Good morning, Greater Sudbury.
Here are some stories to start your day.
Two Sudburians arrested after police find more than $250,000 worth of drugs in vehicle:
Two Sudburians were arrested and hit with drug charges after an off-duty OPP officer reported their vehicle on Sept. 13. Officers attended the scene, located and stopped the vehicle. Investigation revealed the driver was wanted by Greater Sudbury Police Service, as well as suspected to be impaired by drugs and was subsequently arrested. Shortly thereafter, the female passenger was arrested for possession of a controlled substance. With the assistance of the OPP Canine Unit, officers seized a large quantity of drugs suspected to be "Purple and Pink" Heroin, a conducted energy weapon, an expandable baton and a large amount of Canadian currency. The street value of the drugs is approximately $270,000. As a result of the investigation, the driver, a 32-year-old man from Sudbury and the passenger, a 32-year-old woman from Sudbury were both hit with drug charges.
Opposition emerges to Valley twin pad plan:
Members of the city's community services committee received an update on plans to build a twin-pad sports complex in Valley East, approving a cheaper version of the plan that comes in at about $28.4 million. That compares to a $36 million plan presented in July, which made changes to the original plan and significantly increased costs. Designed by Amber Salach of Yallowega Belanger Salach, the July plan was a result of community consultations that were concerned the project was eating up eight of 28 acres of greenspace near the Howard Armstrong Centre. But the new design not only cost a lot more, it eliminated five soccer fields. But even the revised and lower-cost plan is not yet funded, the committee was told. Get the full story here.
Grieving family fundraising to bring bravery beads to NEO Kids:
Little Killian Waddell was born Sept. 4, 2018 with a heart condition that meant he needed to undergo a heart transplant. But he never ended up receiving the transplant, as he sadly died Oct. 15, 2018, at a little over a month old. He lived his entire young life at Toronto's Sick Kids Hospital. Children at Sick Kids receive a “bravery bead” strung on a necklace each time they undergo a procedure — whether it's a routine procedure such as bloodwork or major surgery. Although Killian's life was short, he accumulated two strings of bravery beads. It's a memento treasured by his parents, Dean and Sheri Waddell, and older brothers Ryker and Malick. In Killian's memory, the Waddell family has been fundraising through the NEO Kids Foundation to bring the bravery bead program to the NEO Kids & Family Program at Health Sciences North. They've already raised $6,000 for the program, but are hoping to bring in a total of $10,000. More on this story here.
Ontario Green Party leader to visit Greater Sudbury:
Mike Schreiner, leader of the Green Party of Ontario, will be in Sudbury Wednesday as part of his Ontario Leader's Tour in which he is also supporting Green candidates in the federal election. Schreiner will be meeting with local businesses and stakeholders during the day, before joining a campaign event with local Sudbury candidate Bill Crumplin in the evening. After meeting with business and community leaders during the day, he'll join a campaign event with Crumplin. Schreiner will be at the Laughing Buddha from 7-9 p.m. with Crumplin to meet with supporters and the public.
City considers pilot projects for 40 km/h speed limit:
City-wide speed limits won't be dropping to 40 km/h any time soon, but on Monday, city councillors approved a plan that would look at dropping the limit in some areas of the city as a pilot project. Or more exactly, the operations committee approved having staff prepare a report on how much each pilot project would cost, and which areas in each city ward would be targeted. That report is due in the first quarter of 2020. Currently, the Ontario Highway Traffic Act sets 50 km/h as the limit in residential areas, known as the statutory speed limit. Lower speed limits – known as gateway limits – are now easier to implement because the Act was changed that greatly reduced the number of road signs needed to be erected to lower the limit.
Tim Hortons bakes up its Smile Cookie campaign this week:
This week, Tim Hortons fans can get something a little extra with their double doubles. Tim Hortons annual Smile Cookie campaign is back until Sept. 22, raising money for 550 local charities, hospitals and community programs across Canada. Here in Sudbury, Smile Cookies support the Health Sciences North Foundation, the CTV Lions Telethon, the Sudbury Food Bank and Maison McCulloch Hospice. Tim Hortons guests can purchase signature chocolate chunk cookies, decorated with blue eyes and an iconic pink smile for $1. The full $1 from each Smile Cookie sold will be donated by Tim Hortons restaurant owners.
Vandals target Citizens on Patrol vehicle in Copper Cliff arena parking lot:
The Citizens on Patrol (COPs) are volunteers in Greater Sudbury who patrol communities and report suspicious or criminal behaviour. Ironically, the COPs program was recently the victim of such criminal behaviour in Copper Cliff. In the overnight hours of Aug. 15, unknown culprits damaged a Citizens on Patrol vehicle in the parking lot of the McClelland Arena in Copper Cliff. The vehicle was found to have had most of its windows broken. The COPs volunteers rely on the vehicle to patrol the community. They provide additional eyes and ears to the police, said a press release. The loss of use of this vehicle was quite consequential for them. The COPs program would be grateful for any information that may lead to finding this culprit. Anyone with information is asked to contact Greater Sudbury Police at 705-675-9171 or Crime Stoppers at 705-222-TIPS (8477) or www.sudburycrimestoppers.com.
Wednesday weather:
Another beautiful late summer day in the forecast Wednesday. Mainly sunny today with a daytime high of 22, feeling like 25. Clear skies overhead into the evening. Overnight low will be steady at 12. For current weather conditions, short-term and long-term forecasts visit Sudbury.com's weather page at www.sudbury.com/weather.
