Good morning, Greater Sudbury.
Here are some stories to start your day.
Find out who spent the most and the least in the 2018 municipal election:
Nine of the 11 people who ran for mayor in the October municipal election have filed their expense reports. The top spender who did file a report was Mayor Brian Bigger, who became the first person re-elected mayor in Greater Sudbury's short history. Bigger spent $69,062.49 on his campaign, and received $58,900 in individual donations. The mayor received 14,684 votes in the election, which works out to about $4.70 in spending for each vote he received. Bigger reported a campaign deficit of $6,137.99. Mills received $41,305 in individual donations, and spent nearly as much on her campaign as Bigger – $68,256.74 in total, which includes $22,500 she contributed herself. Mills received 9,746 votes, which works out to about $7 in spending per ballot she received. Dan Melanson, who finished third with 8,673 votes, spent $16,319.92 – a fraction of the $105,769 he spent on his 2014 campaign, when he was runner up to Bigger. Of the top mayoral race finishers, Melanson got the most bank for his buck – about $1.88 per vote. More on this story here.
Don't take a risk to get in one last ride, OPP warns snowmobilers:
With two snowmobile deaths in as many days and the arrival of spring, the OPP is urging snowmobilers to avoid taking unnecessary risks, especially on frozen waterways, as their season winds down. The two tragedies over the weekend of March 22-24 mark 11 fatal snowmobile incidents and 13 lives lost in OPP jurisdictions so far this season. One of those two deaths occurred on a waterway, prompting the OPP to stress the importance of avoiding iced-over areas at this time of year. Five people who died this season were traveling on lakes or rivers when their snowmobile either broke though the ice or was driven into open water. Full story here.
Get a first look at changes to Sudbury's transit system:
The city is inviting Sudburians to get an early look at proposed changes to routes and schedules for Greater Sudbury Transit. Greater Sudbury Council approved the Greater Sudbury Transit Action Plan: Better Routes. Better Schedules. Better Service in February. Sudburians are invited to review the proposed new routes and new schedules, and provide feedback to the city until April 23. You can provide your thoughts online at overtoyou.greatersudbury.ca, at Greater Sudbury Public Library branches and Citizen Service Centres, or at the Downtown Transit Centre, or at open houses being held across the city until April 18. You can find the schedule for the open houses at overtoyou.greatersudbury.ca., or posted on city buses, in library branches at the downtown transit terminal.
Here's what to do if your house floods this spring:
Every year it's the same thing - heavy snowfall begins to melt away come spring, causing localized flooding from meltwater and precipitation. These conditions pose health risks for homeowners as well as their properties, but what can we do to lessen or prevent these damages? The City of Greater Sudbury suggests preventing home flooding by, checking your sump pump to ensure it is working properly and to making sure your sump pit is not blocked by debris, repositioning your downspouts, if possible, to direct water away from the foundation and neighbouring properties, and moving valuables stored on basement floors to a safe location if you are concerned about basement flooding. Get more tips here.
In wake of breaded chicken recalls, health unit issues food safety tips:
Public Health Sudbury & Districts is reminding the public of the importance of following proper food safety practices when handling and preparing uncooked meat products. This reminder is in light of several Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) recalls of various brands of frozen raw breaded chicken products due to possible Salmonella contamination. When handling and preparing raw poultry, including frozen raw breaded chicken products, be sure to thoroughly wash your hands after handling food product, clean and sanitize counter-tops and utensils immediately after preparing food, use separate cutting boards for raw and cooked meats, store and serve foods out of the danger zone temperatures (between 4°C and 60°C), and cook products thoroughly and ensure they reach an internal temperature higher than 74°C by checking with a probe thermometer. Symptoms of Salmonellosis (Salmonella infection) include sudden stomach pain, accompanied by diarrhea, nausea, fever and sometimes vomiting. Dehydration, especially among infants, may be severe. If you think you became sick from consuming a recalled product, consult with your health care provider.
Google bringing digital skills training event to Sudbury:
Google is coming to Sudbury as part of its Grow with Google initiative to help create economic opportunity in communities across Canada. Google will host a free, one-day event at Science North on April 12 to help small business owners, entrepreneurs, students and skill seekers improve their digital skills. The workshops will run between 10:30 a.m. and 4 p.m. Google staff will lead hands-on workshops that will teach attendees valuable digital skills including online marketing, using data and analytics to drive business growth, and how to get a business on Google Search and Maps. Attendees can also sign up onsite for one-on-one training with Google staff and learn more about Google’s free products for skill seekers and small businesses. Get the full story here.
The Pothole Reporter: See a hole, report a hole with Sudbury.com:
Pothole season is here 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.
Tuesday Weather:
Periods of snow possible this morning, becoming mixed with rain in the afternoon. Tuesdsay's high is only going to get up to 3. Snow at times mixed with rain early in the evening. Overnight low will drop to to about -2, feeling like -9 with the wind chill. For current weather conditions, short-term and long-term forecasts visit Sudbury.com's weather page at www.sudbury.com/weather.
