Good morning, Greater Sudbury.
Here are some stories to start your day.
Daycare worker charged with multiple sexual offences:
Greater Sudbury Police arrested and charged a 43-year-old man, described as a daycare employee by police, on Jan. 25 in connection to complaints from a concerned parent of a preschool-aged child. On Jan. 13, GSPS was contacted by a parent regarding allegations of sexual assault on a preschool-aged child at a daycare located on John Street in Greater Sudbury. The incident was assigned to detectives in the Criminal Investigations Division and the Internet Child Exploitation Unit. On Jan. 25, a 43-year old man was arrested and charged with the following offences under the Criminal Code of Canada: Sexual Assault, Sexual Interference, Sexual Exploitation. He was held for bail and attended Weekend and Statutory Holiday (W.A.S.H.) Court on Sunday, Jan. 26 to answer to the charges.
Man driving stolen vehicle rams cruisers in attempt to flee police:
Greater Sudbury Police Service have arrested a 28-year-old man in relation to a vehicle theft reported earlier this month. In a statement, police said that around 2:30 a.m. Jan. 27, an officer recognized the stolen vehicle while driving on Bessie Street. "The officer followed the vehicle in his cruiser, maintaining a safe distance until additional police units were in the area," the statement said. "The driver of the vehicle abruptly turned off of Lasalle Boulevard onto Starlight Street, pulling into the parking lot of École Felix Ricard, where multiple police vehicles boxed in the stolen car." The driver of the stolen vehicle proceeded to ram the car into police cruisers causing minor damage to all vehicles involved before members of the Tactical Unit were able to get into the vehicle and take the man into custody. The man and one officer sustained minor injuries during the incident. The man was charged with multiple offences including, theft over $5,000, dangerous operation, flight from peace officer, resist arrest and drive while prohibited.
Sudbury police release description of Antwerp Ave. shooter:
Greater Sudbury Police have released a description of the suspect in the Sunday Antwerp Avenue shooting. The suspect is described as a black man, 6-0 to 6-2 tall, wearing a dark-coloured jacket with fur around the hood. Police say they are only looking for this suspect. They believe the shooting was not a random attack. Greater Sudbury Police said a man was being treated for a gunshot wound after the incident Sunday. The man is in stable condition, police report.
Pioneer Manor resident who owed $75K refused help to pay the rent:
Pioneer Manor had little choice other than to allow a resident to live there virtually rent-free for five years, city council heard Jan. 21. The resident, who can't be named because of privacy rules, moved there in 2011, and paid the roughly $1,800 a month rent for the first two years. Pioneer Manor director Aaron Archibald said payments after 2013 became a growing issue. “There was sporadic moments throughout the years when money was coming in, then no money the next month,” Archibald said. The manor took all the steps they could to recover the amount owed, which grew to more than $75,000 before the resident passed away in 2018. The manor can't garish old age pensions, Archibald said, and residents can't be evicted from an LTC home in Ontario for not paying rent. Get the full story here.
Tragic anniversary: A recap of the 20-year investigation into Renée Sweeney's murder and the ongoing court case:
For more than two decades after it happened, the anniversary of the 1998 murder of Renée Sweeney was not only a day to honour her memory, it was a reminder of the mystery surrounding the events that fateful day. Sweeney was just 23, a music student at Laurentian University, when she was stabbed multiple times while working as a clerk at Adults Only Video on Jan. 27, 1998. The suspect — at the time believed to be a white man in his early 20s — stabbed her at least 30 times, then went to the washroom to clean up. Despite the evidence, cracking the case proved to be a huge challenge. One man — John Fetterly — was charged with first-degree murder soon after, but it didn't take police long to realize they'd made a mistake and Fetterly was cleared of the crime, and released with an apology. Although the case never officially went cold, there was little in the way of new information for the next 20 years, though police continued to plug away at the crime. By 2017, police had processed thousands of tips and ruled out 1,800 people. Robert Steven Wright, an 18-year-old Lockerby Composite School student at the time of the murder, now faces a second-degree murder charge. He was arrested in North Bay, where he worked as a lab tech.
Battle to build homes on Howey Drive reaches LPAT:
A classic battle over a building proposal that conforms to provincial and city planning rules, but is fiercely opposed by residents, will be heard by the province's Local Planning Appeals Tribunal in May. Dalron Ltd. has been trying to get approval for a major subdivision on Howey Drive since 2011, when the planning committee rejected it. That plan called for as many as 705 units, which the committee feared was far too much traffic to add to Howey, a street already near capacity. In 2012, the company submitted a scaled-back version of its plan, consisting of 192 units to be built in stages, likely 25-40 lots at a time. Dalron agreed to share the cost of road improvements to accommodate the full development, which was estimated at the time to be $50 million. City planning staff evaluated the plan and said it conformed to city and provincial planning rules. But in front of a council chambers full of residents bitterly opposed to the plan, and citing concerns about the 3,500 vehicle trips a day the full project would eventually add to Howey, the committee voted 3-2 against the proposal. More on this story here.
Mining watchdog expected to have a few choice words to say about ferrochrome smelters:
MiningWatch co-founder Joan Kuyek will be delivering a primer to Sault Ste. Marie residents on the “true social and economic costs” of the mining industry in Northern Ontario. The Ring of Fire is a particular focus of the author, lecturer and activist during her upcoming Jan. 30 appearance at Algoma’s Water Tower Inn entitled: Will the Ring of Fire Bring Prosperity to the North? It’s also expected she’ll have a thing or two to say about Noront Resource’s proposed $1-billion ferrochrome smelter, slated for the city’s west end within the next decade. The event is co-hosted by Algoma University’s NORDIK Institute, Clean North, the Lake Superior Watershed Conservancy, and Algoma’s Water Tower Inn. Full story can be found here.
Tuesday Weather:
Cloudy skies overhead today with a 30 per cent chance of flurries in the morning. Expect a mix of sun and cloud by afternoon with a high of -6. Chilly temperatures return tonight with the low dropping to -16, feeling like -22 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.
