Good morning, Greater Sudbury.
Here are some stories to start your day.
Mayor ends attempt to replace economic development board:
The battle between Mayor Brian Bigger and the Greater Sudbury Development Corp. ended quietly Tuesday, with the mayor withdrawing his motion to replace the group's board of directors. Bigger introduced a motion last June that would have put city council directly in charge of economic development, with advice from a “select cabinet” newly appointed by council. The mayor initially said the move was part of his reelection promise to be more directly involved in economic development, but as reported by Sudbury.com, Bigger had concerns about the way the board was operating. As an independent corporation, the GSDC board could close meetings to the public with few restrictions. City council, however, can only close meetings to discuss personnel, labour negotiations, to buy or sell property or to get advice from legal counsel. After delaying his motion until July, and then September, the makeup of the board changed and a new chair was appointed, Andrée Lacroix, a partner at Lacroix Lawyers/Avocats. On Tuesday, Bigger said he brought forward the motion because he was concerned the board was “moving in a direction that would be less effective,” removing council oversight and pursuing “ideas and partnerships” outside of council’s knowledge. But since Lacroix took charge, the mayor says they have been working well together, to the point that he's confident he can work with the GSDC chair to ensure “council will have confidence in the direction of the GSDC.” Full story here.
Wanted Wednesday: Man has lengthy rap sheet for crimes dating back to 2018:
Greater Sudbury Police Service and OPP have outstanding warrants for the arrest of 48-year-old Claude Raymond Gauthier. It is alleged that between 6:30 p.m. Aug. 13, 2018 and 6:30 a.m. the next morning, Gauthier broke into storage containers on a construction site located on The Kingsway and stole assorted tools. On Oct. 24, 2018, Gauthier also allegedly failed to comply with court-ordered conditions. Gauthier is also accused of stealing electronics from a store on Notre Dame Avenue Jan. 19 and failing to comply with court-ordered conditions Aug. 5 after commiting numerous violations of the Provincial Offenses Act. The man also has other outstanding charges, including property and drug offences. He is known to be in the vicinity of Greater Sudbury. If you know this person and where he is presently located, you are urged to call the Crime Stoppers tip line toll-free at 1-800-222-TIPS or locally at 705-222-TIPS (8477).
Public health entering uncertain future:
Transitional funding from the province and layoffs have helped ease the budget challenges Public Health Sudbury and Districts is facing this year, but the outlook for 2021 and beyond is cloudy. That was the message from Dr. Penny Sutcliffe, medical officer of health, as she presented the health unit's $26 million budget to city council Tuesday evening. “It has been a challenging year for the budget,” Sutcliffe said, in presenting spending plans that includes an increase of $734,000 from local taxpayers, up 10 per cent compared to 2019. While they have since backtracked, the provincial government announced in August plans to reduce the number of health units in Ontario from 35 to 10, while slashing funding across the board. Without that cut, Sutcliffe said the 2020 budget increase would have been just 2.7 per cent. In Sudbury, provincial funding is declining by $1.17 million in 2020. When combined with $762,000 in fixed cost increases – for collective bargaining, hydro increases, etc. -- Public Health was facing a $1.9 million budget hole. More on this story here.
Timmins teen victim of fatal hunting incident:
Ontario Provincial Police are investigating a hunting death of an 18-year-old Timmins, Ont. man. Police, in a release issued on Tuesday, said members of the Rainy River detachment, with the help of staff with the Ministry of Natural Resources, responded to the incident at about 4 p.m. on Sunday near Morley Township, west of Fort Frances. The victim was fatally injured while hunting and has been identified as Brent Secord. According to a statement by the Northeastern District Catholic School Board on Facebook, Secord was a Grade 12 student at O'Gorman High School in Timmins. Flags at all the board's schools and board office have been lowered to honour him. The investigation continues, with the help of several OPP units, including the Northwest Crime Unit, which is operating under the direction of Detective Inspector Darryl Sigouin of the OPP’s criminal investigation branch.
Motion to audit Maley Drive extension shelved:
Ward 1 Coun. Mark Signoretti withdrew his motion Tuesday asking Auditor General Ron Foster to audit the $80 million Maley Drive extension, which is set to open before the end of the year. While city staff have said the project is on time, and that a small surplus was available to do more four-laning of Maley than expected, Signoretti said he has gotten questions from the public about the project. In addition to a Sudbury.com story in October that revealed the city still needs to purchase a final stretch of land owned by Dalron, Signoretti said he's received questions about things like the quality of asphalt being used in the project. Get the full story here.
Have your say about city’s climate change plan:
Have some ideas about how to save the planet? Or at least, our little corner? Residents are being invited to share their ideas to reduce energy use, greenhouse gas emissions and impact on the environment during a Community Energy and Emissions Plan (CEEP) workshop on Thursday at Northbury Hotel and Conference Centre on Brady Street. Earlier this month, city council passed an ambitious, multi-billion dollar roadmap to get Greater Sudbury to virtually zero carbon emissions by 2050. In 2016, the city generated 1.3 million tonnes of carbon dioxide. Current initiatives in place should see that reduced to 1.2 million by 2050, but several steps will have to be taken to reduce it to zero. Get the full story here.
Vale's Copper Cliff mine expansion expected to be complete by 2021:
Construction is underway for Vale's Copper Cliff South Mine expansion, a project that is expected to generate hundreds of jobs in Sudbury by 2021. The company is investing $750 million into the project to rehabilitate existing infrastructure including the hoist, the conveyor system and the crusher at the site. The shaft of the Copper Cliff South Mine has been under care and maintenance since the mine closed in 2009. Plans for the expansion of the mine began in 2017, and the mine is expected to reopen in 2021. Danica Pagnutti, senior adviser of corporate and Indigenous affairs at Vale, said that the new mine will access new ore bodies under Copper Cliff. Vale will be installing an LTE network in the mine for enhanced communication, and in addition to the new ventilation system currently being installed, the mine will also feature automated and teleremote vehicles like electric and teleremote scoops and an automated crusher. The company is currently in the peak development phase of the project with a total of approximately 850 people employed.
Thursday Weather:
The snow has passed, but some chilly temperatures are right behind it. A mix of sun and cloud for Thursday with a high of -3. It's going to feel like -8 with the wind chill this afternoon. A few clouds tonight with the low dropping to -11, feeling like -16. For current weather conditions, short-term and long-term forecasts visit Sudbury.com's weather page at www.sudbury.com/weather.
