Good morning, Greater Sudbury.
Here are some stories to start your day.
Feds' $169M for Hwy 69 will four-lane about 30 km of road:
The $169.2 million the federal government announced Tuesday for Highway 69 will fund about 30 kilometres of four-laning. Nickel Belt MP Marc Serré and Sudbury MP Paul Lefebvre made the announcement Tuesday afternoon. The money will fund two projects on the highway: one will twin and realign an 11-kilometre stretch of road from Highway 559 north to Shebeshekong Road, or just south of it. The second will four-lane and divide a 19.3-km section of the highway, including new twin bridges over Still River, Key River and Straight Lake. The project work also includes building new interchanges at Bekanon Road and at Highway 522. Once the work is completed there will remain around 40 kilometres of road to four-lane. You can watch video of Tuesday's announcement here.
Police investigating after dead body found behind building on Lorne Street:
Greater Sudbury Police are investigating and working to confirm the identity of a man who was found deceased Tuesday morning. At around 8:50 a.m. Tuesday, GSPS received a call from a person who said they saw what they believed to be a human body behind a business on Lorne Street. Officers attended the area and cofirmed that it was the body of a deceased man. Police are working to confirm the identity of the person so his next of kin can be notified. The cause of death is unknown at this time and is still under investigation. "We are working closely with the Coroner's Office on this matter," said a GSPS news release. "An update will be provided when more information is available." Anyone with information related to this matter is asked to contact Detective Constable Reynard Dockery at 705-675-9171, ext. 2346.
Health Sciences North at 100% capacity Tuesday:
Health Sciences North is reporting that patient numbers have stabilized after peaking at nearly 120 per cent earlier this month. The hospital saw a significant spike in patient volumes in all units, especially in the emergency department, along with a large increase in the number of alternative level care (ALC) patients that saw more than 90 ALC patients in acute care hospital beds. Last week, Health Sciences North's capacity issued eased slightly from 113 per cent down to 107 per cent, and as of Tuesday, May 21, HSN is reporting that they are at 100 per cent capacity. "This week, we are pleased to report that our numbers have stabilized. We began Tuesday at 100 per cent capacity, down from a peak of nearly 120 per cent capacity last week," said HSN spokesperson, Jason Turnbull. "We encouraged patients with non-urgent needs to look for alternatives for care like walk-in clinics, and we thank the public for considering that message and hope people will continue to respond to that advice in the future." The number of ALC patients took a slight uptick from last week, when the hospital reported 77 patients. According to HSN, there were 81 ALC patients as of 3:30 p.m. on May 21. "We would also like to acknowledge the incredible efforts of our staff who went above and beyond to ensure all of our patients received the best care possible under some challenging circumstances," said Turnbull.
Sudbury's second cannabis shop, Highlife, opens this Friday morning:
Sales, food trucks, DJs and ... there's something we're forgetting ... oh, yeah, cannabis will be on hand as Greater Sudbury's second cannabis store, Highlife, opens its doors on Marcus Drive on May 24. The shop is the second last of Ontario's 25 cannabis shops to get its licence to open its doors. Owned by a man named Anton Lucic, who is not a Sudburian, HighLife will carry about 350 lines of cannabis products, mainly from the Ontario Cannabis Store, but a few of their own, as well. Customers won't be able to handle the marijuana before they buy, but they will be able to take a sniff from special goblets, and even take a look with a magnifying glass. Everything is ready,” Lucic said in an interview earlier this month. “The only thing missing is the most crucial part — the license. As soon as I get it, I can place my order. And as soon as the delivery is made to the store, we can open up, right away." The store will operate seven days a week from 9 a.m. to 11 p.m. Age restrictions will be vigorously enforced and anyone under age 30 should expect to be asked for ID. The doors will finally open at 9 a.m. this coming Friday with a bit of a bang. Highlife is offering a 10-per-cent-off sale all weekend long, and some of Canada's top cannabis producers are expected to be on hand to answer questions.
Greater Sudbury man fights city hall – and wins:
In what appears to have started as a dispute between two neighbours who don't like each other, a justice of the peace has overturned a Hanmer man's bylaw conviction for putting snow from his property onto the road last winter. The man's neighbour lodged a complaint to Greater Sudbury in November, accusing him of using his tractor to clear snow from his property and placing some of it on nearby Notre Dame Avenue. That would be an apparent contravention of the city's Road Fouling Bylaw, which was passed in 2011. Among other things, it prohibits residents from clearing snow from their property by placing it on the road. It carries a fine of $85 under the Provincial Offences Act. Get the full story here.
Jury told accused used torture, beatings to control his 'wives', trial of murdered Sudbury woman continues:
A woman who says she helped Perez Adaryll Cleveland dispose of a dead body told a Winnipeg jury after 6 1/2 years in an abusive relationship, she would have done anything he asked. "I don't know how to explain it. I went through many years of being with this guy, and I was under a severe amount of emotional control. I mean, he probably could have told me to try and touch the sun and I would have done it," Holley Sullivan testified Friday during Cleveland's first-degree murder trial. Cleveland, 46, has pleaded not guilty in the August 2016 death of 42-year-old Jennifer Barrett. He is standing trial in the Court of Queen's Bench before Chief Justice Glenn Joyal and a jury of seven men and five women. Barrett and Sullivan were two of Cleveland's five "wives," the jury was told, although Sullivan said she never had any kind of contract with the man she met while working in a Toronto call centre in 2010. Sullivan was one of six women living with Cleveland in a Waverley Heights home (including his adult daughter) when Barrett died. Sullivan testified she didn't see Cleveland attacking Barrett, but she heard screams coming from the basement. Before she died, Barrett tried to run away, Sullivan said. Dispatched by Cleveland to look for Barrett, she said she checked women's shelters, the airport and bus station. Barrett returned to the home about 18 hours later. Sullivan said she convinced Barrett to come back inside because Cleveland had told her the attacks would stop. Barrett was already badly beaten — "black and blue" all over and she couldn't lift her arms, Sullivan said. Barrett went to Cleveland's bedroom in the basement, Sullivan said, and she never saw her alive again.Get the full story here.
Ontario court backs LPAT process, but what that means for KED opponents is unclear:
An Ontario Divisional Court has ruled the legislation behind the Local Planning Appeals Tribunal is valid, and confirmed that the members of the tribunal have broad powers in dealing with planning appeals. But how the ruling will affect the LPAT appeal of the Kingsway Entertainment District is still unclear, particularly with the province bringing in another set of planning rules that reestablished some of the elements of the Ontario Municipal Board, which the LPAT replaced. The current system came into effect more than a year ago, with the goal of resolving planning disputes within a year – while expecting the legality of some of the new rules would be tested by a higher court. The ruling handed down this week by the divisional court deals with a proposed Rail Deck Park in Toronto, which was opposed by private developers who have their own project they want to build on the same lands. More on this story can be found here.
Wednesday Weather:
Increasing cloudiness into the afternoon with a 60 per cent chance of showers. Wednesday's high is expected to get up to 14. Mainly cloudy into the evening with some showers expected overnight. There is a risk of a thunderstorm tonight. Low will drop down to 9. For current weather conditions, short-term and long-term forecasts visit Sudbury.com's weather page at www.sudbury.com/weather.
