Good morning, Greater Sudbury.
Here are some stories to start your day.
Reader's Digest ranks Sudbury 33rd in Canada for raising a family:
Reader's Digest (yes, it's still around) recently ranked the top 42 Canadian cities to raise a family and of the three Northern Ontario cities on the list, Sudbury (not Greater Sudbury) came in at the bottom of the heap, but still among the top 42 cities in Canada. The long-running magazine scored each city based on 11 categories: transit, median age, infant mortality rates, maternal/paternal leave, daycares, cost of food, mom groups, intimate partner violence, child and youth victims of crime, libraries and park spaces. As data sources, Reader's Digest used Statistics Canada, the Childcare Resource and Research Unit, city workers, city websites, municipalities and MeetUp.com. All data dates from 2006 or later, save infant mortality rates for which a three-year average (2005-2007) was used. Reader's Digest didn't provide a scoresheet, so unfortunately there's no context to the rankings. Sudbury was ranked 33rd on the list, a full seven spots behind Thunder Bay. The only other Northern Ontario city on the list, Barrie (not technically North but northern-ish), was ranked 24th. More on this story here.
Strikes 'not about the money': English Catholic teachers' union Sudbury prez:
The labour strife in the education sector really isn't about raises for teachers, as the province claims, says a local union official with the Ontario English Catholic Teachers' Association (OECTA). Chantal Rancourt, president of the OECTA elementary unit in Sudbury, joined almost 500 fellow local English Catholic teachers as they braved the cold Tuesday in picketing along three busy roadways in Greater Sudbury. School was cancelled at English Catholic schools across the province, including the Sudbury Catholic District School Board, as teachers held a one-day strike Jan. 21. All four Ontario teachers' unions are now engaging in rotating strikes or work-to-rule, and the Progressive Conservative government said the sticking point is the unions' demands for a two-per-cent wage increase. The government has passed legislation capping public sector wage increases at one per cent, something the teachers' unions are challenging in court and opposing at the bargaining table. Full story can be found here.
EcoLife owner seeking out-of-town lawyer and appealing cancellation of his legal aid:
Former Sudbury contractor David Murray was in court on Jan. 21 to have his 35 counts of fraud over $5,000 spoken to. Murray was in court on Jan. 7 for what was to be a judicial pre-trial, but that hit a snag as he had not yet retained legal counsel as he had been unsuccessful in finding a lawyer in Greater Sudbury and was looking to find outside representation. The court was told that Murray had been inquiring if the legal aid certificate would cover travel costs for an out-of-town lawyer and was waiting to hear back. On Jan. 21, it was revealed that Murray's legal aid certificate has been cancelled and he is now in the process of appealing that decision. "I contacted legal aid and they cancelled my certificate," said Murray in court on Jan. 21. "I'm making an appeal and I submitted it last week. They said it could take two weeks for them to make a decision." Murray is scheduled for a judicial pre-trial in Sudbury on Feb. 6. Get the full story here.
OPP officer charged with impaired driving:
On Monday, Jan. 20 at approximately 4 p.m., members of the Almaguin Highlands Detachment of the OPP conducted a traffic stop on Novar Road. Investigation revealed the driver had been consuming alcohol and after failing a roadside test was subsequently transported to the Huntsville OPP Detachment for further testing. As a result, a 50-year-old man from Perry Township has been charged with operation while impaired - blood alcohol concentration (80 plus). The accused is a member of the Ontario Provincial Police and is currently in his 15th year serving at the Huntsville OPP Detachment. The accused is scheduled to appear at the Ontario Court of Justice on Feb. 27 in Sundridge.
Sudbury receives $482,474 quarterly payment from OLG:
Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation (OLG) has issued a third-quarter (Oct. 1 to Dec. 31, 2019) non-tax gaming revenue payment of $482,474 to the City of Greater Sudbury for hosting Gateway Casinos – Sudbury. Since November 1999, Sudbury has received more than $44 million in non-tax gaming revenue. “Host communities support important community programs and services and strengthen their local infrastructure with these gaming revenues,” said Rod Phillips, Ontario Minister of Finance. “OLG’s significant annual proceeds are invested in key government priorities across the province to the benefit of all Ontarians.” These payments are made under an equitable formula that determines the funds communities receive for hosting a gaming facility and are based on a graduated scale of gaming revenue that is consistent across all sites in Ontario.
Boys and young men more likely to die than girls and young women, study finds:
A new Canadian study shows boys and young men are more likely to die than girls and young women, and they have a greater chance of dying due to injury, particularly from age 14 onwards. The study, published this month in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health, looked at 3.1 million children born in Ontario between 1990 and 2016 and examined who died and from what cause between the ages of one and 24. Researchers excluded those who died in their first year of life, saying those deaths are generally due to congenital anomalies or other causes that are not readily preventable. They found boys and young men had a greater tendency to die, especially starting at age 14, and were three times more likely to do so than young women by age 24. Find more on this story here.
Wednesday Weather:
Mainly cloudy Wednesday with periods of snow beginning in the afternoon. Winds will be gusting up to 50 km/h today and the high will be around -1. Periods of snow expected tonight with around 2 cm possible. Temperature will be steady at -2 overnight, feeling like -7 with the wind chill. For current weather conditions, short-term and long-term forecasts visit Sudbury.com's weather page at www.sudbury.com/weather.
