Good morning, Greater Sudbury.
Here are some stories to start your day.
Trudeau paddles around questions at Sudbury stop:
The crowd waiting to hear from Justin Trudeau on Thursday morning at the Lake Laurentian Conservation Area waited patiently for the prime minister to display his canoeing skills — and then for him to dry off and change clothes. When he did finally take the podium, with Sudbury MP Paul Lefebvre and Nickel Belt MP Marc Serré at his side, Trudeau showed off another skill – avoiding answers to tough questions. When a national reporter asked him if he was misleading voters by spending more time talking about Ontario Premier Doug Ford – who is not running in the federal election – than Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer, he launched into a critique of Ford. When asked why, when he broke promises he made in 2015 about electoral reform and balancing the budget, Canadians should believe he's sincere in what he's promising now, Trudeau again displayed his rhetorical footwork, arguing Canada has a strong credit rating and that he chose spending over budget cuts. Get the full story and video from Trudeau's visit here.
Skinnamarink, it's true! Sharon of 'Sharon, Lois and Bram fame' the keynote speaker at 2019 Luncheon of Hope
Sharon Hampson of Sharon, Lois and Bram fame is the keynote speaker at the 2019 Luncheon of Hope this afternoon. Made up of Hampson, Bram Morrison and Lois Lilienstein (who sadly passed away in 2015), the beloved Canadian children's group Sharon, Lois & Bram entertained families across North America starting in 1978. They have sold millions of records, had two acclaimed television series and for the past 20 years since Lois' retirement, Sharon and Bram have continued to perform, although they recently held a retirement tour. Hampson has been treated for breast cancer three times herself.
Police enter Chelmsford home, arrest man, 43, after extended standoff:
A 26-year-old woman who was allegedly taken hostage at a home in Chelmsford Wednesday escaped overnight, but the 43-year-old man who was her captor remained barricaded in the McKenzie Street home for several hours Thursday. The 43-year-old man was arrested just before 2:30 p.m. Thursday by the Ontario Provincial Police Tactics and Rescue Unit and Emergency Response Unit, which entered the residence and took the man into custody. He is facing several charges, Greater Sudbury Police said, including weapons dangerous, careless use of a firearm, unauthorized possession of a firearm, pointing a firearm and forcible confinement. "Additional charges are pending,"said GSPS in a news release. "Officers will be conducting a search warrant at the residence."
Emotional ceremony honours workers who have died from occupational disease:
Estelle Lemieux's emotions are still very raw when she talks about her husband, Marcel Lemieux, who died July 28 from lung cancer. Marcel was diagnosed three years ago, and the cancer caused a lot of damage to his body, she said. He was 76 when he died. They couple had been married for 56 years. His name was among the 45 called out during the United Steelworkers Local 6500 memorial ceremony on Thursday. The ceremony is held to honour 6500 members who have died due to occupational disease. In a 10-year timeframe, from 2007 to 2017, there were 26 miners who died on the job in Ontario mines. In that same timeframe, there were only 196 claims approved for occupational disease. The 45 names read out in Thursday's memorial service are a fraction of the people who have died as a result of occupational disease. Full story here.
Family broke and forced to live in hotel for 7 months as insurer, contractor 'dragging their feet':
Seven months after ice buildup on their roof caused severe damage to their home, a Sudbury family is extremely frustrated with its insurance company and the contractors they were forced to hire to repair the damage. Many homes experienced ice buildup on their roofs this past winter. It happened to Richard Howard and Rachel Legault, and the melting ice leaked through their roof. As a result, their ceiling caved in back in February. When the ceilings came down, they discovered the house contained Type 3 asbestos, and the family was evacuated from the home so the asbestos could be removed. That's the good news. The bad news is the family has been living in a hotel for the past seven months as they fight with their insurance company as to what exactly is covered under their policy. The couple say their adjuster is being extremely difficult, refusing to cover items in the house that clearly were damaged as a result of the roof collapsing. The process is taking so long, they have used up the money they were given for alternate accommodations while their home is fixed. Get the full story here.
Franco-Ontarian Day celebration takes on extra meaning with passing of flag co-creators:
The annual Franco-Ontarian Day celebration and flag-raising at the University of Sudbury took on extra meaning this year, given the recent passing of the flag's co-creators. Both passed away in 2018 -- Michel Dupuis died at age 62 on Jan. 11, 2018, and Gaétan Gervais at age 74 Oct. 20, 2018. Gervais was a professor at Laurentian University in 1975 and Dupuis his student when they created the white and green Franco-Ontarian flag, which has since become a symbol for Francophones across the province. The flag was first raised outside of the University of Sudbury on the Laurentian campus 44 years ago, on Sept. 25, 1975. That day is now commemorated across the province each Sept. 25 as Franco-Ontarian Day.
Sign-waving protesters fail to stop Christian rehab facility near Dowling:
Determined to block an addictions rehab centre, residents of Vermillion Lake Road turned out in big numbers to Wednesday's city council meeting. Holding placards opposing the Teen Challenge facility, along with mock “for sale” signs for their homes, the crowd of more than 100 was ready show their displeasure with the planning committee, which unanimously approved the rezoning required for the project to go ahead on Sept. 10. All committee decisions have to be confirmed by city council before they become official. But if the crowd was expecting the approval to be decision to be reversed, they were quickly disappointed. More on this story here.
Friday weather:
A mix of sun and cloud to start the day, becoming cloudy in the afternoon. There's a 40 per cent chance of showers late in the afternoon. Friday's high will be sitting at around 17. Some periods of rain are expected this evening with some wind gusts of up to 50 km/h. Overnight low will be 12. For current weather conditions, short-term and long-term forecasts visit Sudbury.com's weather page at www.sudbury.com/weather.
