Good morning, Greater Sudbury.
Here are some stories to start your day.
NLFB 2019 starts July 4, bringing more than 100 performances to Bell Park:
Local music lovers' favourite weekend of the summer is finally here. Northern Lights Festival Boréal 2019, which runs four days and includes more than 100 performances, starts Thursday, July 4 and runs until Sunday, July 7. As usual, all activities take place in Bell Park in and around the Grace Hartman Amphitheatre — so let's hope for nice weather! This year's headliners are a who's-who of the Canadian music scene, with rappers, rockers, reggae and folk musicians on the same bill. Canadian rock icon Sam Roberts Band is the Thursday, July 4 headliner. Sudbury.com will bring you an interview with Sam Roberts himself later on today. Headlining on Friday is Somali-Canadian rapper, singer and songwriter K'naan (a.k.a. Keinan Abdi Warsame), who's well known for his song “Wavin' Flag.” On Saturday, Canadian reggae/soul/alternative band Bedouin Soundclash headlines. You'd probably recognize this band's song 2005 break-through single “When the Night Feels My Song.” And finally on Sunday, Canadian folk singer-songwriter Basia Bulat is that night's headliner. Find more on the this year's NLFB lineup here.
We chatted with Canadian rocker Sam Roberts about coming to Sudbury this week:
Sam Roberts hasn't played in Sudbury in a decade and has never performed at Northern Lights Festival Boréal before, but he does have a friend who comes from here. The Montréal musician — who makes his first NLFB headline performance on Thursday with his band, appropriately named the Sam Roberts Band — said years ago he was worked as a bus boy, waiter and bartender at a restaurant in his hometown. That restaurant happened to be owned by a former Montréal Canadiens player. Many of the Habs players used to come into the restaurant, and that's where he met Brian Savage, a former Montréal Canadiens player and Sudbury native. “We've managed to maintain a friendship ever since,” said Roberts, the lead vocalist/guitarist with Sam Roberts Band in a recent phone interview with Sudbury.com. He said he hopes Savage is able to make it out to the show. The Sam Roberts Band may have been in the business for more than two decades, winning multiple Juno awards. Full story here.
EcoLife owner scheduled for first court appearance on fraud charges today:
Dave Murray, owner of EcoLife Home Improvements, is scheduled to make his first appearance in court today, after he was charged with more than 20 counts of fraud on May 30. Between September 2018 and May 2019 the Greater Sudbury Police Service received a number of complaints in relation to EcoLife Home Improvements. Multiple community members alleged that after providing monetary deposits for home renovation projects, the contracted work was never completed. On April 12, the City of Greater Sudbury revoked Murray's business licence, and the embattled contractor indicated that he would be appealing the decision in front of a hearing committee, which was originally scheduled for June 5. Murray's hearing was delayed after he asked more time, pushing his hearing until August. On May 30, David Murray was arrested and charged with 20 counts of fraud over $5,000 and three counts of fraud under $5,000. He was released on a promise to appear with a first appearance court date of July 3.
Letter: St. Joseph’s Hospital — it's time to take it back:
The old St. Joseph’s Hospital (formerly the Sudbury General Hospital), has sat empty and abandoned for a decade. Renovations by the current owners have seemingly halted and former mayor Dave Courtemanche says it’s not just an eyesore; it’s a lost opportunity. "This property should never have been sold to a private condominium developer in the first place," writes Courtemanche in a letter to the editor. "This is arguably the most important piece of urban real estate in Greater Sudbury. On the pristine shores of Lake Ramsey, overlooking Bell Park, Science North, Laurentian University and the Boardwalk — this property belongs in public hands." Read Courtemanche's full letter to the editor here.
Voyageurs hoops star chosen to carry the Canadian flag:
Two-time U SPORTS men's basketball Player of the Year Kadre Gray of the Laurentian Voyageurs will carry the Maple Leaf into the Opening Ceremony of the 30th FISU Summer Universiade at San Paolo Stadium Wednesday. The announcement was made jointly by Ari Grossman, Chef de Mission for Team Canada, along with Alexandra Bugailiskis, Ambassador of Canada to Italy, during Canada Day celebrations at the Hotel Royal Continental in Naples, Italy. The Opening Ceremony is set for Wednesday, July 3 at 3 p.m. ET. Live streaming coverage will be available on olympicchannel.com and FISU.TV. Gray will carry the Maple Leaf in front of a contingent of more than 300 Canadian student-athletes, coaches, and staff.
You can win a brand new fishing rod and reel this National Fishing Week:
There’s no better place to fish than Northern Ontario and to celebrate #NationalFishingWeek, Sudbury.com will be giving away a Zebco rod and reel package a day, every day, Monday through Friday, July 1st to 5th. Want to score some new fishing gear? Entering the contest is easy, just click here and tell us the size and species of your biggest catch!
Re-exploring around a shuttered Sudbury mine:
A Toronto junior miner believes there’s a grab bag of minerals on its exploration property in the Sudbury-Wanapitei area, east of Sudbury. MacDonald Mines Exploration has started the first phase of a 1,500-2,000-metre diamond drilling program on its SPJ IOCG property to explore zones of high-grade gold and to better understand the area’s overall geological structure. The company said there’s been a “paradigm shift” in thinking about the rocks around Wanapitei that’s led to the area being poorly understood and under-explored. The Geological Survey of Canada has recently identified the area as a promising district for iron oxide-copper-gold (IOCG) exploration. These systems can produce large volumes of low to medium-grade gold, copper and possibly cobalt. MacDonald Mines said these kinds of deposits can be highly profitable mines. Full story here.
Wednesday Weather:
Get ready for a scorcher, Sudbury; Wednesday is going to be a hot one. Sunny skies overhead today with the daytime high hitting 30, feeling like 33. Clear skies into the evening with the overnight low sitting at a comfortable 17. For current weather conditions, short-term and long-term forecasts visit Sudbury.com's weather page at www.sudbury.com/weather.
