Good morning, Greater Sudbury.
Here are some stories to start your day.
Mayor and councillor Michael Vagnini clash during campground debate:
Greater Sudbury council defeated a motion Tuesday night that would have seen three municipal campgrounds remain closed for the 2020 season. While the opposition to closing the campgrounds was nearly unanimous, with only Ward 7 Coun. Mike Jakubo and Ward 9 Coun. Deb McIntosh voting in favour of keeping the campgrounds closed, there were some testy moments, culminating with Mayor Brian Bigger scolding one of his councillors. Ward 2 Coun. Michael Vagnini was the first to speak up against keeping the municipal campgrounds during Tuesday's meeting, and though he and the mayor voted the same way, it was Vagnini's string of side comments that ultimately pushed the mayor to fire back. The councillor has seemingly had some difficulty adjusting to council's new online meeting format, often blurting out comments while others are speaking and repeatedly apologizing for forgetting to mute his microphone. On Tuesday, Bigger reached a tipping point, telling Vagnini "this is not high school" while stating it was sad what the councillor would do for a headline. Get the full story here.
Sudbury man faces more child porn charges while out on bail:
A 33-year-old Sudbury man is facing more child pornography charges after being released on bail for similar charges, said Greater Sudbury Police Service. The man was first arrested in October 2018 following an extensive FBI Sacramento worldwide investigation started in 2016 that involved a large group of people possessing and accessing child pornography using an online storage website. In 2018, the FBI forwarded information to the Greater Sudbury Police, alerting them to this man’s involvement after the British Columbia Internet Child Exploitation Section of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police identified a man accessing, possessing, and making available child pornography. In October of 2018, after an extensive investigation named Project Endure, information gathered from a forensic examination of the computer devices seized revealed the person had distributed child abuse material to a person in the Sudbury region. On Oct. 17, 2018, Greater Sudbury Police Service’s Internet Child Exploitation Unit executed a search warrant at a Sudbury residence with the assistance of the Greater Sudbury Police Service Tactical Unit and Integrated Crime Team – Intelligence Unit. Computer devices and cellphones were seized that contained child abuse material. When he was arrested, he was charged with two counts of possession of child pornography, and one count each of distribution of child pornography, accessing child pornography and making child pornography. He was later released on bail. On June 23, officers arrested the same man for breaching his bail conditions and is additionally charged with accessing child pornography, possessing child pornography and failing to comply.
‘Financial instability’ forces permanent closure of Sudbury Salvation Army Thrift Store:
If you’re a fan of thrift shopping, there is now one less store in Greater Sudbury to dig up cost-effective treasures. The Salvation Army announced Monday that its thrift store on Notre Dame Avenue, which has been closed since March due to COVID-19, will not reopen. It is also no longer accepting donations, so you’re asked not to bring items there anymore — as with most local thrift stores, the Salvation Army has dealt with dumping during the pandemic. Capt. Deb VanderHeyden said the store had “not been viable for some time now,” and is being permanently closed due to financial instability. “With COVID, it certainly didn’t help the situation,” she said. It’s possible the Salvation Army could have a lawn sale to sell off its thrift store stock later on. “It’s hard to say right now, given the restrictions,” VanderHeyden said. The store has 14 staff, which includes two full-time staffers and casual employees who only come in occasionally as they’re needed. The Salvation Army owns the building at 634 Notre Dame Ave. where the thrift store is located, and also operates a food bank out of the venue. VanderHeyden said the plan is to use the space to create a Family Resource Centre to meet the needs of Flour Mill families and new Canadians.
Kirwan: Impending COVID-19 second wave underlines need for better home care for seniors:
Sudbury has been largely spared the ravages of COVID-19, but we must not be complacent, says ward 5 coun. Robert Kirwan. The councillor penned a guest column on Sudbury.com this week, highlighting the need for better home care for seniors. The Seniors’ Advisory Panel has been conducting virtual meetings every two weeks for the past couple of months. Their next meeting is this coming Friday, June 26. "The purpose of the meetings is to help the mayor and city councillors gain a better understanding of how our seniors are coping with the coronavirus pandemic measures that have been put in place," writes Kirwan. "My role as co-chair and councillor for Ward 5, is to make sure that the relevant priorities that are identified during the Seniors’ Advisory Panel meetings are reinforced when council is considering policies and decisions that will impact on our local senior population." Read more here.
Do you know Jack? Help for anxious young people to cope with COVID-19:
There is help and support out there for young people in Sudbury and across Ontario who might be feeling a little stressed out by the daily challenges of COVID-19. Ontario Power Generation (OPG) has teamed up with Jack.org to distribute "Be There", a digital mental health resource, for thousands of young Ontarians. Be There teaches young people how to support one another through mental health struggles. Jack.org is a Canadian website focussed on teaching young leaders how to help young people with mental health challenges. Sudbury has Jack.org chapters at Laurentian University and Confederation Secondary School in Val Caron. The Be There program is regarded especially important now that young people are facing something their parents and older siblings never had to deal with, the COVID-19 pandemic. Full story here.
Demonstrators call for more sober second thought on new Ontario home care bill:
A steady sprinkle of rain in downtown Sudbury didn't dampen the spirits of a small but passionate group of protesters who believe Premier Doug Ford is steering his government in the wrong direction with Bill 175, known as the Connecting People to Home and Community Care Act, 2020. The bill is currently up for debate in the legislature and has not yet been passed into law. The Ministry of Health is calling it a new plan to modernize homecare with a new and innovative model of care. The ministry says this is the first major change since the Home Care and Community Services Act was passed in 1994. Health Minister Christine Elliott said the bill will let the province catch up with all the changes in the past 25 years. More on this story here.
‘Stranded’ Thorneloe students not happy with LU’s solutions to let them finish their degrees:
A woman studying motion picture arts in Sudbury said she feels she will only get a “degree on paper” and will lack proper training after Thorneloe University stopped offering her program this spring. Laurentian University said it would ensure students enrolled in motion picture arts, as well as theatre arts — another program being cut by Thorneloe — would be able to finish out their degrees through equivalent courses in other LU departments and other post-secondary institutions. Caroline Kan-Hai, who just finished her first year in the Thorneloe program, is among the students behind a petition signed by nearly 2,000 people to date. The petition that demands the motion picture arts professors be reinstated and that students receive a proper education. In May, Thorneloe University announced its motion picture arts and theatre arts programs would no longer operate after the end of this past school year. Along with Huntington University and the University of Sudbury, Thorneloe University is a federated university with Laurentian University. Thorneloe is located on the Laurentian University campus, and its students are issued Laurentian degrees. Thorneloe told Sudbury.com in May there are about 25 students enrolled as majors in the two programs. There are two full-time professors and about nine sessional instructors who are losing their jobs, according to the university’s faculty union. More on this story here.
Thursday Weather:
Rain showers in the forecast again for Thursday. Cloudy to start the day with a 60 per cent chance of showers. Mix of sun and cloud this afternoon and the high will get up to 21. A few clouds overhead tonight with the low dipping to 13. For current weather conditions, short-term and long-term forecasts visit Sudbury.com's weather page at www.sudbury.com/weather.
