Good morning, Greater Sudbury.
Here are some stories to start your day.
Accused in Renée Sweeney murder denied bail:
Robert Steven Wright stared silently at the floor Wednesday morning in a Sudbury courtroom as he was denied bail on first-degree murder charges in the 1998 killing of Renée Sweeney. Ontario Superior Court Justice Edward E. Gareau took about an hour to read his decision, most of which cannot be made public because of a publication ban on evidence ahead of a possible murder trial. But Gareau ruled the Crown had met the conditions required to deny Wright bail, and he expressed concerns about the adequacy of monitoring devices and the ability of his surety to keep a close enough eye on him should he be released. Wright returns to court Thursday for a video remand related to a child pornography charge laid weeks after his arrest. More on this story here.
Annual Ontario Sunshine List has been released:
The annual Public Sector Salary Disclsosure — a.k.a. the Ontario Sunshine List — for 2018 was released today. A total of 472 people working for Greater Sudbury earned $100,000 or more in 2018, according to the annual Sunshine List released Wednesday. That's an increase of 38 compared to 2017, out of the roughly 2,000 people employed at the city. CAO Ed Archer again topped the list with a salary of $266,103.64 plus $9,981.48 in benefits, an increase of about $5,000. Police Chief Paul Pedersen was second ($247,174.00/$16,540.38), followed by former community services GM Catherine Matheson ($220,078.58/$8,577.87) and corporate services GM Kevin Fowke ($210,604/$8,564.13), who received almost $16,000 more in salary compared to 2017. Full story can be found here.
City's finance and admin committee votes to use extra federal funds to improve roads:
Last week's federal budget is turning into a big opportunity for Greater Sudbury city council to make some progress on improving the state of local roads. Federal Finance Minister Bill Morneau announced a one-time doubling of the $2.2 billion in gas tax revenues the government gives cities each year for transit-related programs. That means Sudbury will receive an extra $9.8 million in 2019. Meeting on Tuesday, the city's finance and administration committee voted to use all of the extra money to improve the city's road network, in particular local roads. That's on top of the $3.9 million council already included in the 2019 budget for work on local and arterial roads. Arterial roads are high capacity roads that carry a lot of traffic, while local roads are less busy streets that people take to get from where they live to arterial roads.
Wanted Wednesday: Man wanted in connection with series of break and enters:
Greater Sudbury Police Service has an outstanding warrant for the arrest of Tylor Nugent. It is alleged that between Jan. 2 and March 20 of this year, Tylor Nugent is responsible for nine break and enters, and two incidents of theft. These crimes were committed throughout the city at various commercial enterprises. The value of the damage to property and the thefts is more than $16,000. Nugent was on court-ordered conditions at the time of these offense. He is believed to be in the city of Greater Sudbury. Tylor Nugent is wanted for nine counts of break and enter, two counts of theft, and two counts of breach of probation. If you know this person and where he is presently located, you are urged to call the Crime Stoppers tip line toll-free at 1-800-222-TIPS or locally at 705-222-TIPS (8477). You must call this number to be eligible for a cash reward. Tips can also be submitted online at www.sudburycrimestoppers.com.
Sudbury couple providing a platform for autism parents to share their stories:
A Sudbury couple has built a website to help spread awareness about the changes to the Ontario Autism Program by giving parents a platform to share their stories. A town hall meeting was held in Sudbury on March 15 by the Northern Ontario Autism Alliance, and a small group of parents spoke about the day-to-day challenges of raising a child with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and how the changes to the OAP will affect them. Chad and Josée Pharand of Sudbury, whose five-year-old daughter was diagnosed with severe Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), are one of many families affected by the upcoming changes to the Ontario Autism Program (OAP). Changes to the program are being introduced in an attempt to clear the province-wide wait list. #WeAreThe100Percent began as a social media demonstration of solidarity between the 8,400 families currently receiving services, as well as the 23,000 families on the wait list. This comes after the Feb. 6 announcement that the Ford government plans to overhaul the current autism funding program. As the hashtag #WeAreThe100Percent gained momentum, Chad and Josée Pharand looked at ways to help spread awareness. Along with the help of a few close friends, they developed a website to increase the movement’s online presence. More on this story here.
City considers cutting development charges in half:
Greater Sudbury is considering cutting development charges – the fees builders must pay when they want to build – in half, and may consider eliminating them entirely. Meeting on Tuesday, the city's finance and administration committee voted to have staff prepare a report on the implications of reducing or eliminating the fees. High development charges are being blamed for a slump in construction that has been steady since 2009, and a dip in the number of young developers entering the market. Charges are as high as $17,000 for a single family home. The city's development charges bylaw must be updated every five years, with a new bylaw needed by this June. Mayor Brian Bigger said he hears from developers all the time that the charges discourage investment in Greater Sudbury, and said investors are backing away from Sudbury. He wants the fees reduced to attract more investment.
Introducing the Pothole Reporter: See a hole, report a hole with Sudbury.com:
Pothole season is upon us and Sudbury.com has partnered with Fuel Media to create an easy and convenient way for you to report potholes to the City of Greater Sudbury, right from your cellphone. You can find the Pothole Reporter by visiting Pothole.Sudbury.com. There you can upload photos and descriptions of the pothole you found, and the app will produce a report that you can send along to Tom Davies Square. Let's help the city not miss any potholes this year. Check with Sudbury.com every week day to find out what our Pothole Crew is up to. Drive safely out there.
Thursday Weather:
Drizzle this morning ending near noon then cloudy with 40 per cent chance of rain showers or flurries. Thursday's high will get up to 8. Mainly cloudy this evening with a 40 per cent chance of rain showers or flurries early in the evening then 40 percent chance of flurries late in the evening and after midnight. Overnight low will get down to -6, feeling like -8. For current weather conditions, short-term and long-term forecasts visit Sudbury.com's weather page at www.sudbury.com/weather.
