Lougheed Jr. and other donors who wish to remain anonymous.
Nickel Belt MPP rallying with OPSEU workers today:
Nickel Belt MPP France Gélinas will be joining members of the Ontario Public Service Employees Union (OPSEU) today for an informational picket about the government's plan to privatize beer and wine sales. "Ontarians trust the LCBO to keep our kids safe and feel they are the responsible option," said Gélinas in a press release. The picket will be taking place at the Long Lake Road LCBO (2400 Long Lake Rd.) starting at 4 p.m. Sudbury.com will be bringing you a full story from the rally so be sure to check back with us.
Sudbury.com rolling out a brand new video series with the Sudbury Five:
The Sudbury Five hit the hardwood for the first time on home court Thursday night. A sold out Sudbury Arena got their first look at Sudbury's professional ballers as they took on the London Lightning. While the players do most of their talking on the court, we wanted to know who these guys are off the court. Sudbury.com will be rolling out our brand new series "Fast Break with The Five" today, where reporter Matt Durnan will chat with a new member of the team every week and get to know the men behind the jersey. Tune into Sudbury.com later today for episode one of this new series.
YMCA awards Peace Medals to community-minded father-son duo:
YMCA Peace Week asks people in Canada to "Build Community. Act for peace." Activities have been hosted by YMCA throughout the week, including a Peace Medal ceremony that took place on Nov. 22. YMCA Peace Medals recognize the achievements of Canadian individuals and groups that reflect in the way they live their lives the values expressed in the World Alliance of YMCA's 1981 Statement of Peace, which reads: “Peace has many dimensions. It is not only a state of relationships among nations. We cannot expect to live in a world of peace if we are unable to live in peace with those close to us – even those who differ from us. The responsibility for peace begins with each person, in relationship with family and friends, and extends to community life and national activities.” This year, the adult and youth Peace Medals were received by a father and a son: Christian Howald was awarded the Adult Peace Medal, and Soren Howald was awarded the Youth Peace Medal. “They participate, they give back, they're empathetic and they carry that with them all the time,” said Sherry Ricci, the YMCA's manager of Children's Services, of the pair. “It's in them, they just want to give back.” More on this story can be found here.
Theatre Cambrian adds second Addams Family show:
After a sold out weekend last weekend for Theatre Cambrian's presentation ofthe Addams Family, the community theatre company has added a second show this Saturday, Nov. 24. This event will be a pay-what-you-can matinee at the Sudbury Theatre Centre on Shaughnessy Street in Downtown Sudbury. The show starts at 2 p.m. and doors will open at 1 p.m. For patrons, who want to be guaranteed a seat, 50 per cent of the house will be sold at the regular reserved seating price in advance with the remaining 50 per cent sold day of show at general admission pay-what-you-can pricing. Tickets are on sale now at www.theatrecambrian.ca, in person from 12 p.m. to 5 p.m. at the office at 40 Eyre Street or by phone at 705-524-7317.
Wolves face off with division-leading Steelheads this weekend:
The Sudbury Wolves kick-off a double header weekend against the Saginaw Spirit who make their one and only appearance of the season at the Sudbury Arena Friday at 7:05 p.m. On Saturday, the Wolves will host the Mississauga Steelheads at a special family friendly time of 4:05 p.m. The Wolves are coming off a solid weekend where they picked up 4 of 6 points. Saginaw’s roster features Sudbury natives Damien Giroux and Cameron Lamour, as well as former wolf Reagan O’Grady. The Spirit currently sit second in the West Division with 24 points in 22 games, ranking 10th overall.
Friday Weather:
We're finally free from that frigid cold snap that gripped Sudbury this week. Friday's high is expected to get above zero, stretching to plus 2. Mainly cloudy today wit ha 60 per cent chance of flurries in the morning and afternoon. Cloudy skies into the evening with a few showers expected and a low of plus 1. For current weather conditions, short-term and long-term forecasts visit Sudbury.com's weather page at www.sudbury.com/weather.
