Good morning, Greater Sudbury.
Here are some stories to start your day.
HSN computer virus update: Infection was accidental not a deliberate attack, says hospital VP:
The virus that forced Health Sciences North to put some of its systems in downtime this week originated from another hospital in the region, said the hospital's senior vice-president, Patient Experience and Digital Transformation, and found its way into the HSN computer network. Mark Hartman said it would be premature to disclose from which hospital the virus originated, but security experts are continuing their forensic analysis. “We don't have any indication of any ransom request or anything of that nature,” Hartman said. “As far as HSN is concerned, this was an accidental infection.” HSN continues to make progress on getting its system back up and running, he said. More on this story here.
Still missing: Police trying to crack Branden Bodson-Gratton's cellphone hoping for clues:
It was a sombre Christmas for Diane Gratton as she spent it without her son, Branden Bodson-Gratton. The 25-year-old hasn't been seen or heard from since Monday, Dec. 3, when he was dropped off by a cab on Elm Street, close to his home in a rooming house in Elgin Street. While it has been a sad, stressful time, Gratton said she wants to thank Sudburians for their support. “My phone blew up with constant prayers and kind words and offers of food, people asking 'What can I do to help?'” she said. “That helped me get through the holidays, knowing that they're thinking of my son too.” Asked if she fears the worst given Branden been missing for more than a month now, and in cold winter weather too, Gratton said she's trying to stay positive. The young man has schizophrenia, and Gratton said he may have been in a drug-induced psychosis when he went missing, so he could be afraid to leave a hiding spot. Family members remain focused on solving the mystery of his disappearance.
Laurentian student leader: Tories' tuition cut means more debt, less access for low-income learners:
The benefits of a 10-per-cent, across-the-board cut in post-secondary tuition fees in Ontario announced by the provincial Tories on Thursday are cancelled out by a simultaneous announcement that low-income students will no longer receive free tuition, a Laurentian University student leader told Sudbury.com. “The changes to OSAP are really unfortunate, because a lot of students in Ontario rely on those things,” Students' General Association (SGA) president Tommie-Lee Gauthier. “The changes they made make it harder for students to get help. Lower income students will not receive grants to cover their tuition like they did with the 2017-18 levels, and students are going to graduate with more debt. “It's just going to be much harder to pay off.” She also said tuition fee cuts are great in theory, but making universities responsible for funding them is problematic, as the money is going to have to come for somewhere. Get the full story here.
Police have concerns with report on street checks:
Greater Sudbury Police Chief Paul Pedersen says recommendations in the review of street checks by Justice Michael Tulloch won't hamper police when they are conducting investigations, but he has some concerns. Speaking at Thursday's meeting of the police services board, Pedersen said Tulloch came to Sudbury during his review to get local input, and his report included several recommendations to improve the procedures. Since Tulloch's report, Ontario police officials have expressed concerns about the language of some of the recommendations, which Pedersen said would be “difficult to work through in practical terms.” The review began in June 2017, and received input from more than 2,200 people across Ontario through 12 public consultations and meetings with specific communities affected by the policy. In addition to Sudbury, 33 police services and multiple police associations were consulted, including the Police Association of Ontario.
Vagnini back as chair of police services board:
Ward 2 Coun. Michael Vagnini was elected for another term as chair of Greater Sudbury's police services board Thursday. Former city councillor Fran Caldarelli was elected vice-chair at the meeting. The board elects a new chair and vice-chair each year. Leaving the board is Ward 3 Coun. Gerry Montpellier, who has been city council's representative along with Vagnini since the last city council term. That means council will have to appoint another representative. Under provincial rules, cities the size of Sudbury have two members of city council on the board, two are appointed by the province and one member is a joint appoint agreed on by both.
Four people arrested after string of break and enters in French River:
Sudbury OPP officers arrested and charged four people in connection a rash of break and enters in French River over the past few months. In recent months, numerous break and enters were reported to the Ontario Provincial Police, most of which occurred in the Municipality of French River, where the suspects targeted seasonal residences. Members of the OPP Organized Crime Enforcement Bureau (OCEB) - Community Street Crime Unit (CSCU) along with the Sudbury Detachment Crime Unit conducted the investigation with the assistance of Sudbury Detachment members and North East Region Emergency Response Team (ERT) members. As a result of the investigation, four people, all from French River, have been charged. The OPP recovered numerous stolen items including vehicles, boat motors, power tools, hand tools, machinery, sports equipment, hunting equipment and household items. Many of the recovered items have been returned to the victims. All of those accused are scheduled to appear before the Ontario Court of Justice in Sudbury on Jan. 23.
Nickel City's whistleblower hotline has another busy year:
The number of calls to Greater Sudbury's whistleblower hotline continues at a steady pace, with 98 complaints lodged between June and December 2018, and increase of eight compared to the same period in 2017. A report headed to next week's audit committee says that of those 98 complaints, 12 were incomplete, leaving 86 for investigation. Of those, 75 have been dealt with as of the end of 2018, leaving 11 active complaints. The most common complaint was related to behaviour of city staff (23), followed by complaints about other residents or businesses (22) and about the conduct of city contractors (16). There were 13 complaints made about the conduct of city council, of which nine have been dealt with and four are still under investigation. While the names of the councillors subject of complaints are not listed, the complaints were dismissed in three cases, one was referred to investigation by an outside agency, and in the rest, the councillor was informed of the complaint, and was given an overview of “relevant policies.”
