Good morning, Greater Sudbury.
Here are some stories to start your day.
On the bus: Promising early results from transit reform plan:
Greater Sudbury's massive overhaul of its municipal transit system is already paying off, city councillors were told at their meeting this week. CAO Ed Archer said in the three weeks since the new routes, policies and service levels were put into place, ridership is already trending upward. Overall ridership on the newly re-branded GOVA system is up by four per cent compared to the same period last year – 143,000 riders compared to 137,000 in 2018. And improvements in service has boosted ridership on Sundays by 40 per cent, with 12,120 people riding the bus in 2019, compared to 8,732 last year. Full story here.
Luncheon of Hope: Sharon Hampson of 'Sharon, Lois & Bram' addresses a room of fellow breast cancer survivors:
The Northern Cancer Foundation held the 21st annual Luncheon of Hope, an annual event to raise money for breast cancer research. This year's guest speaker was none other than Sharon Hampson of Sharon, Lois & Bram fame. The event raised about $75,000. Check back with Sudbury.com later today for the full story.
City's service review not intended as 'cost-cutting exercise':
Greater Sudbury will be tapping into an $8.15-million provincial fund to pay for a review of its services, city council heard this week. CAO Ed Archer presented the first report on the core services review at the Sept. 24 meeting. The city is in 58 lines of business, Archer said, which include 150 related or sub services. Of those 58, only 11 are required under provincial legislation, including taxation, housing, children services, cemeteries, building inspection and fire protection. However, those 11 services consume 58 per cent of the city's $589-million annual budget. The other 47 are not required, but are traditionally delivered by cities. They include public parks, homeless shelters, libraries, arenas, roads, sewer, animal control and long-term care. While the review may lead to debates about whether the city should stop delivering certain services, Archer said the goal is not to cut a service, but find ways to deliver them more efficiently and improve the level of service. Find the full story here
Clock stopped on Kingsway appeal timeline until May 2020:
The provincial body dealing with appeals of the Kingsway Entertainment District has given itself more time to make a decision. In a decision made Sept. 17 and released Thursday, the Local Planning Appeals Tribunal said the clock on the appeal is frozen until the May 2020 hearing. The hearing date was set during the case management conference heard in Sudbury in August. The 2020 date raised eyebrows because it is well past the 10-month deadline set out in the legislation creating the LPAT. The appeals were certified in June 2018, which meant the original decision deadline was April 2019. But all cases before the tribunal were put on hold pending an upper court decision ruling whether the new LPAT rules were constitutional. More on this story here.
Indigenous water activist to speak at UN as part of youth-led climate movement:
She's not old enough to get her learner's permit, but Autumn Peltier has been a driving force in the fight to protect water in Canada's Indigenous communities for years. The teenage activist from Wiikwemkoong First Nation on Manitoulin Island in northern Ontario has been engaged in the issue since she first came across a boil-water advisory in a nearby Anishinaabe community when she was eight years old. As she turned 15 on Friday, the same day students across Canada marched in a massive strike intended to disrupt climate-change inaction, Peltier finds herself at the forefront of an environmental movement being led by youth like her and Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg. This weekend, Peltier — the chief water commissioner for Anishinabek Nation, which advocates for 40 member First Nations in Ontario — will return to the United Nations to share her vision for a world in which everyone has access to clean water. More on this story here.
Scheer pledges inquiry into SNC-Lavalin scandal:
At a campaign stop in Liberal leader Justin Trudeau’s own Quebec riding of Papineau this week, Conservative leader Andrew Scheer vowed to launch an inquiry in to the SNC-Lavalin affair. “Justin Trudeau has covered up his role in the SNC-Lavalin corruption scandal every step of the way,” Scheer said in a news release. “He blocked three Parliamentary investigations, refused to co-operate with the Ethics Commissioner, and is currently blocking the RCMP from obtaining key evidence. As Prime Minister, I will call a judicial inquiry so Canadians can finally get the answers they deserve.” The party also announced that if elected, they would introduce the No More Cover Ups Act, which would give the RCMP the power, with Supreme Court approval, to access information normally protected by cabinet confidence. The Conservatives say the act would prevent “corrupt policitians from hiding” behind the secrecy that normally protects cabinet discussions.
Wolves hit home ice for the first time in the 2019-20 OHL season:
The Subury Wolves faced off with the North Bay Battalion in their home opener Friday night at the Sudbury Arena. Check back with Sudbury.com for a game recap later today. The Wolves will be at home again Sunday afternoon when they take on the Kitchener Rangers at 2 p.m.
