Good morning, Greater Sudbury.
Here are some stories to start your day.
Woman assaulted while trying to escape from a vehicle:
Greater Sudbury Police arrested and charged a 25-year-old man on Dec. 2 following an assault that took place in the parking lot of a residential building on Lansing Avenue. Shortly after 10 p.m. on Monday, Dec. 2, GSPS received a call regarding an assault. Witnesses believed that a woman had been pushed out of a vehicle in the parking lot after being assaulted by a man driving the car. Upon arriving on scene, it was determined that the woman had managed to escape from the vehicle after being assaulted as the man had tried to keep her from leaving by grabbing onto her hair multiple times and pulling her back into the car. The woman sustained minor injuries as a result of the altercation. Officers located the vehicle being driven down Levesque Street and conducted a vehicle stop where they placed the man under arrest for domestic violence – assault and forcible confinement. The man was transported back to police headquarters where he displayed signs of being impaired. He provided breath samples that were over the legal limit and was additionally charged with Impaired Operation and Over 80. The man’s name can't be released as the information has not yet been sworn to through the court process. He was given a First Appearance court date of Dec. 27 when he will answer to the charges.
Mayor wants input from the public on shaping the next chapter of Sudbury's downtown:
Mayor Brian Bigger is calling on all of Greater Sudbury to take part in the creation of what will be a dynamic, modern and inclusive facility. The Junction will include the largest library in city history and the art gallery. With the project now moving forward, Mayor Bigger wants to see and hear from everyone who wants to play a part in this new project that will transform the city and downtown. “We just put out an RFP for construction and design for the Junction, which includes the new downtown library and art gallery,” said Bigger in a news release. "Architecture is a big part of the project, but the most important piece of a new library is what’s inside, the programming it offers, the learning and creativity it supports and how it best serves everyone in our community who will use it as a community gathering place.” As the project progresses, Mayor Bigger will be engaging city staff to arrange multiple platforms in which residents of all ages can provide input. This will include online surveys and in-person events where the public is encouraged to bring forward ideas and present their vision of a leading-edge library in 2021 and beyond. Full story here.
Expect some traffic delays Wednesday due to teacher picket lines:
The Greater Sudbury Police Service are advising the public of possible traffic disruptions on Wednesday, Dec. 4 at various schools across Greater Sudbury as members of the Ontario Secondary School Teachers’ Federation engage in a full day withdrawal of services. The picket sites include Chelmsford Valley District Composite School, Confederation Secondary School, Espanola High School, Lasalle Secondary School, Lively District Secondary School, Lockerby Composite School, Lo-Ellen Park Secondary School, Sudbury Secondary School, Manitoulin Secondary School, École secondaire du Sacré-Coeur and École Jean-Paul II. Picket lines will be set up at entry points. The picket lines will be in place from 7:30 a.m. - 3 p.m. Vehicles attending these locations may be delayed for a short period of time.
Opioid overdoses continue to set records in Sudbury:
Opioid overdoses in almost each month of 2019 have set new highs, according to data headed to the city's emergency services committee next week. It shows the number of overdoses in Greater Sudbury for every month of 2019 up to October, and for early November. Each month this year has been worse than the previous two years. In November, only the data for the first five days of the month was available, but even so, six overdoses happened in that short period of time. The worst month was May, when 70 overdoses were reported, compared to 12 in May 2018 and just one in 2017. The lowest number recorded this year in a full month was in January – 23 – rising to 34, 45, 49 until hitting 70 in May and dropping to 41 in June. More on this story here.
Huntington University lights up the holiday season with gift to Big Brothers Big Sisters:
Huntington University kicked off the festive season by providing a community gift of its own, in support of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Greater Sudbury. As part of the university’s annual lighting of its 45-foot tall Christmas tree on Dec. 2 – the tallest lit Christmas tree in Northern Ontario – Huntington University’s President and Vice-Chancellor, Dr. Kevin McCormick, announced a generous $2,500 donation in support of programs offered through Big Brothers Big Sisters of Greater Sudbury, which include one-to-one volunteer and group mentoring, as well as Caring Couple/Caring family programs. Get the full story here.
Heavy trucks already making use of newly opened Maley Drive extension:
Some heavy trucks are already making use of the Maley Drive extension, city councillors heard Monday, as Greater Sudbury enters the first week of driving on the new, $80.1 million road. Not only have drivers quickly adjusted to the roundabout at the entrance of Collège Boréal, but heavy trucks are already making the move to the new roadway, which opened Friday. “I can't understate how significant an achievement the event was last Friday,” Tony Cecutti, the city's infrastructure GM, told members of the operations committee. "The original plan was to open the road before the end of December of this year and we opened the roadway on Nov. 29. If you've driven on it, you'll see the little spots of work we still have to do. I did want to mention there's some significant improvements to the intersection of Maley at Falconbridge (Road) that are planned for next summer that will help with traffic flow." More on this story here.
York Street farmers' market a hit, committee told:
It will still need some support for the next few years, but the people running Greater Sudbury's farmers' market say the first year under a new board was a big success. Peggy Baillie, chair of the Greater Sudbury Market Association, said they signed a contract with the city in the spring to have independent board oversee the market. “This moment was many years in the making,” Baillie told members of the community services committee, pointing to a photo of the contract being signed. After losing its home to the school of architecture several years and relocating to the former train station on Elgin Street, the Market is emerging in a new form. As well as its new board of directors, they began a Thursday market on York Street across from Bell Park – one that drew more visitors than the Saturday one downtown. Full story here.
Wednesday Weather:
Mainly cloudy today with 70 per cent chance of flurries. Today's high will be around -2, feeling like -9 with the wind chill. Cloudy this afternoon then becoming partly cloudy this evening. Temperature will drop to -9 tonight, feeling like -15 overnight. For current weather conditions, short-term and long-term forecasts visit Sudbury.com's weather page at www.sudbury.com/weather.
