Good morning, Greater Sudbury.
Here are some stories to start your day.
Sudbury will know shortly whether it's getting a cannabis store:
The province will determine which communities will get the first batch of cannabis stores in Ontario today. Because of a supply shortage, only 25 stores will open when storefronts are permitted beginning in April. Northern Ontario has been allotted two of the cannabis outlets, with Toronto receiving five, the GTA six, eastern Ontario five and western Ontario seven. That means Sudbury will be competing against Thunder Bay, Kenora, Rainy River, Algoma, Cochrane, Timiskaming, Parry Sound and Nipissing for one of the two stores when the lottery is held Jan. 11. To qualify for the lottery, stores must be ready to open April 1, pay a $75 expression of interest fee and have conformed to all legal requirements and standards the province has set out for marijuana retail outlets. If a bidder is successful, they have to be ready to apply for a retail operating licence, at a cost of $6,000, and have a $50,000 line of credit in place. Applications are being taken between Jan. 7-9. Anyone who qualifies but is not selected will be placed on a waiting list. The Jan. 11 lottery is being overseen by KPMG to ensure it is conducted fairly. The Alcohol and Gaming Commission intends to publish results on its website within 24 hours.
Police identify victim in fatal Kingsway collision:
Greater Sudbury Police have identified the victim of a fatal collision involving a pedestrian that occurred on the eastern end of the Kingsway, toward Coniston, on Wednesday morning. The deceased has been identified as a 40-year-old man of no fixed address. Police have notified his next of kin and out of respect for their wishes they will not be releasing the man's name. The Traffic Management Unit is continuing their investigation into the collision. Anyone with information related to the collision, the pedestrian, or the driver of the light-coloured SUV that stopped at the scene is asked to contact GSPS at 705-675-9171. This is the second incident this week on city roads that claimed a life. On Sunday night, a vehicle slammed into a rock cut on Big Nickel Mine Road, claiming the life of the driver.
Signoretti pushing two motions to halt work on the Kingsway project:
Ward 1 Coun. Mark Signoretti is keeping up his dogged fight to stop the Kingsway Entertainment District. The most vocal opponent to the project on council, Signoretti has two motions on next week's city council docket, one that would revoke the authority councillors gave staff to enter agreements necessary to complete the KED, while the other would stop spending on preparing the site for construction until legal appeals are resolved. The project is facing numerous appeals before the Local Planning Appeals Tribunal. However the appeals process has stalled over procedural issues, largely based on the fact the LPAT process is brand new and the legality of new, streamlined rules have yet to be tested in the court system.
Gord Slade, a giant in Sudbury's mining history, passes away at 89:
Community leader and philanthropist, and a giant in the Sudbury's mining history, Arthur Gordon Slade died Jan. 8, just a few weeks before his 90th birthday. Slade retired from Falconbridge Ltd. after 32 years of service in 1984, having held the post of president of the Canadian Nickel Division and general manager, Sudbury Operations. After retiring, Slade joked he became a "professional volunteer" serving on several boards and committees. He was also a member of the informal municipal watchdog group “The Silver Seven,” a cadre of veteran community leaders. With his wife, Slade created the Gord and Pat Slade Heritage Fund that offered financial support to local non-profit groups. He is survived by his wife, Pat, three children and four grandchildren.
Wolves busy in the trade market as OHL trade deadline passes:
The Sudbury Wolves made a bunch of moves in advance of the OHL trade deadline Thursday at noon. The team picked up centre Adam Ruzicka from the Sarnia Sting in exchange for Sudbury’s 3rd round pick in 2020, Erie’s 2nd round pick in 2021 and Sudbury’s third round pick in 2021. Wolves defenceman Zack Malik is on his way to North Bay in exchange for North Bay’s fifth round draft pick in 2021. In another trade with Sarnia, in exchange for Anthony Tabac the Wolves take Owen Sound’s 4th Round draft pick in 2020 and conditionally Sarnia’s 4th round in 2023. In a trade with the Greyhounds, Sudbury has acquired 19-year-old defenceman Anthony DeMeo for first-year defenceman Drew Wawrow as well as Sudbury’s fifth round selection in 2020 and Mississauga’s third round selection in 2021. The Pack also traded goalie Jake McGrath to the Niagara IceDogs for Windsor's 4th round pick in 2022 and conditionally Niagara's fifth round pick in 2023. And finally, the team picked up 16-yer-old goalie Jonathan Lemaire in the fifth round of the 2018 OHL Priority Selection.
Province nixes city plan to allow more homes in rural areas:
The province is telling Greater Sudbury 'no' when it comes to Official Plan changes that would allow more homes to be built on rural lands. The issue is a common one at Tom Davies Square. Residents who own land zoned rural often arrive at planning committee meetings seeking to split their lots so they can sell them, or to allow family members to build homes nearby. Current rules only allow parcels of rural land that don't border a lake or other water body to be split into three new sections. No further residential lots can be created beyond that limit. Some councillors have tried in the past to expand the limit, including in 2010 when planning committee approved a motion from Ward 4 Coun. Evelyn Dutrisac to expand the limit to six lots. While approved at planning, it was defeated at city council, pending the review of the city's Official Plan. Three years later, councillors directed planning staff to add the change to the Official Plan review, despite staff objections that it runs counter to provincial planning practices. Full story can be found here.
Nickel District Pool closed:
Nickel District Pool is closed until further notice due to a nearby watermain break, Greater Sudbury announced Thursday afternoon. “All programs, including this evening’s Aquacise, have been cancelled until repairs are complete,” the release said. For more information, residents are asked to contact Nickel District Pool on Friday at 705-688-3907.
Friday Weather:
Mainly sunny Friday with increasing cloudiness in the afternoon. Todays high will be a chilly -13, feeling like -30 with the wind chill this morning. Mainly cloudy this evening with a low of -21. Wind chill will be feeling like -30 overnight. There is a risk of frostbite. For current weather conditions, short-term and long-term forecasts visit Sudbury.com's weather page at www.sudbury.com/weather.
